by If you’re holding out for an iPhone SE 4, then we’ve got some bad news for you, as a reliable source suggests that this phone could either be delayed or cancelled.
Ming-Chi Kuo – an analyst with a good track record on Apple information – claims in a tweet thread (opens in new tab) (via Apple Insider (opens in new tab)) that Apple will likely either cancel or delay the iPhone SE 4.
The phone apparently won’t land until after 2024 in the latter case, despite a previous leak that said we could see it in 2023.
(1/5) My latest research indicates that Apple will likely cancel or postpone the 2024 iPhone SE 4 mass production plan. I think this is due to consistently lower than expected shipments of mid-range to low-end iPhones (p .eg SE 3, 13 mini and 14 Plus),December 21, 2022
That’s apparently because mid-range iPhones just aren’t selling as well as Apple would like, with Kuo pointing to the iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 13 mini, and iPhone 14 Plus as examples.
Additionally, rumors suggest that the iPhone SE 4 would get a slightly more modern design. with a notch and no home button, and that’s a change that could increase the overall cost, according to Kuo, which could further hurt sales.
A final reason for the delay (or cancellation) given by Kuo is that cutting unnecessary new product development costs in 2023 would be desirable for Apple as we are in a global economic recession.
These are all compelling arguments, and Kuo has certainly been right in the past, but we’ll take it with a grain of salt, for now.
Analysis: don’t expect to see an iPhone SE 4 anytime soon
While at least one leak previously suggested a 2023 release for the next iPhone SE, Kuo’s claims seem plausible, as beyond the arguments provided, we simply haven’t heard as much about the iPhone SE 4 as we’d expect. if it was to be released in 2023.
The most likely 2023 launch time would be early in the year as the current model landed in March 2022 and while these aren’t always annual releases, the previous model landed in April of its launch year.
So somewhere around March or April 2023 would seem the most likely time for a 2023 release, but we’d think the phone would have leaked more extensively if it landed that soon.
Also, as noted, these are not usually annual releases. In fact, there’s at least a two-year gap between each model so far, so a 2024 or later release makes a lot of sense – and we certainly wouldn’t rule out Apple ending the series, given that these phones are seemingly struggling to sell compared to most of the best iPhones.
