Buttonless case leak spills key details of upcoming iPhone SE

If the case is genuine, and based on the final design of the iPhone SE 4, rather than a prototype that could change before launch, it offers some important details. There is a cutout, for example, for the mute switch, which means the earpiece it will not have an action button. (The official silicone case for the iPhone 16 Plus has no cut-out – you just press the action button through a raised section of silicone.)

It’s less clear, but the photos also suggest that the upcoming SE will not gain control of the camera that was introduced last month with the 16-series iPhones. The camera control doesn’t have a full cutout on the 16 Plus case, it’s true, but it does have a thinner section on top that you press; this would probably be noticeable in the photos.

Finally, as 9to5Mac points out, the cutout for the rear camera points single lensas was the case in 2022, instead of twin lenses to match the iPhone 14 on which the new SE is expected to be based. This may seem counter-intuitive: clipping is larger than a single lens and could plausibly accommodate a pair of lenses in a horizontal alignment, but that’s how iPhone SE 2022 cases are made, with an opening for the flash next to the single lens. Whereas the iPhone 14 has its twin lenses arranged diagonally in a larger square camera module, and this case design wouldn’t accommodate that.

So many negatives: no camera control, no action button and no second rear camera lens. But there’s still time to change plans, and Apple can still surprise us in the spring.

To keep up with the latest news and rumours, check out our regularly updated iPhone SE 4 superguide. If you can’t wait until spring, find the lowest prices on current models with our roundup of the best iPhone deals.