iPhone SE 4 rumored to get 48MP rear camera, OLED screen

AppleInsider

Apple's upgrades to the 2025 iPhone SE 4 go beyond OLED, with one report claiming it will also gain a 48-megapixel rear camera.

Phone SE 4 could look like iPhone 14, but with one rear camera

The iPhone SE 4 has been rumored to arrive in March 2025 with a lot of updates. In a Sunday report from South Korea, it seems the list of changes has more to come.

Sources of ET News say that LG Innoteck and LG Display are supplying the cameras and displays for the iPhone SE 4. In the case of LG Innotech, while it previously only supplied the rear camera for the iPhone SE 3, it will do the front as well for the iPhone SE 4.

Mass production of the camera modules has reportedly started in LG Innoteck's Vietnam plant. Due to the low selling price of the iPhone SE range, the company is expected to use existing components instead of developing new cameras.

As for the modules themselves, it is claimed that the front camera will use a 12-megapixel sensor, matching the resolution of the iPhone 16's front shooter. It is unclear if it will be a TrueDepth camera per the report, but the iPhone SE 4 has been rumored to use Face ID instead of Touch ID.

Around the back, the single sensor is said have a resolution of 48 megapixels, again equalling the iPhone 16's Fusion camera for size.

This isn't the first rumor aboutthe 48MP sensor, but it is the most credible report on it so far.

LG Innotech won't be the only company working on the camera module. The report says that Foxconn and China's Cowell Electronics will also be working in its supply chain.

For the screen, it is expected to have a 6.1-inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panel, similar to the iPhone 13 in construction. LG Display is already mass producing the screen, apparently, but again it won't be the only supplier.

China's BOE is said to be working on the OLED screen as well, and could eat up a lot of the orders. Sources say LG Display will provide between 25% and 35% of the display panels.



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charlesn

Interesting. Just as the regular iPhones were brought a lot closer to their Pro counterparts with the 16 models, it seems the SE is about to get a whole lot closer to the regular iPhone IF these rumors pan out. Also of note: for all the "I want smaller and lighter" posts that you read about iPhone in the technosphere echo chamber, Apple is choosing to make the new iteration of its smallest and lightest phone bigger and almost certainly heavier than the model it will replace. You can bet that the data on the people who matter most to Apple--people who are actually going to buy an iPhone--supports this direction for the new SE. 

chasm

I remain skeptical about an OLED screen, but everything else in the report sounds right. Apple will save a fortune by using existing tech (particularly the camera systems) because they fit the iPhone 14 body, but if they go with a powerful chip for Apple Intelligence and throw in an OLED panel, they would appear to be undermining sales of the next main iPhone line.

If rumors that the next iPhone SE will sell for the same price as it does now ($429), it seems to me that I’m getting the functional equivalent of an iPhone 15 (minus the second back camera) for a great deal less money, as long as I don’t care about that second lens on the back.

What do you reckon the iPhone 17 (regular) next fall might offer that would sway the budget-minded buyer (ie the working class) to upgrade from the forthcoming iPhone SE (iPhone 15 in disguise)? It would have to be something pretty compelling from my POV.

yyzguy

chasm said:

What do you reckon the iPhone 17 (regular) next fall might offer that would sway the budget-minded buyer (ie the working class) to upgrade from the forthcoming iPhone SE (iPhone 15 in disguise)? It would have to be something pretty compelling from my POV.

The budget minded buyer won’t be compelled to buy the iPhone 17.    I’m an SE owner and wasn’t compelled to move from 2nd gen to 3rd gen.   I merely want a functional device that works with the Apple ecosystem.   

M68000

Imagine if it has 120hz display too.  Would be nice to have on all new models next year so people can stop complaining about refresh rates.  

schlack

I've never bought an SE as my primary phone.

