Apple is expected to announce its new iPhone SE next week, and the feature list looks compelling. But like previous SE models, almost all of the new iPhone’s tech has been seen before. Except for one new feature—and it’s likely to fly under the radar. Here’s why.
iPhone SE 4 will show Apple’s dedication to controlling the full tech stack
Apple has a reputation for wanting to control its full technology stack.
The company builds hardware, software, and services so the three can together create a seamless experience.
And for hardware specifically, Apple designs its own chips rather than farming them out. This has long been the practice for iPhones and iPads, but only started with the Mac in 2020—and Macs have benefited tremendously.
For years, there’s another piece of hardware Apple has sought to bring in-house: cellular modems.
Right now, Qualcomm makes all of Apple’s 5G modems for iPhones and iPads.
But starting with the new iPhone SE 4, the years-long project to build an Apple-designed modem will finally see the light of day.
The new iPhone SE will be the first Apple device to feature an in-house 5G chip.
But despite finally reaching the finish line of a lengthy project, Apple isn’t likely to draw much attention to the new feature.
Why the new 5G modem will fly under the radar
Cellular connectivity is an essential attribute of any iPhone.
So while on one hand, Apple will no doubt celebrate its big achievement of replacing Qualcomm in its latest iPhone—this is also just the first step down a new path.
Mark Gurman has reported that Apple actually has three in-house cellular chips in the works:
- for 2025, this first 5G modem won’t support mmWave, has reduced download speeds compared to Qualcomm’s and four-carrier aggregation rather than six
- in 2026, however, a second modem should offer feature parity with Qualcomm’s
- and in 2027, Apple expects to actually top Qualcomm’s performance
Apple will almost certainly mention its in-house modem in the iPhone SE 4 announcement. But if it’s more than just a passing nod, I‘ll be very surprised.
Why?
Because the new modem will technically be inferior to what’s available in the iPhone 16 flagships.
But even if Apple is able to offset those drawbacks with special optimizations of its own, there’s still another good reason not to draw too much attention to that.
That reason? This fall’s iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will not have Apple’s new modem, but instead are sticking with Qualcomm.
Apple won’t upstage its flagship iPhone 17 Pro with the budget iPhone SE
If Apple puts a big spotlight on its new in-house modem’s debut, and spends much time highlighting its strengths, it could make for an awkward iPhone 17 launch in September when the most expensive models don’t include this cutting-edge tech.
For these reasons and more, I expect Apple to acknowledge the new 5G modem in the iPhone SE 4, but not take its victory lap just yet.
Next year, when the second-generation modem debuts and is included in all new iPhones, and with more advanced features—then, and only then, do I expect Apple to tell us all the reasons why its modem is so great.
Do you think Apple will give much attention to its new modem in the iPhone SE 4? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
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