Quick Summary
Leaked CAD renders allegedly show an iPhone SE model that ditches the Touch ID button for the first time, with Face ID presumably being the new form of security.
The handset also looks similar to the iPhone 14 in that it is said to come with a notch rather than Dynamic Island.
When Apple brought the Dynamic Island over to the iPhone 15 from the iPhone Pro lineup, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that was the end of notched displays on Apple iPhones forever.
Now though, a series of leaked CAD renders from 91mobiles suggests that the idea of notch's death was premature – it's seemingly going to return in the latest version of the iPhone SE.
This is Apple's budget option, although new SE models don't turn up on a massively reliable annual or bi-annual schedule, so you can never be quite certain a new one is on the way.
The fourth-generation SE is apparently in the works, though, and will seemingly be built on the frame of an iPhone 14, roughly. This is doubtless a matter of production line efficiency and reuse. However, it does also mean that one thing is gone for good: the Touch ID button.
91mobiles obtained CAD renders of the device, which can help us to glean a fair amount of information, not least the inclusion of a 6.1-inch display, a massive upgrade on the last iPhone SE's 4.7-incher which was based on a now very old frame.
The sensor holes at the top of that display are what tell us both that there will be a notch in it, and that unless something changes the phone will likely ship with Face ID for the first time.
The back of the phone sports one large camera, so if accurate there probably won't be an ultrawide option for photos.
Previous reports had indicated that the phone would feature an action button, rather than a slider, like this year's iPhones, but the renders show basically every side of the phone except that part, so we don't know if it'll make the cut.
Similarly, it's hard to tell what charging port is in use at the bottom of the phone, but you'd be on safe ground assuming it's a USB-C port given Apple's transition to it last year.
The iPhone SE 4 had been expected as a 2025 launch, but given the detail on show here there's every chance it could appear in this autumn's iPhone launch event to revitalise the lower end of Apple's phone lineup – there's probably time for plenty more leaks and rumours before then, too.
