Apple has announced a surprise launch event on 19th February where it will introduce “the newest member of the family" to its fans.
Current rumblings and betting odds say this will be the hotly anticipated iPhone SE 4 – there has been a steady stream of rumours about a new SE handset for years.
And, of course, I would be happy to see a new iPhone SE – especially if some of those rumours are true.
These suggest it will be a complete departure from the iPhone SE 3, featuring an edge-to-edge OLED display and the company’s latest A18 chipset and circuitry inside.
If Apple hasn’t rocked the boat too hard and sticks to the formula that has made recent iPhones, including the iPhone 16 Pro, one of our go-to recommendations for music fans, then the SE could be a great-value portable music player for buyers on a budget. Or, indeed, those who don’t want to invest in a dedicated player such as the Sony and Astell & Kern devices in our best portable music player buying guide.
But, showing how spoiled I am after nearly two decades covering Apple launches, having seen the invitation I can’t suppress my wish for “one more thing” at the event. Those surprise late additions were a hugely anticipated feature at Apple's launch events when former CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs was at the helm.
Specifically, I’d like to see it launch a proper Apple TV. An OLED Apple TV to be precise. This won't be a surprise for regular What Hi-Fi? readers. What Hi-Fi? TV and AV editor Tom Parsons and I have long made no secret of our wish for Apple to make an actual television to complete its home cinema offering.
After all, Apple has all the ingredients that it needs to make a fantastic OLED TV readily to hand.
It already uses OLED panels to great effect in its phones, tablets, desktop computers and MacBook laptops.
The Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)’s tandem OLED display – which from what we have seen works using a similar idea to the fourth-generation OLED panel technology about to feature on the LG G5, Panasonic Z95A and Philips OLED910 – was a big reason it earned a top five-star rating from our reviewers.
Tandem OLED is a screen technology that stacks two OLED layers together in a bid to boost brightness and generally improve picture quality. And in our time with it in our test rooms it performed so well that we gave the technology our Innovation of the Year trophy at last year’s What Hi-Fi? Awards. Add to this Apple's strong presence in the creative professional space, where it tunes its screens with an overt focus on things such as colour accuracy, and it seems to be in a prime spot to make an amazing looking OLED TV.
And then there is audio. Apple’s HomePod 2 wireless speaker is another top product to which our reviewers have awarded a five-star rating. A big reason for that, of course, is the natural, solid and energetic sound it produces when playing music. But it is also partly because, when two HomePods are put in a stereo configuration and connected to an Apple TV streamer, they prove to be an incredibly competent home cinema package, delivering spacious and three-dimensional audio, particularly with Dolby Atmos.
Finally we come to apps and content. Jump to our best media streamers buying guide and you’ll see the Apple TV 4K at the very top of the list. This is because it provides stellar HDR performance, a complete portfolio of all the streaming apps you will need and a wonderfully easy to navigate user interface.
Imagine how awesome a TV combining these three strengths would be. I have…
MORE:
These are the best OLED TVs we have reviewed
We rate the best tablets for music and movies
These are the best wireless speakers money can buy
