iPhone 16 vs iPhone SE 2022: It's worth paying the extra buck
Intro
We are patiently waiting for Apple's next base flagship, the iPhone 16, which we expect to come with lots of AI-centric features to catch up to the competition from Android. But what if you don't want to spend a premium price on a brand new iPhone? Well, you still have the option to go for the iPhone SE that launched in 2022, but what would you lose if you opted for that choice?
We are here to answer exactly that question, and as you probably already expect, there is a ton you would be giving up to go down from the expected $800 for the iPhone 16 to the $479 for the 2022 iPhone SE (the price for the 128GB model, because no one's getting the 64GB one in 2024).
iPhone 16 vs iPhone SE (2022) differences:
| iPhone 16 | iPhone SE (2022) |
|---|---|
| Larger and heavier: 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm, 171 g | Smaller and more compact: 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm, 144 g |
| A design that's in with the times | An extremely outdated design with large top and bottom bezels |
| Unlocks using FaceID | Unlocks with TouchID (fingerprint scanner) |
| More durable with higher scratch and water resistance | Glass front and back panels crack and scratch much more easily; water resistance is slightly lower |
| Vastly more powerful A18 Bionic chipset (designed with on-device AI in mind) | Still capable but significantly less impressive A15 Bionic chip (no on-device AI support) |
| Will support Apple Intelligence and new on-device AI features | Won't support any of the upcoming AI features |
| More cameras, higher image quality, and powerful camera features | Camera quality is okay for the price, but a far cry from what modern iPhones can do |
| Great sounding speakers | Speakers do the job but are far from being called great |
| A smooth 120Hz OLED high-resolution display | Display is not only small, but also low resolution and only with 60Hz display refresh rate |
| Great battery life | Abysmal battery life |
| Much faster wired and wireless charging speeds | Comes with 20W wired and 7.5W wireless charging |
Table of Contents:
Also read: iPhone 16 vs iPhone 14: All rumored upgrades explained
Design and Size
Exactly what you would expect
The iPhone SE from 2022 still looks like it belongs in a museum, and that will be especially true when you place it next to the iPhone 16 once it comes out. It is high time Apple updates the SE series to look closer to what you would expect from a modern mid-range phone, and to resemble the rest of the company's handsets that have come out in the last few years.
Even though the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are said to come with slightly altered dimensions, the regular iPhone 16 will be the same size as its predecessor. In other words, the iPhone 16 will be 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm (5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 in), which is quite a bit larger than the 2022 iPhone SE's 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm (5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in).
Materials-wise, Apple will probably stick to an aluminum frame with a glass back for the iPhone 16, which is what the iPhone SE (2022) is also made out of.
But there is a difference when we compare the durability between the budget iPhone and the upcoming base flagship. The iPhone 16 will come with an IP68 rating, just like its predecessor, while the iPhone SE (2022) has a slightly less water-resistant IP67 rating. The more significant differentiating factor, however, is that the SE does not come with Apple's Ceramic Shield display technology, which is famous for its higher durability against cracks and especially against scratches.
Lastly, something that came with the 2023 iPhones is the USB-C port, which will also be present on the 2024 lineup. Being an older model, the iPhone SE from 2022 has the extremely outdated Lightning port instead.
As for the color options, you will most likely have a wider variety to choose from if you go for the iPhone 16, as rumor has it there will be five colors variants in total: black, green, pink, blue, and white. The iPhone SE (2022), on the other hand, only comes in Midnight, Starlight, and Red.
Display Differences
Needless to say, you will have a much larger and better-looking display if you opt for an iPhone 16 instead of the iPhone SE (2022). The SE is still rocking that bezelishious 4.7-inch screen with a massive chin and forehead at the bottom and top sides of the front panel. The display is not even full HD (1080P), let alone OLED.
In contrast, the iPhone 16's display will probably be 6.1 inches with 1179 x 2556 pixels. Just like its predecessor, it will feature a contrasty OLED panel that got as bright as 1070 nits in our display tests vs the 670 nits of the SE from 2022.
Lastly, a big difference between these to iPhones will undoubtedly be the fact that the iPhone 16 is unlocked via FaceID, whereas the iPhone SE (2022) uses TouchID as a biometric to confirm your identity.
Performance and Software
SE is still not bad, just leagues behind
When it came out in 2022, the third generation of the iPhone SE was one of, if not the most powerful phone in its class thanks to the A15 Bionic chipset. Well, some time has passed since then and even though it is still a capable piece of silicon, the A18 Bionic that's said to come with the iPhone 16 will be massively more capable in comparison.
