Apple may be reviving the iPhone SE 4 by taking a new approach for development

Date:
Tue, 28 Feb 2023 05:00:11 +0000

Description:
Apple is planning on equipping the mid-range phone with its new baseband
chip, according to the latest rumors.

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The iPhone SE 4 lives...maybe. In a recent Twitter thread, reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that the tech giant has restarted development on the iPhone SE 4 two months after it was reportedly canceled.

The reason the project was axed in the first place, according to Kuos post on Medium , was because Apple wanted its mid-range device to house its first in-house 5G baseband chip so the company wouldnt have to rely on Qualcomm. However, the hardware just wasnt up to par with Qualcomms [tech] so the whole thing got scrapped back in early January. But now it appears Apple has a solution . Instead of making everything from scratch, the iPhone SE 4 will
now reportedly be a modified version of the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 .

Kuo claims the device will come equipped with the aforementioned baseband
chip produced by a 4nm process; however, it will only support sub-6GHz 5G and not the faster mmWave spectrum, just like the previous model . The biggest change as Kuo points out is the phone will sport an OLED display instead of
an LCD. Ross Young , another reputable industry analyst, claims the screen will be provided by Chinese manufacturer BOE Technology. Mass production, assuming development goes smoothly, will begin sometime in the first half of 2024. Apple's future plans

The rest of the Twitter thread hints at Apples future endeavors. He goes on
to say its still up in the air whether or not the inevitable iPhone 16 line will utilize the new chipset. Apparently, the company is dealing with some technical obstacles [relating] to mmWave and satellite communications. But if it manages to pull it off, Kuo predicts the gulf between Apple and Qualcomm will grow as the latters hardware will no longer be necessary. He even speculates, that if mass production goes well, we could see iPads and Apple Watches ditching Qualcomm chipsets in favor of the baseband one.

And thats pretty much all that can be gleaned from the thread as it directly pertains to the iPhone SE 4 or Apple's plans. Its unknown just how much of
the iPhone 14s features, like Emergency SOS via Satellite , or hardware will be present in the upcoming phone. Price also remains a mystery. For the sake of comparison, the iPhone SE 3 launched back in March 2022 with a starting price tag of $429 in the United States.

If youre in the market for a new phone, be sure to check out TechRadars
latest round-up of the best iPhone deals before the month ends.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/apple-may-be-reviving-the-iphone-se-4-by-taking -a-new-approach-for-development


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