iPhone SE 4 (2025) vs iPhone 16: Danger! Danger!
Intro
The iPhone SE is a strange concept Apple launched eight years ago with the original SE, meant to offer the core iPhone experience at a lower price point. It seems that the idea stuck, as the company has released two other versions since 2016.
We expect the fourth iteration of the iPhone SE to land sometime in early 2025, and this time around the rumors point toward a significant upgrade, hardware-wise and design-wise. This potential and rumored changes lead to an interesting comparison.
How will this new SE edition, dubbed the iPhone SE 4, stack against the newly released regular iPhone 16?
We expect the fourth iteration of the iPhone SE to land sometime in early 2025, and this time around the rumors point toward a significant upgrade, hardware-wise and design-wise. This potential and rumored changes lead to an interesting comparison.
iPhone SE 4 vs iPhone 16 rumored differences:
| Phone SE 4* | iPhone 16 |
|---|---|
| iPhone XR-like design with a display notch and curved aluminum frame | The now overly-exploited iPhone 12 design with a different camera bump |
| 6-inch OLED display with 60Hz | Pretty much the same 6.1-inch OLED with the same slow 60Hz refresh rate |
| Face ID | Face ID here as well |
| Apple A18 chip with 8GB of RAM | The same A18 chip with the same 8GB of RAM |
| Apple Intelligence support | Apple Intelligence |
| Larger 3,279mAh battery | A larger 3,561mAh battery with potentially longer battery life |
| 20W wired charging, MagSafe | The same slow 25W wired charging, MagSafe wireless |
| USB-C port | USB-C here as well |
| A 48MP wide-angle camera | Dual camera system with one 48MP main and 12MP ultrawide |
| Priced between $499 and $549 | More expensive at $799 |
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Design and Size
First SE change in generations
The last two iPhone SE generations exploited the iPhone 8 design and felt really outdated, especially the iPhone SE (2022). The new one will feature the biggest upgrade one could expect from Apple when it comes to design.
According to the latest rumors, the new iPhone SE 4 will borrow its design from the iPhone XR, only going down the slightly more compact route. There are others who believe the design will be more like the iPhone 14, with flat sides and a smaller notch.
The iPhone 16, on the other hand, is a known entity in the smartphone world, and its design is slightly different than the past couple of generations (albeit not by much). The only real difference is the camera system, which is now housed in a pill-shaped camera bump, bearing resemblance to the iPhone X, only larger.
Among potential differences might be the lack of Camera Control and Action buttons on the iPhone SE 4, but the USB-C port will be present on the new SE due to regulations and requirements from the EU.
The size of both phones is shaping out to be very similar, mainly because it seems that the new iPhone SE 4 will sport a 6.1-inch screen, just like the iPhone 16.
According to the latest rumors, the new iPhone SE 4 will borrow its design from the iPhone XR, only going down the slightly more compact route. There are others who believe the design will be more like the iPhone 14, with flat sides and a smaller notch.
The iPhone 16, on the other hand, is a known entity in the smartphone world, and its design is slightly different than the past couple of generations (albeit not by much). The only real difference is the camera system, which is now housed in a pill-shaped camera bump, bearing resemblance to the iPhone X, only larger.
Among potential differences might be the lack of Camera Control and Action buttons on the iPhone SE 4, but the USB-C port will be present on the new SE due to regulations and requirements from the EU.
The size of both phones is shaping out to be very similar, mainly because it seems that the new iPhone SE 4 will sport a 6.1-inch screen, just like the iPhone 16.
Display Differences
Speaking of the display, here's another potential huge upgrade the new SE might bring. The last generation relied on an LCD panel, which in 2025 (the alleged release date of the iPhone SE 4) is a big no-no.
According to the info from industry insiders, the iPhone SE 4 will get an OLED panel, still limited to 60Hz refresh rate, though. The reason behind this is pretty obvious. With the iPhone 16 sporting a 60Hz refresh rate screen, anything higher than this on an iPhone SE will cannibalize sales.
Back to the iPhone 16. Sadly, this flagship phone features a 60Hz screen, as we already mentioned above, and it's not the brightest out there, judging from our display tests. We expect similar screens on the SE 4, but as always, we need to wait and test it in our lab to properly compare these two.
The iPhone SE 4 will most definitely get Face ID biometrics. The older phone was the last holdout of the front-based Touch ID panel, and even though some people wanted a kind of Touch ID return in the form of an added functionality on the Camera Control button, it's not gonna happen.
Back to the iPhone 16. Sadly, this flagship phone features a 60Hz screen, as we already mentioned above, and it's not the brightest out there, judging from our display tests. We expect similar screens on the SE 4, but as always, we need to wait and test it in our lab to properly compare these two.
The iPhone SE 4 will most definitely get Face ID biometrics. The older phone was the last holdout of the front-based Touch ID panel, and even though some people wanted a kind of Touch ID return in the form of an added functionality on the Camera Control button, it's not gonna happen.
