Apple says it is launching the ‘newest member of the family’, as rumours of new iPhone SE increase

New device is likely to be updated and cheaper version of Apple’s handset, with a range of new features

(Apple)

Apple is preparing to reveal its newest device, according to a cryptic tweet from chief executive Tim Cook.

“Get ready to meet the newest member of the family,” he wrote in a post. The launch will take place on Wednesday, 19 February, he suggested.

Mr Cook gave no information about what that new member of the family might be, or even how it would be launched.

But rumours have repeatedly suggested that Apple is preparing to launch a new version of the iPhone SE, which would be the fourth generation of that cheaper handset. The iPhone SE has not been refreshed since 2022, and still uses Apple’s old design language.

The new version is widely expected to get rid of the home button and use that space for a larger screen, as has been seen in all of Apple’s more premium devices since the iPhone X. It is also rumoured to bring Face ID to that line-up for the first time.

The iPhone SE is also rumoured to get other more recent iPhone features, including swapping the Lightning connector for USB-C and the addition of the Action Button that arrived with 2023’s iPhones. And reports suggest that it will have a relatively powerful processor inside, which is required to run Apple Intelligence, the company’s new suite of AI features.

Apple introduced the first iPhone SE in 2016. It placed newer internal components into an older physical design, a pattern that Apple has kept to since.

Mr Cook’s lack of reference to a specific time or other logistics may also suggest that Apple will simply announce the product on its website. While it regularly holds online launch events with Hollywood-style videos, its smaller products are occasionally announced with less fanfare.

The iPhone SE would be the first introduction of an iPhone in 2025, a year that is widely rumoured to bring substantial changes to Apple’s line-up. Later this year, the company is reported to be planning an iPhone 17 Air – a lighter, slimmer version of the new phone – as well as new Pro models.