Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation) Specifications, Tests and Review

Display
4.7", 1334 x 750
Front Camera
7 Megapixel
Main Camera
12 Megapixel
Operating System
iOS 15
Storage
64 GB
Processor
Apple A15 Bionic

Other Variants:

Complete technical specifications, details, expert ratings and review of Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation). Find out how your chosen phone stacks up against the competition and whether it's the one that best meets your expectations with the phone comparison feature.

Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation) Full Specifications and Details

design and dimensions display processor memory camera battery and charging cellular communications media features others

DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Product Type Smartphone
Manufacturer Model Number A2783
Form Factor Touch
Height 138.4 mm Better than 53 % of phones rated.
Width 67.3 mm Worse than 51 % of phones rated.
Depth 7.3 mm Better than 96 % of phones rated.
Weight 144 g Better than 50 % of phones rated.
Body Colour Starlight | Midnight | Red
Body Material Aluminium, glass
Protection Dustproof, water-resistant, splash-resistant
Waterproof (Water-resistant) Yes Better than 86 % of phones rated.
IP rating IEC 60529 IP67
SAR Value 0.99 W/kg (body), 0.98 W/kg (head)
Connector Type Lightning
SIM Card Type (Size) Nano SIM, Electronic SIM card (e-SIM)
SIM Card Qty Dual-SIM

The Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation) has a height of 138.4 mm, a width of 67.3 mm and a thickness of 7.3 mm. The weight of the phone is 144 g. Many users will also appreciate the waterproof design.

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DISPLAY Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Display Type LCD display
Display Technology Retina HD display with IPS technology
Screen Size (Display Size) 4.7" Worse than 56 % of phones rated.
Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) 1334 x 750 pixels Better than 64 % of phones rated.
Pixel Density 326 ppi Worse than 66 % of phones rated.
Max Brightness 625 cd/m² Better than 54 % of phones rated.
Contrast Ratio 1400:1
Display Enhancement Technology Dolby Vision
Display Features Display Zoom, Reachability (screen shifting), True Tone display, Wide colour display (P3), Dark mode, Haptic touch, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG)
Display Protection (Screen Protector) Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

The screen size reaches 4.7" inches. Phones with smaller displays are easier to use with one hand. The experience is less pleasant compared to phones with large displays. However, if you're buying a phone for basic use and don't want, for example, a good gaming experience or a large screen for watching movies, this size should be good enough for you. LCD displays are currently taking a back seat. This is mainly due to higher power consumption. In addition, they have the disadvantage of lower colour contrast, which can be reflected e.g. in the resulting photos. On the other hand, phones with LCD displays are in general cheaper than those with OLED technology.

Display Resolution of Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation) is 1334 x 750 pixels. A higher display resolution is a prerequisite for a sharper image. The standard for mid-range phones today is a Full HD resolution of 1920 × 1080 px. Cheaper phones, which usually have a smaller diagonal, have an HD resolution of 1280 × 720 px. Smaller resolutions can only be found in older models. Best phones, on the other hand, have a 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160 px. Display´s pixel density is 326 ppi and represents another significant factor affecting image sharpness besides resolution. The higher the value, the sharper the image. Average value is currently about 350-400 ppi, which guarantees a fine and sufficiently sharp image. Finest modern phone displays reach 450 ppi and above.

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PROCESSOR Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Processor Type (CPU) Apple A15 Bionic

Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation) is equipped with Apple A15 Bionic.

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MEMORY Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) 64 GB Better than 75 % of phones rated.

The phone´s internal memory capacity is 64 GB. The size of the internal storage determines e.g., how many photos, songs, movies, or applications you can store on your phone. For everyday use and storing photos, songs or movies, this medium-sized internal storage is ideal. The advantage is also a lower price of phones equipped with this storage capacity. Best phones today range from 256 GB to 1 TB. That size is suitable for the most demanding users who shoot a lot of high-resolution photos or videos in 4K. Nevertheless, you'll have to pay extra for these higher capacities. Luckily, most smartphone manufacturers nowadays offer models with different memory sizes to suit every user.

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CAMERA Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
MAIN CAMERA
Number of Main Cameras 1
Sensor Resolution 12 Megapixel Better than 62 % of phones rated.
Lens Aperture F/1.8 Better than 80 % of phones rated.
Lens Construction 6-element
Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Better than 87 % of phones rated.
Focus Adjustment Automatic
Digital Zoom 5x Better than 64 % of phones rated.
Special Effects Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono
HDR Mode Smart HDR
Camera Modes Burst mode, Panorama, Live Photos, Timelapse video, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting, wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos
Light Source True Tone LED flash
Video Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps, 1280 x 720 (720p) at 30 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 120 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 30 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 60 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 24 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 240 fps
Camera Features (Functions) Sapphire crystal lens cover, Cinematic video stabilisation, Focus Pixels, Cinematic video stabilisation, Playback zoom, geotagging, Stereo Recording, Continuous autofocus video, 8MP still photos recording 4K video, Time‑lapse video with stabilisation, Slow Sync, Advanced red-eye correction, Optical image stabilization for video, Extended dynamic range for video, HEIF image capture, Digital zoom up to 3x for video, QuickTake video, Deep Fusion, Photographic Styles
FRONT CAMERA
Number of Front Cameras 1
Sensor Resolution (Front) 7 Megapixel Worse than 53 % of phones rated.
Lens Aperture (Front) F/2.2 Better than 51 % of phones rated.
Special Effects (Front) Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono
HDR Mode (Front) Auto HDR mode
Camera Modes (Front) Burst mode, Live Photos, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting, wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos
Light Source (Front) Retina Flash
Video Resolutions (Front) 1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 120 fps
Camera Features (Front) Auto image stabilisation, Cinematic video stabilisation, QuickTake video, Deep Fusion

