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Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)

Apple · iPhone

iPhone SE (3rd generation)

Released March 2022

The third iPhone SE is Apple's lower-priced 4.7-inch iPhone from 2022, adding 5G and the iPhone 13's A15 Bionic chip to the iPhone 8-style design with Touch ID, IP67 and Qi wireless charging, suited to people who want a small, cheap iPhone with a Home button.

Model history · 3 models, 2016–2022
  1. 2016iPhone SE (1st generation)Compare
  2. 2020iPhone SE (2nd generation)Compare
  3. 2022iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Screen
4.7″
Display
LCD, 60 Hz
Chip
A15 Bionic
Memory
3 GB
Storage
64 GB – 256 GB
Main camera
12 MP
Zoom
–
Battery
2,018 mAh
Weight
144 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers agree the SE offers flagship-level speed from the A15 and 5G at a low price, in a compact body with a dependable camera. All three criticise the small, cramped screen with thick bezels; Tom's Guide and GSMArena missed Night mode, and TechRadar and GSMArena noted a higher price than the 2020 model for few changes.

From techradar.com, tomsguide.com and gsmarena.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Screen size
4.7″
Resolution
1334 × 750
Sharpness
326 pixels per inch
Panel
LCD
Refresh rate
60 Hz
Peak brightness
625 nits
Display type
Retina HD display; 4.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
Pixel density
326 ppi
Brightness detail
625 nits max brightness (typical)
Screen protection
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Display features
True Tone; wide colour display (P3); Haptic Touch; 1400:1 contrast ratio (typical); Display Zoom; Reachability

Performance

Chip
A15 Bionic
Memory
3 GB
Storage
64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB
CPU
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores; 4 GB of RAM (GSMArena)
GPU
4-core GPU
AI engine
16-core Neural Engine

Cameras

Main camera
12 MP
Ultra wide camera
None
Telephoto camera
None
Optical zoom
None
Front camera
7 MP
Main camera
12MP Main, ƒ/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilisation, True Tone flash with slow sync, sapphire crystal lens cover
Front camera
7MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash
Zoom
Digital zoom up to 5x (photos) and 3x (video)
Video recording
4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; extended dynamic range up to 30 fps; optical image stabilisation for video; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; Night mode Time-lapse; QuickTake; stereo recording
Front video
1080p HD at 25 or 30 fps
Camera features
Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 4; Photographic Styles; Portrait mode with Depth Control and six Portrait Lighting effects on both cameras; Live Photos; panorama (up to 63MP)

Battery and charging

Battery
2,018 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)
Up to 15 hours
Wireless charging
Yes (wattage not published)
Battery life detail
Video playback up to 15 hours (10 hours streamed); audio playback up to 50 hours; 2,018 mAh, 6.96 Wh (GSMArena)
Wired charging
Up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)
Wireless charging
Works with Qi chargers

Design

Type
Standard
Weight
144 g
Thickness
7.3 mm
Height × width
138.4 × 67.3 mm
Water and dust resistance
IP67
Materials
Aerospace-grade aluminium with the toughest glass in a smartphone on the front and back, the same as the back of iPhone 13
Colours
Starlight, Midnight, (PRODUCT)RED
Buttons
Home/Touch ID sensor; volume up/down; ring/silent; side button
Water resistance detail
IP67 (maximum depth of 1 metre up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
Biometrics
Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the Home button
Sensors
Touch ID fingerprint sensor; barometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
Speakers
Stereo playback

Software

Operating system
iOS
Software at launch
iOS 15

Connectivity

Mobile network
5G (sub-6 GHz) with 2x2 MIMO; 4G LTE Advanced with 2x2 MIMO and LAA; VoLTE; Wi-Fi calling
SIM
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
NFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserve
USB
Lightning connector; video mirroring and video out up to 1080p through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
Positioning
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular; iBeacon microlocation

Storage options

Storage
64 GB
128 GB
256 GB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • A15 Bionic chip, as in the iPhone 13, and 5G
  • Touch ID Home button, Qi wireless charging and IP67
  • Up to 15 hours of video playback, against 13 hours for the second-generation SE

Cons

  • 4.7-inch 1334 × 750 LCD with large bezels
  • Single 12MP rear camera, with no ultra wide lens and no Night mode for photos
  • Lightning port rather than USB-C

Closest rivals

Model
ScreenDisplayChipMemoryStorageMain cameraZoomBatteryWeightReleased
AppleiPhone SE (2nd generation)
4.7″LCD, 60 HzA13 Bionic3 GB64 GB – 256 GB12 MP–1,821 mAh148 gApr 2020
AppleiPhone 13 mini
5.4″OLED, 60 HzA15 Bionic4 GB128 GB – 512 GB12 MP–2,406 mAh140 gSept 2021
AppleiPhone 12 mini
5.4″OLED, 60 HzA14 Bionic4 GB64 GB – 256 GB12 MP–2,227 mAh135 gNov 2020

Previous model: iPhone SE (2nd generation). Newer model: iPhone 16e.

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/111866
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2022/03/apple-announces-the-new-iphone-se-a-powerful-smar…
  3. gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_se_(2022)-11410.php

Photo: cdsassets.apple.com

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