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Why iPhone SE 4 could replace both iPhone SE 3 and iPhone 14 in Apple’s 2025 lineup (start at $600)

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Why iPhone SE 4 could replace both iPhone SE 3 and iPhone 14 in Apple’s 2025 lineup (start at 0)

While all the recent leaks and rumors say the iPhone SE 4 will cost $500 (or even less), I’m now really starting to doubt that…

See, the iPhone 16 starts at $800, packing a 6.1-inch 60Hz screen, a very conservative size battery, two cameras, and the A18 with 8GB of RAM SoC combo “necessary” to run Apple Intelligence.

And if you’ve been following the leaks and rumors closely, you’d know the iPhone SE 4 is basically portrait as the same phone but with a single camera – well, and a notch instead of the Dynamic Island – if you care.

The 2025 iPhone SE is even expected to gain the controversial Camera Control key, which even my €1,450 iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn’t have (which is why it doesn’t get Visual Intelligence).

I suppose you can see why I’d be very pleasantly surprised (to say the least) if Apple was to give us the iPhone SE 4 at a whopping $300 less than the iPhone 16, when the two are expected to be 95% the same phone. Even the cameras on the iPhone SE 4 are said to be identical to those from the iPhone 16 – 48MP rear and 12MP front.

So, what if…

Don’t think you know what the iPhone SE 4 is going to do to Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup – here are the 3 most intriguing scenarios

In case it wasn’t clear, this is more of a “prediction” story, which is why you should take it with a healthy pinch of salt.

Nevertheless, the point is to make a prediction about where the heck the iPhone SE 4 is going to fit in Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup.

Right now, this one is made out of the ancient iPhone SE 3, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Pro series, and two of these iPhones happen to be pretty much impossible to recommend to anybody – of course, I’m talking about the iPhone SE 3 and iPhone 14, which fall far behind what the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 can do.

And while the iPhone SE 3 will naturally (finally!) be taken care of by the arrival of the iPhone SE 4, one bizarre iPhone choice might still be lurking around Apple’s 2025 lineup – the iPhone 14. And I find this so hard to justify, that I actually think it might not happen.

Apple’s H1 2025 iPhone lineups – 3 possible ways the iPhone SE 4 can shake things up

Option 1: The iPhone lineup stays unchanged – iPhone SE 4 replaces iPhone SE 3, starting at $500

Nice and easy – this would give people a choice of four vanilla iPhones, and two iPhone 16 Pro models, and choice is always good.If this scenario was to play out, the iPhone 14 would most likely retain its $600 price tag, which is $500 more than the rumored price of the iPhone SE 4. And that’s where I see the first major hint that this can’t be Apple’s actual plan. But I’ll get to that in a bit…

Option 2: The iPhone SE 4 effectively replaces the iPhone 14 – starts at the same $600

Now, that’s the other (obvious) scenario, and one I think is most likely, or at least makes the most sense to me.

To be clear, the reason I say the iPhone SE 4 could “effectively” replace the iPhone 14 is because the iPhone SE 4 isn’t the iPhone 14’s successor on paper. However, this isn’t how things work out in practice.

In other words, the iPhone SE 4 is expected to have more than enough upgrades over the iPhone 14 that it’s starting to look like a phone that can easily replace Apple’s 2022 flagship in the 2025 iPhone lineup.

Option 3: Both the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 14 remain in Apple’s 2025 lineup but switch places/prices

And the third possible outcome is perhaps the most unconventional scenario, but one I believe also happens to make a ton of sense.

In other words, if Apple *really, really* wanted to keep the iPhone 14 in its 2025 lineup (for reasons I wouldn’t understand), there’s a chance the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 14 can basically switch places, or rather prices.

In practice, this would mean the iPhone 14 would drop down to $500 from $600, and the noticeably more advanced iPhone SE 4 would start at a hefty (for an SE model) $600.