The rear camera of the Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation) has only one lens. Single lens is more typical for older phones or lower-end phones with lower quality cameras. The rear cameras of modern phones nowadays are usually equipped with two, three and sometimes even five rear camera lenses. The resolution of the main lens is 12 Megapixel. Higher resolution does not necessarily mean super high quality photos. Furthermore, it depends on the pixel size but also on other important factors. The aperture of main lens reaches F/1.8 value. The best phones have a lens with an aperture of up to F/1.5, where more light can pass through sensor and photos will be of a high quality even in low light conditions. However, lenses with apertures around F/1.8 to F/2.2 are the most common. The lower the number after the slash, the better the photo quality.

Digital zoom in this case offers zooming up to 5x. Of course, the higher the lens value, the more distant object can be zoomed in. Nonetheless, the disadvantage of digital zoom is that the quality and sharpness of photo deteriorates when using it. An undeniable advantage is the optical image stabilisation, which makes image significantly more stable without any loss in quality. Cheaper phone models are equipped with electronic stabilisation, which has a negative effect on the resulting image quality.

Front camera
The front camera of phone Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation) has one lens. This number of lenses is standard on most smartphones nowadays. The resolution of front lens reaches 7 Megapixel. Again, it should be noted that resolution is only one of several other significant factors that affect resulting quality of a photo. The main lens is also equipped with aperture of F/2.2.

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BATTERY AND CHARGING Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Battery Capacity (Battery Size) -
Wireless Charging Yes Better than 91 % of phones rated.
Wireless Charging Standards Qi
Run Time Details Playback (audio): up to 50 hrs
Playback (video): up to 15 hrs
Playback (streamed video): up to 10 hrs
Battery Technology Lithium Ion

Today, wireless charging feature is popular and appreciated by many users. You don't have to worry about your phone overheating, and it's also practical in that you don't wear out your phone's connector unnecessarily.

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CELLULAR Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
Mobile Broadband Generation 5G Better than 99 % of phones rated.
Operating System iOS 15
Intelligent Assistant Siri
Payment Technology Apple Pay
Navigation GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS

Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation) supports 5G. 5G connectivity, which is slowly replacing standard 4G connectivity, is still more the preserve of the latest phones. The operating system in this case is iOS 15. This model also offers ability to pay by phone with Apple Pay.

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COMMUNICATIONS Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Data Transmission EDGE, HSPA+, LTE, DC-HSDPA, LTE Advanced, VoLTE, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, VoWiFi, LAA, 5G NR FR1
2G Band 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM
3G UMTS Band Band 1, Band 2, Band 5, Band 8, Band 10
3G UMTS Frequency 2100, 1900, 850, 900, 1700 EAWS
4G LTE Band Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 12, Band 13, Band 17, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 30, Band 32, Band 34, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41, Band 42, Band 46, Band 48, Band 66
4G LTE Frequency FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700a, FDD 700c, FDD 700b, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1900+, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, FDD 2300 WCS, FDD 1500 L, TDD 2000, TDD 2600, TDD 1900, TDD 2300, TDD 2500, TDD 3500, TDD 5150, TDD 3600, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS-3
5G NR Band N1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n41, n66, n77, n78, n79, n40, n25, n12, n48, n30
5G NR Frequency FDD 2100, FDD 1900PCS, FDD 1800, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 800, FDD 700APT, TDD TD 2600, TDD TD 2500, FDD AWS-3, TDD TD 3700, TDD TD 3500, TDD TD 4500, TDD 2300, FDD 1900, n12, TDD 3500, FDD 2300
Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11ax
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0
NFC Yes Better than 66 % of phones rated.

Fans of modern technology will appreciate NFC function, which allows, among other things, contactless mobile phone payments, but also finds other uses in connectivity, such as unlocking the door or loading the menu in restaurant using the NFC tag. Basic connectivity standards also include Bluetooth 5.0, making it easy to communicate wirelessly with other devices such as headphones, tablets, speakers and smartwatches.

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MEDIA Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Supported Digital Audio Standards Audible, MP3, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AC-3, AAC-LC, LPCM, HE-AAC, Audible AAX, Audible AAX+, protected AAC, EAC3, HE-AAC v2
Supported Digital Video Standards M-JPEG, H.264, HEVC, MPEG-4 Part 2, HEIF
Sound Enhancements Dolby Digital Plus sound, Dolby Digital sound
Video Enhancements HDR10, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG)
FEATURES Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Sensors Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, 3-axis gyro sensor, digital compass, barometer
Security Devices Fingerprint reader
Additional Phone Features MIMO technology, Apple TV support (2nd or later), AirPlay Mirroring, Third‑generation Neural Engine, Express Transit cards with power reserve, 4K HDR AirPlay Mirroring, FaceTime HD (1080p), 16‑core Neural Engine
OTHERS Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Included Accessories Lightning to USB-C cable
Compliant Standards IEC 60529 IP67, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible)
Max Depth of Water Resistance 1 m
Max Operating Temperature 35 °C
Min Operating Temperature 0 °C
Humidity Range Operating 5 - 95% (non-condensing)

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