A few months ago we learned, always through unofficial voices because Apple keeps total secrecy in the internal development of its products, that the iPhone SE 4 had been cancelled. And it was important because we talked about the new generation of cheapest mobile (not cheap) from the Cupertino factory.
Now, from the renowned Ming-Chi Kuo, the analyst specialized in Apple, we get the opposite information: the iPhone SE 4 is under development and would arrive with a self-designed 5G baseband chipmade by neutral foundrie TSMC.
It must be explained that Apple has been producing the main SoC for years to drive all its mobile devices and is completing the transition to Mac computers under the silicon program. Both with great success, as these chips stand out for performance compared to other competitors, including Qualcomm, the largest vendor of mobile chips for third parties.
However, Apple continues to use Qualcomm chips for radio communications. According to rumors, Apple was not satisfied with the performance of its own solutions. So far it seems to have solved its problems with producing an in-house baseband chip, even if it only supports sub-6 5G, the set of mid-band 5G frequencies that most operators around the world use for their networks. fifth generation.
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[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://t.co/0MeZDFnbzg— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) February 27, 2023
According to the analyst, this 5G baseband chip has been the key for Apple to resume development of the iPhone SE 4 and also for planning to use its own modem in other products such as the iPad or the Watch.
The so-called “cheap iPhone” would release other novelties. The main one is that it would abandon the compact mobile design that has characterized the SE series until now, increasing the screen to a diagonal above 6 inches. Also the panel would be of higher quality, leaving LCD aside in favor of OLED. Apple has been using them in the rest of its mobiles for six years now.
As for main engines, Apple has a few series that it could reuse. Another important change would be the permanent disappearance of the physical home button which also includes the TouchID fingerprint sensor. We will see. According to Kuo, the iPhone SE 4 would arrive in 2024 to reinforce the catalog in its entry line.
