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iPhone 5se leak? 4-inch iPhone with rounded edges pictured next to iPhone 5

4-inch iPhone 6 style model

On Friday Mark Gurman reported that a 4-inch iPhone called the iPhone 5se, not 6c, is in the cards with an expected Apple event coming up around March, and over the weekend an interesting photo (above) has surfaced online that claims to show the forthcoming 4-inch iPhone. The image appears to show what could be the updated smaller iPhone with rounded edges and Touch ID as we reported next to an iPhone 5 for scale. The source where the image was first shared, on One More Thing forums, has credibility with surfacing leaked hardware after showing the thinner iPad Air 2 display two years ago as well as the iPad Air design (on what appears to be the same table under the same lamp as the iPhone leak) the year before.

If the leaked image turns out to both be the real deal and what Apple ships later this year, that means the updated 4-inch iPhone will feature rounded volume toggles and a relocated sleep switch like on iPhone 6 hardware versus a top sleep switch and iPhone 4-like volume buttons from the iPhone 5 series hardware. Fake iPhone claims have surfaced before, though, but the iPhone 5 for scale here suggests something more sophisticated at least.

Mark’s reporting on Friday described what we now believe will be called the iPhone 5se as having a look and features that “blend the old design with modern technologies” while highlighting that the boxy casing has been replaced with rounded edges.

Other features we’re expecting include the iPhone 6 class 8MP and 1.2MP back and front cameras, an NFC chip for Apple Pay not found on current 4-inch iPhones, the A8 and M8 processor and co-processor found on the iPhone 6, Live Photo shooting which was introduced on the iPhone 6s, and the same metallic colors including rose gold that come with the iPhone 6s line.

Aside from the camera and hardware gains between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s lines, the rumored iPhone 5se would also lack 3D Touch pressure sensitive display features. The smaller iPhone would have fewer pixels to push so the chip comparison with the iPhone 6 isn’t exactly apples to apples, per se.

Personally, though, including Live Photos would be enough to tempt me to give the 4-inch iPhone 5se a test drive after using the 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus since its launch. Have you been holding out for a modern iPhone smaller than the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones introduced over the last couple of years?

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Comments

  1. jamiequade - 8 years ago

    If it’s pretty much gonna be a smaller 6, why would ‘5se’ be a relevant name? You’d think it would be something like iPhone 6 mini to align with the 6 Plus.

    • Aaron Loy - 8 years ago

      because it’s not going to be flagship. if it’s iphone 6s mini, then it’ll have the same processor as the 6s, but I believe the 5se would be 1-2 steps lower.

      • JamieQuade - 8 years ago

        If it has the 5s’ processor then fair enough, it shouldn’t be considered a ‘6’. Though if it has the A8 from the iPhone 6 (Which even the iPod touch has), the ‘6 mini’ name makes sense.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        No one said iPhone 6S Mini. We said iPhone 6 Mini. In case you havent read the rumors though, it’s supposed to have iPhone 6 specs, and iPhone 6 design. So you go ahead and think it should be iPhone 5se. Everyone else that thinks rationally will think it should be iPhone 6 Mini.

    • Lederh (@EderH) - 8 years ago

      because what i think, apple will hold on the “iphone 7” name for next year, as the iphone releasing in 2017 will be the iphone of the decade,
      so they will celebrate 2017 with a brand new kick ass iphone 7 of the decade.

      • eb121209blog - 8 years ago

        iPhone 7 will be released in 2016, not 2017.

      • and1mixtapevol1 - 8 years ago

        @ederh Despite what you may think. Apple doesnt care about you. It’s about making money. No way they go 2016 w/o releasing the 7

  2. o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

    I feel so bad for them if they call a phone that has both the specs and design of an iPhone 6, an iPhone 5se, that would be beyond idiotic in every way. It should absolutely be called the iPhone 6 Mini so people will actually want to purchase it. Who wants to purchase something called an iPhone 5se? Who wants to subconsciously think they are buying a nearly 3 generation old device in the 5 monicker?

    There’s just no way they call that the iPhone 5se, but they are that stupid as seen by recent decisions.

