iPhone SE 2022 vs iPhone 13 mini: Which Compact iPhone Wins?

Introduction: iPhone SE (3rd Generation)

Apple’s new iPhone SE (3rd generation) is its most affordable iPhone ever and is available to buy from March 2022 It takes classic design and m… Designed for those of us who love the size and shape of the four-inch screen, but still want the iOS platform with top-of-the-line internals.

At first sight, it strongly rsembles the iPhone 8, being equipped with a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, a home button with its Touch ID-equipped fingerprint scanner and large bezels — making this handset the very last to sport a physical fingerprint reader on an iPhone model. Everything is wrapped in a bag that looks old, but beneath the nostalgic skin we find the A15 Bionic chip as iPhone 13 series. Meaning, It is fast enough to run any App or Game smoothly and multitasking at the same time would not be an issue too.

With a single 12MP rear camera, it might not sound like much on paper but blessed with Apple’s sophisticated image processing tech, the iPhone SE is once again capable of achieving impressive photographic results especially in good lighting. It even has 4K video recording and Deep Fusion.

The iPhone SE (3rd gen) is the perfect phone for those who are looking for a dependable iPhone experience without wanting to spend any extra money, given it has 5G connectivity, wireless charging and long-term iOS support. Similarly, it is an awesome point of entry for anyone new to iPhones or migrating from one of the much older models.

Specs at a Glance: iPhone SE (3rd Generation)

• Launch Date: March 8, 2022
• Body & Design: Aluminum frame, glass front and back, Touch ID Home button
• Dimensions: 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm
• Weight: 144 grams
• Display:
  • 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD
  • 1334 x 750 resolution (~326 ppi)
  • True Tone, Wide Color (P3), Haptic Touch
• Chipset: A15 Bionic (6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine)
• Operating System: Initially iOS 15, currently supports iOS 17
• RAM & Storage Options:
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB / 128GB / 256GB storage options (non-expandable)
• Rear Camera:
  • 12MP f/1.8 wide, OIS
  • Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, 4K video up to 60fps
• Front Camera:
  • 7MP f/2.2
  • 1080p video at 30fps
• Battery Life:
  • Up to 15 hours video playback
  • Wireless charging supported (Qi)
  • Fast charging up to 50% in ~30 minutes (20W adapter or higher)
• Connectivity:
  • 5G, Wi‑Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC (Apple Pay), Lightning port
• Water/Dust Resistance: IP67 certified

Unboxing the iPhone SE (3rd Gen)

Like many Apple products going forward, the unboxing experience of the iPhone SE (3rd generation) adheres to Apple’s eco-friendly packaging trend and is simple and to the point. Its own discreet recycled packaging box is slim. Up front, a partial case sketch is visible in the color of your choosing (Midnight, Starlight or (PRODUCT)RED), along with the Apple logo on the edges.

Notably, beneath the lid you could see the iPhone SE (3rd gen) at an instant right on top but tucked between a protective paper film rather than plastic carrying his Home button and preeminent Touch ID sensor. The device comes with a small paper envelope underneath that has following contents:

• A SIM ejector tool
• Apple stickers
• A quick start guide and warranty info

Beneath that, you have a USB-C to Lightning cable and in true form with the rest of its lineup, no charging adapter or EarPods—Apple has moved to this to reduce electronic waste.

Flowing is clean and unadorned, just like the phone in its simple functionality. The good news is that even though the iPhone SE (3rd gen) is a smaller and more basic device, it doesn’t feel cheap with its glass front and back sandwiching an aluminum frame.

In all, the unboxing process is what I would expect from an Apple product — straight-forward and efficient. Perfect for the no-nonsense user who just needs a phone to turn on.

Design – iPhone SE (3rd Gen)

Both the iPhone SE (3rd generation) design is classic and compact and it has exactly the same shape as well as size as iPhone 8. Because it still has 4.7-inch Retina HD display with larger-than-life bezels atop and below, a design that might make long-time iPhone owners feel said nostalgia.

