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With the launch of Apple Intelligence, Apple is ready to join the world of the first AI smartphones. While the iPhone 16 Pro will be the workhorse, Tim Cook and his team will ensure that the iPhone 16 can deliver on the same promise. But a better iPhone awaits, one that offers value for money, new hardware and the power of artificial intelligence to loyal Apple users… the next-generation iPhone SE

The iPhone SE has always been popular, offering the benefits of Apple’s ecosystem and hardware in a smartphone at an attractive price. The tone was set in 2016 with the first iPhone SE based on the iPhone 5S design, the second in 2020 based on the iPhone 8, and the third in 2022 based on the same iPhone 8 design but offering the same chipset as the then iPhone 13.

The 2025 iPhone SE will be just as popular, perhaps even more popular than previous models given the ever-increasing price of the Pro iPhone.

In terms of specs, we’re probably looking at an iPhone 14 form factor, but smaller than the Vanilla and Pro models, which many will welcome. After all, not everyone wants a huge slab of a smartphone. Given the three-year gap between this SE and the previous iteration, you can expect many of Apple’s hardware improvements to be included; there’s the potential for a larger 48-megapixel primary camera, the first use of a notch display in the SE, and the same fast-charging battery technology expected for the iPhone 16.

Perhaps the biggest advancement is in the display. While previous SE models shipped with cheaper and less vibrant LCD panels, the 2025 edition should also feature an OLED display.

The iPhone 16 has inherently been a compromised device in the past. Apple is putting the latest and greatest technology available to the company into the Pro models, which this year will be the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. There’s always been a balancing act to keep the vanilla iPhone 16 with high enough specs to be considered a good enough iPhone, while leaving enough room to create demand for a more expensive Pro model.

In previous years, this included using previous generation Axx chipsets, reducing storage options for users and keeping memory specs as low as possible. This is no longer the case as the need to support generative AI requires the latest Apple Silicon and higher memory to allow as much processing as possible on a local device.

If the iPhone SE is to support Apple Intelligence, it will need the same basic specifications as the iPhone 16, especially in terms of Apple Silicon. An iPhone SE with the same chipset as the base line has happened before, and it’s more than likely to happen with this generation as well.

After all, if AI is the future, then Apple Intelligence should be everywhere. And if it needs to be everywhere, then it needs to be supported by the iPhone SE.

There is also the matter of the generating AI schedule. The Apple-branded Intelligence demo was previewed at the Worldwide Developers Conference last month and will play its part in iOS 18. However, while iOS 18 will be available to the public when the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro launch in September, the critical AI components are not is scheduled to appear by the first quarter of 2025.

The Apple community may be looking for an “AI boom” in iPhone 16 sales as one of the first AI-enabled iPhones, but there are no signs in the supply chain that Apple plans to ramp up orders. If Apple is waiting until the first quarter of 2025 to start the revolution, wouldn’t it be better to wait until then to see what that revolution will be?

If you want the extra power and full capabilities of the iPhone platform, you’ll choose the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max, and there’s no point in looking for another iPhone. If you’re looking to maximize your bang for your buck, the iPhone SE will be the better deal than the iPhone 16, and thanks to the late arrival of Apple Intelligence, there’s not a huge benefit to buying your next iPhone before then.

Now read the latest iPhone, iPad and App Store headlines in Forbes’ weekly Apple Loop news digest…