iPhone SE 3 Vs iPhone SE 2 – What are the major differences

A few days ago, Apple held its spring new product launch conference. At the launch event, the company unveiled a couple of devices including the new Mac Studio, Studio Display, a new generation of iPad Air, and a new generation of iPhone SE (iPhone SE 3). Furthermore, the company unveiled two new colour options for the iPhone 13/13 Pro. The focus of this event for many people is obviously the iPhone SE 2022 (or iPhone SE 3). This smartphone is coming two years after its predecessor, iPhone SE 2020 (iPhone SE 2) hit the market. Considering its two years gap, you will expect Apple to incorporate some new features on this device.

 

iPhone SE 3 Vs iPhone SE 2

So, what is the difference between the iPhone SE 3 and the iPhone SE 2? What are the upgrades that this new device brings? This is what this article will attempt to elucidate.

Design

Like the iPhone SE 2, the iPhone SE 3 has basically no changes in appearance. It inherits the “ancestral” mold and retains the large top bezel and chin. The length, width, and height of the whole smartphone remain the same. The weight of this new smartphone is 144 grams, which is 4 grams lighter than the previous generation. The perception is not strong, with front and rear glass panels, aviation-grade aluminum metal frame, etc.

This means that in terms of design, it will ve very difficult to differentiate between the iPhone SE 3 and iPhone SE 2 at first glance. This is not a surprise because Apple is not a company that changes its design often. Take the flagship iPhones as an example, since the 2017 iPhone X, it is only the 2021 iPhone 13 series that tweaked the notch. This means that four generations of iPhones used exactly the same display. This kind of attitude is only common with Apple and not with Android manufacturers.

Processor

The chip is one of the major upgrades in the new iPhone SE 3. From the official release notes, the new iPhone SE 3 comes with the new flagship A15 Bionic processor. This is the same flagship processor that the latest iPhone 13 series uses. According to the company, this chip is 26 times faster than the iPhone 8.

 

The Apple A15 Bionic upgrades to a 16-core NPU, using a new 6-core CPU + 4-core GPU. In contrast, the iPhone SE 2 comes with an A13 Bionic chip, which consists of a 6-core CPU + 4-core GPU + 8-core NPU.

This chip means that in terms of performance, the iPhone SE will be as good as the iPhone 13 series. However, the constraints will be the difference in display size, battery size, and heat dissipation.

5G network

In addition to the new processor, the use of 5G on this new smartphone is another selling point. Apple also adds a 5G network to the iPhone SE 3 with a built-in Snapdragon X60 5G baseband. The supports a download rate of up to 7.5Gbps and an upload rate of up to 3.5Gbps. This smartphone supports 5G SA, NSA dual networking, etc. The previous iPhone SE 2 only supports a 4G network and this is an advantage of the new version.

Display & Camera

The display and camera configuration of both smartphones are consistent. Both smartphones come with a 4.7-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 1334 x 750, and 326ppi. In the camera department, these devices use a 12MP wide-angle rear camera lens that supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, IP67 dustproof and waterproof, etc. Of course, with the blessing of the A15 Bionic chip, the iPhone SE3 has a better image performance.

The starting price of the iPhone SE 3 is $429 in the U.S. and this is for the 64GB model. However, this device is more expensive in China. According to official reports, this smartphone will cost 3499 yuan for the 64GB model. The 128GB version costs 3899 yuan while the 256GB version sells for 4699 yuan. In comparison, we can see that the new iPhone SE 3 is only 200 yuan more expensive than the previous generation. This is of course with respect to the Chinese market price.

iPhone SE 3 cons

There are a couple of things that users should consider when purchasing this smartphone. Please note that it is a very small device (4.7-inch). Thus, if you are not used to small screen smartphones, be careful. The display is too small and gamers will not enjoy it even though it has a good chip for gaming. Another thing to watch out for is its battery. Since this device supports 5G, it will consume more power. The Apple iPhone SE 2 battery is less than 1900 mAh. Because of the size of this device, it will likely use a similar battery capacity. Thus, the power bank will be a good companion if you are purchasing this smartphone.

Apple iPhone SE 2022 specifications

• 4.7-inch (1334 x 750 pixels) IPS 326 ppi display, 1400:1 contrast ratio, 625 cd/m2 max brightness
• Six-Core A15 (2 performance and 4 efficiency cores) Bionic 5nm chip with 64-bit architecture, 4‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
• 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage options
• iOS 15
• Dual SIM (nano + eSIM)
• Water and dust resistant (IP67)
• 12MP wide-angle (f/1.8) camera, optical image stabilization, True Tone flash, 4K video recording at 60 fps, Slo‑mo 1080p at 240 fps
• 7MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1080p video recording
• Touch ID Fingerprint sensor
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Dimensions: 138.4×67.3×7.3mm; Weight: 144g
• 5G (sub‑6 GHz), Gigabit-class LTE, 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC with reader mode, GPS with GLONASS
• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery with up to 15 hours video playback

Apple iPhone SE 2020 specifications

• 4.7-inch (1334 x 750 pixels) IPS 326 ppi display, 1400:1 contrast ratio, 625 cd/m2 max brightness
• Six-core A13 Bionic 64-bit processor, 8-core Neural Engine
• 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage options
• iOS 13
• Dual SIM (nano + eSIM)
• Water and dust resistant (IP67)
• 12MP wide-angle (f/1.8) camera, optical image stabilization, True Tone flash, 4K video recording at 60 fps, Slo‑mo 1080p at 240 fps
• 7MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1080p video recording
• TouchID Fingerprint sensor
• Built‑in stereo speaker
• Dimensions: 138.4x 67.3×7.3mm; Weight:148g
• Gigabit-class 4G LTE up to 1.6Gbps, 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC with reader mode, GPS with GLONASS
• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery with Up to 13 hours video playback, Qi wireless charging, 18W fast charging (5w charger in the box)