Iphone 12 Pro Vs Iphone Se

Apple tree recently unveiled the latest iteration of its hugely popular iPhone SE, with a few small tweaks to the already successful formula. Only are the improvements enough to warrant the small price increase (and to offset the aged blueprint), or does an older flagship model offering a improve balance of features and cost?

To test this out, we compare the new iPhone SE to the iPhone 12. For a broader look at Apple's range, check out our iPhone buying guide.

Blueprint & build quality

On the iPhone SE (2022) Apple opted once more to use the tried-and-tested chassis that it's been selling pretty much since the iPhone vi that came out in 2014. So if you lot've seen an iPhone in the past eight years there'due south a good chance yous'll recognise the aged design.

On the front console in that location's a 4.7in LCD display bordered above and below by large bezels, the latter of which is the location of the Domicile button.

Due to the latter, you won't find any notches at the top of the screen, equally Affect ID is built into the Home button.

Apple did upgrade the glass roofing on the front and dorsum of the iPhone SE (2022) to what it claims is the 'toughest glass in a smartphone', and so information technology should survive a bit of lite abuse. An IP67 waterproof rating also means a quick dip won't spell the end of the device.

Otherwise, it'due south the same design we've all seen hundreds or even thousands of times over the years. Single camera on the back, book controls and a power button, plus the Lightning connector situated in the bottom edge next to the speaker.

With the iPhone 12, Apple moved away from curved edges and returned to a pattern with shades of the iPhone 4 and 5 era. The squared-edge frame looks modern and elegant, unlike the tired iPhone SE (2022), and there are several differences between the two devices. The most obvious is the larger 6.1in OLED display, which comes with Face ID and the obligatory notch.

Information technology'due south a bigger and heavier handset overall, as you can see from the dimensions beneath:

• iPhone SE (2022): 138.4mm x 67.3mm 10 vii.3mm; 144g
• iPhone 12: 146.7mm x 71.5mm ten 7.4mm; 164g

On the dorsum of the iPhone 12 y'all'll detect twice as many cameras, with Wide and Ultrawide units, plus there's support for MagSafe charging which is a footstep up from the standard wireless charging on the iPhone SE (2022).

The iPhone 12 is also more durable thanks to the IP68 certification, which means it can exist immersed in h2o up to depths of 6m for a maximum of 30 minutes, whereas the SE can merely get to 1m.

Side by side, the iPhone SE has the aesthetic of an almost vintage iPhone, while its bigger brother is the epitome of a premium, modern smartphone. With this in heed, the iPhone SE (2022) blueprint comes from a time when people still used phones i-handed, then (along with the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini), those looking for a smaller, more manageable handset could find the SE fits the bill.

Features and specifications

The outsides are obviously worlds apart, but the components Apple puts within are not quite as one-sided as you might suspect. Here'southward how they compare.

Processor

Apple has a roguish sense of humour, as the nearly decade-former exterior stands in contrast to the latest version of its A series processors inside. The A15 Bionic is a animate being; it's the same chipset that powers the iPhone thirteen range, including the current flagship iPhone xiii Pro Max. This ways you lot're getting incredible amounts of ability in a small, cheap iPhone.

The iPhone 12 is no slouch at all, due to its A14 Bionic processor, merely it's not the latest chip and as such can't quite match the iPhone SE (2022) for full general functioning.

Display

Too equally the blueprint of the iPhone SE (2022) being pretty much the same as the iPhone 8, the 2 devices have other elements in common.

The brandish is a big one, as the iPhone SE comes with the practically identical iv.7in Retina Hd LCD panel that features True Tone, Wide colour display (P3), a 1334×750 resolution at 326ppi, with the but discernible difference being Haptic Touch rather than 3D Impact and the tougher drinking glass front on the iPhone SE (2022).

Information technology's different on the iPhone 12, which has a higher-quality Super Retina XDR OLED panel that measures six.1in, and boasts a 2532×1170 resolution at 460ppi, massively improved contrast ratio, HDR and brighter output. It's all round a much nicer display to use.

The one downside to the 12'south screen is the notch along the pinnacle border that creates infinite for the Face ID camera array.

Cameras

Again, the iPhone SE (2022) digs through Apple'south parts bin and comes upward with basically the same 12MP, f/1.8 (Wide) camera as on the iPhone 8. The difference here is that, thanks to the A15 Bionic processor, you lot can access more than modes and features as the advanced silicon tin can utilize its computational prowess to handle things like Portrait modes, Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 4 and Portrait Lighting furnishings.

The iPhone 12 can do all of this also, with the exception of Photographic Styles and offering but Smart HDR 3, but it does and so with ii cameras. These are comprised of a 12MP, f/1.6 (Wide) and 12MP f/two.4 (Ultrawide) that besides combine to provide a 2x optical zoom (as well equally the 5x digital that'southward on the iPhone SE) and the all-important Nighttime Mode that makes shooting photos in low light a more than pleasing experience than on the SE.

