Apple's iPhone SE 4 May Ditch the Home Button but Gain a Notch

Apple’s final iPhone with a home button may finally be getting an upgrade. The iPhone SE, Apple’s lowest-price iPhone at $429, is expected to get an upgrade in the next year, and it’ll likely look a lot like 2022’s iPhone 14.

The new update, leaked by a user on Chinese social network Weibo and followed by BGR and TechRadar, comes from a purported case design that includes a front screen that stretches from the top to the bottom, with a notch cut out the top for a selfie camera and likely Face ID. The back of the case suggests Apple will stick to one camera lens for its design, a feature it’s stuck with for each iPhone SE design.

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Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The expected upgrade for the iPhone SE 4 follows Apple’s well-worn pattern of upgrading its entry-level iPhone every couple years with parts that once set its flagship iPhones apart but now are cheap enough to make that they can power a device of roughly half the cost.

When Apple last upgraded the iPhone SE in 2022, it married the iPhone 13’s processing power with the iPhone 8’s design, offering a mix-and-match of features like 5G support, longer battery life and the classic Touch ID home button. CNET’s Patrick Holland called it “mind-blowing value” at release. “It has the design and body people are fond of, but in terms of apps and iOS features, it’s on par with iPhones that are nearly twice the price,” he wrote.

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It’s unclear when Apple might choose to upgrade its iPhone SE. The company tends to announce upgrades for its mainline iPhones in the fall, just in time for the all-important holiday shopping season. But Apple has tended to announce iPhone SE models in the spring, which is maybe why the rumors are heating up.

Regardless of Apple’s plans for the iPhone SE, it’s widely expected to announce newly upgraded iPhone 16 models in the fall. Apple is expected to add the well-received action button to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to receive larger screens and better zoom.