    • iJonni - 8 years ago

      They want to sell iPhone 6s. Not iPhone 6. Not iPhone 5se. They have a flagship. I imagine this will probably sit around the same price point as a 5s sells for now. They are still selling the 5s you know. It still sells pretty well. The people that want that phone will absolutely buy a 5se if it is a more advanced version of the 5s that they were going to buy anyway, this 4″device is not meant to be a flagship phone. That’s what you are all missing. Anything that drives overall iPhone sales, or pushes more 6s sales helps the company overall. Plus emerging markets, such as India and Africa, will have no problem with the 5se, seeing as they they still sell an iPhone 4s there.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        Apparently you misunderstood the entire point of my comment which had literally nothing to do with the selling of a device with similar specs and design to an iPhone 6. It did however have everything to do with the naming of that device being sold.

        ‘They want to sell iPhone 6S, not iPhone 6, not iPhone 5se.’ Um no. They want to sell them all. You actually started your comment with that and then later followed up with ‘Anything that drives overall iPhone sales, or pushes more 6s sales helps the company overall.’, and ‘Plus emerging markets, such as India and Africa, will have no problem with the 5se’.

        They want to sell each iPhone they design and sell. They don’t make an iPhone to push more sales of their flagship iPhone hahah. I love people that think that, it’s decidedly ludicrous.

    • standardpull - 8 years ago

      It’s not meant to distract from, or replace, the 6 series. It is for customers that realize that no-name phones are garbage and can’t afford a flagship.

      Clearly this new model exists in order to to vacuum up all of people who have been buying lousy Android phones. They don’t know the difference between an iPhone 6S or a Samsung Galaxy SIII. They just know that their last purchase of a non-name phone was a mistake.

      Even the most rabid Android fanbos will tell you that there are a lot of awful Android phones being made and sold. These garbage phones have been on the shelves for a long time and are marketed as being “just like” flagship phones. Within a couple of months, the purchaser is sorely depressed that the phone is forever stuck at Kitkat and came pre-installed with unremovable annoyware.

      Enter the new low-end iPhone. High quality. No malware. Upgradable. iOS compatible. And at a price that’s as low the garbage phones.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        Um no one said anything about replacing. It is meant to offer an option to those that want a smaller screen size with iPhone 6 specs. Hence why they are using the iPhone 6 design. No one even knows what they are talking about when they say flagship. The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are the flagship phones currently, which makes the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, non-flagship phones. This won’t be a flagship phone in that it won’t have the iPhone 6S specs, but it will absolutely be used to get people that want a smaller screen size to purchase this upgraded 4″ phone.

        Your android stuff is complete nonsense. This is for Apple customers that don’t want big phones.

      • standardpull - 8 years ago

        The idea that they’re calling it the 5-something is strong evidence that this device isn’t a peer to the specs of the 6 or 6S series.

    • Isitjustme - 8 years ago

      Why do you need to feel bad for them, they don’t need your money and you certainly wouldn’t make a difference in their sales.

      Many will love this phone because of its size and capabilities and many wouldn’t have the mental clutch you had painted when they are using this phone.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        Hahah um I wouldn’t buy this, as I have an iPhone 6S. It’s not about me purchasing this, and it’s not about its specs. Dear god people can’t read. It’s about the purported name they will call it.

    • Because this is only going to be a limited edition flagship iPhone, it’s been called the SE for Special Edition. It makes totally sense, we don’t know how bad or good this will end up selling. Look at the iPhone 5C, nobody actually cared about what it’s called instead people where all about the plastic backing. I am sure if the public sees a mini version of the iPhone 6 it will make the headlines regarding of what it’s called. I personally don’t think SE will last for long, it’s like Force Touch that is now renamed to 3D Touch.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        Force Touch renamed? Force Touch is still listed on the Watch and MacBook pages. 3D Touch is named such for marketing and for the fact that it does peek and pop, thus 3D.

  3. Dafty Punk - 8 years ago

    YESSSSS!!! Although I’m not a fan of the side lock button. I always hit it when trying to take a photo on my 6.

    • PhilBoogie - 8 years ago

      You too huh? Everyone I know is complaining about that. And if the larger size was the reason for moving it, why is it still on top of the iPad(?) [don’t answer that]

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        I think it’s been moved for 2 reasons: to complete the joke in it having absolutely nothing like an iPhone 5 design, but calling it iPhone 5se anyway; and because the internal engineering doesn’t allow for space above the 8mp camera module for the button and associated flex cable, ergo it is moved to the side where there is no space issue.

