Next year's iPhone SE 4 will almost certainly come with 8GB of RAM, up from 4GB in the 2022 model, due to the hardware requirements of Apple Intelligence.
Currently in Apple's smartphone lineup, only the iPhone 15 Pro models support Apple Intelligence, Apple's suite of AI features coming in iOS 18.1, because the features require a minimum of 8GB of RAM. There is only 6GB RAM in the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, so they will miss out.
Following the release of the iPhone 16 lineup in September, Apple will release the fourth-generation iPhone SE as early as the beginning of 2025, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, and he says "you can bet that it will have Apple Intelligence."
So unless Apple discontinues the iPhone 15 models this year when the iPhone 16 series debuts, this will leave Apple's smartphone lineup in an unusual position, with a sub-$500 device in the iPhone SE 4 able to run Apple's latest AI features while the standard iPhone 15 models cannot.
The fourth-generation iPhone SE is rumored to feature an iPhone 14-like design, Face ID instead of Touch ID, a USB-C port, an Action button, an Apple-designed 5G modem, an A18 processor, and an all-screen look that does away with the Home Button. The device's display is expected to grow in size from 4.7 inches to 6.06 inches and use OLED for the first time.
Apple suppliers are expected to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. The device could be released ahead of the Lunar New Year in January 2025. However, all three existing iPhone SE models were announced in March over the years, so a March 2025 release seems quite possible too.
