A new iPhone SE 4 is reportedly in development and that has shoppers curious about the phone’s release date.
Throughout the year we’ve seen iPhone SE 4 rumors highlight potential design changes, performance upgrades, and camera enhancements. They’ve also hinted at the phone’s launch.
Initially, it looked like the phone would arrive in 2024, but those plans have changed, it seems. We’re now looking at a longer development cycle. So how long will interested buyers have to wait for a new iPhone SE?
Let’s start with the rumors.
Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu believes the iPhone SE 4’s release date will land in 2025. Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley also think the iPhone SE 4 will miss 2024. They reiterated this stance in a newer note from July.
Chinese publication IT Home says suppliers are currently bidding to supply Apple with OLED displays for the iPhone SE 4. Their sources also think the device will arrive in 2025.
MacRumors, a site that’s leaked many of the iPhone SE 4’s supposed features, says the “current development status of the fourth-generation iPhone SE suggests a potential release date of 2025.”
The iPhone SE 4 should miss 2024 and land in 2025 if development behind the scenes goes according to plan. But when in 2025 will it launch?
If you’re even a little bit familiar with Apple’s protocols, you’re probably aware the company typically uses three windows to launch new hardware: spring, summer, and fall.
If you look back at the past three iPhone SE launches, you’ll notice the company used the spring window to announce the new budget models:
- iPhone SE: Announced on March 21st, 2016, Released March 31st
- iPhone SE 2: Announced April 15th, 2020, Released April 24th
- iPhone SE 3: Announced March 8th, 2022, Released March 18th
Now, this doesn’t mean the iPhone SE 4 launch will happen in the spring of 2025, but given Apple’s history, it’s more likely than the summer and fall windows.
If Apple decides not to use the spring window, the phone would probably launch in June at WWDC 2025 or in September alongside the iPhone 18 series.
In any event, if you’re interested in buying a fourth-generation iPhone SE, you’ve got a long wait ahead of you.