    • BFSEsq - 8 years ago

      I always accidentally turn the screen off when I’m trying to take a screenshot now.

    • scottwilkins - 8 years ago

      Agreed, the lock button should move back to the top of the phone.

  4. SKR Imaging - 8 years ago

    seeing the leak.. it has absolutely no resemblance with a 5 or 5S.. it really is an iPhone 6 mini… Marketing still has time to change the name if they actually did want to call it 5SE..

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      Watch them idiotically call the next iPad the iPad Air 3 too. It will probably be at the same event and it will be absolutely hilarious knowing how stupid their marketing team has become. iPad Air 3 and iPhone 5se. The iPad Air 3 of course makes absolutely no sense because the iPad Mini 4 has the exact same design now, and it is understandably much lighter.

      They should be correctly named:
      iPad 7
      iPhone 6 Mini

      • kpom1 - 8 years ago

        ??? The iPad mini 4 has similar specs to the Air 2. I am guessing an iPad Air 3 would have an A9-class processor.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        @kpom1 I said design, not specs. Specs have absolutely nothing to do with the ‘Air’ moniker. The ‘Air’ moniker was a marketing name to tell people that the design was now lighter, thinner, narrower, smaller in each dimension. The iPad Mini 4 has the exact same design, ergo it is the only one that could be called Air now.

      • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

        smoothies, the macbook air should lose the air name too. It’s no longer the thin and light laptop. Maybe they introduce a 14″ macbook to replace the macbook air and call the smaller macbook the macbook mini. Haha!

        If they go with “mini” naming for the 4″ iphone than it should actually be called “iphone mini.”

        The ipad mini was the start of a brand new line that has a separate update cycle from the other ipads. It doesn’t make sense to carry over the numbering. Otherwise the first ipad mini would have been called “ipad 2 mini” since it had ipad 2 internals. That’s why I thought this phone would have a totally new body – so it wouldn’t be confused with an iphone 6 or an iphone 5s but would just – be a small iphone that gets treated as it’s own line.

        I’ll agree that all the naming and marketing right now is pretty off. Just looking at any of the lines is a mess. Too many phones – too many ipads and probably too many macbooks.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        @Greg I agree the MacBook Air needs to drop the air name if they make a new one. In regards to the iPhone dropping its number, I think the numbering helps much more for marketing the iPhone. People would want to know it is a mini iPhone 6 specs otherwise they wouldn’t know whether it had new or old specs superficially (without looking for tech specs).

      • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

        Isn’t that the point? Who cares what it has inside technically. Apple’s products aren’t really focused on that. Aside from that, It’s not really an iphone 6 it’s some kind of mutt. All people need to know is it’s a new 4″ iPhone. Do most people consider what internals the ipad mini 4 has compared to the ipad air 2? I don’t think so. I think they know they want a small ipad and they get the mini. They compare the mini 4 to the mini 2.

        The same will really be true for the 4″ iphone. People want the 4″ form factor. Apple shouldn’t draw attention to the fact tat it has old internals by calling out the 6 number. It only makes it look like a comparatively worse device. instead, Apple can focus on it being better than any other 4″ devices.

        Which is maybe why the 5se kinda makes sense… The marketing message is “don’t compare this to the 6s because it’s worse than the 6s. Compare it to the 5s because it’s way better than the 5s” It’s a little weird and I don’t know if they’ll actually go with that name but that’s why I’m still behind it vs anything with “6” or “c” in the naming.

      • SKR Imaging - 8 years ago

        for the iPAds, I would rather they name them according to year of release.. lke they do for MAcs.. Early 2013, late 2015.. makes it much simpler.. for phones, it makes sense to market with the numbers and S line.. but adding SE and whatnot is a bad move.

  5. PhilBoogie - 8 years ago

    I don’t like the large 4.7″ iPhone because of it’s larger size. I mainly use it for phone calls, so a smaller FF will be welcomed by me.

  6. BFSEsq - 8 years ago

    I guess I just don’t understand why anyone would want a 4″ screen. I was so happy to move up to 5.5″ with my iPhone 6. I don’t see the advantage of a screen that small. I wonder who the market for this will be? Mark Gurman’s article mentioned Apple targeting those that never upgraded from a 4″ screen, in trying to tempt them into sampling newer features so that they buy a new iPhone in the future. That’s about the only customers for this that I can imagine.

