Apple on Tuesday announced the iPhone SE 3, a powerful new iPhone with exceptional capabilities and performance starting at just $429. That price is, however, $30 more than the iPhone SE 2 which prompted some price-conscious users on various social media outlets to wonder if it’d instead be smarter to spend and extra $70 to get a “modern” iPhone 11 (free of the antiquated Home button with a full screen display, not counting the notch).
As with every choice between models in Apple’s iPhone (and Mac and iPad) lineups, there are pros and cons with each:
Display:
• iPhone 11: 6.1″ IPS LCD, 1792-by-828-pixels at 326 ppi, 625 nits, True Tone, P3 wide color
• iPhone SE: 4.7″ IPS LCD, 1334-by-750-pixels at 326 ppi, 625 nits, True Tone, P3 wide color
Cellular:
• iPhone 11: 4G LTE cellular
• iPhone SE: 5G cellular
Camera(s):
• iPhone 11: Dual 12MP cameras (Wide and Ultra Wide)
• iPhone SE: Single 12MP Wide camera (Wide)
Video:
• iPhone 11: 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• iPhone SE: 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
Front Camera:
• iPhone 11: TrueDepth camera, 12MP photos
• iPhone SE: FaceTime HD camera, 7MP photos
Secure Authentication:
• iPhone 11: Face ID (TrueDepth camera with facial recognition)
• iPhone SE: Touch ID (fingerprint sensor in the Home button)
Audio Playback:
• iPhone 11: Spatial audio playback; Supports Dolby Atmos
• iPhone SE: Stereo playback
Battery Life:
• iPhone 11: Up to 17 hours video playback, up to 65 hours audio playback
• iPhone SE: Up to 15 hours video playback, up to 50 hours audio playback
Sensors:
• iPhone 11: Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
• iPhone SE: Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
SIM Card:
• iPhone 11: Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
• iPhone SE: Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
Chip:
• iPhone 11: A13 Bionic chip (6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores), 4-core GPU, 8-core Neural Engine
• iPhone SE: A15 Bionic chip (New 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores), new 4-core GPU, new 16-core Neural Engine
Splash, Water, and Dust Resistance:
• iPhone 11: Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 2 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
• iPhone SE: Rated IP67 (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
Size:
• iPhone 11: 5.94 inches (150.9 mm) x 2.98 inches (75.7 mm) x 0.33 inch (8.3 mm)
• iPhone SE: 5.45 inches (138.4 mm) x 2.65 inches (67.3 mm) x 0.29 inch (7.3 mm)
Weight:
• iPhone 11: 6.84 ounces (194 grams)
• iPhone SE: 5.09 ounces (144 grams)
So, the big differences between Apple’s $499 iPhone 11 vs. $429 iPhone SE 3 are the display area, Face ID vs. Touch ID, 5G vs. 4G, and the SoC: the iPhone SE 3’s A15 Bionic (Geekbench 5: 1671 single core, 4481 multi-core, 10813 Metal) is a significantly better performer than the iPhone 11’s older A13 Bionic (1311 single core, 3060 multi-core, 7330 Metal).
In the market for an entry-level iPhone? Which one would you choose?
The new SE, because A15 is a big jump in capability over A13, and no Face ID with kludgy notch. And I prefer smaller one-handed iPhone with Home Button and Touch ID. I don’t need 5G (over 4G LTE), so I’ve considered getting the older A13 iPhone SE (now discounted after new model). A13 is plenty fast enough. But to show support for Apple making excellent decisions for this SE upgrade, I’m getting 2022 SE (I may even choose 128GB option). Later in the year… My 2016 iPhone SE (64GB) is doing fine and still supported by latest iOS 😏
No other website has likely made this super clear, crisp comparison. Thanks.
Snowy moon is right.