Apple CEO Tim Cook teased that a product announcement will be happening today, and it seems 99% certain that’s the 4th-generation iPhone SE – which some reports have suggested will instead be named the iPhone 16E.
A leaker with a decent track record has added his vote to the iPhone 16E (or 16e) naming, though his post is effectively third-hand …
iPhone SE 4
We first heard way back in 2023 that the iPhone SE 4 would finally be losing its outdated design, and getting a similar form-factor to the iPhone 14.
Just under a year ago, this appeared to be confirmed by CAD renders. Subsequent reports firmed things up with talk of a higher price, OLED screen, Apple Intelligence support, Apple modem – all appearing to add up to a compelling proposition for anyone who doesn’t need the flagship features.
Or iPhone 16E
Not much changed until last month, when a leaker suggested that instead of using the iPhone SE name, Apple would instead brand the new device as the iPhone 16E.
There was a brief clash between leakers over whether the new model would have a notch or Dynamic Island, but the notch seemed to be pretty quickly established as the consensus view.
Leaker Majin Bu has today backed the iPhone 16E naming, admittedly in a post amounting to a third-hand report.
According to the latest information available online, it seems that someone who has seen the boxes of the new iPhone SE 4 has revealed that the official name will be iPhone 16E.
He continued with an odd-sounding statement:
Additionally, the design is expected to be based on the iPhone 16 rather than the iPhone 14, but without the Dynamic Island and the capture button.
But the elements he mentions are what differentiate the two, at least in design terms, so it’s unclear what that might mean.
We’ll find out today
Tim Cook didn’t specifically reference the new phone, but said this:
Get ready to meet the newest member of the family. Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch
That reference seems to pretty clearly point to a new model in an existing line-up, and also appears to hint at the iPhone 16E naming as that would be a new member of the iPhone 16 “family.”
We won’t have long to wait, with the announcement due later today.
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