iPhone SE 4 could be branded as iPhone 16E: Here’s why that makes sense – 9to5Mac

Earlier this week, some sources begun to claim that the next generation iPhone SE, which is expected to debut this spring, won’t actually be called ‘iPhone SE’ at all. We’re now starting to hear that it’ll be called ‘iPhone 16E’ instead. This may be a weird rumor, but I think it actually makes a lot of sense, given what we know so far about the iPhone SE 4.To quickly recap, here’s everything we’re expecting with iPhone SE 4:It’d definitely be the biggest upgrade in the history of iPhone SE. Apple hasn’t done a form factor upgrade with iPhone SE since the 2nd generation model in 2020. When the iPhone SE 3 was released in 2022, it retained the same form factor, just with an A15 Bionic chip and support for 5G. The iPhone SE 4 will be the first major iPhone SE refresh in 5 years.While I have no skepticism over the actual rumors of iPhone SE 4, I’ve always been skeptical about the price. A lot of people have thrown around $499 as a potential price tag for iPhone SE 4, but that’s never made a ton of sense in my head. Apple currently sells the iPhone 14 for $599, and the iPhone 15 for $699.Yet somehow, a newer phone with components from both of these (plus an even newer chipset) is apparently supposed to cost substantially less?There are two things that could lower Apples costs for the iPhone SE 4:These two components are some of the most expensive components in the iPhone. It’s very possible that Apple could sell the iPhone SE 4 for $499 and still have decent margins. However, the bigger question is: would they?If the iPhone SE 4 were $499, it’d be $300 less than the iPhone 16 at $799. Between those two phones, you’d be paying a $300 price premium for Dynamic Island, the Action Button, and an ultra wide camera. I don’t know about you, but to me, it sounds like the iPhone SE 4 would be way too good of a deal compared to iPhone 16.That’s why the iPhone 16E naming makes sense to me. If they ditch the SE branding, they could sell the phone for $599 without a ton of backlash. On top of that, the iPhone 15 will likely still be sold after the iPhone SE 4/16E releases. With the upcoming SE being called 16E instead, it’d be a great way to highlight that the iPhone 15 is an older phone without support for Apple Intelligence, despite carrying a higher price. iPhone SE has also historically been known as the smaller phone, and with a 6.1-inch display, it’s hard to call it small. iPhone 16E would also be a cleaner name for consumers, signifying that the phone is part of the current lineup. This would probably help sales to some degree. With the current SE branding, you can’t really get a great sense of its age, unless you do your research. However, Apple could mitigate that by switching to years instead of generation numbers.Iphone 16E only makes sense if they plan to keep up new versions every year. Otherwise it will sound like an old phone after September 2025. Imagine if they wait years to update it again. Personally, I just like the “iPhone 16E” branding. “iPhone SE” always carried a bit of a cheaper stigma that I think turned some people away from it. With the first iPhone SE redesign in five years, it could be a great time to reshape how people view the product.What do you think about the “iPhone 16E” rumor? Let us know in the comments.My favorite iPhone accessories on Amazon:Follow Michael: X/Twitter, Bluesky, InstagramFTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:Michael is 9to5Mac’s Weekend Editor, keeping up with all of the latest Apple news on Saturday and Sunday. He got started in the world of Apple news during the pandemic, and it became a growing hobby. He’s also an indie iOS developer in his free time, and has published numerous apps over the years.Manage push notifications

Source: https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/04/iphone-se-4-iphone-16e-branding-makes-sense/