iPhone SE 2022 vs iPhone SE 2020: What’s changed and what hasn’t

Apple has unveiled the long-awaited third-generation

iPhone SE

, the iPhone aimed at users who want a smaller iPhone with a smaller price tag.

Let’s compare the new third-generation iPhone SE (2022) with the second-generation iPhone SE (2020).

Price

The first thing that eagle-eyed buyers will notice is the price. It’s gone up, from $399 to $429. This is a small, but nonetheless significant increase, especially given all the rumors that suggested the iPhone SE would get a price cut.

Given that supply chains are constrained, and prices are being pushed upwards, it’s not surprising that there’s been a price bump.

• iPhone SE (2022): Starting at $429
• iPhone SE (2020): Starting at $399

Storage

Things are unchanged here, note however that the 256GB version of the iPhone SE (2020) was discontinued September 2021.

• iPhone SE (2022): 64, 128, 256GB
• iPhone SE (2020): 64, 128, 256GB

Processor

Big bump here, from the A13 Bionic from September 2019 to the A15 Bionic from September 2021. This brings the iPhone SE (2022) up to date.

• iPhone SE (2022): A15 Bionic
• iPhone SE (2020): A13 Bionic

Camera

Seems that the overall spec of the camera is unchanged — we have the same 12MP wide camera with ƒ/1.8 aperture and featuring a 5x digital zoom. However, the inclusion of the A15 Bionic opens the door to computational photography.

Same goes for the front camera — 7MP camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture — nothing is changed here.

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Display

Unchanged. Both iPhones have the 4.7-inch display, with everything, down to the pixels per inch and brightness, being unchanged.

Dimensions and styling

Unchanged. The old and new iPhone SE share the same look and feel, down to tenths of a millimeter.

Connectivity

The iPhone SE (2022) adds 5G into the lineup over the 4G offering of the iPhone SE (2020).

Battery

A fair bump here of up to a couple of hours for video playback, which is welcomed.

• iPhone SE (2022): Up to 15 hours video playback, up to 10 hours of streamed video playback, and up to 50 hours of audio playback
• iPhone SE (2020): Up to 13 hours video playback, up to 8 hours of streamed video playback, and up to 40 hours of audio playback