According to Jon Prosser, appearing on the Geared Up(opens in new tab) podcast, the new iPhone SE (fourth-generation) will just be Apple's iPhone XR, which was first debuted by the company in 2018.
This would represent a major redesign on the current iPhone SE, which is based on the old iPhone 8 featuring the old-style design and a Touch ID button.
iPhone XE?
This rumored upgrade makes a lot of sense. While the iPhone SE is one of Apple's best iPhones thanks to its very affordable price tag, its design is really starting to show its age. Until the iPhone XR was discontinued by Apple it stacked up very well to the iPhone SE and the change would offer a few major advantages over the current model.
A new iPhone SE based on the old XR would offer similar power if we are to assume that its old A12 bionic got an upgrade to a beefier model like the current A15 Bionic chip. It would also likely come with 5G, an upgrade added to the iPhone SE this year.
The biggest change, of course, would be the design, with the iPhone XR finally bringing to an end Touch ID on the iPhone in favor of Face ID. It would also have a notch and much thinner bezels to replace the current forehead and chin design of the current iPhone SE. Thanks to its larger 6.1-inch display, it would make for much better viewing and usage as well as a larger battery.
If we are to assume Apple updates the internals accordingly, the iPhone XR design would make for a really welcome next iteration of the iPhone SE.
