Apple has just confirmed those rumours that were floating around the web the past few weeks. At its first event of 2022, dubbed ‘Peek Performance’, Apple has officially announced its iPhone SE (2022).

Following the success of the previous generation released in 2020, the iPhone SE is for those looking for a smaller device, a more wallet-friendly iPhone, or those looking to explore the Apple ecosystem for the first time.

Introducing the very similar iPhone SE

2022’s SE is shipping with the A15 Bionic SoC, first seen in the iPhone 13 launched last year. That means a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU. This might just be one of the most powerful ‘budget’ phones on the market. To date, anyway.

Apple didn’t specifically mention RAM specs but we’d expect an upgrade to the 3GB the previous iPhone SE shipped with. Or maybe not, the company’s tricky that way. This is the first iPhone SE to feature 5G capability, which we also expected. If you’re releasing a phone in 2022, 5G is a must.

Other than the new chip and 5G, it looks much the same as the previous-gen SE. It’s got the same 4.7in screen, although Apple says it’s ‘improved’. Apple says that about most of its features. Battery life? Improved, of course. Sure Apple, but how? Some third-party testing will be needed to validate these claims.

Piles of features

The single shooter on the back seems unchanged as well. It’s the same 12MP sensor as the previous-generation device. The pictures will ~~probably~~ definitely look fine. Apple says they’ve improved video shooting capabilities but, again, that doesn’t say much. We’ll have to get one in hand to figure out just what is different.

Other notable features include an IP67 rating, meaning you won’t need to worry about beach or pool visits. The phone will ship with iOS 15. Apple says it’ll receive iOS updates “for years to come”. iPhones are known for their long-term lifespan so that’s easily believed.

Lastly, Apple says this phone is seriously environmentally friendly. 100% recycled materials all over and arsenic-free glass. Oh boy. Thanks, Tim.

The new iPhone SE (2022) starts at $429 which, at the time of writing is R6,570. Expect that to change slightly when it lands in SA. It’ll come in the usual Red, Blue and Black colour options, but Apple’s given ’em fancy names. Local availability is yet to be determined. We’ll update you here when we know more about that.