Cupertino, California – September 12: Attendees will be showing off the latest models of the Apple iPhone 15 … [+]
Just two months before its launch, a new leak claims that the next iPhone SE could soon replace the iPhone 16. This is all thanks to new hardware that Apple will be putting into its new, cheapest iPhone on the market.
Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo Report Kuo predicts that Apple will introduce 5G modems in its 2025 devices, meaning the iPhone 17 series should use the new technology. Kuo also says that the fourth-generation iPhone SE, due for release in early 2025, will also have the new modem.
It’s a brave move for Apple to launch new hardware on the iPhone that’s closest to a budget modem, meaning Apple will be pricing it below the new iPhone 16 six months after launch.
The iPhone 16 is the iPhone SE’s closest competitor. In an effort to bring generative AI to all new iOS devices, the iPhone 16 is powered by the same Apple Silicon A18 chipset with increased memory to help the Apple Intelligence software run smoothly. Apple’s AI doesn’t work on older hardware. The company hopes that the Apple Intelligence software suite will be a key differentiating point that drives sales of the new iPhones. It’s inconceivable that Apple would launch the iPhone SE without supporting Apple Intelligence.
Last week, Apple iPhone SE with OLED displayAgain, the SE is set to match the specs of the iPhone 16. Assuming the previous SE model is similarly competitively priced compared to the regular iPhone, it’d be hard to recommend the iPhone 16 given that it’s a better value when it arrives in a few months.
Now consider the benefits of having an Apple-designed 5G modem in the iPhone: Tighter integration of hardware and software because the chipset doesn’t have to be generic, there’s one phone platform, one modem, no compromises or compatibility needed, Tighter integration of the software stack, with the OS having intimate knowledge of the only modem it’s communicating with.
Just as the transition to Apple Silicon has improved performance, efficiency, and durability, the transition from Qualcomm’s modem technology to Apple’s own will also improve performance, efficiency, and durability.
The iPhone 16 won’t get the benefit of this, the iPhone SE will be the first to benefit, and those who wait will be the first to discover the brave new world when Apple establishes its own connectivity.
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