Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has big expectations for the upcoming iPhone SE/iPhone 16E, expected to debut this Wednesday. Kuo predicts the upcoming low-end iPhone could outsell previous “SE” models, and it could cause legal drama between Apple and modem maker Qualcomm.
In a Friday post on X, KUO said he expects the new iPhone to sell more units than any of Apple’s previous budget models, expecting 12 million handsets to be shipped in the first half of 2025, with 10 million additional units in the second half of the year. The current iPhone SE lineup is estimated to have shipped 20 million units annually.
The new budget-priced iPhone is expected to use Apple’s own in-house 5G modem. Kuo says that could cause Qualcomm to re-examine its modem patents, as it might want to make up for possible lost revenue from Apple.
The new budget iPhone is expected to be announced via press release on Wednesday, February 19, with pre-orders likely following shortly after.
The new device is expected to feature a USB-C port and Face ID, replacing the Touch ID Home button and the Lightning port the current iPhone SE is equipped with.
The upcoming iPhone’s display is said to considerably increase in size, from the current 4.7 inches to 6.06 inches, and will also feature an OLED display panel for the first time. The new iPhone is also expected to be powered by the same A18 chip as the current iPhone 16 lineup. The handset is expected to include 6GB to 8GB of LPDDR5 memory, an aluminum chassis, and a single rear 48-megapixel camera.
The iPhone SE/iPhone 16E is expected to carry a price tag of $499 to $549. The current iPhone SE debuted in March 2022 and carried a $429 price tag.
