iPhone SE 3 (2022): Everything You Need to Know

We have added dedicated sections to cover various aspects of the new iPhone SE, including the release date, price, availability, cameras, and more. Use the table below to skip to the section you’re interested in. Now, without wasting any time, let’s get right into it!

iPhone SE 3 (2022): Release Date

Apple announced the third-gen iPhone SE at its “Peek Performance” Spring event on March 8, 2022. Alongside iPhone SE 3, Apple also announced a slew of new hardware, including the M1 Ultra-powered Mac Studio, a new 27-inch 5K Apple Studio display, iPad Air 5 with M1 chip, and the green iPhone 13 color variant. Check the pricing and availability of the iPhone SE 3 in the next section.

iPhone SE 3 (2022): Price and Availability

iPhone SE 3 starts at $429 for the base 64GB variant in the United States, a $30 price jump from the last iPhone SE. The 128GB variant costs $479 and the 256GB variant is priced at $579. Here in India, the base 64GB third-gen iPhone SE costs Rs. 43,900, as opposed to the Rs. 42,500 starting price of the previous-gen iPhone SE 2. Those looking to buy the 128GB variant will need to shell out Rs. 48,900, while the 256GB model costs Rs. 58,900.
Coming to availability, the iPhone SE 3 will be available for pre-orders from March 11 at 5 AM PST (or 6:30 PM IST). The new iPhone SE (2022) will start shipping on March 18. You can purchase the third-gen iPhone SE via Apple’s online & offline stores and authorized resellers.

iPhone SE 3 (2022): Design and Display

Apple has not brought any revolutionary changes to the design of the iPhone SE. It features the same design with significant bezels at the top and bottom. Apple retaining the old design is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you won’t get the feel of owning an iPhone that feels “new”. On the other more positive side of things, Touch ID fans will be glad to know that the fingerprint sensor lives on with the new iPhone SE.
While you get the same small 4.7-inch Retina (LCD) display on the new iPhone SE, one difference is the glass used for protection on the front and back. According to Apple, the new iPhone SE 3 utilizes Ceramic Shield, like the ones seen in the iPhone 13 lineup. This should help offer more durability to the phone, although investing in a good protective case is always the smarter move.

iPhone SE 3 (2022): Processor

Under the hood, Apple’s new iPhone SE packs the latest A15 Bionic chip. That’s the same chipset used in the iPhone 13 series. A15 Bionic chip comes with performance upgrades over the A13 Bionic found in the old iPhone SE. Apple says the new iPhone SE is up to 1.8x faster than the iPhone 8 that shipped with A11 Bionic. The new chip also helps the company offer better battery life and many new camera features on the budget iPhone (more on this in the next section).

iPhone SE 3 (2022): Cameras

With the iPhone SE, the camera sensors remain the same with the rear 12MP ƒ/1.8 wide camera and the 7MP ƒ/2.2 selfie camera. What’s different, however, is the feature set unlocked thanks to A15 Bionic. This time around, you get a bunch of camera-focused features, namely Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion, and Portrait mode.
It’s worth noting that Apple introduced Smart HDR 4 alongside the iPhone 13 to recognize different people in the frame and optimize the contrast, lighting, and skin tones accordingly. Meanwhile, Photographic Styles lets you essentially apply presets to your images to suit your preference. Furthermore, you can use Live Text to recognize text in photos, which some students creatively use to copy notes.

iPhone SE 3 (2022): Connectivity

The highlight of the new iPhone SE in the connectivity aspect is the availability of 5G. Before you get too excited, keep in mind that the new iPhone 5G supports sub-6 GHz band with 2×2 MIMO and not mmWave 5G. To learn more about 5G bands, you can head to our 5G bands explainer article. That aside, you get Wi‑Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO and Bluetooth 5.0 on the new iPhone SE. Location services include GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou.

iPhone SE 3 (2022): Software and Battery

As far as the software is concerned, iPhone SE runs iOS 15 out of the box. As a result, you will have access to all the best iOS 15 features like SharePlay on FaceTime, Focus mode, Live Text, and on-device dictation right after the first boot.
Apple has not revealed the exact battery capacity of the new iPhone SE, as always, but claims you could expect up to 2 hours of additional video playback time when compared to the old iPhone SE. Moreover, you could expect up to 15 hours of video playback, 10 hours of video streaming, and 50 hours of audio playback. You can charge up the phone up to 50 percent in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter (sold separately, of course).

iPhone SE 3 (2022) vs iPhone SE 2 (2020): What’s the Difference?

With that said, check out how the new iPhone SE 3 compares to its predecessor in the table below: iPhone SE 3 (2022)iPhone SE 2 (2020)Dimensions5.45 inches (138.4 mm) x 2.65 inches (67.3 mm) x 0.29 inch (7.3 mm)5.45 inches (138.4 mm) x 2.65 inches (67.3 mm) x 0.29 inch (7.3 mm)Weight5.09 ounces (144 grams)5.22 ounces (148 grams)Display4.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD4.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCDProcessorA15 BionicA13 BionicRAMUnknown for now; rumored to be 4GB RAM3GB RAMStorage64GB, 128GB, 256GB64GB, 128GB, 256GBRear Cameras12MP ƒ/1.8 Wide camera with Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion12MP ƒ/1.8 Wide camera with up to 5x digital zoomSelfie Camera7MP ƒ/2.2 camera7MP ƒ/2.2 camera5G SupportYes, sub-6 GHz 2×2 MIMONoConnectivityBluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, Lightning connectorBluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, Lightning connectorTouch IDYesYesBatteryUnknown for now1821 mAhCharging Speed20W fast charging (up to 50 percent in 30 minutes)18W fast chargingWireless ChargingYesYesColorsMidnight, Starlight, Product RedBlack, White, Product RedSoftwareiOS 15iOS 13 (updatable to iOS 15)

iPhone SE 3: The Budget iPhone Just Got Better!

The new iPhone SE 3 borrows the best from the iPhone 13 and offers it all in a compact package that appeals to the budget-centric masses. You get iPhone 13’s chipset, unique camera features, 5G connectivity, and improved battery life over the predecessor with the 2022 iPhone SE. Although some might call it old-fashioned, the iPhone SE preserves the nostalgic design that many adore. While you can now use Face ID with a mask, the iPhone SE also retains the reliable Touch ID for unlocking the phone with your fingerprint. Considering the performance improvements and camera features, we think the $30 price bump is justified. What do you think of the new iPhone SE 3? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.