As we approach the end of the year, it’s almost impossible not to wonder what new changes will be coming to the tech world over the next 12 months – and it looks likely to be an intriguing year for the iPhone.
For once, it’s not about speculation surrounding the next flagship phone – the iPhone 17 range that’s likely to hit in the latter part of the year – but to do with the heavily-rumored iPhone SE 4.
We’re starting to get used to expecting a new lower-end iPhone model from Apple every couple of years. But there’s something a bit different in these rumors that’s caught my attention – and it’s nothing to do with the rumored hardware (such as a larger screen, Face ID or others, which you can read all about in our iPhone SE 4 leaked feature roundup).
No, the thing that’s got me is the strong possibility that the new iPhone SE could be coming with Apple Intelligence baked in, which would be huge for a phone tipped to be sold for under $500.
Smarter than your average budget phone
Up until now, Apple Intelligence has been firmly marketed as available on the most expensive iPhones: the iPhone 15 Pro range and the latest iPhone 16 models.
While this is still all firmly speculation, to bring the AI capabilities to a lower-end model could be a huge selling point for Apple.
If it can build momentum for the features, it could help attract (and keep hold of) people who want to upgrade their smartphone but don’t care to spend huge amounts on a new phone just to get a bit of a spec bump.
While some buyers want multiple cameras and have strong opinions about the notch at the top of the screen, many others just want an iPhone – it’s what they’ve used happily for years and have an ecosystem of gadgets that it slots into.
These folks could well be enticed by an iPhone that can rewrite their emails in different styles, or enjoy sharing custom emoji with family group chats. But only if it’s at the right price.
A new potential poster child
This idea of the iPhone SE range being the ‘cheap’ way to get some of the latest phone functionality isn’t new – after all, the iPhone SE 3 was Apple’s way of offering 5G connectivity without needing to spend close to $1,000.
However, while the iPhone SE 4 would need a more powerful chipset to handle any Apple Intelligence features, that AI heart could bring improvements throughout the phone without the need for loads of other new hardware.
Apple’s promised updates to its suite of AI-powered tools will be “available in the months to come”, and that could tie in nicely with the expected spring launch for the latest iPhone SE. These additions will be important, as while the changes that came in iOS 18.1 and 18.2 (such as Image Playground and ChatGPT support) are OK, they’re not earth shattering.
If the intended new features are as useful as they’re rumored to be, such as on-screen awareness allowing users to simply ask the phone to interact with things that appear on the screen (such as editing a photo or saving a phone number sent), then they could entice users of older iPhones to upgrade.
So if the iPhone SE 4 does come with Apple Intelligence, I can easily imagine most of the launch being about bringing Intelligence to an even lower price point as the brand looks to enhance the functionality of its phones in new areas.
Taking cues from Google?
All this reminds me heavily of 2019’s Google Pixel 3a – the ‘a’ range being the budget version of the flagship Pixel phones from the search giant, the closest equivalent to Apple’ iPhone SE models.
What was interesting there was that Google had brought many of the high-end photography features from the more expensive Pixel phone to the budget model. Using the on-phone AI smarts, owners of the sub-$400 phone were able to get access to advanced photography features like Night Sight (one of the earliest examples of computational photography being used to enhance night scenes).
AI was being used to add new powers without the need for expensive extra hardware, and that’s what could be on offer with Apple’s iPhone SE4 if the rumors turn out to be true.
If that’s the case, then we’ll likely see an acceleration in the race to use on-device intelligence to enhance what’s already there. We’re seeing that already – every brand is using algorithms to improve photographs, battery life and performance – but finding new ways to help users day to day using machine learning will be especially powerful at a lower price point.
If Apple does decide to make Intelligence the headline feature of the new iPhone SE 4, the success could depend on whether the new capabilities are alluring enough.
Users could be loath to ditch their fingerprint sensor, or be worried about going up to a ‘big’ phone (although 6.1 inches is still below the worldwide average smartphone display size). This is where the word of mouth or demonstrations from friends will be invaluable to Apple, with people keen to show off their AI artwork or being able to quickly do tasks that used to require more effort.
Of course, it’s unlikely the iPhone SE 4 will get all the Apple Intelligence features; things such as Visual Intelligence need the Camera Control hardware, and by locking certain capabilities to the higher-end models it will still give a reason for others to buy the more expensive models.
Should I wait?
So what does that mean for you, especially if you’re considering buying a new phone in the near future? I’d be sorely tempted to at least wait and see if Apple does, indeed, launch a new iPhone SE in the early part of 2025.
That’s because I want to know how the rollout of Apple Intelligence will continue, how long the full suite of promised features takes to arrive, and whether the rumored release date for those line up with the predicted launch of the new SE.
The key thing will depend on momentum. If Apple’s marketing campaigns for Intelligence continue apace, and showcase the new capabilities in onscreen awareness combined with enhanced photo editing or the like, then it could be a compelling reason for some to upgrade to a new iPhone for less than they might have expected.