The Fourth-Generation iPhone SE is apparently no longer being developed by Apple
According to analyst Ming Chi-Kuo, the product would have been the company's first 5G chip introduction.
According to reports, Apple has abandoned plans to release a new iPhone SE. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the business recently informed suppliers that it will not be releasing a fourth-generation SE model until 2024. The company had intended to test and fine-tune the processor on the SE before releasing it more generally on the iPhone 16 and beyond, according to Kuo, who made the remarks in a Medium article that was picked up by MacRumors. Kuo contends that Apple is more likely to stick with Qualcomm modems till 2024.
Kuo doesn't specify why Apple discontinued the fourth-generation iPhone SE or whether its own 5G chip's performance had a role in the choice. Apple has been making an effort to lessen its reliance on Qualcomm for the better part of a decade. 2019 saw the two parties settle their acrimonious patent dispute and sign a "multiyear" wireless chip supply agreement. But a few months later, Apple acquired the majority of Intel's mobile modem division. The business then revealed it was developing its own cellular chipset at the end of 2020. Since then, not much has been reported on the project.
According to reports, Apple has abandoned preparations for the forthcoming iPhone SE. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the business apparently informed its suppliers that it would no longer be producing the fourth-generation phone.
It appears that the iPhone SE was planned for release in 2024. Additionally, it was expected to be Apple's first product to feature its brand-new internal 5G chip. According to reports, the business planned to test the technology in this generation of devices before introducing it to upcoming products, starting with the iPhone 16. For the foreseeable future, Apple will most likely continue to use Qualcomm's 5G chips.
According to Kuo, Apple had originally intended to release its baseband chip in 2024, let the entry-level iPhone SE 4 be the first to use it, and then decide whether to allow the iPhone 16 to use it based on the state of the iPhone SE 4's development. This decision was made due to concerns that the in-house baseband chip's performance might not be on par with Qualcomm's.
However, the discontinuation of the iPhone SE 4 has significantly increased Qualcomm's chances of continuing to be the only supplier of baseband chips for the new iPhone 16 series in the second half of 24. This is better than the market expectation that Qualcomm will begin to lose iPhone orders in 2024. With Qualcomm's 5G Snapdragon X57 modem, the third-generation iPhone SE made its debut in March of last year.
