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Will Apple hit a home run with the iPhone SE 4? Notch so fast!

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Jan 31, 2025, 2:48 PM

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A screenshot from a Samsung commercial mocking Apple's notch

Are you ready for Apple's first big iPhone launch of 2025? No, I'm (obviously) not talking about the iPhone 17 family, and yes, that includes the first-of-a-kind Air model the company is unlikely to rush out to market despite Samsung's undoubtedly imminent Galaxy S25 Edge release.

Instead, the Cupertino-based tech giant is widely expected to give its most cash-strapped fans what they've been waiting for since 2023 in just a couple of months or so. The first "modern" iPhone SE with razor-thin bezels is almost certainly coming soon, but while a number of its key specs and features are virtually etched in stone, one detail remains (somewhat) unclear.

And it's a big one. So big, in fact, that it could well make or break the iPhone SE 4, potentially constituting the difference between a huge box-office hit and... a moderate box-office hit.

To notch or not to notch

That is the question, ladies and gentlemen, and the final answer may have been provided earlier this week by Ross Young. This is a seasoned display industry expert who's made a name for himself on social media in the last few years by accurately predicting the screen sizes and other specifications of many unreleased and unannounced handsets, so I have almost no reason to doubt the veracity of his recent iPhone SE (2025) forecast.

Notch like iPhone 14 is correct
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) January 28, 2025

If Apple's next budget-friendly smartphone does end up adopting a "notch like iPhone 14", the slightly older prediction made by the even more famous (and infamous) Evan Blass will prove inaccurate, which might seem unlikely to a lot of close mobile industry watchers.

But Blass has already essentially disavowed his original Dynamic Island leak, jokingly promising his X followers a refund after that video revealing a notched design surfaced online almost a week ago. That pretty much settles the contentious matter for good, but of course, it doesn't explain the reasoning behind Apple's likely-to-cause-controversy decision.

The ancient iPhone 14 is likely to act as cosmetic inspiration for 2025's iPhone SE 4. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena

That's where I come in, using my ultra-advanced market analysis skills to tell you that this is most definitely a cost-cutting move on the part of one of the most profit-hungry tech companies out there. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why Apple decided to go there, and in fact, this is precisely what I expected to happen all along.

Still, I can't help but feel a little disappointment after getting my hopes up (thanks, Evan!), and wonder if this will indeed prove the right call in the long run for Apple from a financial perspective.

Dynamic Island or a lower price? Well, why not both?

Before you call me naive, I obviously know very well the answer to that question. It's the Apple tax. Or at least some form of it. Basically, it's a compromise you need to accept for maintaining your status symbol in front of your primitive Android-using friends.

Of course, you could always snub the notched iPhone SE 4 and go with one of the many cosmetically superior Android handsets available at sub-$500 prices right now, but let's be honest, you're not going to do that. Some of you, anyway.

Why can't we never have nice things at affordable prices, Apple? | Image Credit -- PhoneArena

But the ones who will make that tough choice might have proven the difference between a moderate and a big box-office hit. There, I said it, I don't think the fourth-gen iPhone SE will sell like hotcakes, and the key reasons for that will include the notch and single rear-facing camera.

With the iPhone SE 3 priced at $429 and up, I expect this long overdue 2025 sequel to cost no more than 450 bucks in an entry-level storage variant, which will certainly play in its favor. But a $500 iPhone SE 4 with a swanky Dynamic Island design and two cameras on its back could have set the mobile industry on fire. The same device at $450? Forget about it, no affordable Android handset could have played in the same league this year... or the next.

I know what you're going to say. That was simply not possible. But I don't buy that after last year's iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max release at the same starting prices as their predecessors. Clearly, Apple can change its ways and it can defy industry trends, but for some reason, the company doesn't want to do that with the iPhone SE 4. Not all the way, at least, and I believe many consumers will penalize that complacency.

Just think about it. Most buyers of budget-friendly devices like the iPhone SE tend to hang on to their smartphones for four or five years after making a purchase. Now imagine owning a notched handset in 2029 like some sort of a barbarian. Forget about it, Apple!

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.