The iPhone SE 4 is tipped to arrive this week as new images leak

iPhone 4 SE render based on leaked information and rumors

(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Rael Hornby)

Each year, Apple introduces a new series of iPhones that prove to be incredibly popular, and later this year, we'll see the company do that again with the iPhone 17 series of smartphones.

However, while the release of those devices (including the rumored new iPhone 17 Air) likely won't happen until September, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes you'll be seeing an all-new iPhone as early as this week as Apple prepares to unveil the new iPhone SE 4.

Offering a further twist to the unveiling of the iPhone SE 4, Apple may have been beaten to the punch, as one smartphone accessory maker appears to have shared images of the device ahead of its official reveal, confirming several of our early predictions about the phone in the process.

Apple's iPhone SE 4 "coming this week"

While Apple is timely enough with its regular iPhone releases that you could practically set a watch by it, iPhone SE releases have been much more sparse.

The original iPhone SE launched in 2016, with the second generation handset launching in 2020, and the third in 2022. That's almost three years since we've seen a new iPhone SE model, leaving many to feel like an affordable mid-range option is long overdue.

Thankfully, that wait looks to be over, after the long-rumored release of the iPhone SE 4 was tipped to happen "in the coming days" by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, one of the more reliable and in-the-know voices about all things Apple, earlier this month — before solidifying his prediction as part of his (paywalled) Bloomberg newsletter on Sunday.

Gurman's predictions line up with long-standing rumors surrounding the iPhone SE's release and fall nicely within the iPhone SE's historical March-April release window.

However, we may not have to wait a day longer to get our first look at the device, with images of Apple's upcoming mid-range smartphone appearing online earlier than anticipated.

Renders of a Spigen transparent phone case on an Apple iPhone SE 4 phone — Images taken from Spigen's product page appear to show the iPhone SE 4 in full, revealing its notched display and horizontal, single camera array rumored to feature a 48-megapixel sensor. (Image credit: Spigen / Apple)

Our first look at the iPhone SE 4?

On Sunday, smartphone accessory brand Spigen may have given its buyers an early look at the iPhone SE 4 after accidentally launching a product page (since removed) for a transparent case to fit the new iPhone ahead of Apple's own unveiling.

Thanks to the case's transparent design, we get a good look at the iPhone SE 4 within (via Notebookcheck), seemingly confirming the new iPhone 14-like design, horizontal, single rear camera array, and 'notched' display hinted at in previous leaks.

Renders of a Spigen transparent phone case on an iPhone SE 4 — Apple's new iPhone SE 4 is expected to feature a 6.1-inch OLED display, USB-C charging, and an Apple Intelligence-ready A18 chipset with 8GB of RAM. (Image credit: Spigen / Apple)

The iPhone SE line is known to hold on to previous design features, with the iPhone SE 3 being the last of the iPhones to retain the iconic physical "Home" button.

It would seem that the iPhone SE 4 is to continue this model's trend by retaining the notched display over the Dynamic Island design of iPhone 16 models — however, that does make the case for updated features like Face ID to debut in the budget handset.

While the product page would not have included any specs for Apple's upcoming smartphone, it has been suggested that the iPhone SE 4 will also feature a modern Apple A18 chipset alongside 8GB of RAM, making it capable of running the latest Apple Intelligence features.

There's no official word on pricing as of yet, for that we'll have to see this week out and hopefully hear it directly from Apple itself. However, early reports suggest that these improved specs and features could push the price of the iPhone SE 4 up to around $499.

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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.