The reason this outcome makes a lot more sense than the reversed price difference is because it’d be far more profitable for Apple, and it wouldn’t be at all unjustified. iPhone users would happily pay $600 for an iPhone SE with the latest and greatest AI tricks, a better camera, and a far more advanced chip rather than save $100 to get the iPhone 14, which they can get on eBay for some $350.

The iPhone SE 4 can/will/should take the iPhone 14’s spot in Apple’s 2025 lineup – here’s why

Now, to get to the “burning” question – why is the iPhone SE 4 going to be so much better that I think it might replace the iPhone 14 and/or start at as high as $600, which would be properly expensive for a “Special Edition” iPhone known and loved for its $400 starting price.Well, for one, as I alluded in the intro of the story, the iPhone SE 4 is legitimately expected to make not only the iPhone 14, but also iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 look bad in terms of value.

  • To focus on the iPhone 14 comparison, the iPhone SE 4 should have an up to 50% faster A18 chip with 8GB of RAM enabling the latest and greatest Apple Intelligence features compared to the iPhone 14’s A15 chip with only 6GB of RAM and zero AI tricks

  • Even though it’s going to come with a single rear camera, the iPhone SE 4 will actually give you more flexibility than the iPhone 14 if you like to zoom into your pictures/videos rather than zooming out. That’s because the 48MP camera in the iPhone SE 4 will sensor-crop to 2x lossless zoom in both photos and videos – something the iPhone 14’s 12MP camera can’t do. This also means better 4x zoom photos/videos for the iPhone 15, making the ultra-wide-angle shooter in the iPhone 14 look less important in this comparison

  • Even though the iPhone SE 4’s battery wouldn’t be much bigger than the one in the iPhone 14 (since the two should share basically the same body), the more efficient A18 chip will undoubtedly give you better battery life. If our iPhone 16 vs iPhone 14 battery benchmarks are to be taken as a rough example, we might be talking about an average of 2h extra battery life, which is pretty significant

  • Throw in the iPhone SE 4’s Action Button, Camera Control key, and possible design change ( slightly curved front and rear glass like the iPhone 16), and you’ve got a legitimate iPhone 14 killer. Perhaps literally

All in all, the only downgrade on the iPhone SE 4 would be the lack of an ultra-wide-angle camera, which the iPhone 14 has. But while I love this snapper, I doubt many people are going to look past the iPhone SE 4’s upgrade list, and choose the iPhone 14 for that feature alone.

Major upgrades and Apple’s sheer lack of generosity make the “$500 iPhone SE 4” seem impossible – this looks like a $600 iPhone to me

In the end…

I just think the iPhone 14 simply has to go as it doesn’t have the hardware to compete with any iPhone or Android in 2025 – even mid-range phones that cost more than $500. And the iPhone SE 4 looks like the perfect occasion to retire the ancient iPhone 14 (and iPhone SE 3).

In fact, I’ll go not one but two steps farther – I highly doubt the iPhone 15 and even the iPhone 16 will be able to compete with the iPhone SE 4 in terms of sheer value, which is why I believe many people will end up going with the SE until the more intriguing iPhone 17 lineup shows up – with the “iPhone Slim”, and the iPhone 17 with its rumored “groundbreaking” 120Hz display.

Now, the biggest question that remains unanswered (if you ask me) is about the price of the iPhone SE 4. As I said in the intro, all the rumors point towards a $500 starting price, which sounds pretty great considering the endless list of upgrades compared to the iPhone SE 3, and even the iPhone 14.

However, it’s exactly the substantial list of upgrades, and Apple’s total lack of generosity that make me doubt the iPhone SE 4 will be a $500 phone. I just don’t see it, especially since Apple puts such high value on Apple Intelligence, refusing to give certain/any AI features to phones like my iPhone 15 Pro Max and the iPhone 15, which cost up to $700 more than the rumored $500 price of the iPhone SE 4 – expected to have the same AI tricks as the $1,200 iPhone 16 Pro.

I say there’s a 70% chance the iPhone 14 will go bye-bye when the iPhone SE 4 breaks cover,, and I’ll leave a 30% chance to the scenario where they switch places/ prices.

What’s your “educated guess”?

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