Touch ID still remains in the form of a physical Home button on the front, allowing you to unlock your phone and make purchases with familiar and secure fingerprint recognition. The only model in Apple’s current iPhone product stack to sport a Home button

It comes with a body built from aerospace-grade aluminum, and glass on the front and back for wireless charging. Although an entry-level helmet, the overall quality of materials still feels decent and substantial. It is also water and dust resistant with an IP67 rating so you can use it wherever there might be water.

Lightweight, and small (just 144g) you would be able to use the phone with one hand easily and is great for anyone that like smaller phones.

Check out the best cases and screen protectors for iPhone SE (3rd gen) to protect your new small phone available in Midnight, Starlight, and (PRODUCT)RED.

Build Quality – iPhone SE (3rd Gen)

In terms of design, the iPhone SE (3rd generation) has good build quality as expected in Ray’s famous safe and reliable manner, even for budget-friendly products from Apple. It’s constructed with an aluminum frame and glass on the front and back. Those materials will be familiar to anyone who knows the higher-end iPhones, as they’re also in the construction of the body of the iPhone 8 which it is based on.

This discourages me a little although the only thing that we know is the built will be aerospace-aluminum and it weighs 144 grams. The front glass is reinforced with ion-exchange technology, and while not the Ceramic Shield found on top-tier devices, it’s still pretty durable against everyday scuffs and small drops.

The phone also has an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, which means it can be underwater in as much as 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. This gives peace of mind for the normal bumps and knocks that everyday life can throw at us such as spillages, squirts or brief dunks in water.

Even the physical buttons like the home button have a good feel to them. The Home Button: ” With the click wheel satisfyingly poppy and solid” Despite the larger screen, it is comfortable to hold and operate with one hand because of the phone’s compact size and balanced weight.

In short, the iPhone SE (3rd gen) is impeccably well constructed with a great handling while maintaining some of its time tested design features — showing that even Apple’s budget smartphone comes from good stock in this regard.

Controls: iPhone SE (3rd Generation)

Apple has stuck to its traditional minimalist iPhone controls with the iPhone SE (3rd generation), so overall this phone is extremely simple and straightforward—which is great, especially for those who are used to old iPhones. Arguably its most unique feature is the front-mounted Home button, complete with Touch ID for rapid and safe fingerprint unlocking and Apple Pay authentication. The double press works as the new multitasking and long press is for invoking Siri, and it’s also used to switch between apps as described above.

On the left side, we have the Ring/ Silent switch — a hallmark Apple design that puts your iPhone out of silent mode within one flick. Below that is the power button, which turned out to be a reliable and responsive, conveniently located for reach by thumb or finger; it works consistently opposed to by mistake.

On the right is the Side button (used for power/lock, as well as to call on Siri) It is also used in shutdown and force restarts by holding alongside a volume key.

In a world of all-screen models that rely on gestures to navigate the UI, the iPhone SE feels like an old friend by comparison with its buttons that feel sturdier than ever.

But suffice it to say, the iPhone SE (3rd gen) gives you easy, simple controls that come with a sense of nostalgia at times when things were basic and made more straightforward to the eyes while being topped up peak performance.

Battery Life: iPhone SE (3rd Generation)

The iPhone SE (3rd generation) delivers decent battery life for a compact device, thaThe long life is thank you to the competent A15 Bionic chip and iOS 15♪… Apple has squeezed in a larger battery than its predecessor, although of course by modern iPhone standards the size is on the small side.

The iPhone SE (3rd gen) is rated by Apple as being able to provide 15 hours of video playback, 10 hours of streaming and lasts for up to 50 hours when playing music. This results in an all-day battery life (i.e. light to moderate, checking emails, a bit of web browsing, social media and the odd video or game) by everyday standards. Heavy users will probably need a topup by late afternoon if heavy with use of the 5G connection, games or video.

