That’s it, I don’t care anymore. The speculation surrounding whether the forthcoming Apple iPhone SE 4 will have a notch at the top of its screen, or adopt the Dynamic Island format introduced on the Apple iPhone 14 series, has reached such a ridiculous point, I no longer want to hear about it until the phone is officially revealed.
Let’s talk about it.
Will it or won’t it?
What has got me to breaking point? It’s the repeated flip-flopping. One day a report comes out saying the phone will have a notch, and the next there’s another report claiming it’ll have the Dynamic Island. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just two reports spaced by weeks or even months, but instead, it’s multiple reports coming in the space of days, and over a long period of time.
Based on what has been reported to me, the iPhone SE could have a design very similar to that of the current iPhone 16 still in development. The new iPhone SE will most likely have a single camera instead of the double one of the iPhone 16 models, otherwise it seems that the… pic.twitter.com/Z1Gio4nBRu
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) February 8, 2024
Let me illustrate it for you. It all traces back to February 2024, when the 4th generation iPhone SE was linked with the iPhone 16’s shape and with the iPhone XR’s dimensions, and the claim was that it would include a pill-shape cutout for the Dynamic Island at the top of the screen. Fast forward to January 28, 2025, after a whole lot of speculation on both sides of the fence, and we’re told the iPhone SE 4 will have a notch.
Notch like iPhone 14 is correct
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) January 28, 2025
Over a year we’ve seen multiple conflicting reports and various images and videos, each not really confirming the situation one way or the other, but appearing adamant their conclusion was the correct one. Once 2025 hit, talk of the notch and Dynamic Island reached fever pitch, with snippets of code apparently showing the Dynamic Island, and the source of the original rumor that started it all now saying the phone will have a notch. I know this is how the rumor mill works, but rarely is there such division.
Trusted sources
It’s not like the reports are solely coming from anonymous sources, or can be marked down as idle speculation by fans. Most come from trusted industry watchers, known insiders, or individuals in the business of leaking details about unreleased devices, and with a good track record for accuracy. This makes it all even more infuriating because I’d usually trust these sources, yet something is clearly amiss here.
New iPhone models are always hotly anticipated, but the iPhone SE 4 seems to have risen above Apple’s previous SE models in terms of the buzz around it, and it’s surprising to see most of the talk centered on one aspect, and the opinions so opposite. What’s got phone pundits so sweaty and eager to chime in? The Dynamic Island is a delightful way to add functionality to the necessary cutout at the top of the screen and would be a big update for the SE line. However, it’s not what I’d call transformative, and if it wasn’t there I doubt I’d really miss it.
The notch looks old and has been controversial ever since it made its first appearance on the Essential Phone in 2017 and subsequently on the iPhone X in the same year. Few like the design, a lot hate the design, but most just tolerate it. Today it can be seen as an outdated way of dealing with the multiple cameras and sensors required on the front of our phones, and not an especially attractive one. No one wants the notch, but many expect the notch.
Someone is wrong
What all this means is that the situation could go either way, and that’s the impression we’ve been given by the endless speculation over the last 12 months too. It also means someone out there is wrong.
The iPhone SE 4, or iPhone 16E depending on what Apple decides to call its next budget model, either has a notch or the Dynamic Island. It can’t have both. Or can it? The Dynamic Island is really a hardware and software solution, enlarging the usable space around the pill-shaped cutout at the top of the iPhone’s screen for features like Live Activities. A notch shapes the screen around a cutout at the top of the device, and the software ignores it entirely. Apple could adapt the Dynamic Island for use with a notch, if the SE 4 ends up using one, technically making everyone right.
Though possible, it’s probably unlikely. We must remember the iPhone SE 4 is Apple’s budget device, and compromises have to be made to keep the cost down. Using up supplies of notched screens would be one way to do it. On the other hand, the Dynamic Island would bring the iPhone SE 4 in-line with the iPhone 16’s design (and presumably, the iPhone 17, but the Dynamic Island seems to be clouding that model too), and adapting the notch to include some of the Dynamic Island’s functionality in iOS would give the SE 4 a “modern” feature to increase value.
Nothing suggesting the iPhone SE 4’s screen will do any of this has been seen in code for beta versions of iOS though, so it’s just speculation on my part.
The judge rules
The fact I’m adding my own speculation to the speculation, which can’t agree on the situation anyway, only makes me more angry about the whole thing. The will-it, won’t-it back-and-forth about the iPhone SE 4’s screen has reached the point where nothing new should be added to the conversation unless it has conclusive proof to back it up.
Whether that’s a leaked image of the actual device and not a render or mockup based on code, or Apple officially revealing it during an event, it doesn’t matter. No more speculation, please. We’ve seen and heard the arguments from both sides and now all that’s left is for the judge to rule. I’m the judge here, and I’m throwing the whole thing out because the entire case is based on hearsay.
I don’t care what the iPhone SE 4’s screen looks like anymore, or if it will feature the Dynamic Island or not, and I won’t until Apple shows me.
