Shout out to all the ballers on a budget because Apple has just announced their new iPhone SE. Since the first iteration, the most affordable iPhone has become a smash hit with consumers, and the latest version should excite the masses. Together with iOS 15 – here’s everything you need to know about that – the upcoming iPhone SE makes a few key upgrades, including the performance of A15 Bionic, 5G, improved battery life, improved durability and an all-new camera system.
Apple iPhone SE 2022 Key Specs:
- Display: 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD display with 1334 x 750 resolution and 326 ppi
- Processor: Apple A15 Bionic chip (same as iPhone 13 lineup)
- Storage: 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB storage options
- RAM: 4GB RAM (Apple doesn’t officially disclose RAM but this is widely reported)
- Rear Camera: Single 12MP wide-angle camera with f/1.8 aperture, supports features like Smart HDR 4, Deep Fusion, and 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps
- Front Camera: 7MP FaceTime HD camera
- Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion battery. Apple doesn’t provide specific battery life ratings but users generally report a full day’s use on a single charge.
- Operating System: iOS 16.0 (as of April 16, 2024)
- Connectivity: 5G connectivity (sub-6 GHz), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
- Security: Touch ID fingerprint sensor with fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
- Design: Aluminum and glass design with a home button and large bezels (similar to iPhone 8)
- Water Resistance: IP67 rated for water and dust resistance (up to 1 meter depth for up to 30 minutes)
- Size and Weight: 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm, 144 grams
“iPhone SE has been an incredibly popular choice with our existing users and for new iPhone customers, thanks to its iconic design, exceptional performance and affordable price. This year we’ve’ built the most powerful and durable iPhone SE yet”, said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing. “Delivering the latest generation of technology and performance at this price is something only Apple can do.”
Apple iPhone SE
Design and Display
Aiming to provide a secure alternative to logging into apps, purchases and transactions, the iPhone SE features the familiar Home button with Touch ID. Enhancing durability, The new model comes equipped with aerospace-grade aluminium and glass design, now with the toughest glass in a smartphone – the same as the back of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. Rated 1p67 for water and dust resistance, the smartphone has been designed to handle liquid spills and splashes.
What About Performance?
Introduced with the iPhone 13, the A15 Bionic chip claims to make every experience better and more fluid, from launching apps to handling tasks. Packing a 6-core CPU with two high-performance and four high-efficiency cores, the A15 Bionic is the fastest available CPU in a smartphone – making the iPhone SE up to 1.8x faster than the iPhone 8. The 16-core Neural Engine unlocks features for iPhone SE like Live Text in Camera app with io15 and on-device dictation.
Even with its compact form factor and new technologies like 5G, the iPhone SE has longer battery life than previous generations. This is due to the A15 Bionic working in conjunction with the latest-generation battery chemistry and full integration with iOS 15 to create a longer battery life. The iPhone SE is compatible with Qi-certified chargers for wireless charging, and also supports fast charging.
The New Camera Experience
A15 Bionic also expands the possibility of the new camera system in the iPhone SE. The 12-megapixel ƒ/1.8 aperture Wide camera offers computational photography benefits, including Smart HD4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion and Portrait mode.
Smart HDR 4: Launched with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, Smart HDR 4 uses intelligent segmentation to apply different adjustments for colour, contrast and noise to the subject versus the background. This aims to ensure faces are exposed in challenging light and renders people in the same photo individually, adjusting for optimised lighting for each person.
Photographic Styles: This allows users to personalise their photo preferences while still benefitting from Apple’s multi-frame image processing. Unlike a simple filter, it offers the ability to intelligently apply adjustments to parts of the photo to ensure certain elements, like skin tone, is preserved.
Deep Fusion: Utilising advanced machine learning to do pixel-by-pixel processing, texture, details and noise are optimised in every photo. Additionally, the image signal processer in A15 Bionic provides significant improvements to videos with reduced noise, particularly in low light, with enhanced white balance and more accurate skin tone.
Software Update – iOS15
iOS in conjunction with 5G connectivity is a more powerful way to stay connected and get more done with iPhone. FaceTime calls have copped a facelift, with higher quality HD picture quality and shared experiences such as watching movies or TV shows in sync with friends now available. Apple Maps brings new ways to navigate with a new three-dimensional city-driving experience and walking directions in augmented reality. Weather has been redesigned to now feature full-screen maps and more geographical displays of data.
Pricing and Availability
iPhone SE will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in midnight, starlight and red starting at AU$719 RRP inc. GST. Customers in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UK, the US and more than 30 other countries and regions will be able to pre-order iPhone SE beginning at 12:00 am AEDT on Saturday, 12 March, with availability beginning Friday, 18 March. Customers can get iPhone SE from the Apple website, in the Apple Store app and at Apple Store locations
