Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple has told its partners that it would not be releasing a fourth-generation iPhone SE in 2024. Kuo originally predicted that the fourth-generation iPhone SE would be shelved or delayed, but he is now certain that the product is no longer being produced.
In a post on Medium today, Kuo said that Apple had intended to release its first in-house 5G processor in the next fourth-generation iPhone SE. However, since the product has reportedly been cancelled, this is clearly no longer anticipated to happen. The iPhone 16 series, among other devices, will likely still use Qualcomm 5G processors in 2024, according to Kuo.
Before introducing the 5G processor to the iPhone 16 models, Kuo said that Apple intended to test the technology in the iPhone SE to make sure that real-world performance was satisfactory:
Due to concerns that the performance of the in-house baseband chip may not be up to par with Qualcomm’s, Apple initially planned to launch its baseband chip in 2024 and let the low-end iPhone SE 4 adopt it first, and decide whether to let the iPhone 16 use its baseband chip depending on the development status of iPhone SE 4.
However, the cancelation of the iPhone SE 4 has significantly increased the chances of Qualcomm remaining the exclusive supplier of baseband chips for the 2H24 new iPhone 16 series, which is better than the market consensus that Qualcomm will start losing iPhone orders in 2024.”
Ming-Chi Kuo
In a prior report, Kuo said that Apple was debating whether to postpone the debut of the iPhone SE 4 or to cancel it entirely. The analyst cites supply chain sources who claim to have information from Apple indicating that no such phone would be released.