Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said Apple will not release the iPhone SE 4 in 2024, greatly benefiting Qualcomm in the process.
The iPhone SE is Apple’s budget iPhone. Apple was expected to release the next version in 2024, with its connectivity powered by Apple’s in-house baseband chip. Apple has been working to build its own cellular chips and end its dependence on Qualcomm, but Kuo says it had concerns that its in-house chips might not be ready to go toe-to-toe with Qualcomm’s offerings. As a result, Apple was expected to use its in-house chips in the budget-level iPhone SE where lower performance would not be as big of an issue.
According to Kuo, however, Apple cancelling the iPhone SE 4 means that Qualcomm will remain the exclusive provider of baseband chips for the iPhone.
However, the cancelation of the iPhone SE 4 has significantly increased the chances of Qualcomm remaining the exclusive supplier of baseband chips for the 2H24 new iPhone 16 series, which is better than the market consensus that Qualcomm will start losing iPhone orders in 2024.
Despite Apple’s desire to rid itself of its dependence on Qualcomm, the company is clearly having trouble achieving its goals.