The most impactful iPhone SE 4 change may be what's on the box, not what's in it

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Could the iPhone 16E branding mean more reliable budget iPhone releases in the future?

3D render of the iPhone SE 4 and iPad mini 7 based on information gathered from rumors and leaks. Two iPhone SE 4 smartphones sit on top of an iPad mini 7, one is facing up to show its display, the other is facing down to show its back and camera array.
(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Rael Hornby)

Apple may be gearing up to perform some Spring cleaning on its iPhone catalog. A recent rumor suggests that the upcoming iPhone SE 4 may receive a rebrand that ties it more closely to the company's core iPhone offerings.

The iPhone SE has been somewhat of an outlier since its initial 2016 launch, receiving infrequent refreshes and inconsistent design with modern handsets.

However, a rebranding could signal big changes for the future of the iPhone SE lineup, starting with the iPhone SE 4—or, as one leaker has claimed it will actually be named, the iPhone 16E.

iPhone 16E: What's in a name?

On the surface, Apple changing the name of the iPhone SE 4 to the iPhone 16E changes very little about what we've already learned of the device from various leaks and rumors.

Apple's upcoming budget phone, regardless of its branding, is expected to feature a more modern iPhone 14-esque design with an aluminum frame, featuring the new Action Button and a notched OLED display with Face ID support.

Also claimed to be part of the new iPhone SE's redesign will be a single iPhone XR-like 48-megapixel camera in a horizontal layout, and an Apple Intelligence-ready processor (likely an A17 Pro or A18 Bionic chip) paired with at least 8GB of RAM.

However, the name of this new iPhone may be more important than any of the new features listed above.

If the new iPhone 16E moniker, revealed by tipster 'MajinBu' on X, is accurate, it could signal Apple's willingness to bring consistency to its budget iPhone line—expanding its core iPhone offerings similar to Google's Pixel A-Series and Samsung's FE-Series of smartphones.

By linking the upcoming iPhone SE 4 to the iPhone 16 family, the new iPhone 16E may serve as the first entry to a new annual model of affordable iPhones to join the iPhone, iPhone Pro, iPhone Pro Max, and the rumored iPhone Air (or Slim) said to be replacing the iPhone Plus as part of this year's iPhone 17 lineup.

This shift may be in response to a decline in iPhone sales last year, with the company potentially looking to capture more of the budget and mid-range smartphone market to offset a reduction in demand for its flagship devices.

What's next?

The internet is no stranger to iPhone SE 4 rumors. They've been plentiful throughout 2024, and we'd expect more to come before Apple officially officially announces the device later this year. The real question is when Apple will decide to do so.

Looking at Apple's previous release windows, the original iPhone SE became available in March 2016, the iPhone SE 2 in April 2020, and the iPhone SE 3 in March 2022.

While these dates don't point to a reliable month to expect Apple to announce and release the iPhone SE 4 (or iPhone 16E), each release does fall within an early Spring window. Meaning we could very well see Apple's new budget iPhone follow suit—capping off the iPhone 16 Series in March or April ahead of a September reveal for the new iPhone 17 lineup.

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Rael Hornby
Rael Hornby
Content Editor

Rael Hornby, potentially influenced by far too many LucasArts titles at an early age, once thought he’d grow up to be a mighty pirate. However, after several interventions with close friends and family members, you’re now much more likely to see his name attached to the bylines of tech articles. While not maintaining a double life as an aspiring writer by day and indie game dev by night, you’ll find him sat in a corner somewhere muttering to himself about microtransactions or hunting down promising indie games on Twitter.