The last of the small phones is finally growing up.
A fan-made render of the 'iPhone 16E' (does the 'E' stand for 'enormous'?)(Image credit: ZozoGx via Reddit)
Most tech companies would never get away with selling a phone with an eleven year-old design, but then again – but Apple isn't most tech companies. The 'beloved' huge-bezelled, home-buttoned design of the iPhone SE has been around since the iPhone 6. But all signs are pointing to it finally disappearing in 2025.
According to rumours, Apple is set to do away with the home button, finally giving the iPhone SE 4 a notch and full-screen design. And if the newly rumoured name of the device is anything to go by, the device could mark the end of an era in more ways than one. As our best camera phones roundup shows, phones just keep getting bigger.
The last of the small iPhones could finally be going big (Image credit: Apple)
Indeed, as well as saying goodbye to the home button, it sounds like we could be saying goodbye to small phones in general. With the iPhone SE 4 rumoured to be gaining the somewhat awkward moniker 'iPhone 16E'. Which suggests it's likely to take on the design language of the iPhone 16 line up, albeit with stripped down internals.
We've already lamented the loss of the iPhone mini, but the 2022 iPhone SE still provided a smaller form factor for those who prefer to be able to hold their phones without needing three hands. In our iPhone SE (2022) review, we commended the phone for its one-handed size, but that very concept could soon seem prehistoric.
The new iPhone SE could become part of the iPhone 16 line up (Image credit: Apple)
According to 9to5Mac, the next iPhone SE is rumoured to feature an A18 chip with Apple Intelligence support, a USB-C port, and a single 48MP camera.
Of course, for some creatives the advent of a larger budget iPhone SE will be good news – a bigger screen means more pixels for viewing the best photo editing apps. And of course, the iPhone 13 mini famously sold pretty badly, which probably why Apple decided to go big with the 14 line up onwards. But for those of us who don't feel the need to carry an IMAX display in our pocket, the loss of the smaller form factor might not be entirely welcome news.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
