According to pretty much anyone who is someone in the mobile tech leaking business, the first big Apple product launch of the year is upon us, and no, I'm obviously not talking about the just-unveiled Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.
Apple's most feature-packed earbuds yet, by the way, had their announcement date correctly predicted by Mark Gurman a little while ago, and with the Bloomberg journalist forecasting last week the unveiling of the highly anticipated iPhone SE 4 in the "coming days", you might be expecting me to discuss that handset's official specs and features right about now.
Unfortunately, I can't do that just yet, and things are unlikely to change in the coming hours.
A "smaller" Apple announcement is happening today
In a way (or even two), the fourth-gen iPhone SE can be described as a "small" product, as all recent signs point to its screen size circling the 6.1-inch mark (which definitely falls in the compact smartphone category in 2025) and its global sales numbers being unlikely to ever match those of the iPhone 16, 16 Pro, or 16 Pro Max.
No, the iPhone SE 3 is probably not getting its sequel today. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
But Mark Gurman is certainly not talking about the iPhone SE (2025) on social media when anticipating a "smaller announcement" for today. Wednesday. February 12. This could even be "smaller" than the aforementioned Powerbeats Pro 2, but unlike the latest Beats-branded earbuds equipped with the greatest possible active noise-cancelling technology and in-ear heart rate monitoring, I expect whatever will be announced later today to show up on Apple's virtual Newsroom.
Because the most recent such announcement was for a rather unexciting Invites app, there's clearly a chance Apple will unveil another app or app update today, which would indirectly build even more excitement over the eventual iPhone SE 4 launch.
So when is the new iPhone SE coming after all?
"By next week." Talk about an annoyingly vague and evasive prediction that essentially leaves room for this "big" announcement to happen at any point between today, February 12 and next Friday, February 21.
For what it's worth, Gurman claims to know about Apple's plan to hold "product briefings" at some point next week, which strongly suggests the official launch will not in fact take place on February 21 and probably not on February 20 either.
This is likely how the iPhone SE 4 will look... in a case. | Image Credit -- Spigen
Keep in mind that we still don't expect any fancy announcement event to be organized by Apple in the iPhone SE 4's honor, with a simple press release instead being all but guaranteed to spill (or rather confirm) all of the handset's (largely known) secrets.
That last detail is not quite etched in stone at the moment, and although it's probably too early for this type of discussion, it may well make or break the iPhone SE 4 at the global box-office against such exceptional affordable Android phones as the OnePlus 13R, Motorola Edge (2024), Google Pixel 8a, Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, and even the "regular" Galaxy S24.
Another (somewhat) interesting tidbit revealed by Mark Gurman today is that Apple is apparently preparing... some sort of a Vision Pro-related announcement too, as well as the launch of a brand-new M4-powered MacBook Air "within weeks." That's a pretty busy schedule for February and March for a company that tends to focus a lot of its product announcements and launch events in the fall.
Create a free account and join our vibrant community
Register to enjoy the full PhoneArena experience. Here’s what you get with your PhoneArena account:
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'.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: