Mike Peterson
The new 2022 iPhone SE may look familiar, but it has quite a few new updated internals. Here's how it stacks up against the next iPhone in the lineup, the iPhone 13 mini.
Here's how the $429 iPhone SE from 2022 compares to Apple's smaller iPhone 13 mini across a variety of categories, including processing power, cameras, displays, and more.
2022 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 mini - Specifications
| iPhone SE (Third Generation) | iPhone 13 mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (starting) | $429 | $699 |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 | 5.18 x 2.53 x 0.30 |
| Weight (ounces) | 5.09 | 4.97 |
| Processor | A15 Bionic | A15 Bionic |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Display type | 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD | 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED |
| Resolution | 1,334 x 750 at 326 ppi | 2,340 x 1080 at 476 ppi |
| True Tone | Yes | Yes |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Face ID |
| Connectivity | 5G (sub-6GHz), LTE Advanced, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6 | 5G (sub-6GHz and mmWave), Gigabit LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6 |
| Rear Camera | 12MP Wide camera | 12MP Wide camera 12MP Ultra Wide camera |
| Video | 4k up to 60fps, 1080p HD up to 60fps | 4K up to 60fps, 1080p HD up to 60fps HDR video up to 4K at 60fps |
| Front Camera | 7MP FaceTime HD | 12MP TrueDepth |
| Battery Size (Video playback time) | Up to 15 hours | Up to 17 hours |
| Wireless Charging | Qi | Qi MagSafe |
| Colors | Midnight, Starlight, (Product)Red | Green, Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight (Product)Red |
2022 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 mini - Physical Dimensions
The third-generation iPhone SE sports the same design as the iPhone 8 with a Home button. It will be a familiar form factor for users of Apple's older devices, or those that have remained on iPhone SE models.
The iPhone 13 mini, on the other hand, has a more up-to-date design. It's a small device, but features an edge-to-edge display and Apple's Face ID technology.
Apple's third-gen iPhone SE measures 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches and weights 5.09 ounces. The iPhone 13 mini measures 5.18 x 2.53 x 0.30 inches and weights 4.97 ounces.
Basically, the iPhone SE is slightly taller and heavier than the iPhone 13 mini.
iPhone SE 3
Other than small differences in size and weight, the two models are relatively close in physical dimensions. Because of the difference in design, the user experience will vary between the two.
2022 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 mini - Display
Arguably one of the biggest differences between the iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 mini comes down to the display.
Despite the fact that the iPhone SE is lightly heavier and larger than the iPhone 13 mini, its display is smaller at 4.7 inches. The iPhone 13 mini has a 5.4-inch display.
The 2022 iPhone SE displayDisplay technology varies between the two as well. The iPhone SE retains an LCD-based Retina HD display, while the iPhone 13 mini has an OLED screen that Apple dubs the Super Retina XDR.
OLED displays are generally considered current generation for most flagship smartphones, while LCD is an older technology.
The iPhone SE has a resolution of 1334-by-750-pixel at 326 pixels-per-inch, while the iPhone 13 mini has a resolution 2340-by-1080-pixel at 476 pixels-per-inch.
iPhone SE, iPhone 13, and iPhone 13 mini displaysThere's a big difference in contrast ratio, too. The iPhone SE has a 1400:1 contrast ratio, while the iPhone 13 mini has a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The iPhone 13 mini's display is brighter too, with 800 nits of max brightness compared to the iPhone SE's 625 nits.
2022 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 mini - Processor
In theory, performance on the iPhone SE and iPhone 13 mini should be roughly the same. Both devices pack the A15 Bionic — Apple's latest smartphone chip.
iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, and iPhone SE 3 Geekbench benchmarksWhen we ran Geekbench 5 on the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, and 2022 iPhone SE, they were all in line with expectations. The iPhone 13 scored a 1745 and a 4762 on the single and multi-core tests, the iPhone 13 mini scored a 1724 and 4570, while the 2022 iPhone SE pulled a 1744 and a 4315 on the single and multi-core tests respectively.
All of the single-core tests were within the margin of error from one another while the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini had slightly better performance on the multi-core. As most tasks are single-core, all devices performed the same as we open apps, launched the camera, and switched Safari windows.
2022 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 mini - Cameras
The camera is another major area of difference between the 2022 iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 mini.
