Apple iPhone SE (2022) test: as fast as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but half the price

I plead guilty. I’m way too obsessed with the latest smartphone trends, looking for features that will shape and change the way many of us will live in the near future.

Apple iPhone SE (2022) – Best prices:

The problem with this way of thinking is that an entire segment of users is left out. Users who don’t care about having the best technology, but simply want a smartphone that will allow them to communicate with colleagues, family and friends for years to come, without costing a fortune.

This is where Apple comes in. The Cupertino company has just announced the third generation of iPhone at “low price”. The 2022 edition of the iPhone SE starts at 529 euros, an increase of a few euros compared to the previous generation. Pre-orders are currently open, with shipping and sales beginning Friday, March 18.

I’ve spent the last five days using the iPhone SE as my primary smartphone, and aside from having to adapt from the massive (in comparison) 6.7-inch screen of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, I enjoyed going back to a smaller, more manageable iPhone. In summary, the iPhone SE is a treat to use.

The design of the iPhone SE 2022

Image: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet.

There’s not much to say about the design of the new iPhone SE. It is identical to that of the iPhone SE 2020, close to that of the iPhone 8. As a reminder, this means a 4.7-inch Retina screen with a definition of 1334 x 750.

There are large bezels above and below the screen, which reminds us of how spoiled we are by screens that stretch from edge to edge in modern iPhone designs. Below the screen is Apple’s signature home button, complete with Touch ID, useful for unlocking the smartphone, approving Apple Pay purchases and logging into apps. Above the screen is the 7-megapixel FaceTime camera, as well as the speakers. The edges of the device are rounded, another contrast to the square-edged design of the iPhone 13.

On the right side, we find the side button which is used to turn the device on/off and to put it to sleep or unlock it. On the left edge are the buttons for volume up and down, as well as the mute button. On the bottom of the phone is a Lightning port for charging or syncing the phone.

The rear of the iPhone SE features a single large, 12-megapixel camera and flash. The phone’s back panel and screen use the same glass used on the back of the iPhone 13 – which Apple says is the strongest glass used on a smartphone. This is not the Ceramic Shield glass used on the iPhone 13 screen.

The iPhone SE is available in three colors: midnight, starlight and red. I tested the “starlight” version and I really like it.

I would have liked Apple to add MagSafe technology to the back of the phone, which is very useful for charging your iPhone. Especially since many accessories are now compatible with this technology, in particular the many cases that exist for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 ranges.

The performance of the iPhone SE 2022

Image: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet.

If the design of the new iPhone SE is not very original, what is inside is a big change. Apple used the same processor – A15 Bionic – as for the iPhone 13 line. The A15 Bionic is a six-core processor, including two performance cores and four efficiency cores. It also has a quad-core GPU and a 16-core neural engine. Apple does not publish or talk about the amount of memory in its mobile devices, but I can confirm that the iPhone SE has 4GB of RAM.

I’m not a big fan of using benchmarks to determine the overall performance of a device, be it a computer, tablet, or smartphone. However, I was curious to see how the performance of the iPhone SE compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max – given that they have the same processor – as well as Google’s premiere Tensor processor. generation.

I ran the CPU test in Geekbench 5 on all three devices. The Pixel 6 Pro scored 932 for the single-core test, and 2,139 for the multi-core test. The iPhone 13 Pro Max scored 1,741 and 4,316, respectively. The iPhone SE scored 1,731 and 4,466 on the same single-core and multi-core tests. In other words, the iPhone SE is almost twice as fast as the Pixel 6 Pro, Google’s flagship phone. If that’s not enough to impress you, then let me say it yet another way. The iPhone SE is as fast as Apple’s most expensive phone, the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

My personal experience confirms that the iPhone SE is just as fast as the iPhone 13 Pro Max (which is my primary phone). This is not only noticeable in how quickly you open apps or when multitasking, but also when changing camera modes, for example.

Another benefit of using the A15 Bionic in the iPhone SE is the addition of 5G connectivity. Specifically, you’ll get 5G Sub-6, not 5G mmWave. I don’t know the impact of 5G on the battery life of the iPhone SE, because my carrier has not yet launched 5G where I live. While the lack of mmWave may disappoint some, it’s not a big deal. If the iPhone SE was twice as expensive, it could be. But at this price, the lack of mmWave is not a problem. For those unfamiliar, mmWave is the fastest version of 5G currently available, but rollout has been slow and sporadic and requires being very close to a communications tower, and is often hampered by windows. or even trees.

The single 12-megapixel camera is no exception. While Apple hasn’t improved the hardware itself, the camera benefits from the A15 Bionic processor and its image signal processor. The end result is a camera that takes crisp, clear photos without the need to tinker with settings. Open the device, take the photo and share.

I’ve taken a lot of pictures over the past few days and I can honestly say I haven’t taken any where I felt like the camera experience wasn’t up to par the iPhone 13 Pro Max, with the proviso that the Pro Max has three cameras versus a single lens for the iPhone SE. Instead of showing you photos of everyday objects or boring food photos, I’m going to share this photo of my dogs.

Image: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet.

The 7-megapixel FaceTime camera is also crisp and clear. I was impressed with the image clarity I got when testing FaceTime with my wife.

When it comes to battery life, Apple claims to have added about two hours of battery use to the iPhone SE compared to the second-generation iPhone SE. That equates to 15 hours of video playback, compared to 13 hours for the previous model.

In my usage, the battery life didn’t come close to that of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but that was to be expected. You’ll have to wait for iFixit to tear down the iPhone SE to find out the size of the battery, but I imagine it’s much smaller than the 4,352 mAh battery in the iPhone 13 Pro Max. For reference, the iPhone SE 2020 battery is 1,821 mAh.

That said, I was able to get over three hours of screen life during testing throughout a typical day before I had to reach for my charger. That’s enough for someone who doesn’t live on their phone, constantly checking social media, messages, or email. If you consider yourself a power user, you’ll likely find the iPhone SE’s battery life to be lacking.

I wish Apple had increased the base storage from 64 to 128 GB, especially with the increase in price. Instead, you can get the 64GB for $529, the 128GB for $579, and the 256GB for $699.

My review of the iPhone SE 2022

Image: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet.

The iPhone SE is arguably just as important as the iPhone 13 in Apple’s smartphone lineup. And the new features brought to the new model put it in tune with modern technologies in terms of performance and 5G connectivity thanks, in part, to the A15 Bionic. It’s a phone that’s running iOS 15 right now and will continue to receive iOS updates for the next few years.

Apple has tweaked its recipe for the iPhone SE, improving on a phone that was already a bargain. If you need to equip all your employees with an iPhone, or simply if you like small smartphones, the iPhone SE is a good choice. You simply won’t be able to find a better smartphone at this price.

Apple iPhone SE (2022) – Best prices:

Source: ZDNet.com