    • kpom1 - 8 years ago

      It’s easier to hold in one hand and to fit into a pocket. My sister has a 6s, but if this one came out last fall I think she’d have bought it instead.

    • just-a-random-dude - 8 years ago

      One-hand use, a lot of people need to be able to use the whole screen from one hand for various reasons and the 4″ screen iPhone is the best. The biggest complains of iPhone 6 was that it was too big to reach the top. Not everyone has big hands and the “Reachability” feature sucks.

      I have an Android 5″ next to my iPhone 5S, I rather have 4″ screen more than 4.7″ screen, I keep having to use two hands on the 5″ screen and iPhone 6 did not change my feeling.

      If my iPhone 5S dies, it’ll be this i5se device I’m buying to replace, not 6.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        Absolutely agree, the 4″ screen is good for its ability to be used with one hand always. Even if they drastically reduced the bezels in the iPhone 7, a 4.7″ screen is still very big for most hand sizes, and hardly anyone would be able to reach the top.

        They should reduce the bezels drastically and then go to 5.7″ iPhone plus, 5.0″ iPhone and 4.3″ iPhone mini. Then keep those sizes indefinitely.

    • well i think iPhone users are of two types haha the ones who think like Steve jobs and the ones who think like tim cook (i respect them both),as we know Steve opposed the idea of having a large sized phone but apple eventually released the larger phones and it turns out it was successful enough,but its just a matter of choice and i think people should have an option to decide whether they want a somewhat large sized iPhones or the smaller ones but in the end its about consumer satisfaction they really care about and what apple has decided to roll out this new so called ‘iPhone 5se’ would be good for the ones who still use smaller phones. so lets wait and see! have a nice day :)

    • capdorf - 8 years ago

      Personally I don’t understand the need for a large phone that won’t fit my pocket or hand. If I want a large screen, I use my iPad. I have been waiting for this and on the condition it is not completely dumbed down, bring it on!

      • eliasbh - 8 years ago

        Same here. Here I’m typing with my right hand while the left osmunda petting my dog and it’s so hard. The phone is literally tilting to the left and almost falling. iPhone 6S

  7. calisurfboy - 8 years ago

    Want a smaller phone, not older lesser technology.

    • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

      You won’t get a smaller phone with the best technology just like you can’t get an 11″ air specked as high as a bigger computer. That’s really the reason iphones got bigger in the first place. If they could have made another 4″ iphone with the same specks as the 6 they would have released it when the 6 came out. It will have taken a full year and a half more for us to get this.

      I think the only thing you can hope for is a smaller phone with newer but lesser technology. Like how the macbook has new technology but isn’t as powerful. At least that’s what I want. I’ve excepted that the latest and greatest won’t be in a small package and I don’t really care. Don’t need a better camera or more speed – but I do want the latest features like touch id, apple pay, 3d touch, and live photos. This device isn’t that. It’s boring becasue it’s just a mid range device like the macbook air is now. Not slim and sleek and not powerful and new.

    • eliasbh - 8 years ago

      Important to hand Touch ID and 3D Touch. I’m using 3D Touch more than I thought I would.

  8. Viktor Breeden - 8 years ago

    I would definitely buy it. I’ve been waiting for a smaller iPhone =)

  9. the only pet peeve I have with the design is the fact that the screen is curved towards the sides, just like the 6(s) models making it difficult to make glass screen protectore to fit it properly. Let’s hope that changes with the 7 series

    • just-a-random-dude - 8 years ago

      It will not change back to sharp edges, that is most likely will never happen again. Apple will continue to use curved edges and all of their later patents are showing this as well. Expect all of their Macs to get curved as well.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        Absolutely not. The iPhone will go back to square edges and remain square edges indefinitely. The reason for this is exceedingly simple: you cannot go screen-to-edge with 2D glass, because it both looks weird, and also takes away from the entire purpose of going screen-to-edge in the first place, which is to make the phone as narrow as possible.

  10. Jake Becker - 8 years ago

    I want to say its too stupid to call it “5SE”, but I also saw them cringebomb WWDC 2015 with The Weeknd and Iovine’s shiny head, so who knows.

