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Apple’s new iPhone SE is coming with a bigger battery

By Nadeem Sarwar Published April 8, 2022

The 2022 iPhone SE is a blend of an old chassis packing faster innards, with a handful of new tricks in tow. But a major area of improvement potential buyers have been waiting for is the battery life. Well, Apple has delivered on that expectation, boosting the battery longevity and its capacity as well.

As per the official product page, the third-generation iPhone SE can last through 15 hours of video playback, while the 2020 iPhone SE was rated to survive 13 hours of local video playback. As far as streaming goes, Apple claims that the iPhone SE 3 can last 10 hours, while its predecessor tapped out at eight hours. Audio playback duration on a single charge has also gone up from 40 hours to 50 hours this year.

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Apple’s press release only mentions “longer battery life” and pins it on factors like next-generation battery chemistry, tighter integration with iOS 15, and the A15 Bionic chip at its heart. There is no explicit mention of a bump in the actual battery capacity. But as per The Verge, Apple told reporters during a briefing session that the battery inside the iPhone SE 3 is physically larger.

Color options for the third generation iPhone SE which include red, white, midnight blue, and black. — Apple

As usual, Apple hasn’t revealed the actual battery capacity in mAh figures, but a teardown will unravel the mystery in the coming weeks. It is quite evident, though, that the 2022 iPhone SE’s battery is still smaller than the iPhone 13 Mini, which is claimed to last up to 17 hours of local video playback and 13 hours worth of video streaming.

Interestingly, the latest-gen iPhone SE is physically bigger than the iPhone 13 Mini but still rocks a smaller battery despite missing out on power-draining assets like mmWave 5G support, a more pixel-dense display, and beefier camera hardware. Nonetheless, it’s a sigh of relief that the iPhone SE (2022) is still an improvement over its predecessor whose battery longevity left a lot to be desired.

Thanks to a larger battery, the arrival of 5G support, a faster chip, and a tougher glass build, the third-generation iPhone SE’s starting price has also gone up to $429. For folks unfazed by its stale design, the low-resolution LCD display, and willingness to turn a blind eye to Android alternatives, the iPhone SE 3 is a compelling phone with that price tag.

Managing Editor

Nadeem is the Managing Editor at Digital Trends.

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