One of the major differences between the A15 and the still-unannounced A18 besides the the power gap, is that the latter will have special hardware designed to carry out on-device AI tasks.
The iPhone 16 will also likely have double the RAM of the SE, rumored to come with 8GB this year because of the on-device AI features. Additionally, the SE has outdated connectivity hardware, with Bluetooth 5.0 vs 5.3 expected on the iPhone 16, which affects the use of wireless accessories such as headphones (weaker signal stability and lower transfer speeds.
Also read: iPhone 16 AI features
Both phones should have the same minimum 6 years of software updates that we have come to expect from Apple, but given the iPhone 16 is a newer model, it will last you further down the line by about 2 years.
Camera
It's not even close
Apple really stepped up its game once it went from 12MP to a 48MP camera last year with the iPhone 15 series. The 2022 SE had one of the best cameras on a mid-range phone when it came out, but it simply cannot match what current iPhones are capable of, let alone the upcoming iPhone 16.
There's also the fact that the SE only has one 12MP camera at the back and a pretty bad and outdated 7MP front camera at the front. In comparison, the iPhone 16 will have a 48MP main and 12MP ultrawide cameras at the back and a 12MP selfie camera embedded in the display.
What's more, the 12MP ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 16 is said to have a faster lens with an aperture of f/2.2 (vs f/2.4 on the predecessor), allowing for more light to come in and therefore better low-light performance.
Let's not also forget that, just like the iPhone 15, the iPhone 16 will almost surely take 24MP images by default with the main camera, which have a ton of more detail vs the 12MP ones coming from the iPhone SE (2022).
And then we have the camera upgrades that are expected to debut with the iPhone 16. For example, the iPhone 16 is said to support Macro Mode, just like the Pro iPhones have until now.
There's also the highly anticipated capture button, which will make the iPhone 16 feel much more like a professional camera. Dummy iPhone 16 models have shown the button to be at the lower part of the phone's right side, perfectly positioned for your index finger when you turn it sideways.
Battery Life and Charging
Larger body = more battery
It's rather obvious that, given its larger battery, the iPhone 16 will fair much better as far as battery life goes compared to the SE. In this case, we are looking at a battery capacity difference of 3,561mAh vs 2,018mAh. Of course, the A15 Bionic inside the cheaper model is much less power hungry, and so is the lower resolution display, so we will have to wait and see how exactly they compare in our battery life tests.
The iPhone 16 is also said to come with the long-awaited higher charging speeds, with a rumoured 40W of wired and 20W of wireless charging (via MagSafe). Like with the rest of this comparison, these specs dwarf the 20W of wired and 7.5W of wireless on the SE.
Specs Comparison
It is a night and day difference with the iPhone 16 vs iPhone SE (2022) spec sheets, reflecting everything we have mentioned above.
| iPhone 16 | iPhone SE (2022) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm, 173 g | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm, 144 g |
| Screen | 6.12" OLED 60Hz | 4.7" OLED 60Hz |
| Processor | A18 3nm | A15 Bionic 5nm |
| RAM, Storage | 8/128GB* 8/256GB 8/512GB | 4/64GB 4/128GB 4/256GB |
| Cameras | 48MP main 12MP ultra - 12MP front | 12 MP main - - 7MP front |
| Battery | 3,561mAh | 2,018mAh |
| Charging | USB-C 40W wired 20W wireless (with MagSafe) | Lightning 20W wired 7.5W wireless (no MagSafe) |
*-might not be available
Quite literally, there is zero similarity between the two phones spec sheets. The benefits of the standard iPhone 16 flagship over the much older iPhone SE budget option are more than obvious here, with more RAM, battery, screen, better cameras and higher charging speeds. The only benefit of the SE is its compact size, which is hardly worth it considering the tiny display.
Summary
So, it is no secret that these are two drastically different phones, but we are using the stark differences to highlight that it is high time Apple updates its more affordable SE series too. This might end up happening in the near future, as the iPhone SE 4 is expected to come out in March 2025, with changes that will make it a much more viable option.
For now though, the iPhone 16 is looking like a total treat if you have the cash and you are willing to spend it. That said, maybe you won't have to pay a premium to get a good user experience once the new SE comes out, so our recommendation is that you wait it out if you want to spend less money on a brand new iPhone.
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