  11. bracesork - 8 years ago

    This could be a Chinese clone (with a twisted Home button), as noted in one of the Dutch comments

  12. TfT_02 - 8 years ago

    I think this is a smart move, there is still a market for smaller phones. Just call it iPhone 6 mini though and not 5se. Also, this image could have been photoshop, really easily.
    1. Take a picture of two iPhone 5’s next to each other (to get the lamp reflection).
    2. Take a picture of a iPhone 6 or 6s and shrink it down. Cut it out with magic wand tool.
    3. Replace one of the iPhone 5’s in the first picture with a shrunken down iPhone 6
    4. Internet hoax done.

    I do sincerely hope that this is legit. I absolutely love the curved edges on my iPhone 6s.

    • taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

      I hate the curved glass on the 6(s) plus. With the larges screen it always feels like it’s going to slip out of your hand.

  13. Zak Ŧamurian - 8 years ago

    No A9 is a very poor move for Apple.

  14. eliasbh - 8 years ago

    I’d want one. What stopled me was the lack of Touch ID and Apple Pay. I honestly still feel the original 3.5 inch iPhone was the absolute best size. After all, an iPhone is for quick actions like phone calls, quick messaging and news etc.. It’s not for word processing or heavier work on our commute. We’ve got MacBook for that.
    I still believe Tim was forced to go overboard with sizes solely to catch up with other companies financially.

  15. Robert Cain (@cain2003) - 8 years ago

    “5se”. Worst name of an Apple product under Tim Cook? Yes. If this is true of course.

    Seriously, just call them iPhones. You pick a screen size, a color, a storage size, and move on. For the budget minded, bring back the “C” and put the older internals in it and sell it for less. No more numbers. Im not on my Macbook 22… or what ever the hell it would be by now (MBPr, 7 months old). This goes for the iPad as well. enough. we get it.

    • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

      Agreed about the numbering but we aren’t there yet. I think we needed numbers as they were changing so rapidly and significantly. We also needed them because unlike the mac lines, Apple has been selling last years model right next to the new one. That doesn’t happen with macbooks. New macbook comes out – same design with new specs and the old one goes away. No need for numbering.

      What we are waiting on is for the line to be diverse enough and able to cover enough price points that they stop keeping around last year’s redundant (almost the same but older) model. We need a mid range line of iphones that appeal to people with mid range budgets like the macbook air is mid range and we need a high end line of iphones that’s specked out and the best just like the macbook pro is high end.

      This device being described to Gurman as a blend of old and new is the closest thing we’ve gotten to a distinct line of iphone aside from Apple’s first attempt with the 5c. The messaging is like – this isn’t the best but it’s not old and crappy either and you’ll get some new stuff too.

      • Robert Cain (@cain2003) - 8 years ago

        I think we are on the same page. I think the point I was, poorly, trying to make was along the lines of; the numbers made sense in the beginning (although not always the sequencing: iPhone,iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 ok it was actually the 4th generation!… 4s, 5 or 6th actually, 5S, 6 or 8th actually, 6S, and if the next is 7 it will be the 10th generation). The numbering has made it easy on the consumer to distinguish between models. However, the latest generation forgoes the identification on the phone itself. The 6 didn’t say 6 on it, and the 6S just has an S on the back. If they 7 continues this trend then Apple will continue to maintain focus on the core brand, “iPhone”. Thats really al that matters.
        So if they follow the rest of the Apple line up and only put the latest tech in the flagship body, they can use a secondary body for the older internals, reviving a “C” model is ideal for this. it doesn’t have to be plastic. It could be metal like the iPods. That could allow them to reach a totally different market. But plastic could be much cheaper to produce and repair. Apple could also maintain a third tier for lower income markets; Africa, India, China, so forth. This is where the iPhone 4 still sells. Maybe using the 4S with a lighting port and touch ID and a new case could keep that device relevant for another few years, at a very affordable price point.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        There aren’t numbers on macs because you don’t need numbers on devices that people don’t upgrade for 5-10 years. These are also devices you can choose to upgrade when you purchase them, so it’s not simply this MacBook is the only MacBook available, but rather, you can purchase different specs for it.