Toffee — there is 20W fast charging support in the phone, and with a compatible charger (sold separately) it can charge the battery up to 50 percent in about 30 minutes. Given that the whole solid design, it is Qi wireless charging helpful as perfect, but this option available slower than which wired alternatives. But it lacks compatibility for MagSafe.

So to sum things up — The iPhone SE (3rd gen) doesn’t offer the best battery life you can get, but it lasts long enough for casual use with a power-efficient chip and quick top-up options available if you’re always on the move.

The iPhone SE (3rd generation) is fast-charge-capable for up to 20W, and it will charge up to 50 percent in around 30 minutes using an applicable USB-C power adapter (sold separately). That’s not the fastest around, but for a phone with a smaller battery that should take no time to fill up completely, that’s pretty good going.

A full charge usually completes in 1.5 hours (depends on charging while using). It is somewhat advantageous for those who get lot of top-ups and dont want to keep the phone idle for couple of hours like a normal charge.

The device also delivers a wireless charging experience via the Qi standard for cable-free convenience. That said, wireless charging will be slower (about 7.5W) so it is better suited for uses that stretch a whole evening or with casual all day desk use. One thing worth noting is that the iPhone SE (3rd gen) does not support MagSafe, a feature available on newer iPhones and designed to ensure you get perfect magnetic alignment and faster wireless speeds.

There is no charging brick, as Apple has chosen to only include a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box — meaning iPhone users upgrading from an older device may need to buy new adapter plugs.

All in all, the iPhone SE (3rd gen) provides consistent, fast charging to make use of it alongside an efficient battery that effectively gets you less time tethered.

Loudspeakers: iPhone SE (3rd Generation)

On the appropriate aspect of the phone, there is a power button that stands alone in boasting a textured feel — and features which guarantee to work for years without issue (you can check Apple’s range history). The base edge is home to the iPhone SE‘s stereo speaker setup: using both that bottom-firing speaker and the earpiece speaker as a pair to convey stereophonic sound. For a phone that is so small and looks just about as old-fashioned as you can get, it provides a nice clear/loud audio for media on the go.

This combination isn’t going to rock your world, but it delivers balanced sound reproduction in daily use, particularly the mid and high frequencies. Vocals in music, calls and video sound clear and there is little distortion at high volumes. The sound, including the bass (which is obviously constrained due to the modest size of both the body and drivers), was more than adequate for watching YouTube and streaming shows or video calling.

For speakerphone, the sound retains clear and loud even in some level of noise happening around. It’s not quite as immersive as the spatial audio you’ll experience on high-end iPhones like the 13 Pro or 14 series, but it still punches well above its weight.

The stereo speakers on the iPhone SE (3rd gen) are straightforward, but they work — and loudly enough for most people wanting that kind of simple, drop-dead-clear audio from a small phone.

Software – iPhone SE (3rd Gen)

The iPhone SE features the same iOS 15 as all other iPhones, with Focus mode, Live Text, FaceTime enhancements such SharePlay, more advanced privacy controls, and a redesigned notifications UI. iOS is tailored to the 4.7-inch screen size and includes a Home button for easy navigation; this makes it very comfortable to use when upgrading from older iPhones.

However, despite the display constraints that limit some aspects of multitasking that are available on larger models, it does support all of the same core iOS features, including widgets, App Library, FaceTime enhancements and integration with Apple’s ecosystem via iCloud, AirDrop and Continuity.

As for the iPhone SE (3rd generation) the phone gets launched with iOS 15 and it will be getting a few more updates including iOS 17. Even though it has a classic design and is smaller in size, Apple released the Watch Series 7 with A15 Bionic inside, meaning all the software features and updates of Apple’s premier models will find their way to your wrist if you get this device.

