Fresh evidence points to iPhone SE 4 including an OLED display. If true, this would make it the first in Apple’s line of budget handsets to use this improved type of screen, while every other iPhone gave up traditional LCDs years ago.
The next iPhone SE model is supposedly on the docket for 2025.
Expect iPhone SE 4 to include an OLED screen
With OLED (short for organic light-emitting diode) displays, each pixel glows on its own. The result is a bright, even image with strong contrast. But the panels cost more than traditional LCDs, which is why they get used in the low-cost iOS handsets. But apparently not for much longer.
“Apple will use organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays in all iPhone models sold next year and afterward, switching its lower-priced iPhone SE models to OLED screens from liquid crystal displays (LCDs),” Nikkei Asia reported Tuesday.
This isn’t the first leak to indicate that the SE will go OLED — we heard one in July, too. The new information seems to come from companies in Asia that supply display panels to Asia.
Apple already uses OLEDs in the Apple Watch, the latest iPad Pro models and every non-SE handset since the company discontinued the iPhone XR in 2019.
Previous iPhone SE 4 rumors
The iPhone SE 3 reached customers in March 2022, and you can expect an upgraded version approximately three years later. An Apple tipster claimed in July that the iPhone SE 4 display will grow to 6.06 inches, up from the current 4.7 inches. Apple’s engineers will accomplish that by dropping the Home button and using Face ID instead of Touch ID. The upcoming handset might come with a 48MP camera, and it almost certainly will include a USB-C connector in place of the obsolete Lightning port.
The next-gen model likely will support Apple Intelligence, too.
The range of hardware upgrades to the iPhone SE 4, including an OLED screen, might raise its cost by as much as 10%, according to an earlier rumor. But Apple supposedly intends to keep the price below $500. The whole point of the iPhone SE line is to offer a lower-cost alternative to Apple’s more premium models. Anything that would significantly raise its price is unlikely to be included.
