Close Menu
  • Tech Insights
  • Laptops
  • Mobiles
  • Gaming
  • Apps
  • Money
  • Latest in Tech
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
TechzLab – Tech News, Gadgets, Mobile & IT UpdatesTechzLab – Tech News, Gadgets, Mobile & IT Updates
  • Tech Insights
  • Laptops
  • Mobiles
  • Gaming
  • Apps
  • Money
  • Latest in Tech
TechzLab – Tech News, Gadgets, Mobile & IT UpdatesTechzLab – Tech News, Gadgets, Mobile & IT Updates
Home » Forget Apple Intelligence – I want the next iPhone SE to be a bastion of privacy
Mobiles

Forget Apple Intelligence – I want the next iPhone SE to be a bastion of privacy

adminBy adminJanuary 4, 2025No Comments4 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

All the way back in 2024 – I’m talking a whole six-ish days ago at the time of writing – freelance tech journalist Gareth Beavis wrote an article for TechRadar detailing why he feels the rumored iPhone SE 4 could break new ground for Apple. Mr Hall’s thesis was that Apple could use a next-generation budget iPhone as a way to get Apple Intelligence AI tools to a wider market.

It’s a sound idea and one that I agree with. Yet as I stomped across the frost-covered ground of a frozen London park, letting my mind chew over the state of the smartphone market, I came up with the idea of the iPhone SE 4 being an anti-artificial intelligence phone.

Now, machine learning is almost inescapable in phones, given many use smart algorithms to balance battery life and process images. However, the rise of so-called AI phones is a rather new aspect of the mobile world, arguably spearheaded by the Google Pixel 8.

We now have phones with clever tools to rewrite emails for you in a desired tone, help you reshape a photograph into almost a new image altogether, take notes, and do all sorts of other smart things. Some of these tools are very useful, but in my time with the iPhone 16 Pro Max – a phone I very much like – I’ve not found Apple’s take on generative AI use particularly great or compelling. And I’m not alone, as my colleague Philip Berne feels the same.

There’s also the worry of privacy, smartphones already suck up a whole load of personal data if you allow them to; add AI into the mix and you’ve got a device that can almost feel like it’s monitoring you. However, like Thanos in the MCU, generative AI in phones is inevitable, at least in flagships, such as the hotly tipped Samsung Galaxy S25 series that I expect will come stuffed with AI tools. And if these tools are useful and intuitive, I’m all for them.

Equally, it’s got me thinking there’s an opportunity for phones, particularly budget models, to shun the AI smarts and embrace pure tool-like functionality with privacy enshrined at their core. Add in the intuitiveness and ecosystem of iOS and Apple’s propensity to tout privacy, and your mind’s eye could picture a next-gen iPhone SE. At least that’s what mine did when I was a’wandering.

An anti-AI phone

A dummy unit of the iPhone SE 4 acquired by Japanese Apple blog Mac Otakara.

(Image credit: Mac Otakara)

With an increased desire to digitally detox and limit phone screen time to shut off and extract oneself from the constant ding of notifications and the influx of online content, I think there could be a real refreshed market for phones that avoid all the fancy AI bits and simply work as a phone, camera, web browser and casual games machine (it’s odd getting nostalgic for the phones of the 2010s but here we are).

Add in a phone that comes out of the box with a whole host of privacy-centric settings switched on, and you could be looking at a device that appeals to people who don’t want to bark at a phone to make a Van Gogh-style painting out of their dog or create a new emoji by smashing two other ones together.

I could fully see Apple taking this approach with the iPhone SE 4 if it is indeed in the works. Yet I think Cupertino will probably use the next SE as an entry-level route into Apple Intelligence, as it seems like the tech world is embracing AI, whether we like it or not.

My hope is that if Apple does lean into this, then it makes sure Apple Intelligence is fully loaded and ready to deliver properly handy AI tools rather than drip feed features the way it did with the iPhone 16.

You might also like

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
admin
  • Website

Related Posts

Apple unveils Pride edition sport band, watch face, and wallpapers to celebrate LGBTQ+ diversity – All details

June 21, 2025

Act fast – the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is $300 off at Amazon, but probably not for long

June 20, 2025

Nothing Phone 3 to Feature New Glyph Matrix LED Interface on the Rear Panel

June 19, 2025

Comments are closed.

Latest
  • How many people can play PEAK together? – Destructoid June 21, 2025
  • Apple unveils Pride edition sport band, watch face, and wallpapers to celebrate LGBTQ+ diversity – All details June 21, 2025
  • It’s 2025 and Apple has still not fixed this ancient Mac bug – but here’s a solution June 21, 2025
  • Indian government issues security warning for Windows laptops, desktop users: Here is how to secure your data – financialexpress.com June 21, 2025
  • NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, June 22 (game #476) June 21, 2025
We are social
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from Techzlab.

Tags
Ada Ventures Alphabet Amazon Discount Anthropic Apple Automatic Clear cybersecurity data centers Disrupt 2025 doge Donald Trump Elon Musk emissions entry level tech jobs Exclusive First matter foodtech Fundraise Google In Brief legal tech matt mullenweg Mega Tablet Days Meta Nikola Openai Perplexity Pinterest Polar Shopify signalfire social media SpaceX Spotify TechCrunch Disrupt TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 TechCrunch Week in Review Tesla Trump Administration uber freight UK venture vw WordPress
Archives
Quick Link
  • Apps (225)
  • From the Editor (3)
  • Gaming (224)
  • Laptops (225)
  • Latest in Tech (225)
  • Mobiles (226)
  • Money (49)
  • Tech Insights (225)
Don't miss

Think that new Minecraft mod is safe? It could be malware stealing your data – over 1,500 players already hit

June 21, 2025

Best Windows Laptop for 2025

June 20, 2025

How you can get Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) for free – 3 easy ways

June 19, 2025
Follow us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
© 2025 Techzlab.com Designed and Developed by WebExpert.
  • Home
  • From the Editor
  • Money
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.