Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple restarted work on an iPhone SE 4 with a 6.1" OLED screen and an Apple-designed 5G modem; Ross Young says China's BOE will supply the display
fans of the small budget iPhone may be upset Ashwin / gHacks Technology News : Apple is reportedly working on iPhone SE 4 with its own 5G modem John-Anthony Disotto / iMore : iPhone SE 4: Everything you need to know Chris Barylick / O'Grady's PowerPage : Rumor: Next-gen iPhone SE to feature 6.1-inch OLED display, Apple-designed 5G chip Shubham Verma / Techlusive : iPhone SE may not be dead as Apple may launch one next year Cesar Cadenas / TechRadar : The iPhone 4 SE could make a surprising comeback with an OLED screen Nick Soong / Appleosophy : Next iPhone SE Could Have a More Modern Design GSMArena.com : The iPhone SE isn't dead anymore, to be resurrected as iPhone 14 clone for next year Malcolm Owen / AppleInsider : iPhone SE 4 development lurches back to life with new tech Jack Purcher / Patently Apple : Ming-Chi Kuo's latest research points to Apple working on the iPhone SE 4 for a H1-24 Launch with an OLED Display and more Kyle Barr / Gizmodo : Apple Plans to Bring Back the iPhone SE 4 After Reportedly Trashing New Cheap Phone Plans Tweets: @mingchikuo : (1/10) [Update] Apple has restarted the iPhone SE 4 and will adopt an in-house 5G baseband chip. The significant decline in Qualcomm's Apple orders in the foreseeable future is a foregone conclusion. https://twitter.com/... @mingchikuo : (6/10) 4. Assuming the mass production of the SE 4 goes smoothly in 1H24, the iPad and Apple Watch, which have lower technical requirements, will soon abandon Qualcomm's baseband chips, too. @mingchikuo : (3/10) 2. The new iPhone SE 4 will equip with Apple's 5G baseband chip produced by a 4nm process (similar to 5nm) and will only support Sub-6GHz as the current plan.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s SE line began as a compact device that paired an older form factor with flagship-era capability in the original 4-inch iPhone SE. Later coverage had already positioned 5G as the next upgrade for the range in Kuo’s earlier SE forecast.
The reported restart changes the product’s implied role: a 6.1-inch OLED panel moves it away from the small-screen formula, while an Apple-designed modem would make the device a test case for Apple’s component strategy. BOE is identified as the proposed display supplier.
First-order effects
- Apple’s reported SE 4 plan would combine a larger OLED display with its own 5G modem, putting the lower-priced iPhone line on a more modern hardware path.
- BOE would gain a prospective supply role in Apple’s SE program if Ross Young’s display-sourcing report is borne out.
Second-order effects
- Apple would have to qualify its modem and BOE’s OLED panel together in an iPhone product, concentrating execution risk in two components that the earlier SE formula did not center on.
- A larger-screen SE would narrow the hardware distinction between Apple’s entry model and its broader iPhone range, making component choices more important to how Apple differentiates tiers.
Third-order effects
- If Apple carries its modem into the SE line, the model becomes an early route for expanding Apple-designed connectivity silicon across iPhones rather than limiting it to a separate product category.
- The SE franchise appears to be shifting from preserving a compact legacy design toward bringing newer display and connectivity technologies into Apple’s entry tier.
The trend: Apple is recasting the iPhone SE from a compact-value holdover into a vehicle for modern components and internally designed silicon.