Apple CEO Tim Cook has teased “newest family member” of the company, coming next week, widely expected to be the fourth-generation iPhone SE, aka iPhone SE 4. “Get ready to meet the newest member of the family,” read Cook’s post, featuring an animated Apple logo.
The February 19 launch is in line with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman speculations, and this would mark the first refresh of Apple’s budget iPhone line since 2022. Significant design changes are expected to the fourth-generation SE, including the removal of the iconic home button – a feature that has been present on iPhones since the original model launched 18 years ago.
The new iPhone SE, supposedly dubbed either iPhone SE 4 or iPhone 16e (could be very likely as Cook teases it to be the “new member of the family”), will likely feature an iPhone 14-reminiscent design, having a larger 6.1-inch OLED display and replace the home button’s Touch ID with Face ID technology.
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to be powered by Apple’s latest A18 chip, enabling support for the company’s new Apple Intelligence features. The fourth-generation model is also expected to bring in the addition Action button, adopt USB-C charging, following Apple’s transition away from the Lightning port.
While, the new iPhone SE might is said to maintain a single camera as its predecessor, it is rumored to be upgraded to a 48MP sensor, similar to that of iPhone 16 models
While Cook’s announcement didn’t specify whether this would be a virtual or in-person event, but the rumours suggests that the launch may be conducted through press releases and promotional videos on Apple’s website, similar to the company’s M4 Mac launches in October 2024.