Performance and Software
Raw power for everyone?
Word on the street is that Apple’s gearing up to seriously level up its game in 2025 by bringing Apple Intelligence to the budget-friendly iPhone SE 4. Rumor has it, this little powerhouse will rock the same flagship A18 chip that’s currently running the show in the iPhone 16 series.
This would also require an ample amount of RAM; again, rumors say the SE will come with the same 8GB of RAM to handle Apple’s AI framework as the iPhone 16.
Long story short, the iPhone SE 4 is shaping up to be a future-proof device that'll stay fast and relevant for a long time, but it has the potential to hit hard on the sales of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
Apple Intelligence first made its debut with iOS 18.1, but Apple’s been slowly rolling out features, with more expected to drop in iOS 18.2 and 18.3. By 2025, we’ll probably see a major Siri upgrade, just in time for the launch of the iPhone SE 4.
This is a huge surprise because it seems that the iPhone SE 4 will deliver the same hardware AND software experience as the iPhone 16. The latter comes with the said A18 silicon plus Apple Intelligence, so no big difference here in terms of features.
This would also require an ample amount of RAM; again, rumors say the SE will come with the same 8GB of RAM to handle Apple’s AI framework as the iPhone 16.
Long story short, the iPhone SE 4 is shaping up to be a future-proof device that'll stay fast and relevant for a long time, but it has the potential to hit hard on the sales of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
Camera
Back to square (circle) one!
Remember how back in the day phones used to have just a single camera? Well, welcome to the past. The upcoming iPhone SE 4 will feature a single camera, and even though, according to the rumors, it will be a high-megapixel-count one, it's still just a single camera.
Back to the rumors. They say it will be the same 48MP F1.6 wide-angle camera as the one found on the iPhone 15. It can do 24MP images by default and also snap some high-resolution 48MP photos.
The iPhone 16 has pretty much the same sensor and optics, with the fancy name Fusion Camera because it can do 2x crop shots with optical zoom quality. It's really interesting how these two stack against each other, as this is another area where the iPhone SE 4 could undermine the vanilla iPhone 16.
Back to the rumors. They say it will be the same 48MP F1.6 wide-angle camera as the one found on the iPhone 15. It can do 24MP images by default and also snap some high-resolution 48MP photos.
The iPhone 16 has pretty much the same sensor and optics, with the fancy name Fusion Camera because it can do 2x crop shots with optical zoom quality. It's really interesting how these two stack against each other, as this is another area where the iPhone SE 4 could undermine the vanilla iPhone 16.
Battery Life and Charging
Slow charging, similar capacity
The larger size of the new iPhone SE 4 begs for a larger battery. Well, the bigger display and the high-performance silicon also kind of need the juice. Battery life was the Achilles' heel of the last two iPhone SE generations, so it's likely we will see a bigger cell inside the new model.
The latest rumors put the capacity at 3,279mAh, which, by the way, is not that far from the iPhone 16 and its 3,581mAh battery. It will be interesting to see how this 300 mAh difference will affect battery life.
As far as charging is concerned, things are doomed to remain abysmal on this front, as Apple doesn't seem to care much for faster charging. The iPhone 16 comes with 25W wired charging support, and the iPhone SE 4 is expected to feature the same charging speeds. We're not sure if the phone will come with MagSafe wireless charging or just Qi support.
Specs Comparison
Here's how the iPhone SE 4 vs the iPhone 16 specs will likely pan out.
| iPhone SE 4* | iPhone 16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | - | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm, 170 g |
| Screen | 6.06" OLED 60Hz | 6,1" OLED 60Hz |
| Processor | A18 Bionic 3nm | A18 Bionic 3nm |
| RAM, Storage | 8GB/64GB 8GB/128GB 8GB/512GB LPDDR5 | 8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras | 48MP F1.6 wide 12MP front | 48MP F1.6 wide |
| Battery | 3,279mAh | 3,581mAh |
| Charging | USB-C port 20-25W wired Qi wireless | USB-C port 25W wired MagSafe |
*rumored specs
Summary
This is shaping out to be a very interesting battle, as the upcoming iPhone SE 4 shares too many similarities with its much more expensive relative, the iPhone 16. We're looking at pretty much the same size, screen, chipset, main camera, and charging. The battery is a tad smaller, but overall the differences are less than the similarities.
If the rumors turn out to be true, we don't see what will make people dish out the additional $250-$300 for one ultrawide camera and a slightly larger battery. The Camera Control and the Action Button might be missing from the new SE, but still, the package will be too good to pass on it, especially at $499.
Stay tuned for the full comparison once the iPhone SE is official.
If the rumors turn out to be true, we don't see what will make people dish out the additional $250-$300 for one ultrawide camera and a slightly larger battery. The Camera Control and the Action Button might be missing from the new SE, but still, the package will be too good to pass on it, especially at $499.
Stay tuned for the full comparison once the iPhone SE is official.
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