Bloomberg recently reported that Apple is close to releasing an updated iPhone SE. This is the first update to the lower-end model since 2022. According to 9to5Mac, Apple also plans to use the phone as a launch pad for internal use. 5G modem. The company acquired most of Intel’s smartphone modem business for $1 billion in 2019, after taking steps to become more independent and aggressively hiring staff to make it happen. However, no device has yet been released that uses the modem designed by the in-house team.
Apple and Qualcomm have a somewhat checkered history. Qualcomm sued Apple in 2017, accusing it of infringing patents on the phone’s ability to connect to the internet immediately after powering on, as well as patents on battery efficiency, graphics processing, and apps’ ability to download data faster. He filed a lawsuit claiming that . The patent dispute was ultimately resolved when Apple agreed to pay royalties to Qualcomm and enter into a six-year license agreement and a multi-year wireless chipset supply agreement.
For now, Apple is still equipping its devices with 5G modems made by Qualcomm. Qualcomm announced last year that it would continue to provide modems to Apple through 2026. Apple may want to test its modem on one iPhone first before rolling it out to more devices.
According to 9to5Mac, the iPhone SE 4 will look similar to the iPhone 14 (pictured above), will be powered by an A18 chip with 8GB of RAM, and will be able to include some Apple Intelligence features. It will reportedly feature Face ID, no home button like the previous iPhone SE, and the iPhone 15’s 48MP wide camera and 12MP front camera. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to be announced next year, probably around spring.
