Apple is slated to launch its budget iPhone SE 4 in the coming months, and we are still unclear on some of the aspects of the device. While there have been various leaks and rumors stating that the iPhone SE 4 will launch with the company’s A17 Pro chip, we have been adamant about the device featuring an A18 chip. The latest rumor indicates that the iPhone SE 4 will feature Apple’s A18 chip, which will put the device in line with the iPhone 16 lineup as far as performance is concerned.

Apple’s upcoming iPhone SE 4 will be equipped with an A18 chip, as Apple wants to minimize the performance gap with the flagship models

If the iPhone SE 4 does manage to house an A18 chip, we can expect the performance to be on par with the company’s flagship iPhone 16 models. The news was shared by a private account on X (via MacRumors), indicating that the budget iPhone will feature a chip that has an identifier of T8140. If you are not familiar, Apple’s A18 and A18 Pro chips have the same identifier, but we have to rule out the latter as the company will never use the flagship chip on a budget iPhone.

Other than the iPhone SE 4, the private account also stated that the iPad Air 7 will come with an M3 chip instead of the M4, negating prior rumors. The iPad 11 is also slated to launch with an A16 chip, and if so, the entry-level tablet would be the only device to launch without Apple Intelligence. However, the account also stated that all of these devices will launch with iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 running out of the box. This puts the launch time frame into perspective.

Apple will possibly announce the iPhone SE 4 in April alongside the rest of the lineup, but based on the recent information, the launch could happen sooner rather than later. The A18 chip for the iPhone SE 4 is highly likely the SoC of choice for the company, as the device launches every three years, and Apple wants to make sure that it does not age before the next version is released. Other than this, the device is also slated to look like the iPhone 16, according to the latest rumors, with a Dynamic Island on top of the display instead of a notch.

In terms of internals, the device is also slated to come with the company’s custom 5G modem, which is not as capable as the one offered by Qualcomm. Additionally, the latest reports claim that the budget iPhone will also feature 8GB of RAM to bolster the company’s Apple Intelligence features. We will keep you posted on the latest details, so be sure to stick around.