The iPhone SE 4 that Apple is developing has a design that looks like the iPhone 14, but will the price of about $ 500 (12.73 million VND) make it difficult to succeed?
Previous rumors have suggested that the iPhone SE 4 will have the same chip as the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 15/Plus. That's certainly a significant amount of power that many people will find appealing. However, things seem to be changing after Apple's WWDC 2024 keynote.
An idea for the next generation iPhone SE.
While Apple wants to run as many iOS 18 features as possible on older devices, Apple’s AI suite and a smarter Siri will require an iPhone 15 Pro or better. At this point, many are wondering if the iPhone SE 4 will get Apple Intelligence. A new leak seems to indicate that this is the case. If true, Apple Intelligence could give the iPhone SE 4 a major spec bump — something Apple would have to tweak, making the company’s entry-level iPhone another nightmare for Android.
As we know, Apple Intelligence requires a fast Neural Engine and 8GB of RAM on the iPhone. Apple confirmed this after WWDC 2024. That's why the iPhone 14 Pro can't run Apple Intelligence even though it's been out for less than 2 years.
A recent leak from Taiwan suggests that Apple will equip the iPhone 16 series with two processors, the A18 and A18 Pro. The findings are based on the identifiers for the next-generation iPhones and confirm that all iPhone 16 models will have the A18 chip. That means the A17 Pro won't be recycled for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, or if it is, it will be a rebranded version. But the leaked identifiers also suggest that the fifth iPhone will likely be powered by the A18 chip. The only possible explanation seems to be that Apple will give the iPhone SE 4 a major spec upgrade.
Equipped with the A18 chip, the iPhone SE 4 will shine to run Apple Intelligence.
Previously, the iPhone SE 4 was rumored to come with an A16 Bionic chip paired with 6GB of RAM to be as powerful as the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 15/Plus. If Apple goes this route, it will have to sell the iPhone SE 4 as a completely new product without Apple Intelligence. That would be a huge marketing mistake, as Apple Intelligence could end up being the most important software upgrade for all of Apple's devices.
The iPhone SE 4 would be the perfect first smartphone for teens and older adults. It could also convince Android users to switch, especially if they tend to buy cheap devices. Some of these customers will definitely want to use Apple Intelligence at some point.
It would be better if the iPhone SE 4 came with the cheapest possible version of the A18 chip, paired with 8GB of RAM to ensure it could run Apple Intelligence. That’s certainly a problem for a $500 smartphone, but the Taiwanese report that TSMC won’t raise the price of the A18 chip is cause for concern. That’s not to say that Apple could always take a risk and offer the iPhone SE 4 with Apple Intelligence to buyers in the hope that more people will buy the iPhone and stay loyal to it, spending more money on the company’s services in the process.
Having an additional 8GB of RAM makes the iPhone SE 4 even more powerful than mid-range Android smartphones.
The iPhone SE 4 won’t be available in stores until next spring at the earliest. Apple certainly has time to make the necessary spec changes to ensure the device is ready for Apple Intelligence, so it can boast that “all new iPhones are ready for Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.” Furthermore, the iPhone SE 4 can continue to support Apple AI in iOS 19 and beyond.
Also, don't forget that Apple will be competing with the Pixel 8a and other mid-range Android phones. Some of them, especially Google's Pixels, will have AI features even at low prices. The iPhone SE 4 should be able to compete with that.
All of that is just speculation from long-time iPhone users. We’ll have to wait a little longer to see what the A18 chip is. Plus, information about the iPhone SE 4 will continue to emerge before the product is announced, so we’ll know if it can run Apple Intelligence.
