According to an analyst, Apple has abandoned plans to release the next generation of the iPhone SE. The smartphone, which the rumour mill is calling the iPhone SE 4 will reportedly launch in 2024.
According to Kuo, Apple will now rely on Qualcomm for its 5G chips starting in 2024.
In a blog post, Ming Chi-Kuo stated that “Apple has sent orders to the supply chain indicating that the manufacturing and shipment plans for the 2024 iPhone SE 4 have been cancelled rather than postponed.”
He continued by saying that Qualcomm would benefit the most from Apple’s decision to discontinue the 2024 iPhone SE 4.
Apple Scraps the iPhone SE 4 Release
Apple wants to test its own baseband chip with the iPhone SE 4 before using it in the iPhone 16 series.
Qualcomm will continue to be Apple’s 5G chip supplier through at least 2024, even though the phone has apparently been cancelled.
“Apple originally intended to launch its baseband chip in 2024, let the entry-level iPhone SE 4 adopt it first, and then decide whether to let the higher-end iPhone 16 use its baseband chip depending on the development status of the iPhone SE 4, due to concerns that the performance of the in-house baseband chip may not be up to par with Qualcomm’s.”
Although the market consensus was that Qualcomm would begin to lose iPhone orders in 2024, Kuo stated that the cancellation of the iPhone SE 4 has significantly increased the likelihood that Qualcomm will continue to be the sole supplier of baseband chips for the new iPhone 16 series in the second half of 2024.
Additionally, by cancelling the iPhone SE4, Qualcomm will be able to continue to dominate the high-end mobile phone RF market until 2024.
Useful Links
- Apple iPhone SE (128 GB) - Midnight (3rd Generation)Opens in a new tab
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According to the analyst, “the company’s robust product mix, which confers competitive advantages, is projected to minimise the negative effects of the economic slowdown and enable Qualcomm to return to healthy growth ahead of its rivals once the economy rebounds.”
According to rumours, the iPhone SE 4 would have a notched appearance akin to the iPhone XR. Two years after the second-generation iPhone SE was released, Apple introduced the third-generation model.
