The next iteration in the "affordable" iPhone SE line is not launching soon. According to Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley, who spoke with supply chain companies in Asia, Apple is "no longer planning" to launch a fourth-generation iPhone SE next year. Curtis and O'Malley, in a research note, mentioned that the refreshed iPhone SE model with an Apple-designed 5G modem would see a delayed launch. To recall, a previous report by MacRumors, citing analyst Jeff Pu, had said that Apple is likely to launch the iPhone SE 4 with its proprietary 5G modem. Now, the plan has been delayed.
The Barclays analysts further said that chipset-making giant Qualcomm would continue to be Apple's modem supplier for both the iPhone SE as well as the iPhone 16 lineup, as Apple's modem is not ready yet. The tech giant has working to launch its own modem since at least 2018. Apple has also bought the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business in 2019, in a push towards these efforts.
According to famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the development of the fourth-generation iPhone SE with a 6.1-inch OLED display and an Apple-designed 5G chip was started in February, months after the same analyst had said that the tech giant had abandoned its plans to launch a new iPhone SE model.
The Apple iPhone SE 4 is likely to come with a number of upgrades, several rumours and leaks have suggested.
Meanwhile, the launch of the upcoming iPhone 15 line could be delayed until October, according to an analyst with Bank of America (BoA). The global securities analyst with BoA named Wamsi Mohan has said that the official unveiling of the iPhone 15 series could be delayed by a "few weeks" which means we would not see the iPhone 15 series launch in September. Mohan, in a research note shared with Barrons mentioned that the launch could take place in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023, as spotted by MacRumors.