What to Expect From Apple's Upcoming 2022 iPhone SE 5G

Apple is working on an updated version of its most affordable iPhone, and the new 2022 version of the iPhone SE could be coming out within a matter of weeks. While not the most exciting refresh, there are some features that are going to be great at the $399 price point that the ‌iPhone SE‌ sells at.

This guide covers everything that we know about the upcoming ‌iPhone SE‌ based on rumors and past release history.

Design

We are not expecting any design changes for the next version of the ‌iPhone SE‌. It's going to continue to look like the current 2020 ‌iPhone SE‌, which is modeled after the ‌iPhone‌ 8. The current ‌iPhone SE‌ is available in black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED, so we could see similar color options for the new model.

It will feature a 4.7-inch LCD display with thick bezels and a Touch ID Home button, making it Apple's most modern ‌iPhone‌ that still offers ‌Touch ID‌. All other iPhones have transitioned to Face ID, and there are rumors that future versions of the low-cost ‌iPhone‌ will do so as well, but not at this time.

The back of the device will be made of glass to facilitate wireless charging, but it won't include MagSafe technology. Like old models, the new ‌iPhone SE‌ will feature IP67 water and dust resistance. We're also not expecting changes to the battery life given the lack of design updates, so battery life will likely be the same.

5G Speeds

5G connectivity will be the major selling point of the new ‌iPhone SE‌, with Apple bringing 5G speeds to a much more affordable ‌iPhone‌. At the current time, Apple's cheapest 5G iPhone is the $599 iPhone 12 mini, but the ‌iPhone SE‌ will be a good deal cheaper if the rumors are accurate.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said it will be the most affordable ‌5G iPhone‌ available, and in terms of connection speeds, it could be on par with Apple's iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models. It's worth noting that with the ‌iPhone 13‌ models, the fastest mmWave 5G speeds are limited to the United States, and that's likely to be the case with the ‌iPhone SE‌ as well should it support mmWave speeds.

We haven't really heard either way if Apple plans to limit the more affordable iPhones to sub-6GHz networks, but it seems unlikely.

Updated Processor

The current ‌iPhone SE‌ has an A13 Bionic chip, and the 2022 model is expected to get a newer, faster chip. Apple could opt to go with the A15 chip, putting it on par with the ‌iPhone 13‌ models, though we've also heard a rumor about the A14.

When the 2020 ‌iPhone SE‌ was released, it included the same A13 chip that had been used in the iPhone 11 models the prior September, so we could see the same situation in 2022 with the new ‌iPhone SE‌ adopting the A15.

Battery Life

The current ‌iPhone SE‌ lasts for 13 hours when watching videos, eight hours when streaming videos, and 40 hours when listening to audio, and it is capable of fast charging and can charge to 50 percent in 30 minutes when using an 18W power adapter or higher.

Cameras

The ‌iPhone SE‌ is expected to feature an updated camera, and it could adopt the latest Wide-Angle camera from the ‌iPhone 13‌. We don't know specifics at this time, but camera improvements are planned.

The current ‌iPhone SE‌ features a 7-megapixel front-facing camera and a single-lens 12-megapixel rear camera.

Naming

Apple could call the new ‌iPhone SE‌ the ‌iPhone SE‌ 5G to differentiate it from the 2020 version, but it could also just stick with the standard ‌iPhone SE‌ name.

Display analyst Ross Young has said that the ‌iPhone SE‌ could be called the '‌iPhone SE‌ Plus' even though it's not getting a larger display, but that seems unlikely because historically, the 'Plus' naming has denoted a larger screen size.

Pricing

The 2022 ‌iPhone SE‌ is expected to be priced starting at $399, which is the same asking price as the current 2020 model.

Release Date

Apple is planning to hold an event in early March, likely on Tuesday, March 8. This event will focus on the ‌iPhone SE‌, the iPad Air, and at least one new Mac with an M1 Pro/Max chip, likely the Mac mini.

A Future iPhone SE

We've heard rumors of another low-cost ‌iPhone‌ possibly in the ‌iPhone SE‌ family that features an all-display design, and this ‌iPhone SE‌ with a larger display and no Home button is expected to come out in 2023 or 2024.

Display analyst Ross Young believes that Apple is working on a version of the iPhone SE with a larger 5.7 to 6.1-inch display and a hole-punch camera slated. Apple analyst ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌ has also said that a larger version of the ‌iPhone SE‌ will launch in 2023, featuring an updated, bigger display and 4GB RAM.

Back in 2019, Kuo said there would be an '‌iPhone SE‌ Plus' with a full-screen design, no Face ID, and a ‌Touch ID‌ fingerprint sensor built into the power button on the side of the device, but such a device did not surface. It's possible Apple was working on this ‌iPhone SE‌ for an earlier launch, but pushed it back.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about the ‌iPhone SE‌ 2022, notice a mistake, see something we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.Related Roundup: iPhone SE 2020Buyer's Guide: iPhone SE (Don't Buy)Related Forum: iPhoneThis article, "What to Expect From Apple's Upcoming 2022 iPhone SE 5G" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums