Apple's Affordable iPhone May Debut as iPhone 16E, Not iPhone SE 4

Apple is mulling to rebrand its upcoming budget smartphone, the iPhone SE 4, as the iPhone 16E, a new leak says. This naming shift would align the device more closely with Apple's flagship iPhone 16 lineup, which was released in 2024 fall.

According to leakster Majin Bu, who posted on X, formerly Twitter: "Based on what my source has reported, it seems that the new iPhone that Apple will unveil in 2025 will not be called iPhone SE4, but iPhone 16E."

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"It should feature a design similar to the iPhone 14, with an OLED display and an action button. The available colours will be white and black," the tipster further wrote. 

Multiple industry sources have corroborated this development. 

Chinese tipster Fixed Focus Digital made similar claims on Weibo earlier in December. 

The leaksters have also revealed alleged case designs featuring a camera cutout positioned in the top-left corner of the rear panel, suggesting design elements borrowed from the iPhone 14.

Specifications are expected to be substantial for a budget offering.

The device will reportedly use the same A18 processor as the entry-level iPhone 16, enabling support for Apple Intelligence features. 

The display specifications indicate a 6.06-inch LTPS OLED screen with 1,170x2,532 pixels resolution and 800 nits peak brightness. Additional features are said to include Face ID authentication, 8GB of RAM, a 3,279mAh battery, and a 48-megapixel primary camera.

The device is said to launch in March 2024, with pricing positioned competitively at under $500 in the US. International pricing is expected to vary, with South Korean markets likely seeing prices around KRW 800,000.