Is a new budget iPhone coming? Apple CEO to launch 'newest member of the family'
Apple is introducing the newest member of its family.
Tim Cook, the tech giant's CEO, has a love letter to fans on no less than Valentine's Day as he announced that a launch was coming next week.
"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family. Wednesday, February 19," Cook said on X. He attached a 7-second video of a shining, shimmering Apple logo but didn't provide other details like the time of the announcement.
Get ready to meet the newest member of the family.
Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch pic.twitter.com/0ML0NfMedu— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) February 13, 2025
Tim also wrote the hashtag #AppleLaunch.
Fans went gaga over the surprise announcement, and have been speculating as to what the latest product might be. So what's down the pipeline for Apple? Here's what leaks say might be launched.
iPhone SE4
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg chief correspondent and Apple insider, declared that it's the new iPhone SE.
Two days ago, Gurman on X said a new iPhone SE "is still imminent and should be announced by next week, when the company is holding product briefings."
On Feb. 7, he already reported about the supposed launch of an overhauled iPhone SE "as early as next week."
Major features of the would-be iPhone SE include a bigger screen, a design akin to the iPhone 14, a USB-C port, an A18 chip, and Apple Intelligence support.
The last iPhone SE, which looked a lot like the iPhone 6, was released in 2022.
iPhone 16E
Another rumored model was the iPhone 16E, potentially the latest entry in the iPhone 16 series.
Mac Rumors noted its possible features include a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, A18 chip, Face ID, USB-C port, and Apple Intelligence support. It's also rumored that the iPhone 16E could be the new name for the iPhone SE.
The iPhone 16 series contains four models, the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max. The lineup includes a vertical camera layout for the 16 and 16 Plus, and a new Camera Control button for taking photos. The Pro models also got a bigger display.
M4 Macbook Air
Gurman, in his Feb. 12 tweet, said the M4 Macbook Air will be announced "within weeks."
Introduced for iPad Pro in 2024, the M4 chip offers significant improvements in speed, graphics, and energy efficiency to the M3 chip.
Newer Macbook Air models have the M3 chip, which Apple said has up to 2.5x the speed of the M1 chip from 2020. Its central processing unit also has architectural improvements that make performance and efficiency cores faster while allowing the system to maximize battery life.
iPad Air
Apple is also rumored to upgrade the processor of iPad Air models.
Mac Rumors noted that a new iPad Air, if ever, might have the M3 chip.
The entry-level iPad 11, meanwhile, might have either the A16 Bionic chip or the A17 Pro chip.
The A16 Bionic chip, used by the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, allows for less power usage, better photos and videos, sharper displays, and smoother performance.
The A17 Pro gives a boost in performance, improved graphics, meanwhile, and a smoother and faster experience in using pro apps and playing video games.
