Apple's cheapest and most popular iPhone just got a major upgrade
Prices are accurate at the time of publication.
- Apple announced a new iPhone SE 3 Tuesday, complete with its new, fast A15 silicon chip.
- The third-generation model will start at $429 and come in three colors: red, blue, and grey.
Apple's most affordable and most popular iPhone just got a major facelift.
A new, third-generation of the iPhone SE will come with Apple's new powerful and fast A15 Bionic silicon chip, which it first rolled out to the iPhone 13 last year, the company said Tuesday.
That'll make the new smartphone, which starts at $429 — significantly cheaper than other models, 1.8 times faster than the iPhone 8, Apple said.
The new SE will come with also Smart HDR 4, improved camera capabilities, and the "toughest glass in a smartphone," the same kind of sturdy encasing that comes with the iPhone 13, Apple said.
The new phone will still have a home button with Touch ID, 5G capability, and will come in three colors: blue, grey, and red.
Apple first rolled out the iPhone SE in 2016 with an affordable $400 price tag and a second-generation followed in 2020. Prior to that, the lowest cost options for an Apple smartphone was the $450 iPhone 8 from 2017 and the $600 iPhone XR.
The iPhone SE has since competed with similar low-budget options from competitors like Google and Samsung.
2022 iPhone SE price, release date
The new 2022 iPhone SE starts at $430, which is $30 more than 2020's iPhone SE. Now that Apple has discontinued selling the 2020 iPhone SE, the new 2022 iPhone SE is the cheapest iPhone that Apple sells. The next cheapest model is the iPhone 11, which starts at $500. Preorders will start March 11, and the phone will be available March 18.