New iPhone SE 4 may ditch home button and add face ID instead

Apple is reportedly working on a new iPhone SE that may ditch the home button and add Face ID. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the low-end phone is due to be announced next year. Codenamed V59, the new models is expected to support Apple Intelligence. The tech giant also plans to manufacture new iPad Air models and keyboards for release around the same time.

They’re said to look like the iPhone 14, removing the bulky top and bottom bezels and the home button. There’s also speculation that the iPhone SE 4 will get an OLED screen, rather than the usual LCD. Gurman suggests that this is the first update to the iPhone SE since 2022, when Apple added 5G capability to the device.

The third-generation iPhone SE was released two years ago. It kept the home button while the more premium iPhone editions removed it in favor of a full touch screen display and facial recognition unlocking, while its design remained outdated compared to newer models. It also lacked many of the standard features you would expect to find in an iPhone, including trivial things such as night-mode photos.

Meanwhile, the new iPad Air models are reportedly codenamed J607 and J637, and will have some internal improvements. The Cupertino-based firm will also deliver an updated Magic Keyboard accessory, codenamed R307 and R308, for both the 11-inch and 13-inch versions of the new Air. A new iPad mini, called J410, could be landing by the end of 2024.

Revamped Mac minis, updated MacBook Pros and iMacs with an M4 chip are also on the cards for 2025. The platform will also reach new MacBook Airs, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro devices. However, we might not see a new iPad Pro in 2025 since the current version is already a generation ahead.

In September, ReadWrite reported that the new iPhone model could also have a 6.1-inch display, which is much bigger than the current 4.7-inch display on the third-generation SE. Rumors suggest that the SE 4 will also be upgraded to a single-lens 48-megapixel camera to keep the costs down.

Everything we know so far about the upcoming iPhone SE 4

Would you buy one? pic.twitter.com/BucsgDSD6Q

— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) September 30, 2024

One thing we can be certain of is the introduction of a USB-C charging port, thanks to the EU’s ruling that every smartphone must have it by 2024.

ReadWrite has reached out to Apple for comment.

Featured image: Apple

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