Next iPhone Could Arrive Early Next Year to Showcase Apple’s Intelligence on a Budget

The next big iPhone to use Apple Intelligence won’t just be iPhone 16. According to a new report, Apple intends to unveil the 4th-gen iPhone SE early next year, around the same time most expect the Cupertino, California-based company to introduce a refreshed Siri full of AI improvements. Finally, the SE is set to ditch the home button and feature a full edge-to-edge screen.

It will be the SE’s biggest redesign since the original iPhone SE was released in 2016. Based on anonymous sources, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported on Tuesday that the SE 4, called the V59, will have a notch similar to the iPhone 14. Otherwise, it will enter full screen. In 2022 iPhone SE with 5G capability it still had a home button, but the next cheaper iPhone could have an edge-to-edge display.

According to Gurman’s sources, it will also support Apple Intelligence. Given that hint, we have to assume that the next cheap phone will have at least 8 GB of RAM, similar to the iPhone 15 Pro. Apple says everything but that its AI suite needs that much memory and a quality chip. That means it needs to have a CPU equivalent to the 6-core A17 Pro or A18 found in the latest iPhones.

Apple is facing tough competition from cheap phones, especially given how powerful the Google Pixel 8a is and how close the Google Pixel 9a is. The current iPhone SE costs $430, while the newer, cheaper Pixel retails for $500. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple raises the price to compensate for the additional processing capabilities needed to support AI.

We could see even cheaper Apple products later this year. Gurman’s sources suggested there might be something new The iPad Mini. The last 8.3-inch iPad came out in 2021 and sported the mobile-focused A15 Bionic chip. The new model could arrive before the end of 2024, although that seems a little hairy as there are many rumors that we will see. New MacBook Pros and Mac Mini with M4 chips this month.

But it doesn’t end there. Gurman commented that Apple has plans for two new iPad Air models. They may look the same on the outside but they can get upgraded interiors. The last two iPad Airs this year included the M2 chip. Maybe the next models can get a jump on the M3. I doubt it will get the M4 treatment. I iPad Pro 2024 marked the launch of the M4, and will bring these two devices close enough in performance to justify buying the more expensive model.

As this release suggests that Apple wants to regain its place in the market of cheap mobile devices, it also speaks to how important Apple Intelligence is to its prospects. As good as the iPhone 16 lineup is, it still lacks many of the promised features, including AI capabilities. According to recent reports, the most important is the updated Siri, which will not arrive until the beginning of 2025. Only the latest iPhones will get these capabilities. Where competition like Google already exists moving forward with Gemini for Android devices, Apple needs to look like this was the plan all along once Siri gets the promised AI upgrade next year.