New unofficial details about the upcoming next-generation iPhone SE have appeared on the Internet. The new budget iPhone is expected to be powered by Apple’s latest A18 processor, bringing Apple Intelligence to even Apple’s budget devices.
Image Source: Apple
According to the resource 9to5mac, the famous insider Ice Universe, who has established himself as a reliable source of information leaks about Apple products, shared the expected characteristics of the fourth generation iPhone SE, which is expected to be announced next year. In addition to the expected modern design in the style of the iPhone 14, Face ID and a USB-C port, the iPhone SE 4 may bring another surprise.
According to the source, the new iPhone SE will be equipped with an A18 chip and possibly 6 or 8 GB of RAM. The same chip will be used in all smartphones in the iPhone 16 line, including the base models. Previously, Apple used the same series of chips in both the Pro and regular models, but with some differences in the CPU and GPU cores. However, starting with the iPhone 14, the company began to place more emphasis on the performance of the Pro models, equipping them with exclusive chips, while the base models received less powerful platforms.
The introduction of Apple Intelligence this year changed that. Of the current iPhones, only the models with the A17 Pro chip (iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max) will receive new AI features with iOS 18. This is likely why all the new iPhone 16 models will be equipped with the A18 chip, otherwise Apple would have to sell new iPhones without access to the latest features, which would result in these devices being less competitive and selling less well.
By the way, traditionally, the iPhone SE has always received chips from the latest iPhone models, so this news did not come as a surprise. However, given how much time has passed since the last SE update, Apple could have opted for an older chip (like the A16 Bionic) instead of the A18. Apparently, the company intends to use artificial intelligence features as a key benefit of all its products.
Image Source: Apple
In addition, leaks about the new HomePod with a touchscreen also indicate it may be equipped with an A18 chip. This suggests that Apple will soon update its budget iPad and iPad mini models with the latest chips. While Apple Intelligence features won’t be available for older devices, all new iPhones and iPads will likely gain AI capabilities.