Snippet: Apple’s Next iPhone SE Will Be the One to Retire the iPhone 6 Design ☇

Andrew Cunningham for Ars Technica:

The report claims that the iPhone 14 will serve as the basic template for the next iPhone SE, like the iPhone 8 has served as the template for the last two SE refreshes. Like the iPhone 14, the new SE is said to have a 6.1-inch screen with an OLED display panel and a notch instead of a Dynamic Island. The report doesn’t mention whether the phone will get an upgrade from the iPhone 14’s A15 Bionic chip; although, given that the current SE already uses the A15, a newer chip is definitely possible.

The report claims that the phone will get a couple of upgrades that the iPhone 14 doesn’t have—a USB-C port to bring the phone into compliance with various regulations requiring the port in new smartphones, plus the new programmable Action Button that currently only exists on the iPhone 15 Pro.

While I avoid most rumors on this site, this seemed especially interesting. It’s always fun to talk about the newest, top-of-the-line iPhones in September, but the SE is an equally important part of the lineup—it generally sells for longer than a year (second-generation SEs were still being sold as a dirt-cheap option long after the third-generation model was available) and is an excellent, entry-level option for Apple’s lineup.

Part of me would love to see the fourth-generation SE build off of the 13 mini design, but most people like bigger phones and something based on the 14 makes sense. This also allows a much larger battery, something that has hurt the second- and third-generation SEs, as well as the 12 mini and 13 mini. Moving to USB-C is mandatory, while the Action Button will sort of future-proof it in the lineup for awhile. Depending on when it’s introduced, it could outright replace the current SE and 13, slotting below the 14 nicely.