Forget the iPhone 16, Apple has something better

Updated on July 21 with new design details for the upcoming iPhone SE.

With the launch of Apple Intelligence, Apple is all set to enter the world of AI-first smartphones. As the iPhone 16 Pro will be the workhorse, Tim Cook and his team will ensure that the iPhone 16 can deliver on the same promise. But waiting behind the scenes is a better iPhone that offers loyal Apple customers money, new hardware and the power of AI: the next-generation iPhone SE.

The iPhone SE is extremely popular and offers the benefits of Apple’s ecosystem and hardware in a smartphone at an attractive price The tone was set in 2016 with the first iPhone SE based on the iPhone 5S design, the second based on the iPhone 8 in 2020, and the third based on the same design as the iPhone 8 in 2022 but with the same chipset as the then current one. iPhone 13.

The iPhone SE 2025 is expected to be just as popular as the previous models due to the rising prices of the Pro iPhones.

As far as specs go, we’re probably aiming for the iPhone 14 form factor, albeit smaller than the vanilla and Pro models, which will be welcomed by many. After all, not everyone wants a huge smartphone. Given the three-year gap between this SE and the previous version, you can expect many Apple hardware improvements to be included; A larger 48-megapixel main camera, the first use of a notch display on the SE and the same fast-charging battery technology expected for the iPhone 16 are likely.

The biggest advance could be the screen. While previous SE models shipped with cheaper, less bright LCD displays, the 2025 version is expected to be brighter. It also has an OLED screen.

Update: Sunday, July 21st.

Although the iPhone SE’s designs have always been inspired by previous models, they remain relatively new thanks to Apple’s iterative design process, which rarely makes major design leaps.

9to5Mac reports The design of the iPhone SE is said to be modern-looking and similar to the iPhone 16’s rear design. Each new iPhone SE will have key defining features such as a vertically stacked camera and a notch display:

“…in other words, the backs of the two devices are essentially indistinguishable. This isn’t a big surprise, as CAD images from earlier this year indicated that the upcoming iPhone SE 4 will be the largest SE model yet, along with a very similar iPhone 14.

There is an important point to note. The iPhone 16’s dual camera lens array shifts to a vertical arrangement to enable stereoscopic video capture when placed in landscape mode – video perfect for viewing in 3D on Vision Pro. Apple wants to push that forward with the iPhone 16 series, and it makes sense that the next iPhone SE will be part of that push.

The iPhone 16 has been an inherently hackable device in the past. Apple is incorporating the company’s latest and greatest technology into its Pro models, which this year will be the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. A balance has been struck with the regular iPhone 16 having enough space to be considered a good iPhone, and leaving enough headroom to demand the more expensive Pro model.

Using previous generation Axx chips from the past few years, reducing memory options for consumers and keeping the memory space as small as possible. This is no longer the case as supporting generative AI requires the latest Apple silicon processors and more memory to enable as much processing as possible on a local computer.

For the iPhone SE to support Apple’s intelligence, it must have the same basic specifications as the iPhone 16, especially when it comes to the Apple Silicon processor. It has happened before that the iPhone SE features the same chipset as the flagship series, and it will probably be the case with this generation as well.

After all, if AI is the future, Apple’s intelligence must be everywhere. And if you want it to be everywhere, the iPhone SE should support it.

There is also a question about the timeline for generative AI. Luxury brand Apple Intelligence was unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference last month and will play its part in iOS 18. While iOS 18 will be available to the public when the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro launch in September, the core AI components aren’t expected to appear until Q1 2025.

The Apple community may be looking forward to an “AI boom” in sales of the iPhone 16 as one of the first AI-powered iPhones, but there are no signs in the supply chain that Apple plans to increase its backlog. If Apple waits until the first quarter of 2025 to start the revolution, is it worth waiting to see what form that revolution takes?

If you want the extra power and full potential of the iPhone platform, go for the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max and there’s no point in looking at another iPhone. If you’re looking to maximize your cash, the iPhone SE is a better deal than the iPhone 16, and thanks to the late arrival of Apple Intelligence, it makes little sense to buy the next iPhone before then.

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