Apple unveiled the iPhone SE at its “Peek Performance” event, and we got a sneak peek of the “budget” phone, which will be available on March 18.

The iPhone SE was released in 2016, and it was updated in 2020. Now, two years later, the compact, low-cost smartphone is back. Let’s take a look at what has changed since 2020.

Price

• 2020: 399$
• 2022: 429$

This is the most significant change. The starting price for a 64GB storage device has risen. The most expensive SE is now $579, up from $549 for the 256GB configuration previously.

The 64GB iPhone 11 for $499 is the next cheapest iPhone.

It’s worth noting, however, that the purchasing power of $399 in 2020 equaled a little more than $429 in today’s money — roughly $433.44 — according to usinflationcalculator.com. So, in one very real sense, the iPhone SE has gotten a little cheaper.

Colors

• 2020: Color Scheme: Black, White, and Product Red
• 2022: Midnight, Starlight, and Product Red

The same color options as before, but black and white now have classier names.

Chip

• 2020: A13 Bionic chip
• 2022: A15 Bionic chip

The A13 Bionic chip inside an iPhone 8 shell was powerful at the time. It provided you with the same chip as in the iPhone 11. With the same 15.8 trillion operations per second processing power as the iPhone 13, the 2022 version has now caught up to it. That’s a lot of work.

Access to the full capabilities of iOS 15, including advanced camera modes and Live Text, is another game-changer with the A15 Bionic chip. The iPhone 8 is incapable of doing so.

Size

• 2020: 4.7 inches
• 2022: 4.7 inches

It is still the same size as an iPhone 8. The home button with Touch ID and haptic feedback remains.

Display

• 2020: Retina HD display with 1,334 by 750-pixel resolution
• 2022: Retina HD display with 1,334 by 750-pixel resolution

Camera

• 2020: Single 12-megapixel wide-angle rear sensor (f/1.8 aperture) with LED flash. Front is a 7-megapixel selfie camera.
• 2022: Single 12-megapixel wide-angle rear sensor (f/1.8 aperture) with LED flash. Front is a 7-megapixel selfie camera.

The camera setup remained simple, with a single lens (rather than the three on the iPhone 13) and a selfie camera. However, because of the A15 Bionic chip, you now have access to camera features such as Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion, and (finally!) Portrait Mode.

Battery life

• 2020: 13 hours of video playback
• 2022: 15 hours of video playback

Connectivity

• 2020: No 5G, dual SIM card
• 2022: 5G-enabled, dual SIM card

The year 2022 heralded the arrival of 5G connectivity, and the new iPhone SE is ready to participate. It’s just a matter of finding a 5G network that’s open…