Tim Cook hints at surprising iPhone shake-up later this week

(Image credit: Apple)

Readying its first product reveal of 2025, Apple is reportedly set to unveil its new fourth-generation iPhone SE on Wednesday, February 19, following months of leaks, rumors, and speculation surrounding its return to the midrange market.

Or is it?

Ahead of Wednesday's Apple event, CEO Tim Cook took to X last week to get the hype train rolling with a simple ten-word post: "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family."

Taken at face value, Cook's words would appear to back up expectations of the iPhone SE 4's arrival.

However, the iPhone SE has been part of the iPhone family since 2016, and there's growing speculation that Cook's post suggests something else — potentially confirming a January rumor that seemed far-fetched at the time.

Get ready to meet the newest member of the family.Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch pic.twitter.com/0ML0NfMeduFebruary 13, 2025

The newest member of the iPhone family: iPhone SE 4 or iPhone 16E?

In January, an Apple tipster using the alias Majin Bu posted on X claiming that the company's next smartphone reveal would be the iPhone 16E, not the iPhone SE 4.

The iPhone 16E rebrand would effectively retire the SE line of smartphones and introduce an affordable mid-range option to follow Apple's annual iPhone releases — similar to Google's Pixel A series and Samsung's FE series offerings.

Featuring the same iPhone 14-inspired redesign and leaked specifications rumored of the iPhone SE 4, the iPhone 16E looks set to feature an OLED display an Apple Intelligence-ready Apple A17/A18 Bionic chip, and 8GB of RAM at an expected price of up to $499.

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. It should feature a design similar to the iPhone 14, with an OLED display and an action button. The available colors will be white and… pic.twitter.com/Vm8DCh1Xo0December 31, 2024

What's next

It's important to note that while we presume that Cook is hinting towards the iPhone SE 4 or iPhone 16E, he doesn't explicitly make any reference to the iPhone in his original post.

There's a strong possibility that the product in question could be a new HomePod device, or even the MacBook Air M4, also rumored to be unveiled soon.

Taking Cook's words literally, the iPhone 16E would certainly fit the bill more closely as the suggested "newest member of the family."

A new annual model like the iPhone 16E would also give Apple a second iPhone launch window beyond its typical September showcase, and a more consistent, budget-conscious, mid-range release for iPhone users to look forward to — countering the iPhone SE's sporadic past releases.

However, to know for certain, we'll need to wait for Apple's official product launch on Wednesday, with further reveals expected to be spread out across the coming months.

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