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iPhone SE 2022 review: Better Than Previous Model?

The iPhone SE 2022 is the most recent low-cost iPhone

This image shows the iPhone SE 2022 in white color near the box.

Our Verdict

For
  • Photo quality is excellent
  • Design that is more durable
  • Good battery life
  • With one hand, it’s small and easy to use
  • Best speed for the least amount of money
  • Overall, a good performer
Against
  • The display is tiny, but the bezels are thick
  • Does not allow 5G mmWave

The iPhone SE 2022 is a device that packs modern features into a vintage style that’s almost quaint in size. Despite the retro feelings, the finished product is rather appealing to people on a budget.

With $429, you get a 5Gateway server as well as the same A15 Bionic CPU seen in the iPhone 13, ensuring best-in-class performance and stunning images. Apple also claims that the new iPhone SE 3 will have two hours greater battery life than the earlier iPhone SE 2020, as well as a more robust build. While Face ID isn’t available, some users may prefer the traditional Home button with Touch ID for speedy unlocking.

To acquire an iPhone this cheap, you’ll have to accept some compromises, like the hefty edges, lack of Night mode, and lack of Verizon Ultra Wideband. However, as you’ve seen in my iPhone SE 2022 review, there’s no denying the allure of carrying about a phone this little but so powerful and capable. It’s undoubtedly one of the greatest low-cost phones available.

iPhone SE 2022 review: Release date and price

The iPhone SE is already available for pre-order, with a March 18 release date. The new iPhone SE has a starting price of $429, which is $30 more than the earlier iPhone SE 2020.

For the iPhone SE 3, there will be 3 storage solutions to choose from. The standard model comes with 64GB of storage, but you can upgrade to 128GB or 256GB for $479 or $579, respectively. For the most up-to-date savings on the iPhone SE, visit our iPhone SE offers page. Keep in mind that pre-order delivery for the iPhone SE has been pushed back to late March, so you’ll have to wait for your iPhone SE.

iPhone SE 2022 review: Design

Acquiring the iPhone SE 2022 is like going again in time for me. In assessment to, for instance, the iPhone thirteen mini or Google Pixel 5a, the iPhone SE (2022) has a Fingerprint Sensor button instead of Face ID, and the bezels all-round show.

This image shows iPhone SE 2022 in black color and black background with slightly white light.

On the opposite hand, this telecall smartphone is not made for me. It’s for individuals who need compact telephones and is probably upgrading from the iPhone 8, which has a comparable show length and design.

The iPhone SE 2022 was supplied to us in the Midnight color, which is a deeper navy that changes hues in the sunshine to a brighter blue. There’s also Product Red and Starlight.

If you’re concerned about the iPhone SE 2022’s durability, it’s been through drop testing and fared roughly including the iPhone 13. It barely received minor scuffing in terms of three drop tests. 

The latest iPhone was dumped head from six feet onto a walkway and then thrown on its sides from the same altitude in those two tests. The rear drop test from 6 feet is still the only fall testing that destroyed the iPhone SE (2022).

With a weight of 5.09 ounces and dimensions of 5.45 x 2.85 x 0.29 inches, this is a very small device. It gives my iPhone 13 Pro Max a skyscraper-like appearance, and I appreciated having a phone that I could easily sneak into my pockets without being noticed. I also appreciated being able to accomplish almost everything with just one hand.

This image shows the iPhone SE 2022 in white color in tilt form.

I tested the iPhone SE 2022’s water resistance by submerging it in a fountain. And, because it employs the same strong glass as the iPhone 13, this handset is more durable than the prior model. The iPhone SE has performed admirably in third-party drop tests.

iPhone SE 2022 review: Display

To put it bluntly, watching Films and tv shows on the iPhone SE 2022 isn’t exactly immersive. When watching movies or videos on this phone, the 4.7-inch Display has a quality of 1344 x 750 pixels, which isn’t high resolution, and it’s hard not to notice the huge bezels.

The iPhone SE 2022 did a good job showing the warm hues of Tatooine and Ewan McGregor’s concerned grizzled appearance while seeing the Obi-Wan Kenobi teaser video, but even the black bars along each action were distracting. I intended to pinch-to-zoom to enlarge the image.

This image shows the iPhone SE 2022 with open display in the hands of human.

Including its 6.34-inch display, one might dispute that the Pixel 5a is aimed at a different demographic, but you can’t deny the fact that for $20 extra, you can get a considerably larger full HD OLED screen.

Despite this, the display on the iPhone SE 2022 fared admirably in our testing tests. The panel covered 114.7 percent of the sRGB color spectrum and 81.2 percent of the DCI-P3 color space, which is more demanding.

That’s good, but it falls short of the Pixel 5a’s 119.3 percent and 84.5 percent. However, with a Delta-E rating of 0.21 (where 0 is perfect), the new iPhone SE still outperforms the Pixel 5a in terms of color fidelity.

iPhone SE 2022 review: A15 Processor

The A15 is unquestionably quicker than that the A13 in the 2nd-generation iPhone SE. CPU and GPU speed should improve by 20-30%, though this varies depending on the task. It’s debatable if you’ll notice that performance level in everyday use.

