Cheep and cheerful: iPhone SE third-generation does not disappoint
Apple iPhone SE 2022. Pic: Noel Campion.
The iPhone SE 2020 was a popular phone thanks to its compact form factor and solid specs. The new iPhone SE 3rd gen comes in the same iPhone 8 style design and compact form factor.
The Corning glass back curves slightly at the edges to meet the rounded aluminium frame. It's a familiar clean look and the phone is thin and comfortable in the hand.
You get IP67 rated protection against water and dust and not the IP68 found on the more expensive Apple iPhones. The front of the phone is decidedly retro-looking and some might even call it outdated — you have those huge top and bottom bezels and the physical home button that many still prefer over the gestures navigation found on the latest iPhones.
The Home button will be very familiar to many since it was used up to and including the iPhone 8. It has an integrated Touch ID fingerprint sensor that is responsive and reliable.
The iPhone SE 2022 battery capacity is larger than the 2020 iPhone SEs, but they weigh about the same. Unfortunately, the latest iPhone SE doesn’t come with a charger in the box. It does come with a USB-C to Lightning cable so you’ll need a USB-C power adaptor.
There’s support for wireless charging and fast wired charging via the optional Apple 20W USB-C charger (€25). Of course, you can still use an existing Lightning cable and USB power adaptor if that’s what you have — just don’t expect faster charging times.
Battery life will greatly vary depending on use, but I didn’t have any problem getting through a typical day on a single charge.
The new iPhone SE comes with the same Apple A15 Bionic processor as the iPhone 13 series and includes upgrades such as 5G, Deep Fusion computation photography and a notable boost in overall performance.
The A15 is significantly more powerful than the A13 Bionic found in the previous SE in both CPU and GPU. This makes it great for even the most graphically intensive games as well as multitasking and app launching and switching.
Despite its mid-range price tag, the A15 is the most powerful chipset on a phone right now, even more, powerful than any of the latest Android flagships in sheer raw power. The iPhone SE manages to stay relatively cool due to the efficiency of the A15 and metal case that does a great job on the thermals.
Those upgrading from much older phones than the iPhone SE 2020 will see a massive difference in performance and you’ll get iOS support for a minimum of five years.
In terms of storage, you get 64GB, 128GB or 256GB of non-expandable storage.
The display is a 4.7-inch IPS LCD, with a resolution of 1,334x750px and a refresh rate of 60Hz. It would have been nice to see the display upgraded to OLED and 120Hz or even 90Hz. Despite this, the display quality is top-notch and looks better than many cheaper OLED panels. The colours are accurate, the contrast is impressive for an LCD panel (1,400:1) and the viewing angles are incredible. It can also get plenty bright at 625 nits maximum brightness (typical).
Apple devices are simply the best when it comes to their speaker systems and the iPhone SE is no exception. The stereo speakers are capable of pumping out rich and full sound despite the iPhone SE’s compact form factor. Of course, you don’t get a headphone jack like some budget Android phones but there’s such a great selection of excellent and inexpensive Bluetooth earphones now that this isn’t such a big deal anymore.
The iPhone SE 2022 has the same camera hardware as the iPhone 8 and iPhone SE 2020. On the back, there’s a single 12MP camera (f/1.8) and on the front is a 7MP (f/2.2) selfie shooter.
The quality of the photos from the single rear camera is great, especially for a budget iPhone. It can capture lots of detail with low noise and good contrast and colour balance. Thanks to the A15 Bionic you get some additional features including Smart HDR 4 and Deep Fusion. However, not everyone will love the more natural colour rendition which may seem a little dull compared to other phones that pump up the saturation.
The rear camera can produce excellent results in portrait mode with advanced bokeh and depth control. It isn’t perfect but is still one of the best you’ll find on a phone at this price.
Night photos are good but the lack of a dedicated night mode is a little disappointing.
The front-facing camera is excellent despite it being only 7MP. The contrast, sharpness and dynamic range are better than a lot of cameras with higher specs.
The iPhone SE can capture video at 4K at 24fps, 30fps and 60fps with both optical and electronic stabilisation. Video is where the iPhone SE pulls away from the competition and the image quality is stunning with lots of detail, accurate colours and high dynamic range. Low light video is also good although the hardware isn’t as good as the likes of the iPhone 13. It does a great job of the auto exposure, white balance and colour, with an acceptable level of noise.
The iPhone SE is the cheapest iPhone you can buy right now and easily beats anything at this price point. It has a class-leading LCD display with fantastic stereo speakers and the most powerful CPU that ensures years of longevity.
As long as you don’t mind the large forehead and chin and retro design, the iPhone SE is easy to recommend for those who want a compact iPhone with an excellent camera for both video and photos along with the much-loved Touch ID.
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