Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE isn't expected to debut until March 2025, but details about its hardware are slowly making their way to the public. A supply chain document out of Korea reveals that the cameras on the least-expensive iPhone model have received a significant boost, with a 5-megapixel increase on the front and a whopping 36-megapixel improvement on the back. The smartphone will also feature the iPhone SE series' first OLED display.
As Korea's ETNews reports, LG Innotek, LG Display, Foxconn, and Cowell Electronics are each supplying parts to Apple for the iPhone SE 4. Documents from the LG Group affiliates are said to describe the forthcoming device's front camera, back camera, and display. While the iPhone SE 4 will use a 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front, the back camera will incorporate a 48MP wide angle lens. (Apple calls this a "Fusion" lens, as it's practical for both regular and 2x zoom photos.) This means users can expect to snap higher-resolution images—including selfies—once the new device hits shelves.
LG Display's supply chain memos also claim that the fourth-generation iPhone SE is the first of its lineup to swap in an OLED display for Apple's special LCD, called the Liquid Retina Display. The display is said to be 6.1 inches across and made of low-temperature polycrystalline silicon.
The red, white, and black iPhone SE 3.
The third-generation iPhone SE uses a 4.7-inch LCD and a fingerprint-sensing home button. Credit: Apple
If the ETNews report is correct, the iPhone SE 4 will be startlingly comparable to the iPhone 16, which debuted just this September. While the iPhone 16 features a more advanced Super Retina XDR OLED display, the iPhone SE 4's screen size boost will likely bring its form factor up to speed with the rest of Apple's smartphones, which ditched the third generation SE's fingerprint-sensing home button years ago. The iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 16 will also share a camera setup, though the former might not include the latter's more advanced photo features or the 16's extra ultra-wide camera.
Also rumored to be built into the iPhone SE 4 are 8GB RAM, a USB-C port (in place of the current SE's Lightning connector), and the same battery found in the iPhone 14. The device is expected to support Apple Intelligence, which began to roll out this fall.