The iPhone SE 4 seems well and truly dead and buried. Apple would have preferred to give up on the affordable smartphone expected in 2024. This cancellation upsets the firm’s plans for 5G chips. We explain why.
Late last year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo prophesied the abandonment of the iPhone SE, the affordable smartphone from Apple. According to the expert, the Cupertino giant planned to draw a line under the model, given the disappointing sales cheapest iPhones. In the last news, the iPhone SE 3 has also met with mixed success. Fearing a wasteful investment, Apple thought instead to focus on high-end oriented devices, which generate strong demand.
In a new report published on Medium, the specialist returns to the charge. Relaying information from the industry, Kuo asserts that Apple has indeed abandoned development of the fourth-generation iPhone SE, which was scheduled for release in the spring of 2024:
“Supply Chain has received instructions from Apple advising that 2024 iPhone SE 4 production and shipment plans have been cancelled”.
How does the iPhone SE shake up Apple’s plans for 5G?
This cancellation upsets Apple’s plans for 5G, Kuo said. Apparently, the Californian group had planned toinclude its first 5G modem within the future iPhone SE. The smartphone would have acted as a test for the 5G chip, which is intended to replace Qualcomm solutions.
According to Kuo, Apple was concerned that the chip would not offer performance equivalent to modems designed by Qualcomm. To limit the risks, the brand preferred start the transition with a mid-range iPhone rather than with a premium edition, which demands top-flight performance.
If the 5G modem had proved up to the task, Apple would have integrated it into iPhone 16s, expected in September 2024. The iPhone SE 4 being stillborn, Apple should once again use Snapdragon modems from its supplier Qualcomm. Kuo indeed assures that the cancellation of the iPhone SE increases the chances that Qualcomm will remain « the exclusive supplier » modems for future iPhones.
Read also : The iPhone SE 4 was supposed to look like an iPhone XR from 2018
No Apple 5G chip before 2025
As expected by Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone will not be equipped with a 5G modem from Apple for several years. According to him, the abandonment of Qualcomm chips will not begin before 2025. On the iPhone 16, Apple should bet on a chip Snapdragon X75which will be engraved in 4 nm by TSMC.
The Californian giant has been trying to free itself from Qualcomm for several years. To speed up the process, Apple even took over the modem division of giant Intel in 2019. Despite this major takeover, Tim Cook’s firm is encountering obstacles in the design of the modem. This is why the transition has been postponed several times.
Medium