Apple iPhone SE 4 launch event: Is a long-awaited fourth-gen iPhone finally about to go on the market?

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent the rumour mill into overdrive when he teased that the brand will unveil its “newest member of the family” at its first launch event of 2025.

Mr Cook took to X to tease the new mystery product, which is set to be announced at Apple’s February 19 event.

“Get ready to meet the newest member of the family,” he wrote.

According to technophiles, the launch is peculiar on multiple fronts. Least of all because it is so early in the year — the last time Apple held a release event in February was 2006, when they unveiled their short-lived iPod Hi-Fi speakers.

Secondly, all signs point toward this new “family member” being the long-awaited fourth-generation iPhone SE, Apple’s most affordable phone. But, if that is the case, its drop flies against the usual launch schedule: new iPhone announcements are usually reserved for Apple’s flagship September launch event.

Apple keeps notoriously tight-lipped about what it shows at these events, which only adds to the bubbling frenzy about what the tech giant’s new product will be.

Here’s what tech reporters and industry experts predict is coming down the production line.

A new budget phone: iPhone SE 4

The iPhone SE was first released in 2015 as a “mid-range handset . . . that focuses on matching the power of the leading iPhone line but at a cheaper price.” The phone was last updated in 2022 but, even then, it was a laggard compared to the iPhone 13s available at the time.

According to tech reporters, Apple is looking to modernise the SE to spur growth and lure customers over from other budget-friendly brands.

Rumours also abound about the changing features on a would-be iPhone SE 4, including the odds of the phone ditching the ‘Home’ button for Face ID (and a “notch” by the selfie camera to house that tech), possibly adding a second camera (like the iPhone 14 or 16 models have), and abandoning the patented Lightning Cable for a USB-C port for charging.

Other rumours, reported by Forbes, suggest the new budget-friendly phone may not even be called an SE but an iPhone 16e — that rumour adds to concerns the phone may not be as affordable as its present three-figure price tag.

The odds of a new iPhone SE are not completely unfounded, because Apple has a precedence for launching new SE’s in March or April, and with longer intervals between updates. Apple insiders with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg the device is likely to be announced in mid-February, and go on sale later in the month.

A new MacBook Air

As for another possible “new family member”, there have been rumblings about a refresh to the MacBook Air.

The new laptops will supposedly use the same design as the current generation, but the old M3 chip will be switched to the M4 — with more power and better efficiency that is compatible with new Apple Intelligence.

Bloomberg tech expert Mark Gurman suspected, however, that a new MacBook Air was unlikely to launch at the February 19 event but could launch later in the first half of 2025.

A new iPad Air

Similar to the MacBook Air, a new iPad may be in the works — even if it has only been about nine months since the sixth-generation iPad Air dropped.

Gurman has hinted a new AIr model could be coming, with similar chip boosts (from M2 to M4, which powers the iPad Pro models), while reusing the current design.

According to Forbes, Apple is devising a new entry-level iPad model which could bump up processors and features for a budget-friendly price tag.

The other idea is that possible new iPad accessories may be in the works, like new Magic Keyboards, Forbes speculates.

More colours of the iPhone 16 rainbow?

While its not a new “family member” it might be a facelift for a current family member — or like a trip to the hair salon for a fresh dye job.

MacRumors speculates Apple is drafting up some new colour options for the latest iPhone 16 models.

Apple releases new iPhone colour options “every year as a mid-product cycle refresh”, one MacRumors user suggested, which uslaly drops in March or April.

The user said it was also possible the company could skip the colour update in 2025 as it did for the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and iPhone 15 (in 2019, 2020, and 2024, respectively) - but said it has opted to launch new colours than it has chosen not to since 2017.

The iPhone 16 is available in Black, White, Teal, Pink and Ultramarine. MacRumors suggests a red, yellow, purple, or grey addition “seems possible since these have been offered on iPhone models in the past and are not too similar to any of the existing shades”.

But there have been no wider rumours about a fresh paint offering on the iPhone 16 models, so this one seems to be pretty unlikely.