  16. Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

    Maybe this is legit but some stuff about the image looks a little odd. Check out where the speaker grill is in relation to the 5s’. All the other iphone designs center the grill in the vertical space between the top of the phone and the screen. This one would be off centered. Not saying Apple couldn’t do that but having outward components like that be centered is usually one of their priorities. The home button also looks kinda distorted.

  17. Bria (@xxFoxtail_) - 8 years ago

    I’d personally want a 4″ flagship

  18. Kenneth Zaitor Andersen - 8 years ago

    Been waiting for this! Got an iPhone 6 now – to big for my hands (yes they are small :P). Def going to “downgrade” to an 4″!

  19. Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

    what I don’t get is how they can keep the 6 and 6+ around after this comes out and how this phone can somehow be cheaper even though it’s technologically more advanced since it fits a big phone into a smaller body. It would be like how they kept the ipad 2 around after the mini came out. The ipad 2 looked like such a turd sitting next the mini with the same specs in an amazing body and the retina ipad (or was it ipad air then?).

    If you look at the ipad line now, the old ipad air and ipad mini cost the same thing. So either you get something that’s outdated or you get something that’s marketed as top of the line but is smaller or you pay $100 more for the top of the line big thing. This new 4″ could be like the ipad mini. For the same price as last years model but with the benefit of being a different form factor.

  20. animatedude - 8 years ago

    why can’t they make the design like the iPhone 4/5 but slimmer? i prefer the design of the 4/5 to the 6 but it should be great to test this before you judge it.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      Because they’re about to go back to a similar design to that in the iPhone 7, and that would take away from that. Haha

  21. philheazy - 8 years ago

    It resembles the iPhone 6 to much to have a “5” moniker, even down to the side lock button. iPhone 6 mini would be a better naming fit. iPhone 5se isn’t appealing to those who want to upgrade from an iPhone 5 or 5S but want to stay with a smaller screen.

  22. Hugo Miguel - 8 years ago

    Am i the only one who thinks the 5 or 5s still look better than that??

  23. Jeff Laass (@jlaass) - 8 years ago

    YES, I love the smaller phone since I keep it in my shirt pocket and do not want to lug around a phone approaching the size of a tablet. Now I won’t have to search outside of Apple for my next phone.

  24. James Ala (@SpincitySD) - 8 years ago

    It will be the wife’s decision. Will she want to stay with the same form factor, which will work with her very small hands? Or will she want to spend more money and match her husband’s 6s or really upgrade to the 7 which will be out by October.

  25. taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

    If it has the rounded corners of the 6 and the internals of the 6 why would it be called the 5se? I never got that reading on Mark’/ first article.

  26. Casey Royals - 8 years ago

    I’d like to see an iPhone-5-size in the 6 or 7 versions and would snap one up in an instant if it had the same processors as the 6 or 7, except for the 4K-recording camera on the 6s. The 5-size fits shirt pockets much easier!

  27. PMZanetti - 8 years ago

    It still looks wider, which may not fly with the folks that want another 4″ device. Not too happy about what I’m seeing.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      You’re talking about wider here, yet you think bezels are necessary in the other post. Make up your mind. If it is wider then it has bigger bezels, because they’re both 4″ devices.

  28. Shalev Lazarof - 8 years ago

    iPhone 6 minus?

  29. rettun1 - 8 years ago

    it looks to me like the phone on the right has a bigger screen. I know the phones are slightly tilted so its hard to tell. The right one just looks a little bigger overall actually

  30. Emiliano Sena - 8 years ago

    I don’t believe it. The LOCK button is in the side, why it would be there if it is a 4 inches display?

  31. Graham J - 8 years ago

    Don’t care about the name. A smaller size is a good idea as many still find the 6 too large. A smaller chassis means smaller battery and thermal dissipation so A8 seems reasonable. It’s still screaming fast.

  32. The phone in that photo is a 4.1 or 4.2″ screen not a 4″. You can faintly see the difference between the screen and the bezel and the right hand phone has a noticeably thinner top bezel. The bottom bezel is harder to make out but it too seems to be smaller. All of which makes sense if it is using the 6/6S aesthetic where the chins are slightly smaller than the 5 series. So they chose to go with the same exterior dimensions as the 5 and stick more screen in there.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      I agree, I’m guessing 4.3″ though. As I suggested above, I think they should do 5.7″ plus, 5.0″ iPhone, and 4.3″ iPhone mini. This slightly larger screen in the same one-handed size will draw a lot of new customers. The 4.3″ display remains the same 11″+ retina at the same iPhone 5S resolution.

