Apple is planning on releasing an iPhone SE with a custom-designed 5G modem in 2025, says analyst Jeff Pu, in a research note with Haitong International Securities on Tuesday. Pu says the modem will be fabricated by Apple’s chipmaking partner, TSMC.
Pu’s comments jibe with those made two months ago by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who said Apple has once again begun development of a fourth-generation iPhone SE sporting a 6.1-inch OLED display and an Apple-designed 5G modem. Kuo had said the modem would be manufactured using TSMC’s 4nm process and would initially support sub-6GHz bands only.
Kuo said mass production of the fourth-generation iPhone SE would begin in the first half of 2024. However, Pu believes the device’s launch has been delayed until 2025.
Apple’s current iPhone SE saw a March 2022 release and uses Qualcomm’s custom Snapdragon X57 chip for sub-6GHz 5G. The device is the only iPhone still being sold with a Home button for Touch ID. The new model is expected to use Face ID and is expected to resemble the standard iPhone 14 model.
