Apple introduces iPhone SE 5G, the old-school smartphone as powerful as an iPhone 13

Apple has just unveiled the iPhone SE 5G during a keynote. As expected, this third edition takes up the hackneyed design of the old iPhones. On the other hand, the affordable smartphone does well thanks to a more powerful chipset and the addition of 5G. Technical sheet, release date, price… We tell you everything about this new mid-range iPhone.

This Tuesday, March 8, 2022, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, took the stage for the first time this year. During this first keynote, the manager lifted the veil on several highly anticipated new products. Unsurprisingly, it is iPhone SE 5G who established himself as the big star of the event.

5G, SoC A15 Bionic and old-school design with Touch ID

The iPhone SE 5G takes up the assets already popularized by its predecessors. Very much like an iPhone 8, the phone is built around a 4.7 inch LCD screen. This touch screen, very small compared to our current uses, is surrounded by wide borders. Apple uses the same protection as on the iPhone 13 to protect the front and the back from possible damage. It is also IP67 certified against water and dust.

In the bottom border, we find a Touch ID fingerprint reader. As expected, Apple is taking the form factor of its old iPhones to the letter. Very compact, the third iPhone SE of the name should delight small hands.

As noted by Tim Cook, the compact format is very popular with some users. “iPhone SE has been an incredibly popular choice with our existing users and new iPhone customers, thanks to its iconic design, exceptional performance and affordability”, welcomes the group. Apparently, Apple is therefore again relying on a proven formula.

The back camera comes down to a single 12-megapixel sensor. Apple announces a brand new large format lens (ƒ/1.8). Thanks to this lens, it is capable of filming in 4K/30 fps. Above all, Apple is adding a series of new software features taken from its latest high-end smartphones.

There we find in particular photographic styles (filters boosted with AI), Cinematic mode, Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 4. Note also the presence of the Centered frame option (which keeps the user’s face in the center of the screen during a video call), inaugurated last spring on the iPad Pro. However, these additions do not hide a hardware that is still starving.

The unique novelties of the iPhone SE 3 are invisible to the eye. On this generation, Apple has indeed contented itself with improving performance. Instead of the A13 Bionic SoC of the iPhone SE 2020, we find an A15 Bionic chipset. It’s the same super-powerful chip that powers the iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max.

Despite its small size, the latest generation iPhone SE should offer top-flight performance. During the keynote, Apple pointed out that the iPhone SE 2022 is significantly more powerful than previous models with a similar look.

Thanks to its new SoC, the iPhone SE is compatible with 5G. It’s the first model in the range to benefit from 5G compatibility. This addition will allow Apple to democratize 5G among iOS users whose budget is limited.

True to form, Apple has not specified the size of the battery integrated into its iPhone SE. For the record, the previous model was still a little short on autonomy. Apple, however, assures that autonomy is better on this new version. We regret the absence of the MagSafe magnetic refill.

Finally, note that the iPhone SE 5G is available with 256 GB of internal storage. On the previous model, Apple did not offer more than 128 GB of memory. This year, the options include 64, 128 and 256 GB. On the software side, the iPhone SE 2022 runs on iOS 15, the latest version of Apple’s operating system.

iPhone SE 5G price and release date

Apple will open pre-orders of the iPhone SE 5G from Friday March 11 at 2 p.m.. The first deliveries will arrive the following week, Friday, March 18. That day, the smartphone will also land in stores (Apple Store and resellers). Apple offers the iPhone SE in three colors: red, black and white.

In the United States, the iPhone SE is offered at 429 dollars. The price in France has not yet been announced.