iPhone SE (3rd generation, 2022): technical sheet, price and reviews

Third representative of the range, the iPhone SE released in 2022 generally uses the codes of the previous version. We're talking here about a small format but with big muscles and a more attractive price than all of Apple's other mobiles. However, the technical characteristics of the product are worth studying in detail so as not to miss any of its value proposition: decryption.

Always the same design

To begin with, the iPhone SE 3 is therefore a compact smartphone given its dimensions of 138.4 mm high, 67.3 mm wide and only 7.3 mm thick. Its weight, for its part, is limited to 144 grams. It's not much, but such characteristics give it a certain advantage: it fits in almost all pockets and is suitable for the smallest palms of hands.

Still on the design side, the third generation iPhone SE is currently available in three colors: red, white or black. The first donates part of its profits to the fight against AIDS and tuberculosis, via partner associations.

As for materials, Apple has chosen a glass back and front while the frame that surrounds the iPhone SE is aluminum, not surprisingly. The manufacturer also offers some water resistance with IP67 certification, guaranteeing immersion up to one meter deep and for thirty minutes without danger.

Unlike high-end iPhones, the size/screen ratio is quite low here because the home button has been retained with Touch ID just below. Advantage: no notch.

Top performance

Let's say it without hesitation: the strength of the 2022 iPhone SE is its chip. It is in fact a proprietary Apple A15 processor, the same one that is also found under the hood of the iPhone 13 Pro. The quantity of RAM is however not equivalent, since here the technical characteristics noted when dismantling the mobile only reveal 4 GB of RAM.

Everything is there to vigorously propel iOS 15, the iPhone SE 3 operating system also compatible withits predecessor released two years earlierapproximately. This software offers many basic applications such as the Safari browser, particularly fluid but still far behind Chrome in terms of functionality, or the various services available with Apple One (TV+, Arcade, Music, etc.).

The graphics card, for its part, has four cores and allows you to play many video games without lag. The iPhone SE 3 may, however, heat up a little, and the screen refresh rate does not reach 120 Hz as on the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Technical characteristics of the battery

According to the official technical specifications published by Apple, the third generation iPhone SE is capable of up to fifteen hours of video playback. A reduced duration of five hours when streaming from an online source. And as far as music is concerned, the proposed autonomy reaches fifty hours.

But all this is above all on paper. Indeed,our full review of the iPhone SE 2022has proven that relatively standard use causes it to run out of battery around sixteen or seventeen hours depending on the day. Obviously, these are our own estimates and if they differ from those of the manufacturer it is because its own laboratory tests are carried out under different conditions.

Finally, for charging, users are entitled to two different solutions with the iPhone SE 3. The first goes through the Lightning port, while the second uses induction on the back.

A screen too small?

If the format of the iPhone SE 3 is interesting for some, its Retina screen may however put off more than one. Indeed, with its small 4.7 inches diagonal it only offers a limited surface area for gaming or watching series and films but without rounded corners. The resolution, 1,334 by 750 pixels, however, allows you to display good quality images.

In direct sunlight, the 625 nits of brightness are sufficient. Moreover, the panel of the third generation iPhone SE is therefore quite “limited”: do not expect to multitask on it without seriously losing productivity. The features of iOS 15 are all there, but it is therefore quite difficult to exploit them to their maximum in certain cases.

Finally, let us point out that the technology used here is LCD: hello the energy consumption, much heavier than with OLED. While we find them at the same price, with other more advantageous technical characteristics, from other brands.

No Face ID

On the front of the iPhone SE, no TrueDepth sensor or easy recognition. The manufacturer, instead, preferred to honor us with a fingerprint scanner installed under the home button: this is Touch ID, whose data is encrypted for security reasons.

At the top of the screen, the front camera is limited to seven megapixels with an f/2.2 aperture. Everything can film in 1080p at up to 120 frames per second, and the image quality offered goes up to HDR. The technical characteristics of the iPhone SE 3 for photography are, however, much better at the back, since there is a twelve-megapixel lens here. This has the advantage of being able to capture wide-angle shots with an f/1.8 aperture and OIS stabilization.

The third generation iPhone SE also includes a flash to immortalize night scenes, powered by LEDs. As for the video, it goes up to 4K at 60 frames per second or 1080p @240 fps still for the back module.

Communications

The iPhone SE 2022 is the first in its collection to be compatible with the 5G network, which allows it to reach theoretical speeds of several hundred MB per second. Perfect for downloading series before flying. The official technical characteristics mention other connectivity benefits, including AirPlay for playing music on third-party speakers or even AirDrop for sharing files very quickly via Wi-Fi.

Of course Bluetooth is also included, to pair accessories such as AirPods Pro oran Apple Watch Series 7.

Conclusion: you don't change a winning team

With the latest edition of its iPhone SE, Apple doesn't really surprise us. But this is not a defect: the technical characteristics of this mobile such as 5G or the A15 Bionic chip are real assets and limit slowdowns as much as possible. What's more, we are here at a price much lower than that of the iPhone 13 since you only have to pay 529 euros to buy the mobile. A price which rises to 579 euros for 128 GB or 699 euros for 256 GB.

For us, the iPhone SE 3 is therefore clearly the best choice from Apple if you have a reduced budget but do not want to skip iOS 15. A choice which can prove very judicious when the rest of its equipment is also signed Cupertino: Mac, headphones, etc.

In conclusion, let us also remember that the third generation iPhone SE is one of the few on the market to offer such technical characteristics in such a compact case. However, it turns out that many users are looking for an all-purpose smartphone that does not risk sticking out of their pocket at the mercy of thieves.