We are used to thinking about iPhone SE like the “cheap iPhone”.
And that’s not wrong. After all with his 529 € starting is definitely the Apple smartphone that, right now. It costs less.
However, we want to help you change your perspective slightly.
First of all because, in absolute terms, it is not a cheap device. iPhone SE requires a lower cost than iPhone 13 but the price places it in the medium-high range of the market. And it does it because it is exactly that: an upper-middle-range smartphone.
So you don’t have to think about iPhone SE 2022 like a product that includes incredible sacrifices, one that lacks something fundamental. In reality it has everything you need in a more compact format than usual.
iPhone SE 2022 vs iPhone SE 2022: the similarities
iPhone SE 2022 it looks a lot like the previous model. The inspiring muse therefore remains iPhone 8which means prominent bezels both above and below the display, thin edges, rounded corners and the good old Touch ID on the front.
We would have preferred something more similar to the iPhone 13, with less pronounced edges and a more squared profile but let’s assume that Apple has decided to keep the design unchanged for a reason. Maybe they still had a lot of stock to dispose of or, simply, the general public still loves this aesthetic.
We also find the IP67 certification and the same screen. E’ un Retina HD displayi.e. an IPS LCD with a resolution of 1334 × 750 pixels and a refresh rate of 60 Hz.
Brightness is 625 nits, which might give you some headaches in direct sunlight, but we have to make up for it excellent color rendering which makes it enjoyable to use the iPhone SE both for watching movies and TV series and for gaming.
We then find an excellent olephobic treatment, so you don’t have to worry about constantly removing your fingerprints, and above all the tecnologia True Tonewhich automatically adapts the display mode of the colors to the different light conditions in order to optimize the yield.
And the size? 4.7 inches again. This makes it one of the most compact smartphones in the category, designed to be held and used with one hand.
Do you remember the iPod? Here, in some ways the sensation it transmits is similar, because you have in your hands a very light product (144 grams) and very thin (7.3 mm) but incredibly solid. Compared to other smartphones – including iPhone 13 – it will seem almost “fake” or “empty”, yet it is a finished terminal, designed to really do everything.
Apple then pours an obsessive care on its products: iPhone SE 2022 is elegant, sturdy, with comfortable and impeccably positioned keys, so that they are always reachable with one hand. Only the small switch to activate the Silent is an exception. An understandable choice since its use is not that frequent.
Finally, we conclude with the colors, unchanged compared to two years ago. In fact, we have the models Midnight, Galaxy and (PRODUCT) REDwhich broadly correspond to what was seen with the second generation of iPhone SE.
iPhone SE 2022 review: what has changed
So far we have shown you the similarities between iPhone SE 2022 and iPhone SE 2020. But don’t get the wrong idea. Just because they have things in common doesn’t mean Apple hasn’t made any changes. On the contrary. The differences are there and there are many.
The first concerns the choice of materials. To protect the front and rear of the latest addition we find theor the same glass that characterizes the back cover of the iPhone 13. This makes the product even more resistant than in the past.
From the older brother iPhone SE 2022 also inherits the new A15 Bionic chip, which guarantees improved performance compared to its predecessor. This allows you to have a faster CPU, a more performing GPU – therefore even more suitable for gaming – and all the power of the Neural Engine, designed for all those features that rely on machine learning. For example, you can take advantage of the Live Text function, which allows you to frame a text with the camera and copy it, translate it or send an email to the address you are viewing.
We used iPhone SE to do a little bit of everything: browsing, social media, email, listening to music, streaming TV series and movies, and of course some gaming using Apple Arcade. It never hesitated or gave in under the weight of open apps. Everything flows quickly and smoothly, allowing you to switch from one activity to another in an instant.
The next generation connectivity also makes this possible. iPhone SE 2022 is the first of the family to have 5G support. This means that you will be able to download everything much faster; when you don’t need 5G, the “5G Auto” function allows you to switch to 4G to save some battery.
Speaking of battery, know that the capacity has increased compared to last year. This, together with a greater optimization of the systemgives a couple of hours of use more, allowing you to make it to the end of the day without difficulty. Once the energy is exhausted, you can recharge iPhone SE 2022 with the supplied lightning cable (the power supply is not included) or using wireless charging.
Finally, we come to the latest news: the camera. From a purely hardware point of view we have more or less the same lenses, so with a 12 MP rear sensor with F / 1.8 aperture and a 7 MP front sensor with F / 2.2 aperture. What changes then? The new processor allows you to unlock some additional features such as Smart HDR 4 – which optimizes color, contrast and noise to enhance the subject with respect to the background -, Deep Fusion, which processes every single pixel to improve texture and details, or photographic styles, which modify the photo without affecting the complexion.
iPhone SE 2022 – Photo 1
The results? iPhone SE 2022 gives great shots with colors that remain very natural and the possibility of using the filters already present on the small Apple smartphone. The integrated night mode in the iPhone 13 is missing but this does not mean that you cannot get good photos even in the dark, on the contrary, the point and click works surprisingly well even in low light conditions.
So what changes compared to the older brother? With distant subjects SE tends to lose some detaila detail that he maintains when he has to immortalize an object closer to the lens.
Overall, however, the results seemed more than satisfactory.
iPhone SE 2022 review: conclusions
Apparently iPhone SE 2022 it looks like a copy of its predecessor but it isn’t. Apple has worked a lot for improve a product that continues to have a specific audience. Indeed, to tell the truth, the target is wider than expected. Yes, because the SE continues to be suitable for those who want to enter the Apple world without spending a lot, for those looking for a compact product but capable of really doing anything and for the very young, with parents undoubtedly more predisposed to spend. € 529 compared to the € 939 required by the iPhone 13 or the € 839 required to purchase the iPhone 13 mini.
iPhone SE 2022 is still confirmed as an excellent entry point into the Apple ecosystem, a way to start discovering what the American company has to offer without giving up practically anything.