On November 20th, Caixin News Agency reported that after examining the supply chain, Tom O'Malley, an analyst at Barclays Bank, the second largest bank in the UK, and his colleagues believe in their latest research report that Apple will release the iPhone SE4 in March 2025. The biggest highlight of the phone is the installation of Apple's independently designed 5G modem.
The report also indicates that the new iPhone SE4 is expected to adopt a design similar to the iPhone 14 base model, equipped with a 6.1-inch OLED display, FaceID facial recognition, new A-series chips, USB-C interface, a 48 megapixel rear camera, and 8GB of memory to support Apple Intelligence functionality.
O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to conduct research on multiple electronic product manufacturers and suppliers. In the research report, analysts outlined the main gains of this trip.
Analysts believe that the iPhone SE4 is equipped with Apple's independently designed 5G modem, which marks a crucial step for Apple to break away from its dependence on Qualcomm and also means that Apple has achieved more comprehensive autonomy in the chip field.
Apple has been developing its own 5G modems since 2018 and acquired most of Intel's smartphone modem business in 2019, laying a solid foundation for the development of this technology.
Although it is currently unclear whether Apple's self-developed 5G modem has a speed advantage over Qualcomm products, this is undoubtedly an important milestone for Apple on the road to technological self-reliance.