Performance – iPhone SE (3rd Gen)

Priced from $429, the iPhone SE (3rd generation) offers excellent performance for an entry-level phone with a small form factor courtesy of its A15 Bionic chip – also used in the iPhone 13 family. The 6-core CPU is combined with a 4-core GPU and also includes a 16-core Neural Engine to also deliver smooth and responsive performance for everyday tasks, multitasking, as well as demanding applications. The SE also runs quickly, apps open swiftly, navigating the system is smooth, and overall just super stable despite its smaller size and non-4k display.

As far as real-world performance is concerned, it can manage with basic social media, video streaming, messaging and web browsing. Games play well even with graphic intensive titles, yet gaming for a long period can make the small screen distressing. This second-generation Neural Engine is capable of performing advanced machine learning tasks like real-time photo processing, Siri voice recognition, and on-device language translation in the blink of an eye.

While the iPhone SE (3rd generation) does outperform most other budget and mid-range smartphones in benchmark testing, more so when compared to rival Android devices of similar price. Over time, it heats up very little and features relatively cool thermal management. The iPhone SE (3rd gen) will still be a fantastic option for those looking for the fastest phone they can get, but don’t care about having the biggest screen or most camera features.

Camera – iPhone SE (3rd Gen)

There is one 12MP wide camera on the back of the iPhone SE (3rd generation) with an f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization, and advanced image processing from the A15 Bionic chip The hardware might be the same as the SE model that preceded it, but its powerful image signal processor makes a huge difference in photo quality across detail, color balance and dynamic range.

In good light, the camera captures images that are sharp and well-exposed, with a natural color reproduction and accurate skin tones. That it finally makes highlights splashier and shadows deeper doesn’t hurt the balance of photos under any light nearly as bad anymore. Personnel can be portrayed in new modes of portrait, notwithstanding no secondary lens for pocketing software to create a appetizing bokeh for them. Unfortunately, portrait mode is for people only.

Hitting least cash related costs in any occasion, actually beating f4 would appear to be a good thing for performance if you consider a wide-angle capabillity. Cool low-light shooting is competent for an alone focal point system, yet it comes up short on a Night Mode. In low light, photos will be on the noisier, mushy side but still completely shareable for casual use. There’s a solid video-recording capability, upto 4K at 60fps is supported, and the output footage is steady and crisp thanks to OIS and clever processing. The front 7MP camera is perfectly sufficient for appearance and video calls, but it’s pretty comparable to the least modern iPhones.

In the end, it is both a main camera and selfie camera that offers decent performance at this price level (with good light) as well as the help of Apple’s great software (albeit many photo technicalities like portrait are borrowed from more expensive models).

Photo and Video Quality – iPhone SE (3rd Gen)

For those who prefer easy, dependable results to the complications of more than one lens and an advanced camera system, the iPhone SE (3rd generation) provides solid photo and video quality. Apple uses a single 12MP rear camera here, and as long as there’s good lighting your images will come out clean and detailed, with Apple’s A15 Bionic processor handling futureproofing all the image processing. Color accuracy, contrast balance and detail level are all depicted by well-lit outdoor or indoor shots. By taking full advantage of computational photography, Smart HDR 4 is able to retain more details in highlights and shadows, especially under conditions where the contrast is already high, adding a nice finishing touch to the kind of photos you typically take ref.

The software-driven depth sensing Portrait mode works well enough, provided there is a recognizable human subject. Subject isolation is clean, and bokeh looks creamy behind the subject. That said, not having Night Mode is pretty noticeable in low light situations. These low light photos have more noise and, are less sharp but by no means is the outcome void of acceptability for real-world usage.

Another broad measure of success is in video quality, where the iPhone SE holds up quite well. With optical image stabilization and computational improvements, it can shoot 4K at 60fps; it looks great. Because of that, video is still adequate at lower lights, although you may notice some grain. That front 7MP camera is a little long in the tooth, too, though it takes fine selfies and 1080p video clips for FaceTime or sharing socially — just don’t expect Apple’s latest selfie wizardry.

