iPhone SE review: A closer look at Apple's latest entry-level iPhone

First impressions of the third-generation iPhone SE, giving you a closer look at Apple’s latest entry-level iPhone. Reviewers praised the device's improved specs but were disappointed with its aging design and lack of a night mode.

The new model adds the iPhone 13’s A15 Bionic chip, 5G connectivity, an upgraded rear camera with more advanced computational photography capabilities, longer battery life and stronger glass. The third-generation "iPhone SE" will start arriving and being available in stores this Friday, but delivery has now been pushed back to late March.

Design, Display, and Durability

The design and display of the new iPhone SE, commenting: “It’s an archaic design from 2017 that makes the already small screen feel smaller than It could have been much smaller."

Unfortunately, the small screen hinders this cutting-edge performance. It's not a bad monitor - it's a 4.7-inch 750 x 1334-pixel LCD that's bright enough for outdoor use. But you don't get a faster refresh rate, which makes scrolling look smoother, and you don't get the same pop and punch as OLED, which is definitely one of the smallest screens sold on new smartphones today. Text looks small at default settings, and you can enlarge it, but that means more scrolling.

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But phone design has changed over the past two years, and the SE has stuck to the past. Given the number of times most of us look at and interact with our phone screens every day, I think it's fair to ask for a little more from a mobile device's screen than what the SE offers.

The device’s more durable front and rear glass, and the familiarity and reliability of the Touch ID fingerprint scanner:

What’s more, Apple says the iPhone SE is covered The same cold-resistant glass as the iPhone 13. While I haven't put down my review unit yet, it gives you peace of mind knowing this will be more resistant to scratches. I don't use the case for my iPhone 13, and even though it's been thrown into a bag with keys and other sharp objects, it's still pristine. It does pick up fingerprints and smudges easily, though. The iPhone SE is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, which is also good – the Galaxy A52 5G and Pixel 5a also offer this.

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Unlocking the phone is also a breeze, something you'll get used to if you're familiar with the sensors of the last iPhone SE, especially since the hardware is exactly the same. In fact, if you've never known life without a button below the screen and don't want to give it up, this is the only modern phone to feature it.

A15 Bionic and 5G Connectivity

The performance of iPhone SE‌’s A15 Bionic chip, which is the exact same chip in the ‌iPhone 13‌ lineup:

SE The iPhone 8 chassis used may be old-school, but underneath is Apple's latest mobile processor, the A15 Bionic. It's the same as what you'll find in the top-tier 13 Pro Max. Again, the SE costs less than $500, while the 13 Pro Max costs more than twice that. This is so cool. In day-to-day use, the SE behaves like a phone with a top-tier processor. Apps open quickly, and even the graphics-intensive Genshin Impact runs smoothly. There's not a lot the SE can't do that phones over $1,000 can do.

iPhone SE has similar responsiveness to the high-end iPhone 13 Pro Max:

My personal experience confirms that the iPhone SE is as responsive as the iPhone 13 Pro Max (my primary phone) Just as fast. It's not only noticeable in the speed at which apps open or when multitasking, but also when switching between camera modes.

Regarding 5G connectivity, support for it is "a nice future-proof feature, even if it's not very useful yet.

Battery Life

" iPhone SE's battery life has improved significantly, especially compared to the previous model:

The SE's weakest point in 2020 was its subpar battery life, so it really got a boost this year One of the features of the 2022 SE is endurance. The 2022 SE includes a larger battery and improved power management via the A15 chip. In my experience, this will cost most users an extra two hours, according to Apple. My experience A day and a half of moderate use, and a full day of heavy use, including some video recording, gaming and a lot of screen time and increased brightness.

Rear Camera

iPhone SE Most of the camera improvements are computational and subtle:

The only 12-megapixel camera is no slouch. While Apple hasn't upgraded the hardware itself, this camera benefits from the A15 Bionic processor and its image signal processor. The end result is a camera that takes sharp photos without having to modify settings.

Deep Fusion excels on iPhone SE, but criticizes the device's low-light performance and lack of night mode:

The new processor offers some software-based improvements for this generation, adding Apple's Deep Fusion technology to enhance detail in medium and dim lighting. This is a feature that is automatically enabled under certain conditions, and there's no way to tell in the image metadata when it's being used, but I can say that photos of static subjects in crappy indoor lighting look very detailed.

However, in very low light, the SE doesn't perform well. That's because there's no night mode, which is a feature offered by many other mid-range phones on sale in 2022, such as the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G, and, of course, the Google Pixel 5A. As a result, images in low light are very dark and colors look muddled. Night mode on any smartphone has its limitations and is generally not very useful for moving subjects. However, it's a nice tool when conditions are dark and flash isn't an option, and it's a shame it's not included here.

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The A15 chip also allows for some improved processing of low-light video, which does a good job of removing noise, although clips look rather soft as a result. Still, mobile video is Apple's strength, and the SE's overall video quality is excellent considering the price range it's in.

Photos taken with the ‌iPhone SE‌ are similar to those taken with the ‌iPhone 13‌ mini, but the lack of Night Mode is still disappointing:

Pictures of iPhone SE vs. iPhone I was surprised by how similar the 13 mini is. From landscapes to portraits of my colleagues, there was almost no difference in the photos taken by the two phones.

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Our main gripe with the last iPhone SE camera was the lack of Night Mode. This year's model still isn't available, and while some of the photos I took overnight of buildings surrounded by fog were a bit blurry, some were bright and sharp.

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