Apple may rename iPhone SE as iPhone 16E, likely to launch in Q1 2025

Besides a new name, the upcoming budget Apple iPhone is expected to come in the iPhone 14 design language.

Apple launched the iPhone SE (3rd gen) way back in March 2022 and is due for its successor release in 2025. Now, a new report has emerged that Apple's upcoming budget iPhone version will have a new name.

A tipster, who goes by the moniker Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) on the X platform has claimed that Apple will replace 'SE' branding with just 'E'.

On social media platforms, the SE is commonly referred to as Special Edition, as it used to come with design elements of old iconic models such as the iPhone 4 and later iPhone 6, which were way smaller and more affordable than the conventional models.

Now, the iPhone SE (3rd Gen) successor will be called the iPhone 16E. And, 'E' is likely to be an acronym for 'Economical'.

Besides a new name, the upcoming budget iPhone is expected to come in the iPhone 14 (review) design language. It will have a big notch at the top, which will house the front camera and Infrared sensors for the FaceID security system.

It will sport a 6.1-inch OLED display and a type-C port and on the back, it is expected to feature a horizontally aligned single 48MP camera with an LED flash. It will be available in two colours-- white and black.

Apple iPhone 14 Plus. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Under the hood, the iPhone 16E is said to house the latest Apple A18 silicon with 8GB RAM. This means, the device will support all the generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI)-based Apple Intelligence features such as a clean-up tool (to remove unwanted objects in photos), ChatGPT integration with Siri digital assistant, Image Playground, a tool to create photorealistic images with just text and more.

Apple iPhone 16E is expected to launch in March and the company is likely to release the new iOS 18.3 update with a third batch of Apple Intelligence features including visual intelligence for the camera. With this users can point the iPhone's camera at any object or landmark to get instant information about it. It will also be able to instantly translate menu cards from exotic languages to English or other native language.

In a related development, Apple is expected to foray into the smart home segment later this year.

It is reportedly working on a smart doorbell-cum-security camera with a FaceID system.

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