Back in 2024 (I'm talking about six days ago as of this writing), freelance tech journalist Gareth Beavis wrote an article for TechRadar detailing why he thinks the rumored iPhone SE 4 could break new ground for Apple. Hall's thesis was that Apple could use a next-generation budget iPhone as a way to bring Apple's artificial intelligence tools to a broader market.
It's a good idea and one I agree with. However, as I walked across the frost-covered ground of a frozen London park, letting my mind ponder the state of the smartphone market, the idea of the iPhone SE 4 being an anti-AI phone occurred to me.
Machine learning is now almost inescapable on phones, as many use smart algorithms to balance battery life and process images. However, the rise of so-called artificial intelligence phones is a fairly new aspect of the mobile world, possibly led by the Google Pixel 8.
We now have phones with smart tools to rewrite emails in the desired tone, help you transform a photograph into a nearly new image, take notes, and do all kinds of other smart things. Some of these tools are very useful, but in my time with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, a phone I really like, I didn't find Apple's vision for using generative AI particularly good or compelling. And I'm not alone, my colleague Philip Berne thinks the same.
There's also the privacy concern: smartphones already absorb a lot of personal data if you let them; Add AI to the mix and you have a device that can almost feel like it's monitoring you. However, like Thanos in the MCU, generative AI in phones is inevitable, at least on flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, which I expect will come packed with AI tools. And if these tools are useful and intuitive, I'm all for them.
Likewise, it makes me think there's an opportunity for phones, particularly budget models, to eschew artificial intelligence and embrace purely tool-like functionality with privacy enshrined at its core. Add in the intuitiveness and ecosystem of iOS and Apple's propensity to tout privacy, and your mind might picture a next-generation iPhone SE. At least that's what mine did when I was wandering around.
An anti-AI phone
With an increased desire to digitally detox and limit phone screen time to unplug and get away from the constant ringing of notifications and the influx of online content, I think there could be a really renewed market for phones that eschew all the fancy bits of AI and it simply works as a phone, camera, web browser and casual gaming machine (it's strange to be nostalgic for phones from the 2010s, but here we are).
Add in a phone that comes out of the box with a host of privacy-focused settings turned on, and you could be looking at a device that appeals to people who don't want to yell at a phone to do a Van Gogh. Paint in style from your dog or create a new emoji by squishing two others.
I can totally see Apple taking this approach with the iPhone SE 4 if it's actually in the works. However, I think Cupertino will probably use the next SE as an entry-level route to Apple Intelligence, as it seems like the tech world is embracing AI whether we like it or not.
My hope is that if Apple leans into this, then it makes sure Apple Intelligence is fully loaded and ready to deliver useful and proper AI tools instead of drip-feeding features like it did with the iPhone 16.