To put it briefly, the iPhone SE (3rd gen) takes decent and impressive looking photos and video with a price tag at its level, relying on Apple’s software mastery rather than top-end camera capabilities.

Alternatives: iPhone SE (3rd Generation)

The iPhone SE (2022) is a decent phone for those who want smaller, Touch ID phones there are other small or affordable options worth considering too. You are all obviously loving those big screen dimensions, strong battery life and Android experience of course, but if you fancy changing it up a little then check out these fine alternatives.

The one that’s really obvious in Apple’s lineup is the iPhone 13 mini. It has the smaller size and a larger, sharper 5.4-inch OLED display, Face ID, dual cameras, and lasts longer running on the same A15 Bionic chip. One is costlier than the SE, but with a far more modern aesthetic.

The standard iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 are other good choices, offering bigger screens, better cameras, and longer battery life. These models work for users who need a bit more screen real estate without going full Pro.

Android users may consider the Google Pixel 7a as their best option. As for its plusses, it’s got a stellar camera and dependable hardware that’ll last you awhile. Also In the List is The Samsung Galaxy A54 which comes with a bigger AMOLED display and balanced performance at its price point.

The iPhone SE (3rd gen) is ideal for anyone who prefers Touch ID and iOSios in a small package, but if you have different priorities, one of these options might provide a better screen, more functionality, or superior value.

Pros and Cons – iPhone SE (3rd Gen)

The iPhone SE (3rd generation) is a unique offering in Apple’s lineup, blending modern performance with a classic design. It comes with several advantages but also has a few trade-offs that may not suit every user.

Pros:

• Powerful A15 Bionic chip: Delivers flagship-level speed, smooth multitasking, and supports advanced features like computational photography and machine learning.
• Compact and lightweight design: Ideal for one-handed use and those who prefer smaller phones.
• Affordable entry into the Apple ecosystem: Offers excellent value for users who want an iPhone experience without the premium price tag.
• Reliable software support: Runs the latest iOS and is expected to receive updates for years, ensuring long-term usability.
• Touch ID: A familiar and convenient authentication method, especially appreciated by users who prefer it over Face ID.

Cons:

• Outdated design: Thick bezels and a small 4.7-inch LCD make the phone feel dated compared to modern smartphones.
• Single rear camera: Lacks ultra-wide or telephoto options, and doesn’t support Night Mode for low-light photography.
• No Face ID or MagSafe: Missing some of Apple’s newer hardware features.
• Small display: Not ideal for media consumption, gaming, or multitasking.
• Limited battery life: May require charging by the end of the day with moderate to heavy use.

Overall, the iPhone SE (3rd gen) is a smart choice for users who value speed, simplicity, and iOS reliability in a compact, budget-friendly package—provided they’re okay with a few modern sacrifices.

Verdict – iPhone SE (3rd Gen)

We love the latest iPhone SE — it packs excellent performance, long life software support, in a compact frame that does not break the bank. It performs really well for its price-range, thanks in no small part the A15 Bionic chip that keeps it right on par with Apple’s flagship models for speed and responsiveness. The clean construction, dependability of Touch ID, and diminutive size will be especially attractive for those who long for a more classic iPhone experience without the heft or complexity of heavier devices.

But that old-school design, 4.7-inch screen and single-camera set-up may be a little too basic for those who are used to more modern smartphones. Face ID, Night Mode, and an edge-to-edge screen are missing in action on the iPhone SE—features that are de rigueur on even mid-range Android phones. The battery life is also just OK and the screen is not exactly best-suited for long-term media consumption or multitasking.

However, if you want to be fast and nimble with long legs for iOS updates, And don’t care at all about the fashion trends or that second camera (or even the camera bump), then absolutely, the iPhone SE (3rd gen) is intelligent an reliable pick. It is an good phone for the erm. first time iPhone user, minimalists or to replace an older model like the iPhone 6,7 and 8.