Apple iPhone SE (2022) review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The Apple iPhone SE (2022) is the classic-form iPhone: the A15 Bionic and 4.7-inch LCD body of the iPhone 8 era with modern silicon inside, 144 g, a home button with Touch ID and a single 12 MP stabilized camera. Everyday 68/100, gaming 37/100, compactness 100/100 — the only truly one-hand phone of its generation. New 4/64 units list at $429; used 4/64 units cluster around $87, the cheapest entry into current iOS in the catalog.

Display and design

The 4.7-inch IPS LCD at 625 nits is sharp and honest, with the bezels and home button of a concluded design era (screen 20/100 is the census, not an insult). At 144 g with IP67 sealing, it is the lightest, smallest, most glove-friendly iPhone — and the last of its line.

Performance

The A15 Bionic is the whole argument: gaming 37/100, everyday 68/100 — flagship silicon of the iPhone 13 generation in a $87-429 body. The update runway is the shortest among current iPhones, but the chip guarantees years of fluent iOS ahead of it.

Camera

A single 12 MP optically stabilized sensor with 4K60 — camera 14/100 by census, far better in practice within its one-lens ceiling. The A15's computational pipeline (Smart HDR, Deep Fusion) does the heavy lifting.

Battery and charging

The 2,018 mAh cell is the honest cost of the small body: battery 0/100 against the catalog — a day of moderate use, charged overnight or opportunistically at 20 W (2/100). Qi wireless charging is supported.

Verdict

The SE (2022) is the budget and small-hands answer in one: current-speed iOS, Touch ID, one-hand ergonomics at $87 used. Every compromise — screen, battery, single camera — is visible before purchase, which is the most honest thing a phone can do. Buyers wanting the modern form factor start at the iPhone 14.