At $429 (£419, AU$719), the iPhone SE (2022) is filled with an old-meets-new appeal. It’s a low-cost way for people …
At $429 (£419, AU$719), the iPhone SE (2022) is filled with an old-meets-new appeal. It’s a low-cost way for people to upgrade from an iPhone 8 (or older) who want to keep a familiar design. The new SE blends the body of an iPhone 8 with the tougher glass and processor from the iPhone 13, but it’s for those who don’t care about Face ID or MagSafe. Apple’s mix-and-match approach gives this iPhone newer features like 5G support, a longer battery life and iPhone 13-levels of performance, all while retaining the home button and the classic, user-friendly design. The iPhone SE is an extremely capable phone with a great camera and all the goodies like iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Music and access to the App Store. Read more: 3 Upgrades Apple Gave the iPhone SE in 2022 The way Apple approached the SE reminds me of the car company Zelectric Motors, which takes vintage Volkswagen Beetles and replaces the old gas-powered engine with an electric motor. The VW bug becomes an entirely different car but at the same time retains the vintage appeal that people love. That’s exactly what’s going on with the SE. At $429, it has the design and body people are fond of, but in terms of apps and iOS features, it’s on par with iPhones that are nearly twice the price. No other phone-maker takes this approach for a low-cost device. It would be like Samsung using the body of its Galaxy S8, putting the Galaxy S22’s processing power inside and charging people $400. The real question, however, is does this approach work? Hell yes, it does. I played graphic-heavy Apple Arcade games on the SE, filmed 4K videos and was able to use iOS 15 tools like Live Text capture with translation. The iPhone SE is an incredible value for the price, especially compared to similarly priced Android phones like the Moto G Stylus 5G, Samsung Galaxy A42 5G and Google Pixel 5A with 5G. Any new phone under $500 is going to make compromises, and the SE demonstrates how savvy Apple was at omitting some things in order to keep others. If you’re considering an iPhone SE, the $429 model comes with 64GB of storage. If you can stretch your budget $50 more, it’s worth upgrading to the 128GB version, especially if you plan to keep the SE for more than a couple years. If you just want a small phone and are trying to choose between the iPhone SE and an iPhone 12 Mini, know that the Mini will cost $170 more. But for that extra money you get a larger and better screen, Face ID, two rear cameras, a contemporary design and a body that is smaller and lighter than the SE. Interestingly, the iPhone SE has a newer and faster processor, which could mean it gets iOS updates longer than the 12 Mini. You’d be forgiven for mistaking the new SE with the previous one from 2020: They look identical. And while the letters SE stand for «Special Edition,» they could easily mean the «Same Edition.» That’s not a dig at either phone — the classic iPhone look is beloved by many. But keep in mind that in 2022, the SE’s design traces back to 2014’s iPhone 6 and is far from cutting-edge. Anyone looking for multiple rear cameras or minimal bezels won’t find them here. The SE has large bezels above and below the screen and a home button with Touch ID instead of Face ID. If you are upgrading from an iPhone 6S,7 or 8, this phone will seem nearly identical in terms of design and build. But it’s not. The SE has the same body as an iPhone 8, but the glass on the front and back is more durable. In fact, it’s the same glass used on the back of the iPhone 13. The finish on the review unit I tested is called midnight. In some lighting it looks jet black, and in other lighting it has an indigo hue. The new SE remains one of the smallest phones (Apple or Android) that you can buy. The glossy glass back and curved sides make the phone feel slippery. The body is rated IP67 for water and dust resistance, which means it can survive being submerged under a meter of water for 30 minutes. When filming the review video, I ran it under the faucet a couple of times to remove dust, and the SE still worked without a hitch. After using Face ID-enabled iPhone models over the last several years, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed using Touch ID again.
