Apple iPhone SE 4 may arrive next week — but that's not the phone I'm excited for

We might be right around the corner from a new iPhone.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple's next iteration of the more budget-friendly iPhone SE — the iPhone SE 4 — might drop next week with little fanfare.

Per Bloomberg:

"The company expects to announce the device as early as next week, ahead of it going on sale later in the month, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Apple is unlikely to hold a launch event for the device, opting to reveal it on its website instead, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private."

That's exciting news for anyone who's in the market for a new phone but doesn't want to break the budget, but it's not the iPhone SE that has me excited for Apple's future lineup.

What we know about the iPhone SE 4 so far

Before we get into Apple's distant future plans for the iPhone, here's what we can expect for next week.

According to Bloomberg the iPhone SE, the last model of which was released in 2022, will remain at a similar price point. Currently, the iPhone SE 3 costs $429. Some rumors have suggested that the starting price will rise slightly to the $500 mark — which is still significantly cheaper than the cheapest model of the iPhone 16 that starts at $799.

The iPhone SE 4 is also rumored to have a camera notch and a USB-C port like all the current iPhone models since the 15.

In a novel twist, the iPhone SE 4 is also slated to be the first iPhone to use Apple's own cellular modem which has traditionally been supplied by Qualcomm.

Internally, the iPhone SE 4 is rumored to be equipped with the A18 processor which would mean that the phone is ready and able to use Apple Intelligence.

If you're a fan of the home button, you might want to start preparing a eulogy, however. Rumors have also suggested that the iPhone SE 4 will finally do away with a physical home button, marking what will likely be its death in the iPhone lineup.

And as enticing as all of that may sound, there's potentially an even more enticing iPhone in the works for this fall.

The iPhone Air 17

What has me truly excited about a new iPhone are rumors of the iPhone 17 Air, which is allegedly a slimmer, lighter model that still retains a lot of premium features.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the iPhone 17 Air "will be about 2 millimeters thinner than existing iPhones." For comparison, a nickel is 1.95 millimeters thick.

Apple's existing iPhone 16 and 16 Plus measure 7.8 millimeters thick, and the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are 8.25 millimeters thick. Gurman doesn't specify which existing iPhones the 17 Air will be 2 millimeters thinner than, but it's most likely the base iPhone 16.

That would make the rumored Air an impressive 5.8 millimeters thick, which would make the iPhone 17 Air the thinnest phone ever to come from Apple, beating out the previous holder of that title, the iPhone 6, at 6.9 millimeters thick.

All of this is, of course, still speculation at this point but the idea of a thinner, lighter, iPhone is one that makes me feel a real desire to trade in my phone and upgrade.

I've long been a fan of smaller, lower-footprint phones which is why I'm still clutching onto the iPhone 13 despite it being now three generations behind. I'm likely not the only one that would be enticed by a lighter phone, too.

While Pro phones have a lot to offer, I think most people aren't crazy about the idea of carrying around a brick in their pocket, even if it does offer a better, more sophisticated camera.

That's all to say that while an iPhone SE 4 is great news for anyone who wants a new iPhone but can't afford the Apple premium, it's what's on Apple's horizon that truly has me excited for the future of phones.