iPhone SE 3: News, Price, Release Date, and Specs

Similar price, but with 5G and newer processor

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Updated on March 24, 2022

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Despite a four-year gap between the first and second-generation iPhone SE (2016 to 2020), Apple released an upgraded version in early 2022. It has the same screen size as the iPhone 8, and comes with 5G and an upgraded processor.

When Was the iPhone SE 3 Released?

Apple announced the iPhone SE on March 8, 2022. Pre-ordering began March 11, and availability started March 18. You can order the iPhone SE at Apple.com.

What to Expect From the Next Apple Event

iPhone SE 3 Price

The iPhone SE is considered a budget phone. Since the exterior design resembles an iPhone from 2017, its price reflects that older design, like the second-generation iPhone SE.

There are three models to pick from, depending on the capacity you want:

$429 for 64 GB
$479 for 128 GB
$579 for 256 GB

iPhone SE 3 Features

5G has made its way into this phone. According to Apple, "Smart Data mode will intelligently conserve battery life by automatically shifting iPhone to LTE when 5G speeds are not needed."

See where you can get 5G in the US if you're unsure.

iPhone SE 3 Specs and Hardware

The iPhone SE form factor has historically been based on an older generation iPhone. The 2016 version shared the same physical design as the 2013 iPhone 5S, and the 2020 iPhone SE is identical to the 2017 iPhone 8.

The third generation is similar, as it looks like the iPhone 8. That means the iPhone SE 2022 comes with a 4.7-inch display. It uses a widescreen LCD Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology, and has 1334-by-750-pixel resolution at 326 ppi and 1400:1 contrast ratio.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's predictions about two significant upgrades for this phone are true: 5G and Apple's A15 processor (second-generation iPhone SE uses the A13 processor). 5G was introduced to the iPhone in late 2020 with iPhone 12, so this is the first SE with the technology.

Here are the A15 Bionic chip details: 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores, 4-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine.

All models support Sub-6GHz (mid and low-frequency bands), not mmWave (higher frequency radio bands; i.e., faster data speeds).

5G Spectrum and Frequencies: Everything You Need to Know

Some early rumors about this phone said this iPhone SE would be modeled after the larger iPhone XR from 2018, and that it'd have a 6.1-inch display and a side fingerprint scanner. However, it's clear now that the larger-screen version, if it'll ever come, will arrive later, and some think it'll be called iPhone SE Plus.

There isn't a firm consensus just yet. And it's not clear what's meant by the Plus moniker. In a way, this sort of makes sense. The first two iPhone SEs arrived four years apart, which would place another one in 2024. But since we have a 2022 version already, a Plus model might arrive at the end of that release cycle, in 2024. That, or they've simply decided to accelerate the SE, and now we'll see two to three year rollouts. Only time will tell what the future holds.

There are three storage options: 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. Ming-Chi Kuo's prediction on the colors were right, too: (PRODUCT)RED, Starlight, and Midnight.