Apple’s iPhone SE 4 likely cancelled or delayed to 2024: Ming Chi-Kuo

Apple has either cancelled the development of iPhone SE 4 or postponed the launch due to limited demand for affordable iPhones.

iPhone SE 4 was to get a full-screen display (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

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Several leaks have speculated about the features for Apple next’s affordable iPhone — the iPhone SE 4. But it looks like Apple could scrap this iPhone entirely due to the economic slowdown, which has adversely affected the demand for affordable iPhones.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has an accurate track record with predictions, the company “will likely cancel or postpone the mass production plan for the 2024 2024 iPhone SE 4.” He added this change in decision was likely due to “consistently lower-than-expected shipments of mid-to-low-end iPhones (e.g., SE 3, 13 mini, and 14 Plus).”

When compared to the previous iterations of the iPhone SE, which all looked identical to the iPhone 8, the upcoming iPhone SE 4 was supposed to feature a full-screen display with a notch, similar to the modern iPhones. This design change would have also driven up the price of the next iPhone SE 4, which has made Apple reconsider the positioning of the SE 4 to recover the investment, according to Kuo.

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My latest survey indicates that Apple will likely cancel or postpone the mass production plan for the 2024 iPhone SE 4. I think this is due to the consistently lower-than-expected shipments of mid-to-low-end iPhones (e.g., SE 3, 13 mini, and 14 Plus),

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) December 21, 2022

Given the speculated recession in 2023, it will be difficult for Apple to recover the development expenses with the new product, especially if the iPhone SE 4 is supposed to be ‘affordable’. The iPhone SE 4 was supposed to look similar to the iPhone XR with a full-screen display. The device was expected to come with the A15 Bionic or the A16 Bionic processor with support for 5G technology.

All of these factors are reasons why Kuo thinks the iPhone SE 4 is delayed or cancelled. Keep in mind that for Apple, its older devices continue to sell well and remain popular, especially in markets like India. For instance, the iPhone 13 remained a hot-seller this year, especially since the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus had the same processor as the older variant.