Both capture video at resolutions upwardly to 4K/60fps and accept Optical Epitome Stabilisation for smooth footage, but those twin lenses mean the iPhone 12 can not merely perform a 2x optical zoom but as well an audio zoom as well to cut out unwanted background noises. It likewise has the ability to tape HDR video at 4K/30fps, which is impressive.

It'due south a similar story with the front-facing photographic camera, equally the iPhone SE (2022) employ the old FaceTime Hd photographic camera from the iPhone eight, merely the performance is bolstered by the A15 Bionic, while the iPhone 12 has the True Depth camera that also powers Face ID, and has a lot more features available.

If cameras are a primary reason for using an iPhone, and so the SE can certainly take some good photos and videos, but the iPhone 12 simply offers a greater range of options and performance.

Connectivity

When the iPhone 12 arrived it was the offset generation of iPhones to offering 5G connectivity. Now the iPhone SE (2022) brings that power to the more affordable finish of the iPhone catalogue.

The big difference is that the SE only supports sub-6 bands, while the iPhone 12 also operates with the faster mmWave. This will only matter if the network provider you use offers these connections, and to be honest isn't really going to exist a deal-breaker for nearly people.

Alongside this, both offer Bluetooth v, GPS, NFC and Wi-Fi 6, so they are quite evenly matched.

Hither's a breakdown of their technical specs:

	iPhone SE (2022)	iPhone 12
Display	4.7in LCD IPS Retina Hard disk drive, 1334×750, 326ppi, Truthful Tone, Wide color (P3), 625nits	6.1in Super Retina XDR OLED, 2532×1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
Processor	A15 Bionic	A14 Bionic
Storage	64GB/128GB/256GB	64GB/128GB/256GB
Rear Camera	12Mp (f/1.8), Portrait Mode, 4K video, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Photographic modes	Dual 12MP, Ultra Wide: f/2.iv aperture Wide: f/1.vi aperture
Front Camera	7Mp (f/ii.2), Portrait Manner, 1080p video	12MP TrueDepth, f/2.2
Video Recording	4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps or sixty fps, OIS, Cinematic Video Stabilisation	4K video recording at 24 fps, thirty fps or sixty fps, HDR Dolby Vision up to 60fps
Biometric Security	Touch ID	Confront ID
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6	Wi-Fi vi
LTE	5G	5G
Wireless Charging	Yes	Yes, with MagSafe
Bluetooth	five	v
Apple Pay	Yes	Yes
Waterproofing	IP67	IP68
SIM	Dual (nano and eSIM)	Dual (nano and eSim)
Dimensions	138.4mm x 67.3mm 10 7.3mm	146.7mm x 71.5mm ten 7.4mm
Weight	148g	162g
Cost	£419/£469/£569	£799/£849/£949

Price & availability

The iPhone SE (2022) remains the cheapest iPhone yous can purchase from Apple tree, with the post-obit options available:

• iPhone SE 3 (2022, 64GB): £419/$429/€529
• iPhone SE three (2022, 128GB): £469/$479/€579
• iPhone SE 3 (2022, 256GB): £569/$579/€699

Read where to pre-order iPhone SE for more than details.

Apple still offers the iPhone 12, and hither are the prices:

• iPhone 12 (64GB): £679/$699/€809
• iPhone 12 (128GB): £729/$749/€859
• iPhone 12 (256GB): £829/$849/€979

If you like the idea of a smaller handset, and a slightly smaller price, then the iPhone 12 mini is also well worth considering:

• iPhone 12 Mini (64GB): £579/$599/€689
• iPhone 12 Mini (128GB): £629/$649/€739
• iPhone 12 Mini (256GB): £729/$749/€859

To run across if you tin salvage money on these devices, be certain to cheque our roundup of the best iPhone deals.

Verdict

The iPhone SE (2022) does a proficient task of offer the iPhone experience that about people are looking for almost of the time. It'southward fast and takes good pictures and videos, plus you get to use the same iOS and apps as all the other iPhones. The design is creaking these days, though, with the tiny display beginning to feel cramped and something of a curio when compared to most other smartphones.

The iPhone 12 is a better device in pretty much all departments aside from the processor, but even that isn't actually an effect as the A14 Bionic is a hugely powerful chipset. The drawback remains price. If you lot want a decent everyday iPhone, then the iPhone SE (2022) is hard to beat when you consider you'll exist paying significantly less for information technology than the iPhone 12. Even the cheaper iPhone 12 mini pushes the costs into the upper mid-range.

Information technology might be sporting a look that should have long been retired, but in these difficult times, the iPhone SE (2022) is merely too skilful a deal to pass up.

Source: https://www.macworld.com/article/668200/iphone-se-2022-vs-iphone-12.html

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