Although the iPhone SE gains some improved image quality thanks to a new image signal processor in the A15 chipset, it still uses the same hardware as previous versions of the entry-level smartphone.
On the rear, the iPhone SE packs a 12-megapixel rear camera in a single-lens configuration. On the front, it has a 7-megapixel selfie camera.
The iPhone 13 mini features a dual-lens setup with two 12-megapixel cameras. There's a Wide and Ultra Wide camera on the rear. On the front, the device has a 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera.
Other camera features on the iPhone 13 mini include Night Mode support, 2x optical zoom, and sensor-shift optical image stabilization. It also has Cinematic Mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field.
The single iPhone SE rear cameraThanks to its A15 Bionic, the iPhone SE does support Portrait Mode, Photographic Styles, and Deep Fusion, however.
The iPhone 13 mini also supports 4K video recording with HDR while the iPhone SE does not.
2022 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 mini - Connectivity
When it comes to connectivity, both the iPhone SE and iPhone 13 mini are generally evenly stacked with a couple of exceptions.
Both devices feature 5G support, Bluetooth 5.0, and Wi-Fi 8 with MIMO. They feature NFC chips with reader mode and a Lightning port for wired connection.
New 5G support on 2022 iPhone SEHowever, the iPhone SE lacks faster mmWave 5G support, and only supports sub-6GHz 5G. Additionally, the iPhone SE has LTE Advanced, while the iPhone 13 mini has Gigabit LTE. How much either of these factors matter, depends very much on where it will be used the most.
The iPhone 13 mini also features an Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness. The iPhone SE does not.
2022 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 mini - Other Features
Both the iPhone 13 mini and the iPhone SE support Qi wireless charging, though only the iPhone 13 mini has MagSafe.
The iPhone 13 mini features MagSafe, though both models have Qi charging.The iPhone SE has improved battery life with up to 15 hours when playing back video. That's a couple of hours shorter than the iPhone 13 mini's 17 hours of estimated video playback battery life.
When it comes to durability, the iPhone 13 mini has Apple's new Ceramic Shield technology that should make it less prone to breakage. The iPhone 13 mini is also rated IP68 for water- and dust-resistance, while the iPhone SE still has an IP67 designation.
Apple iPhone 13 mini Offers
The iPhone SE retains a Home button with embedded Touch ID, while the iPhone 13 mini uses its TrueDepth camera for Face ID.
2022 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 mini - Pricing, Colors, & Storage
The iPhone 13 mini starts at $699, while the iPhone SE (third-generation) starts at $429.
The iPhone 13 mini is available in a much wider range of colors, with Green, Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, and (Product)Red variants available. The iPhone SE is only available in three colors: Midnight, Starlight, and (Product)Red.
Apple's iPhone 13 mini is available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities. The third-generation iPhone SE is available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage variants.
iPhone SE Gen 3 vs iPhone 13 mini - Which Should You Buy?
Both the iPhone 13 mini and the iPhone SE represent the lower end of Apple's lineup. The iPhone SE is more of an entry-level device, while the iPhone 13 mini is solidly mid-range.
Apple's iPhone SE is a solid device, but it's missing some key modern features.Which device makes the most sense to you will depend on your circumstances. The iPhone 13 mini is a modern device with quite a few flagship features, including facial authentication, excellent cameras, top-notch battery life, and an OLED display.
With that being said, the iPhone SE delivers excellent value for its $429 price tag with 5G connectivity and Apple's latest and greatest A15 Bionic processor. It could be an excellent choice for smartphone users who don't need all the latest gadgets.
You can pick up the iPhone SE at the following wireless carriers, often with incentives in place:
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2 Comments
I was thinking of switching the iPhone 13 mini to the new SE. Although the SE is a bit bigger and I like the size of the 13 mini (although I even prefer the size of the original SE) I was hoping to set that aside for at least a camera without all this computational photography nonsense. But no, it is now in the SE too. On the 13 mini it means that photos of people get both oversharpened and smudged like a bad functioning filter. And if you take photos of people with bright skin tones they will look orange/red. Since Apple does not seem to correct this I guess the SE will suffer from this too. So sad to see Apple loosing quality.
i'm still running with my original SE for a while longer - it has been a great device over the years (i upgraded to the 128 GB model years back)
The third generation SE release will give me pause when it comes time to upgrade - i was set on the 13 mini (even though i greatly prefer touchID)
hmmm...