Apple has been on two tracks since 2017: The iPhone X established the modern age of the cult cell phone with Face ID and gesture control. So far, however, Apple has always had an alternative ready for traditionalists. This should come to an end next year.

Apple

Apple currently offers eight iPhone models. Seven of them rely on largely buttonless gesture control, which made its debut in 2017 with the iPhone X. Only the iPhone SE 3 still offers the classic design with the home button in the middle. The days of this special case seem to be numbered.

iPhone SE 4 is said to have the appearance of iPhone XR

At the coming iPhone SE 4 is said to be Apple recycling and the body of the iPhone XR from 2018 (via 9to5Mac). That’s what the well-informed Apple expert Jon Prosser claims in a podcast. Buyers would therefore expect an iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, 12 MP camera, IP67 protection and Face ID for unlocking.

Conversely, after a full five years, Apple is drawing the line and is finally retiring the home button in the iPhone.

That Apple likes to recycle cases, shows a look at the rest of the product range of the US group. The current iPhone SE 3, for example, wears the dress of the discontinued iPhone 8, the iPad Air shares the housing with the 2018 generation of the iPad Pro and the AirPods 3 look confusingly similar to the AirPods Pro – with the exception of the silicone attachments, of course.

An iPhone SE 4 in the iPhone XR design is not completely out of thin air.

This is how the iPhone XR did at the time:

Apple doesn’t have to fear cannibalization

Case recycling is tricky. There must always be a certain distance between the cheaper and more expensive products – both in terms of features and design – so that buyers are not enticed away by the latter. In this case, Apple probably doesn’t have to fear cannibalization: the notch, thicker screen edges and single camera are likely not attract potential buyers of the iPhone 15 (Pro) to the iPhone SE 4 in the coming year.