Reports of the death of the iPhone SE perhaps exaggerated

Apple’s current iPhone SE uses a Qualcomm 5G chipset

iPhone SE is back, not that it ever really went away – but don’t expect the fourth generation of the device to appear before 2024, reports claim.

Ringing in the changes

Earlier this year we were told Apple had cancelled development of the iPhone SE 4. Now we’ve been told the project has been rebegun.

In a series of tweets analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told us the new device will be a little like a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 with an OLED display – and will be one of the first Apple devices to carry the first iteration of the company’s own 5G modem. Apple’s implementation here will be a little limited as it will, allegedly, only support sub-6GHz 5G and won’t support mmWave.

We can’t be sure about these claims – rumors are, by nature, meaningless until they become realized – but they do tally in an interesting way with recent statements from Apple’s current 5G modem supplier, Qualcomm.

Qualcomm and iPhone

As I reported here, Qualcomm this week said Apple is unlikely to use its chips inside iPhones starting from next year. Qualcomm was at one point expected to supply its modems to just 20% of iPhones manufactured in 2023, but that changed.

Kuo’s statement wraps a little more insight around that, as it speculates Apple will be using the iPhone SE as an experiment to identify any manufacturing or other problems before committing to placing its chips inside other models of iPhone.

The good news for Apple is that it will make more revenue per unit sold. It may use that cash to maintain relatively low prices in an inflationary environment, but given it is also deeply involved in fundamental supply chain changes, any such revenue savings may be swiftly swallowed up. We shall see what transpires.

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