- Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported that the iPhone SE 4 could come with support for Apple Intelligence
- Due to the hardware requirements of Apple’s AI toolkit, we could end up with an iPhone SE that feels like a flagship
- The current generation iPhone SE is reportedly running out of stock, suggesting an imminent update
Apple could soon make Apple Intelligence much more accessible by equipping the rumored iPhone SE 4 with the company’s full set of AI features.
A report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests that the presumed upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE will indeed support Apple’s AI toolset and as such will come with at least 8GB of RAM and an A17 Pro or A18 chipset (all current Apple Intelligence-enabled devices come with a combination of these specifications or better).
Gurman is a leading commentator on all things Apple, and we’ve referenced his reports and predictions several times in the past, so there’s definitely some weight to this latest rumor.
If the updated iPhone SE launches with 8GB of RAM and the A18 under the hood, it will match the flagship iPhone 16 for internal power. We’ll likely see differences in battery capacity and potentially cooling and heat dissipation, but otherwise the internal hardware on each device could be remarkably similar.
And with Apple Intelligence enabled, the software experience between the two phones can be close to identical as well. We don’t expect the new iPhone SE to feature Dynamic Island, but otherwise iOS will likely feel almost identical on both handsets.
The current generation iPhone SE 3 retails for $429 / £429 / AU$719. We’ve heard rumors of a possible price increase for the iPhone SE 4, but we still expect it to come in below the $500 mark, which would still be significantly cheaper than the iPhone 16, which costs $799 / £799 / AU$1,399.
For some, this value proposition would be hard to ignore. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to launch with a single camera system and we would be surprised to see the camera control button appear. But it stands to reason that for some users, missing out on these features will be worth a few hundred dollars in savings.
Personally, if the iPhone SE 4 is as close to the iPhone 16 as these rumors suggest, I think I’ll have trouble recommending the latter — especially given that Apple’s latest flagship still clings to an outdated 60Hz display and not so useful ultra-wide camera.
Android Authority notes that iPhone SE 3 stocks are running low with no sign of replenishment, so it can’t be long before we see the rumored fourth-generation model take its place. If you can’t wait until then, feel free to check out our list of the best iPhones.
