All signs point to Apple launching the iPhone SE 4 in March 2025. The biggest question mark regarding this new model is the price, with most rumors reporting that it will be priced higher than the iPhone SE 2022. And while that sounds bad, the latest rumors provide a great reason to justify the price increase.

A prominent leaker named yeux1122 (via @Jukanlosreve) said that even with the expected price increase, the phone will remain under $500 in the US.

Note that this leak is based on information from a Japanese carrier, so prices are based on conversions. It is possible that Apple will not offer the phone at the exact same price as in the U.S., meaning that the final cost may be slightly different than what was leaked.

According to reports, Apple intends to switch to a 5G modem in the iPhone SE 4, which will keep the price under $500. This is not just a cost savings, but will allow Apple to use its own hardware to optimize the device for maximum performance and battery life, as it did with Apple Silicon.

Another prevailing rumor is that Apple may use its own Wi-Fi and 5G chips to further reduce costs.

As for why these chips may be in the iPhone SE rather than the iPhone 17, it may simply be because Apple is using a more affordable phone as a test. Another possibility is that this is the first phone that will be introduced to the market when the chips are ready.

Other important upgrades rumored to be included in the iPhone SE 4 include a larger display, support for Apple's Face ID security technology, and Apple Intelligence. The latter is not available on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max devices, so assuming all of these rumors come to fruition when Apple launches the iPhone, buyers of sub-$500 phones will get great value.