iPhone SE 4 May Get An OLED Upgrade, But Be Prepared For A Wait

Since its introduction in 2016, the iPhone SE — Apple's mid-priced iPhone — has had its hardware revisions emerge on an irregular schedule. It took another four years before the second generation version was released in 2020, but only another two years later for the third generation to drop in 2022. 

Now, according to a new report from South Korean news outlet The Elec, we're starting to learn about the fourth-generation iPhone SE. It seems the newest edition which will continue the pattern of there being no pattern to the release schedule, reportedly coming out in early 2025, three years after the third generation was released.

According to the report, the fourth-generation iPhone SE will be getting a significant upgrade in the form of an OLED screen, which the flagship iPhones have had under the "Super Retina Display" branding since 2017's iPhone X. Cost may not be an issue, as The Elec reports that there's a bidding war among the OLED display suppliers Apple deals with. 

Samsung has reportedly offered the lowest price, at $30 per screen, compared to $35 from BOE and $40 from Tienma. For comparison, Apple paid $80 to $120 per OLED panel in the iPhone 15 flagship series. WCCF's article also notes that since the iPhone SE fourth-generation display will be the same as that of the iPhone 14, it gives Samsung and BOE a leg up since they're already supplying those panels to Apple and can use existing inventory.

However, the report also states that Apple is trying to counter by offering the panel manufacturers a figure closer to the mid-$20 per unit. As a result of all of this back and forth, no final deal has been made as of yet.

Apple has long prided itself on high-quality displays in the iPhone and many of its other devices, but the addition of an OLED panel for the iPhone X was a major step forward. When we got our first look at the iPhone X at its reveal event in 2017, it's safe to say that we were blown away. 

"We're used to bright, color-rich panels from OLED technology but the iPhone X takes it to another level, text and graphics looking like they're embedded into the toughened glass that protects the phone front and back," reads our first look assessment. "It's pleasingly smear and lag-free, even in fast-paced augmented reality games, too." Later, SlashGear proclaimed that it had the best smartphone display on the market.

There are cons to the technology, though: Apple acknowledged that OLED is more prone to image retention/screen burn-in. This means that, as with a TV, you need to be careful about leaving static images on the display for too long.

As for the iPhone SE, we gave the third-generation version a very positive review in 2022. In particular, the camera impressed, especially relative to expectations for the "cheap iPhone," and the same went for the A15 Bionic chipset at the heart of the handset.