iPhone SE 4 May Only Be Used As A Prototype For Apple’s 5G Modem Development, Not Meant As A Standalone Model For Mass Production

wccftech.com:

The iPhone SE 4 is somewhat of an anomaly because where one report claims that the price-competitive model has been canceled, other talks about Apple’s expected cost for ordering its OLED panels. Now, one analyst believes that the company will not release it for the masses, but its engineering prototype will be used to develop the company’s highly anticipated custom 5G modem.

Well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has taken to Twitter to provide an update on the iPhone SE 4. At this time, Apple is not expected to mass produce this iPhone in the future, but it should serve another purpose. The TF International Securities representative stated back in February this year that the low-cost model would adopt Apple’s in-house 5G modem, but it appears as if the technology giant will only use its engineering sample to test the baseband chip.

Depending on how the custom 5G modem performs while running in the iPhone SE 4, Apple will proceed with a mass production timeline. According to Kuo, if the test results are satisfactory, then the 5G modem can enter mass production as early as 2025. However, there is the possibility that Apple will be forced to push back the launch to 2026. Also, the chip’s manufacturing process will depend on how early Apple is eyeing its release, meaning that if the California-based firm wants to launch it much later, it could be fabricated on a cutting-edge node.

Updates on iPhone SE 4 research and prediction:

1. I previously predicted that the iPhone SE 4 would be a derivative model of the iPhone 14. However, my latest research indicates that this derivative model will likely be an engineering prototype for Apple in-house 5G baseband… https://t.co/9m5SjSvrKS

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) April 13, 2023

Kuo has