If you’re on the fence about whether to buy the iPhone 16 standard model right now or wait for a future iPhone model, there are multiple schools of thought. As things stand, skipping the iPhone 16 and waiting for the iPhone SE 4, at least for a select group of people, could be a wise move in the long term. There are several reasons to support this argument, including the price, the use case, and the sheer value that the iPhone SE 4 is expected to bring to the table. Let’s discuss all of these reasons and explore why pulling the plug on the iPhone 16 right now may not make much sense for most buyers.
Reason 1: Price
The iPhone 16 currently retails for ₹79,900 in the Indian market for the 128GB model. In contrast, the iPhone SE 4 could debut in the Rs50,000 to ₹60,000 price bracket, making it several thousand rupees cheaper—almost ₹20,000 less. For someone who just wants the bare minimum and doesn’t need all the bells and whistles of the iPhone 16, including the new Camera Control button, the iPhone SE 4, with its rumoured feature set, could present a great opportunity to experience iOS at a much lower cost.
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Reason 2: Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is gradually rolling out to supported iPhone models. Last month, with iOS 18.1, Apple began the initial rollout of features, and next month, iOS 18.2 is expected to bring a more exhaustive set of features, including Genmoji and MS Playground. By the time the iPhone SE4 is released, which is expected to be in the first half of 2025, it may debut with a solid set of AI features. It could be the most affordable way to experience Apple Intelligence on an iPhone. The iPhone SE4 would likely offer the same Apple Intelligence features as the iPhone 16, but at a much lower price point.
Reason 3: Power and Performance
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to be quite powerful. Apple has a history of bundling the latest chipset with the newest iPhone SE model. For example, the iPhone SE 3 used the A15 Bionic chip, which was also found in the iPhone 13 and 14 series. This time, the iPhone SE 4 may feature the Apple A18 chip (same as iPhone 16), yes, not the A18 Pro, but the standard A18, which could still be an excellent choice, considering it’s a 3nm chip capable of supporting all of Apple’s powerful AI features. Along with this, Apple is expected to include 8GB of RAM in the iPhone SE 4, which is considered the bare minimum for running Apple’s AI features smoothly. These specifications could make the iPhone SE 4 a more future-proof, powerful phone, ideal for tasks like gaming and performance-intensive activities such as video editing.
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Reason 4: Camera
The camera experience on the iPhone SE 4 may not be vastly different from that of the iPhone 16. While the iPhone 16 has a dual-camera setup, the iPhone SE 4 is expected to come with a single camera. However, for most users, this might not be a major issue. Based on reports and industry sentiment, many users tend to zoom in on photos rather than zoom out, which is why the new Apple Fusion camera technology could allow the iPhone SE 4’s camera to capture 2x optical zoom portraits—similar to the iPhone 16. This could essentially provide two lenses in one, offering a great camera experience. That said, this isn’t confirmed and should be taken with a pinch of salt. Moreover, the ultra-wide lens on the iPhone 16 doesn’t see much use, especially outside content creation, so it may not be a deal-breaker for most users.
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to support 4K 60fps video recording, similar to the iPhone 16, as both models will likely feature the same processor. However, it’s worth noting that, while the iPhone 16 Pro has long video recording capabilities, the iPhone SE 4 won’t include this feature for obvious reasons. Still, the iPhone 16 doesn’t have this feature either, meaning the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 16 are closely matched in this regard.
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