In most benchmarks, I discovered that the iPhone SE is on par with the iPhone 13 within just a tiny error bar (However, the iPhone 13 Pro, which features a fifth GPU core, does not fall under this category.). 

This image shows the iPhone SE 2022 in the hands of man under sunlight.

This makes it the quickest smartphone in this price category by a long shot. But, on the iPhone SE dated two years ago, is speed always a problem that needed to be addressed? The A13 already outperforms the majority of $400 phones.

The A15 also has a clearer images chip, which means it could do more with the information from the iPhone 8’s outdated cameras and optics; none of the iPhone 8’s vision system or optics have been changed since the device was released five years ago. 

For example, the iPhone 13 has the latest Photography Styles function, as well as outstanding 4K 60Hz recorded video, Depth Fuse, and Smart HDR 4, which performs admirably in bright outdoor environments.

You also get 5G support, but just for sub-6GHz 5G bands, not the upcoming super-high-frequency millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. Although the quickest rates are found there, mmWave is incredibly short-range and not widely used, so you’re not missing out on anything.

iPhone SE 2022 review: Cameras

The sad fact is that the camera hardware on the iPhone SE 2022 has remained the same. There’s only a single 12MP wide-angle camera on the back, so there’s no ultra-wide lens like in the iPhone 11 ($499) or Pixel 5a. The front camera, meanwhile, retains its low-resolution 7MP sensor.

This image shows the camera side of iPhone SE 2022.

The best part is that the A15 Bionic CPU adds additional computational photography tools and capabilities to the camera. Smart HDR 4 for managing complex lighting while improving face rendering, Deep Fusion for richer details and textures, and Photography Styles for more creative freedom are all included.

iPhone SE 2022 review: Performance

I shouldn’t be shocked by the iPhone SE 2022’s speed, given that it uses the very same A15 Bionic CPU as the iPhone 13. But that doesn’t take away from its accomplishments.

I had a lot of fun as Captain America in the Marvel Revolution game, fighting several adversaries with my shield and using dazzling special attacks. Later I moved up to Red Skull, who had a frightening amount of detail on his face. The action was fast-paced, and the graphics were stunning.

The iPhone SE 2022 got a single rating of 1,718 as well as a multi-core score of 4,482 on Geekbench 5, which evaluates total performance.

The iPhone 13 scored 1,684 and 4,129, which were similar but somewhat lower than the iPhone 12. The Google Pixel 5a, which would be built by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G CPU, scored 569 on a single-core test and 1,595 on a multi-core test.

dock, apple watch dock, iphone dock-2898497.jpg

The iPhone SE 2022 achieved 50 fps and a score of 8,352 in the 3DMark Wild Life Benchmark. The iPhone 13 had a little edge with 55.9 frames per second, while the Pixel 5a lagged far behind with only 10 frames per second and a rating of 450.

The graphics rendering test, in which we transcoded a 4K video to 1080p to use the Adobe app, revealed the largest performance discrepancy between both the iPhone SE 2022 and Pixel 5a.

The latest iPhone SE took just 27 seconds to charge, whereas the Pixel 5a took over two minutes.

What about 5G? Because the iPhone SE 2022 doesn’t support mmWave technology, you won’t be able to connect to Verizon’s greater Ultra-wideband network. However, you’ll also be capable of connecting to all of the major carriers’ sub-6GHz 5G networks, and also C-Band 5G as it becomes available.

iPhone SE 2022 review: Battery life 

Because of a barely larger battery and performance improvements from the A15 Bionic technology, the iPhone SE 2022 is anticipated to last as long as 2 hours longer than the earlier iPhone SE.

The latest iPhone SE 3 survived 9 hours and 5 minutes on constant internet browsing over 5G with a screen brightness of 150 nits. It’s a little less than the 9:18 runtime of the iPhone SE 2020, but that was on a 4G LTE network, which uses less battery. The Google Pixel 5a with 5G support lasted 9 hours and 45 minutes longer.

If you’ve had a 20W Apple adapter, you could charge the iPhone SE relatively quickly. In 30 min, we achieved 61 percent, which is faster than Apple’s estimate of 30 minutes.

This image shows the iPhone SE 2022 in white color with Air pods.

iPhone SE 2022 review: Outlook

The $429 price tag The iPhone SE 2022 is a smartphone that exists in both the present and the past. This phone’s A15 Bionic chip delivers top performance for 100s much less than iPhone 13. Despite having only one rear camera, the picture quality is typically superb. I only wish Apple had figured out how to integrate a real Night vision.

Including its tiny 4.7-inch display and wide bezels surrounding the display, the new iPhone SE appears like a throwback; the iPhone 13 mini proves that you can pack a bigger 5.4-inch screen into a compact smartphone, but still, it costs $699.

If you don’t need an iPhone and don’t want to be tied to the Mobile ecosystem, the Google Pixel 5a is a better option, with a larger 6.34-inch display, Night vision, and significantly longer battery life for $449. However, it isn’t as speedy as the latest iPhone SE.

Altogether, the iPhone SE 2022 does a good job of delivering good value. But, next time, I’d want to see a layout that more reflects the internals’ cutting-edge vibe.