The next iPhone SE is expected to follow the design of the iPhone 14 seen here in 2022 (Photo credit: BRITTANY) … [+]
Apple’s next iPhone is scheduled to be released in March 2025. With reports that production will begin in December of this year, the Apple community is looking forward to welcoming the new iPhone SE into the family.
Reinventing the iPhone SE
This is the fourth iPhone SE since the product line debuted in 2016, with hardware updates expected in 2020 and 2022. The SE is essentially Apple’s only midrange smartphone, offering a more affordable way to join the Apple ecosystem than the flagship iPhone. Given Apple’s continued focus on premium devices, the SE is an important oasis for budget-conscious consumers.
Details about the 2025 iPhone SE come from Ming-Chi Kuo, a prominent Apple analyst. Writing on Medium.com, Kuo said, “Mass production of the iPhone SE4 will begin in December 2024, with approximately 8.6 million units expected to be produced between December 2024 and the first quarter of 2025.” .
The iPhone SE is clearly compared to the Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy S24 Fan Edition. Both of these models are similarly targeted at the midrange market, and both are derived from more powerful terminals with significantly higher prices.
Alternatives for iPhone SE
Google launched Pixel 8a in May 2024. The Pixel family is now in its ninth generation, and Google plans to launch the Pixel 9a at its annual I/O Developer event in May. So while the iPhone SE is comfortably positioned to outperform the Pixel 8a, the Pixel 9a will present a tougher challenge shortly after release.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is also at the end of its product cycle, meaning a January 2024 release of the core Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra handsets. The FE arrives near the end of its annual product cycle, so not only is it six months older than the iPhone SE, but Samsung’s marketing will shift to the S25 brand in January 2025, putting the S24 FE in an interesting situation. It should be. Slots in the portfolio appear older than they actually are.
Apple generally touts the iPhone SE as having roughly the same features as the flagship iPhone. That definitely applies to the next model as well. Tim Cook and his team are pushing the company’s entry into the generative AI market, and the iPhone SE will definitely be seen as an affordable AI option, as well as support for the awkwardly backrononymd Apple Intelligence suite. It will be marketed as both a “designed from the ground up” Apple device. A generative AI tool.
Given that Android-based competition in this price range involves significant investment in AI, and given that the aforementioned Google and Samsung phones run second-generation AI software, Apple may be able to take advantage of this crowded market. Gaining AI mindshare in the market sector will be critical.
iPhone SE is more than just an iPhone. This is the iPhone that expands the reach of Apple’s ecosystem. The moment has come for Apple to move into the mid-range while doing its best to give off the aura of premium-level hardware. Without SE, Apple would not be able to enter the market with current technology. Without SE, Apple cannot continue to push its early efforts into the maturing field of generative AI. And without SE, Apple will have to cede much of its “first smartphone” space to competitors.
Production cannot start immediately.
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