There’s been plenty of rumours swirling around Apple’s potential next affordable 5G phone: the iPhone SE3. The device is said to have already entered the trial production phase with a launch in early 2022 and analysts are speculating that it might turn the heads of loyal Android users.
So what can we expect from this highly anticipated device? What could be so special that it’s daring to dabble in one of the greatest debates of the tech world: Apple vs Android? In this article we’ll take a deep dive into the latest rumours (including expected features) and recently released information about the iPhone SE 3
How Likely Is It That Apple Will Launch an iPhone SE 3?
The iPhone SE 2 launched in April 2020, so it’s likely that Apple will launch the new iPhone SE3 around the same time in 2022 (this is also when Apple’s spring events take place)
Apple will likely want to launch a brand new device in this price range soon too, since its successor is more than one year old now - and its price is dropping significantly. So it makes sense that Apple will drop the iPone SE3 in a few months.
Now the part we’ve all been waiting for… specs:
The Screen -A 5.8-inch screen
The iPhone SE 2 launched in 2020 and featured a 4-inch screen with 1334 x 750 pixels resolution. Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protects the display, thus offering decent protection against scratches and bumps.
However, we'd expect to see some improvements added to the screen of the iPhone SE 3 in 2022. Rumours suggest that Apple could add an OLED display to this device. That would offer deep blacks and rich colours normally reserved for top-end models.
Battery Life
With the iPhone SE 3, Apple could improve one of its weakest aspects - battery life. The current device has a cell rated at 1821mAh, which should provide around 15 hours of talk time (but we all know we’re doing a lot more than that on our devices these days).
So, of course, that will vary depending on usage, but the iPhone SE3 will need a fairly powerful battery.
If Apple does choose to implement an OLED screen, it would be interesting to see how this affects battery life. An OLED display requires less power than traditional LED-backlit screens on Older iPhones that have been refurbished.
Waterproofing
Apple has been gradually waterproofing its devices over the past few years, and we'd expect the iPhone SE 3 to feature some form of water resistance. The iPhone XS and XR meet a standard rating of IP68 and IP67 respectively.
That means they are both dust and water-resistant. We'd expect Apple to carry this feature across to its cheapest device.
Design
The iPhone SE 2 introduced a brand new design similar to the iPhone 5S. This device features an aluminium shell, flat sides, and rounded corners that taper off slightly around the back.
The SIM tray is on the phone’s top edge, with volume buttons on one side and a power button on the other. A physical home button sits at the base of the screen, with a Touch ID fingerprint scanner built into its surface.
This looks set to be the design that Apple sticks with for at least another year, so we'd expect to see this in the iPhone SE 3 when it launches in 2022.
Camera
The iPhone SE 2 features a rear-facing camera capable of shooting photos at 12MP and videos at 1080p. While this isn't the best camera on the market, it's still a decent shooter that should be good enough for most people.
We'd expect to see some improvements to the camera in the iPhone SE 3, but we wouldn't expect to see it match the likes of the iPhone XS and XR. We'd say an upgrade to 16MP seems most likely, especially as this would keep the camera specs in line with all but Apple's top-end models.
Handsets like the iPhone SE are suitable for those who want a smaller device but don't want to sacrifice performance.
The current device offers a fairly dated design, but it's still as powerful as many phones released five years ago, thanks to the addition of Apple's A9 processor and M9 co-processor.
Connectivity & Wifi
The iPhone SE 3 should provide many improvements when it comes to connectivity. For a start, the device will be compatible with the ultra-fast LTE networks that are now available in many countries worldwide.
It should also support Bluetooth 5 for wireless connectivity and NFC for Apple Pay transactions. Finally, we may see further improvements made to the WiFi performance of the device, which could see it offer higher speeds.
Price
The iPhone SE 2 is currently available from a starting price of $299, and we'd expect Apple to keep the cost of the iPhone SE 3 around the same.
This would make it one of the most affordable smartphones on the market and a good option for those who don't want to spend much money. Probably there will be an option to Trade in your old iPhone.
Colours
The iPhone SE 2 is currently available in Black, White and Red. We'd expect Apple to stick with these colours for the iPhone SE 3.
Operating system
The iPhone SE 3 will run iOSv14, which provides many improvements over the previous version. We'd expect Apple to include this on all future iPhones, so it seems likely that the SE 3 will have iOS v14 installed once released.
Release Date
While there's always a chance Apple could launch its next-generation iPhone SE earlier than expected, we'd expect its release in mid-2022.
In Summary
The iPhone SE 3 is likely to be a minor upgrade to the current device. However, we’d expect to see a new design with a 6.0-inch OLED display and water resistance. In addition, Apple may upgrade the camera, and battery life could improve.
We'd expect Apple to reveal more details about its upcoming device over the coming months, so be sure to check back with us for all the latest news and rumours!
