The state of the iPhone SE 4 is once again unknown. While analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in February that Apple had resumed development of the device, he’s now walking back those claims. What exactly this means for the future of the iPhone SE lineup is unclear.
In December, Kuo reported that Apple had halted development of the iPhone SE 4 as it decided whether to delay the device or cancel it altogether. In February, the analyst said that development had resumed and that the iPhone SE 4 would be a “minor modification of the 6.1-inch iPhone 14” that used Apple’s in-house 5G modem.
In a new post on Twitter, however, Kuo backtracks that claim and says that what he initially interpreted as the iPhone SE 4 is actually an “engineering prototype for Apple in-house 5G baseband chip technology and mass production validation.” As such, there are “no plans for mass production and sales.”
I previously predicted that the iPhone SE 4 would be a derivative model of the iPhone 14. However, my latest research indicates that this derivative model will likely be an engineering prototype for Apple in-house 5G baseband chip technology and mass production validation, and there are no plans for mass production and sales.
This seems to suggest that development of the actual iPhone SE 4 is still on pause, and it’s unclear if Apple will resume development or cancel the device altogether.
As Kuo says today, Apple is continuing its work on building its own 5G modem, which would allow it to ditch Qualcomm as a supplier. Mass production of this 5G modem “hinges on the test results of this engineering prototype.” If development progresses as planned, mass production could begin in 2025, but if “testing falls below expectations, the schedule may be pushed back to 2026 or later.”
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