Like other budget iPhone models, the iPhone SE 4 should lose value quickly

Based on the iPhone 14, the iPhone SE 4 is expected to be a “budget” iPhone model unlike any other iPhone SE model ever released before. The iPhone SE 4 will feature Face ID instead of Touch ID making it the first SE model to offer the facial recognition feature to unlock the phone. A 6.1-inch OLED panel, the first found on an iPhone SE, will replace the 4.7-inch LCD display found on the iPhone SE 3. The display will have an old-school refresh rate of 60Hz.

One thing that iPhone SE buyers need to realize is that these phones depreciate faster than full-priced iPhone models. For example, the third-generation iPhone SE, released in March 2022, lost a whopping 42.6% of its value just one month post-launch. That compares to the 18.7% decline in value that the iPhone 13 suffered during the same time frame. After three months, the latter was able to see its value stabilize while the iPhone SE 3 continued to decline in value.

The iPhone SE 3 reportedly loses its value much quicker than the full-priced iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models. And the iPhone SE 4 might depreciate just as fast as previous SE versions because of the budget nature of the phone; the public tends to favor full-priced models packed with the latest technology.Consumers are concerned that their purchase of an iPhone SE model is a poor investment since devices using older technology tend to become obsolete faster.

The iPhone SE 4 could be powered by a 4nm Apple A16 Bionic application processor (AP) and come with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of native storage. A single 12MP rear-facing camera is expected to be mounted on the rear panel with a 12MP front-facing FaceTime camera included. iOS 18 should be pre-installed.