Barclays analyst Tom O’Malley and his cohorts recently traveled to Asia to meet with electronics manufacturers and suppliers in the country. In a research note this week, the analysts say they have “confirmed” that the long-expected fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-manufactured 5G modem will launch toward the end of the first calendar quarter in 2025. The “confirmation” jibes with previous rumors about the device.
The new iPhone SE 4, expected to carry a sub-$500 price tag, is expected to feature a USB-C port and Face ID, replacing the Touch ID Home button and the Lightning port the current iPhone SE is equipped with.
The fourth-generation iPhone SE’s display is rumored to considerably increase from the current 4.7 inches to 6.1 inches, and to feature an OLED display panel for the first time. The new handset is also expected to be powered by the same A18 chip as the iPhone 16 lineup. The handset is expected to include 8GB of LPDDR5 memory to better handle Apple intelligence, an aluminum chassis, a single rear 48-megapixel camera, and Apple’s first in-house 5G modem.
Apple’s current iPhone 16 device lineup still uses Qualcomm modems. Apple earlier this year extended its 5G modem contract with Qualcomm, which now runs until at least through 2026.
Apple has long made it clear that it wants to break away from relying on Qualcomm for its connectivity chips. Apple acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business in July 2019, taking the first step toward developing its own connectivity chips. At the time of the purchase, Apple said it would “help expedite our development on future products and allow Apple to further differentiate moving forward.”
In November 2023, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Apple is still “years away” from being able to manufacture a 5G modem chip that would be competitive with Qualcomm’s modems.
