iPhone SE 4 (2025) vs iPhone 15: Differences explained
Intro
The new iPhone SE 4th Gen (2025) is a long-anticipated refresh and with a rumored price of around $500, it will be the cheapest iPhone out there when it launches in late February.
Interestingly, despite being cheaper than the iPhone 15, this new iPhone SE will have one important advantage — it will run Apple Intelligence, which is not supported on the iPhone 15.
So... what other differences are there? And is the cheaper iPhone SE 4 actually a better buy than the iPhone 15?
iPhone SE 4 vs iPhone 15 rumored differences:
| Phone SE 4th Gen (2025) | iPhone 15 |
|---|---|
| iPhone 14-like design, flat sides, sharp edges | Flat sides, chamfered edges |
| Same 6.1-inch OLED display | 6.1-inch OLED display |
| Same 60 Hz refresh rate | 60 Hz refresh rate |
| Face ID with notch | Face ID with Dynamic Island |
| Apple A18 chip (3 nm) | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) chip |
| 8 GB of RAM | 6 GB RAM |
| Apple Intelligence support | No Apple Intelligence support |
| Only one rear camera | Two rear cameras (main and ultrawide) |
| Similar battery size expected | 3,349 mAh battery |
| Apple-made modem | Qualcomm-made modem |
| Same charging speeds 20W wired 15W MagSafe | 20W wired charging 15W MagSafe |
| Same USB-C port | USB-C port |
| Expected prices starting from $500 | Starting from $700 |
- Read more in our in-depth iPhone SE 4th Gen (2025) vs iPhone 15 specs comparison
Table of Contents:
Read more:
Design and Size
Similar looking
With a similar 6.1-inch size and design styling, the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 15 look incredibly similar.
Sure, you can easily tell the two apart by the number of cameras on their back, as the SE comes with just one rear camera, while on the iPhone 15 you have two.
The rounded edges on the iPhone 15 are another small difference — the SE is expected to have sharp edges (a design similar to the iPhone 14).
The iPhone SE 4 is also said to be a tiny bit lighter, but the difference is expected to be so minimal you probably won't even notice.
On the front, you have the good old notch on the SE, while the 15 has the more modern Dynamic Island. Again, that's not a huge loss for the SE, as the Dynamic Island functionality is quite limited.
We still don't know whether the iPhone SE will have the Action Button and Camera Control button we have on the latest iPhone 16 series, but we doubt it will (the iPhone 15 does not have those buttons either).
Both phones come with a USB-C port, which is great to see, so you no longer need to carry a separate Lightning cable just for your iPhone.
Display Differences
So far, it looks like the iPhone SE 4 will have the exact same display as the iPhone 15: same 6.1-inch size, same 1179p resolution and unfortunately, the same choppy 60 Hz refresh rate.
It is possible that the maximum brightness on the iPhone SE 4 screen is a bit lower than the one on the iPhone 15, but that is probably not something you should be worried about.
All phones we review go through an extensive display lab testing procedure, so expect to see those results here soon after the launch of the iPhone SE 4.
Performance and Software
Apple Intelligence boards the SE ship
Apple was obviously caught by surprise by the meteoric rise of AI.
That is why strange things are happening — the more expensive iPhone 15 does not support Apple Intelligence, while the much cheaper iPhone SE 4 will support it.
The iPhone SE is also rumored to get a faster A18 chip, while the iPhone 15 runs on the slower A16 Bionic.
This is one big argument in favor of the iPhone SE and it is just extremely strange how the costlier iPhone 15 lacks AI. This will be a major turn-off for many users, even if currently Apple Intelligence is not all that impressive (that might change in the future, though).
So what are those Apple Intelligence features that you will only get on the SE 4?
- Much smarter AI-powered Siri
- ChatGPT Siri integration
- Genmoji
- Image Playground app
- AI Writing tools and more
Overall, all of this sounds like great news for consumers. Having all these features at a much lower price is a big win.
One question mark around the performance of the new iPhone SE 4, however, is the modem inside it. This typically less talked about feature is changing in a big way — the iPhone SE 4 will be the first iPhone ever with an Apple-made modem inside, a change from the Qualcomm models used previously.
And since this will be the first such modem we simply don't know if it will be reliable enough. We suggest waiting until the first reviews are out and not rushing a purchase because this might be a potential problem (or not at all, but it's better to wait).
Camera
One camera might be enough
The supposed big cost-cutting move with the iPhone SE 4 is that it only features one camera on the back, meaning it lacks the ultra-wide camera we see on most phones these days.
Is that a deal-breaker?
It might be for some people, and the iPhone 15 has an ultra-wide camera, so that's definitely better.
But you have to ask yourself how often you really use this camera, and the answer for many might be "not that often".
This will be even less of a problem if the iPhone SE 4 indeed arrives with a 48-megapixel main camera, similar to the one on the iPhone 15, which allows sensor cropping and decent zoom quality.
Battery Life and Charging
Similar battery size
The new iPhone SE 4 is expected to have roughly the same battery size of around 3,300 mAh.
This means it will be a one-day phone, just like the iPhone 15.
We don't expect any change in charging speeds either, so it will be 20W wired charging and 15W MagSafe support.
Summary
The iPhone SE 4 is shaping as an absolute iPhone 15 killer.
AI has forced a generational change at Apple, and unless you really want that ultra-wide camera, the $500 iPhone SE 4 might end up being a better deal than the $700 iPhone 15.
Of course, this is all based on early leaks and rumors, so we are yet to see the final specs and price of the new SE. What we can tell right now, though, is that it will be very exciting.
Expectations are that Apple will announce it this week, so we will learn more very soon.
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