Reminder the iPhone XR? Released alongside the iPhone XS, it was Apple’s first foray into creating a lower-priced iPhone. While it shared much of the same design DNA as the iPhone X and iPhone XS, it had a different camera set up and a few other differences from the flagship models. However, at the time, it was Apple’s biggest seller, highlighting that there was a sizeable market for a low-cost iPhone.
Plash forward a few years and the iPhone SE is Apple’s entry level iPhone. Its design DNA harks back to the iPhone 5 and iPhone 8 although its insides are only a generation of so behind the most recent iPhones on offer. Given the popularity of the iPhone XR and the iPhone SE, it’s no surprise that the rumour mill is suggesting the next iPhone SE will bring back the iPhone XR’s design.
Well known, and quite accurate, Apple leaker John Prosser says the fourth version of the iPhone SE will feature an edge-to-edge display and bring the iPhone XR look back to the iPhone range. With the new iPad dropping the TouchID button, the iPhone SE is the last device on the market to feature the Home button that was such a prominent part of the iPhone’s iconic design.
This makes a lot of sense. Apple can simplify its supply chain by removing a component, the Home button, and define its new design DNA with edge-to-edge displays across all its mobile products.
If the rumours are correct, the fourth generation iPhone SE will have a 6.1-inch screen. Whether it has FaceID is up for debate. FaceID only seems to be a feature of higher end devices as it requires a more complex, and therefore costly, camera system. So we could see an iPhone that uses a similar TouchID system as the new iPad with the sensor built into the power button.
I’m a fan of the iPhone SE. Although it might not boast all the latest and greatest features, it is well and truly meets the needs of the vast majority of smartphone users.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.