A full screen OLED display and sub $500 price would make this pretty compelling, well, aside from the screen size, 6.1" is a no go. Way too big  

charlesn

chasm said:

I remain skeptical about an OLED screen, but everything else in the report sounds right. Apple will save a fortune by using existing tech (particularly the camera systems) because they fit the iPhone 14 body, but if they go with a powerful chip for Apple Intelligence and throw in an OLED panel, they would appear to be undermining sales of the next main iPhone line.

If rumors that the next iPhone SE will sell for the same price as it does now ($429), it seems to me that I’m getting the functional equivalent of an iPhone 15 (minus the second back camera) for a great deal less money, as long as I don’t care about that second lens on the back.

What do you reckon the iPhone 17 (regular) next fall might offer that would sway the budget-minded buyer (ie the working class) to upgrade from the forthcoming iPhone SE (iPhone 15 in disguise)? It would have to be something pretty compelling from my POV.

Even putting "budget-minded" aside, it's not a leap to say that regular iPhone buyers have a shorter list of wants/needs in a phone vs. the Pro buyer. And if the new SE turns out to be spec'd per the rumors here, I think it could easily be all the phone those buyers need without compromise, and the savings just seal the deal. Since the main camera lens focal length is 24mm--which is traditionally considered a wide angle lens--the loss of the second ultrawide lens found on the regular iPhone is really not a big deal at all for the average snapshooter. 

dewme

Given the slower frequency of updating the SE model it makes sense to equip it with enough capabilities to keep it relevant for a  longer period of time. 

wood1208

I ungraded my two adult kids to iPhone 16 Pro and Pro MAX but not me. I moved from SE3 TouchID to iPhone 13 MAX with FaceID which I don't like much when trying to unlock in dark while resting in bed. I constantly have to use PIN code to unlock it. I will upgrade my iPhone when Apple offers iPhone with alternative touch unlock feature like under screen or on button TouchID like iPad.

y2an

“Due to the low selling price of the iPhone SE range, the company is expected to use existing components instead of developing new cameras.”

This sounds like a financial analyst with no understanding of tech or Apple simply imagining how a lower priced product is made from old parts lying around the factory. In actuality Apple could have every incentive to build a new camera to integrate new components from suppliers, lower the cost of manufacturing, improve repairability, raise margins, and generally compete in a crowded space. Analysts know nothing, barely one of them understands products or Apple.

DAalseth

wood1208 said:

I ungraded my two adult kids to iPhone 16 Pro and Pro MAX but not me. I moved from SE3 TouchID to iPhone 13 MAX with FaceID which I don't like much when trying to unlock in dark while resting in bed. I constantly have to use PIN code to unlock it. I will upgrade my iPhone when Apple offers iPhone with alternative touch unlock feature like under screen or on button TouchID like iPad.

FaceID uses an IR dot projector to create a map of your face. It should work perfectly normally in the dark. Mine does

davgreg

I am not one who uses the Phone that much - I much prefer my iPad Pro and Mac - but have bought the Pro line for years because the smaller form factor phones were always crippled with older technology.
If the new one has Face ID I might trade the 15 Pro for it.

charlesn

y2an said:

“Due to the low selling price of the iPhone SE range, the company is expected to use existing components instead of developing new cameras.”

This sounds like a financial analyst with no understanding of tech or Apple simply imagining how a lower priced product is made from old parts lying around the factory.

No, this is EXACTLY how Apple has been franken-building the SE models up til now. The current SE 3rd gen, released in 2022, is based (as was the SE 2nd gen) on the iPhone 8 body and camera from 2017, but mated to the A15 Bionic processor from iPhone 13 of 2021. It also uses an older modem that doesn't support fast 5G, which regular iPhones have been supporting since the 12. This isn't a matter of cobbling together "old parts lying around the factory," this is about using parts for which the costs of research and development, tooling and test production runs have been fully amortized and paid, so producing these parts now can be done at very low cost--hence the savings on an SE. The new SE is said to be based on the iPhone 14 body, with other elements reflecting parts previously used in iPhone 15 and 16. However, the modem is rumored to be a first-of-its-kind that's homegrown by Apple, but still will not support fast 5G.