Below is everything you need to know about Apple’s 2022 iPhone SE, including its key improvements, release date, and price.
The Same Old Design and Display
The new iPhone SE features the same “iconic design” that Apple first debuted with the iPhone 7 series in September 2016. There are no design tweaks—the phone features an aluminum chassis sandwiched by glass panels at the front and rear. The only notable upgrade is the switch to a more durable Ceramic Shield glass that should make it less prone to cracks. The IP67 certification and the Home button with Touch ID scanner, as found in the previous model, remain intact.
The unchanged design also means the phone retains the same 4.7-inch IPS LCD panel as its predecessor. This means the brightness level still tops out at 625 nits, though you get P3 Wide Color, Haptic Touch, and True Tone support.
Apple offers the new iPhone SE in three colors: Starlight, Midnight, and (PRODUCT)RED. The phone is made from recycled materials, including using 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in the Taptic Engine and audio magnets.
An A15 Bionic Chip and 5G
The highlight of the new iPhone SE is the A15 Bionic chip that’s also found inside the iPhone 13 series. The chip consists of a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine that can handle any heavy workload you throw at it. In its announcement on Apple Newsroom, Apple claims the newest iPhone is up to 1.8x faster than the iPhone 8.
Another key upgrade for the 2022 iPhone SE is the addition of 5G. However, it is important to note that the device only supports sub-6GHz 5G networks and not mmWave 5G, so you won’t get blazing fast gigabit-plus speeds as generally shown in marketing materials.
Despite the faster chip and 5G, Apple claims the will phone last longer than previous-generation models thanks to efficiency improvements. In its testing, the company found the model lasts an additional two hours during video playback than the 2020 SE. Additionally, the phone supports wired fast charging and Qi wireless charging.
An Improved Camera
The new iPhone SE continues to feature a single 12MP f/1.8 camera at the rear that’s capable of recording 4K videos at 60fps. However, it uses a newer sensor with support for Smart HDR 4, Deep Fusion, Portrait mode, and Photographic Styles. These improvements should lead to the phone capturing photos with better dynamic range, more details in low-light photos, enhanced and accurate skin tones, and more.
Video recording has also improved, with lower noise levels and improved white balance. The front also continues to retain a 7MP f2.2 camera with Portrait mode and Deep Fusion support.
Some camera-related improvements have been made possible by the more powerful ISP in the A15 Bionic chip. It also allows many iOS 15’s Machine-Learning-based features like Live Text to work on the new iPhone SE.
iPhone SE 3 Price and Availability
The new iPhone SE will be available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage configurations. Pre-orders for the phone start on March 11 in the US, the UK, India, Japan, Canada, China, Australia, France, and 30 other countries, with retail availability scheduled for March 18. The phone will be available unlocked for $429—a $30 increase from the 2020 model.
Despite not being a major refresh in any way, the latest iPhone SE is the cheapest iPhone in Apple’s lineup to feature 5G, which should alone make it a worthy upgrade for many.
