iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17: Let’s compare the rumored specs
An iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17 comparison may be on the early side given Apple’s likely release schedule. But as I’ve noted previously, we’re expecting to see a lot of new phones from Apple this year and having a sense of how they might compare could help give you a sense of which iPhone you should plan to buy in 2025.
Besides, if the latest rumors are correct, we could be seeing one of these phones much sooner than expected. At least one report claims the iPhone SE 4 could make its debut as soon as this coming week, so figuring out how it’s going to measure up against the iPhone 17 flagships coming later this year can help you figure out whether to buy now or wait until more phones arrive.
Fortunately, the iPhone rumor machine has not been idle. We have a very good idea of what changes Apple reportedly has planned for the iPhone SE 4 whenever that new midrange model appears. And a few early iPhone 17 rumors have filled in some details on Apple’s flagship phone plans for the year.
This iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17 comparison takes all the rumors we’ve heard so far to help formulate a picture of what Apple’s iPhone lineup could soon look like.
iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17: Potential release dates
We mentioned that the iPhone SE 4 launch could be imminent. That report comes from Mark Gurman, who’s very reliable when it comes to reports on Apple’s unannounced plans. There is some wiggle room on the claim of a mid-February launch for the iPhone SE 4 — Gurman only says that it could happen, not that it will, based on information from people aware of Apple’s plans. Even if that release date doesn’t come to pass, it’s widely assumed that a March or April release is in the cards at the very latest.
The iPhone 17 launch is definitely farther off, assuming Apple sticks to its normal release schedule. Apple shows off new flagship phones in the fall — usually at some point during the first two weeks of September. There’s no reason to expect the company to deviate from that pattern at this point.
iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17: Rumored prices
The current iPhone SE costs $429, which not only makes it the cheapest iPhone Apple sells but also less expensive than comparable midrange devices like the $499 Google Pixel 8a. It’s expected that Apple will have a hard time keeping that price for the iPhone SE 4, and as well get into the features tipped for the new phone, you’ll see why. Nevertheless, it’s generally accepted that the iPhone SE 4 will still cost less than $500, given that Apple still sells the iPhone 14 at a discounted $599 two years after that phone’s original release.
If it’s hard to pin down a price for the iPhone SE 4, it’s nearly impossible to say what the iPhone 17 will cost when it debuts. In an ideal world, Apple would at least maintain the current prices on the models set to return — that’d be the standard iPhone as well as the two iPhone Pro models. However, we’re living at a time of rising component costs and potential tariffs, both of which could lead to higher prices down the line.
At least one analyst has said that higher iPhone 17 prices are likely, though it’s unclear if that would be across the lineup or just select models. For now, we’re going to assume the iPhone 17 continues to start at $799, with the iPhone 17 Pro starting at $999.
Adding a wrinkle to this fall’s iPhone lineup is the likelihood of a new model replacing the iPhone 16 Plus. It’s unclear if Apple would treat this so-called iPhone 17 Air as a Plus replacement and charge around $899 for it as it does for the current phone. Another rumor is that Apple will consider the iPhone 17 Air to be a higher-end model that costs more than even the $1,199 iPhone 16 Pro Max.
iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17: Design
The most likely change to the iPhone SE 4 is a new look for Apple’s least expensive device, considering that the iPhone SE (2022) still features the same design Apple started phasing out of its flagship lineup in 2018. The chunky bezels, Touch ID button and 4.7-inch display found on the current SE are expected to give way to a design that’s more in line with the iPhone 14.
There had been some debate as to whether the iPhone SE would feature a notch in its display to house the Face ID sensors and the phone’s front camera, since recent iPhones have switched to a Dynamic Island feature that blends more seamlessly into the display. While some are holding out hope for the Dynamic Island to appear, most renders show a notch, as Apple looks to retain some ways of distinguishing its flagships from its midrange offering.
Recent iPhones have added new buttons in the form of an Action button and a Camara Control button. Rumors suggest the iPhone SE 4 will support the former but not the latter — a difference that makes sense given the lone rear camera the iPhone SE is likely to retain.
With the iPhone 15, Apple switched from Lightning to USB-C as the charging standard on its phones. Expect the iPhone SE 4 to follow suit so that Apple can sell the new device in places like Europe that mandate a universal charging standard.
For now, we’d anticipate that the iPhone 17 will look the same as the current models, though one rumor does suggest more seamless transitions between different materials like glass and aluminum. Speaking of materials, we’ve heard suggestions that Apple will no longer use titanium in its Pro models, though given how much Apple’s touted this feature since the switch to titanium, that’s awfully hard to believe.
From a design standpoint, the biggest change could come with the arrival of the iPhone Air, depending on how thin this model actually gets. One rumor suggests that the Air could be as slender as 5.5mm thin — the current iPhone 16 measures 7.8mm.
iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17: Display
The switch to an iPhone 14-style design for the iPhone SE 4 should mean an increase in display size, with the new model likely to feature a 6.1-inch panel rather than the 4.7-inch screen size found on the current version. The lack of chunky bezels on the newer design means the new iPhone SE 4 won’t be that much larger than the current iPhone SE, so fans of compact fans could find some comfort in that.
