Here’s Another Sneak Peek at the ‘iPhone SE 4’
Earlier this month, a series of leaked images gave us our first look at what the upcoming iPhone SE 4 might look like. Now, another leaker has a new set of photos that appear to independently corroborate that first set.
None of these images are of an actual iPhone SE, but they’re the next best thing: photos of dummy units that are often created by makers of cases and other accessories so they can get their products prepped and manufactured in time for the launch of the new iPhone.
Apple frequently provides advanced specifications to its made-for-iPhone (MFi) partners under a strict non-disclosure agreement. However, once manufacturing begins, it’s not hard for other accessory makers who aren’t part of the MFi program to glean these details. Plus, security at a case maker’s facilities is likely to be far less stringent than it is on Apple’s iPhone production line.
In other words, these dummy units are almost always very close, if not spot on, to the iPhone that ends up shipping. Accessory makers can’t afford to be wrong about such things, as they risk having a warehouse full of unsellable stock if they get the dimensions off.
In mid-January, Sonny Dickson shared the first set of images we’ve seen, showing an iPhone SE that wasn’t particularly surprising. It aligned almost perfectly with everything we’d previously heard, showing a design nearly identical to the iPhone 14, including a ring/silent switch rather than an Action button, plus the expected single camera lens.
Now, Leaker Majin Bu has more to show us, with a series of images posted on X that also include a short video clip.
The photos and video look essentially identical to what Dickson showed us nearly two weeks ago, except that they also give us one more important clue: the “iPhone SE 4” will indeed include a notch.
Dickson’s images only showed the sides and rear of the dummy units, so it was impossible to predict what would be around the front. While early rumors had hinted that Apple might go with the Dynamic Island — an idea first put forward by Majin Bu almost a year ago — by September, most reliable sources had ruled the iPhone SE would be sticking with the notch, including Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and 9to5Mac’s well-regarded sources.
Will the iPhone SE Have a Dynamic Island After All?
That seemed to be the final word until last week when reputable leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) shared code references with visual assets pointing to a Dynamic Island. We would have dismissed this out of hand were it not for Blass’ strong reputation in sharing accurate details in the past, which means even with today’s dummy units, the jury may still be out on what Apple is up to here.
We’d originally bought into the notion of a Dynamic Island for the next iPhone SE, as it makes a lot of sense from a UI perspective. The last notch-equipped iPhone, the iPhone 14, will almost certainly be discontinued this September when Apple releases its iPhone 17 lineup, bumping the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 models each down a notch (no pun intended). Releasing an iPhone SE with the notch would keep that design element alive for another few years.
The dummy unit photos shared by Majin Bu could be off on the front-screen design, as the mold fabricators may have had exact measurements for the external components but guessed at the front screen. However, even leaving those aside, it’s hard to argue with the other reputable sources who have long said that the iPhone SE will feature a notch.
In a follow-up tweet, Majin Bu indicated a project was in the works to adopt the Dynamic Island, as they reported last year. However, that seems to have been scrapped in favor of the notch.
From what I know there is a project with the Dynamic Island as I reported some time ago, but it seems that in the end the version with notch will come out
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) January 25, 2025
On the other hand, a rumor that Apple could call the next model the “iPhone 16E” lends some weight to the notion of a Dynamic Island. It was also Majin Bu who first suggested this from their sources, and the folks at 9to5Mac have strong feelings that Apple will go with this naming, although it’s unclear if those stem from any inside information beyond the original leak.
If the next iPhone SE were to more strongly adopt iPhone 16 design elements such as the Action button and Dynamic Island, I could see Apple going with “iPhone 16E” or something of that nature, except that it still would be awkward unless the company plans to release more frequent updates. Imagine an iPhone 16E still on the market four years from now when the iPhone 20 is released.
However, we already have strong evidence that the Action button will not be coming to the iPhone SE. That already seems like one strike against an iPhone 16-related name, and there’s only one dissenting leak pointing to a Dynamic Island. An argument in favor of a new name is that the new iPhone SE will have a significant new design, but that speaks more to how consistent Apple’s design language has been over the past four years.
Basing the iPhone SE on the iPhone 14 is the same pattern Apple followed with the 2016 and 2020 iPhone SE models, each of which adopted the designs of their 2.5-year predecessors. Those earlier designs only felt like throwbacks because the iPhone underwent significant transitions during those periods. This year marks the first time in iPhone history that Apple has used the same design across four generations without introducing anything new; the iPhone 6 to iPhone 8 era came close, but the introduction of the iPhone X made it clear that 2017 would mark the end of that era.
While there are some rumors that this year’s iPhone 17 lineup may change things up again, those remain uncorroborated by any reliable sources as of yet. The so-called “iPhone 17 Air” will undoubtedly be something different, but the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max could remain essentially unchanged.
About The Author