  33. bdkennedy11 - 8 years ago

    If it was a 5se, then the hardware would have stayed the same. Rounded glass, no bezels, new buttons, plastic strip you can see in the upper left corner. That’s more related to the iPhone 6 design.

    • spittingcat - 8 years ago

      Perhaps both are on the way…

      Range changes to…

      6s plus
      6s
      6se
      5se

      And all the legacy 5s and 6s models are dropped.

      5se is cheapest option, with Apple Pay and faster chip (surely Apple want all their devices to offer Apple Pay now). 6se is this new look model, with 6s capabilities, and slightly bigger screen than 5s but the same small dimensions. 2 models to clean up the offering, catch some people migrating to ‘droid, and also those people who want a premium small phone.

  34. Chris Ryan - 8 years ago

    Na, I’ve really been holding out for my phone (my world class 5S) to be broken or be beyond repair. I thought once it dies I’ll just get another one because they’re fantastic.

  35. Luís Guedes - 8 years ago

    This picture is completely fake!
    That’s an iPhone 5 next to an iPhone 6(s). If you watch closely the 5 is above the level of the 6, it has no shadows. It’s closer to the camera to have similar proportions.
    And that sleep button on the side…

  36. Andy Brooks - 8 years ago

    I hate the name “iPhone 5se”. It makes me think of something Samsung would come up with. The “5se” part sounds clunky. I hate product names with long numerical codes in the name, (like Samsung 4K SUHD JS850)”. What does “SE” even really mean anyway? You can’t say S stands for speed because it will be the slowest phone in the lineup. the E means nothing and adds no value either. It’s wasteful and meaningless. Calling it “5” points backwards a couple of years to a phone that has been retired. iPhone mini seems like the best name to give it. It’s the most understandable and logical name. It’s also consistent name with Apple’s naming pattern (iPad mini, Mac mini)

  37. Andy Brooks - 8 years ago

    If they release this phone then they really need to kill off the iPod touch. Or is this the new iPod touch?

  38. mallwill2 - 8 years ago

    If you look closely, it has the antenna band of a 6. I think this is actually just a black version of the one leaked before – they are very similar and not 2 different designs.

  39. tigerpork - 8 years ago

    If this is the 4-inch why is the dimension the same as the 6? Shouldn’t it be noticeably smaller?

  40. rungolden1 - 8 years ago

    I have definitely been holding out for a new 4 inch iPhone. I don’t want a phone that’s any bigger.

    • rungolden1 - 8 years ago

      I also really hope they give it the more powerful processor. Just because it’s smaller doesn’t mean it needs to be less powerful!

  41. Seb Darke (@SebDarke) - 8 years ago

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m sure that the height of the bezels above and below the screen are the same on the 6(s) as the 5(s), if not a tiny bit smaller on the 6 (plenty of images online). GSM Arena’s specs also say that the screen on the 6 has a 5% higher screen to body ratio. While it’s hard to make out the screens from this pic as they’re both black iPhones, if the device really is a simple shrink then while it may be the same size as a 5, it could potentially have a slightly larger screen. If the existing ratios apply, that would make for a 4.2″ screen. I’m sure this would be hugely popular, as those who prefer the smaller phones are usually concerned with the physical dimensions rather than the actual screen size.

  42. Robert Gordon Mork - 8 years ago

    Finally, a new 4″ iPhone! I would have upgraded from my iPhone 5 long ago, especially to get the improved cameras. Except for one thing – I hate the bigger size of the 6 and 6-plus. Don’t get me wrong, big is great if all you do is sit around the office. (I am sorely tempted by the new jumbo-size iPad! ) But a phone is something you want (need?) to take with you all the time. Including when you’re in harm’s way – on the slopes, on the water, and in the field. A big phone just makes no sense in those environments. One more request to Apple – please, please, PLEASE don’t make the new phone available only in a stripper version. Those of us who live active lives likely want big memory, better cameras, etc. just as much as anyone else!!! Surely in 2016 a company which is supposedly progressive as Apple would realize that its premium features shouldn’t be limited to its biggest phones. Steve Jobs would be appalled!!!!

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.