The bigger change with the iPhone SE could be the type of display Apple uses. Rumors suggest a switch to an OLED panel, which would be significant as the iPhone SE is the last Apple phone with an LCD screen. That will likely mean truer blacks and richer colors on an OLED-equipped iPhone.
We’d expect the iPhone SE to keep a 60Hz refresh rate for its display — something that may no longer be the case with the iPhone 17 in the fall. For years, Apple has only included fast refresh rates on its Pro models, even as other devices cheaper than the standard iPhone have embraced the feature.
However, iPhone 17 rumors claim this fall’s entry-level flagship will switch to an LTPO OLED panel, which will allow the refresh rate to adapt to whatever’s on the screen. If you’re scrolling or playing a game without a lot of action, the refresh rate would ramp up to 120Hz for a smoother, more immersive experience.
iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17: Cameras
The iPhone SE 4 isn’t likely to add another camera lens to its rear setup — you have to make some concessions to keep that price low. But the camera that is there should get an improvement inspired by the rest of the iPhone lineup.
The current iPhone SE uses a 12MP lens, but in the time since Apple released that model, all other iPhones have switched to a 48MP sensor for their main camera. It’s expected that the iPhone SE 4 will as well, which would also give it the ability to crop in on shots to approximate a 2x optical zoom — a feature that’s worked to great effect on recent iPhones.
As for the iPhone 17 lineup, every model is likely to get an upgraded front camera. The bigger changes are rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a variable aperture feature allegedly in the cards. This would let photographers manually adjust the background bokeh effect with more control over the depth of field.
It’s unclear if the standard iPhone is due an update. Typically features from earlier models trickle down to the standard phone, so it’s possible that the upgraded ultrawide lens introduced with the iPhone 16 Pro could make its way to the iPhone 17. though there’s no concrete rumor to that effect.
Like the iPhone SE 4, the iPhone 17 Air may have just one camera lens — a concession to the confined internal space a thin phone might have. If that’s the case, it seems like a 48MP main lens is almost a certainty.
iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17: Performance and battery
Past iPhone SE models have used the same system-on-chip as the flagship iPhones that debuted a few months earlier. If that pattern holds for the new iPhone SE, we’d see the A18 chip from the iPhone 16 powering Apple’s new budget model.
That has big implications for performance and battery life — the 3nm A18 figures to be much faster and more power efficient than the 5nm A15 Bionic inside the iPhone SE (2022). But the real gain from using that silicon would be support for Apple Intelligence features. The iPhone SE would be able to run the same suite of AI-powered tools found on Apple’s iPhone 16 flagships while costing hundreds of dollars less.
At the same time, we’d expect new chips for the iPhone 17 lineup later this year — most likely the A19. Despite earlier rumors, it sounds like the A19 won’t be built on a 2nm process, which would have packed the transistors closer together than they are on the A18 system-on-chip. But another report tips Apple’s manufacturing partners to use a third-generation 3nm process that will lead to some performance gains over the A18 silicon.
The iPhone SE 4 may be the first iPhone to use a modem designed by Apple. The iPhone 17 is still supposed to use a Qualcomm-supplied modem. We’ll see if that translates into any noticeable performance differences.
The iPhone SE 4 could definitely stand to see better battery life whether from the larger power pack that will be able to fit into an iPhone 14-sized device or more efficient power management features from an A18 chipset. The current iPhone SE topped out at 9 hours and 5 minutes on our battery test, an hour worse than the average phone we test. To put that number in context, the iPhone 16 has the shortest battery life of any current flagship — and it beat the iPhone SE’s time by more than 3.5 hours.
iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17: Software
As noted, the most exciting thing about the iPhone SE 4 would be the ability to run the latest Apple Intelligence features, just like an iPhone 16. That would include the more context-aware Siri, Writing Tools, Image Playground, Photo Cleanup and all the other capabilities the latest iPhones enjoy. (An exception could be Visual Intelligence, which is an iPhone 16-exclusive feature.)
An up-to-date processor would also enable the iPhone SE to continue to receive Apple Intelligence updates, like the iOS 18.4 update expected this spring. That’s supposed to expand Siri’s powers considerably, giving Apple’s assistant the ability to work across different apps, among other changes.
The iPhone 17 should ship around the time Apple releases iOS 19, this year’s unannounced iPhone software update. Of course, given Apple’s generous software support policies — iPhones can generally expect at least 5 years of software support — the iPhone SE 4 should have no problem upgrading to iOS 19 in the fall.
iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17: Outlook
I feel like the iPhone SE 4 can be the most exciting phone Apple releases this year, but I’ll concede that opinion may be tilted by the fact we know so much more about this soon-to-arrive phone thanks to more detailed rumors. The iPhone 17 could be an impressive upgrade in its own right, especially with the faster-refreshing display that seems certain to appear on the new phone. And if you’re eying one of the Pro models, you can likely expect big camera improvements, too.
Still, it’s hard to overlook the balance of price and features the iPhone SE 4 figures to offer — especially if the new phone adds Apple Intelligence support as expected. A new-looking phone with the latest in Apple AI features potentially costing around $500 may be too good a deal to pass up.
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