The $429 iPhone SE has a home button, improved battery life, and a tougher screen

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Apple’s Peek Performance event just started, and the first device shown off is the iPhone SE. The third generation of iPhone SE, it’s powered by the A15 Bionic chip that also powers the iPhone 13 range.

The latest iPhone SE comes in three colors, Starlight White, Midnight Black, and Product Red. The home button still exists, which is perhaps the only real differentiator between the low-cost iPhone SE and the iPhone 13.

See, now the entire current iPhone lineup uses the same A15 Bionic chip. That means consistent power across the whole range, so you can buy the iPhone that fits your needs and pocket, instead of having to settle. That A15 helps with battery life, so Apple says it improved over the existing iPhone SE.

The 4.7-inch Retina screen is now covered in the same toughened glass that the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro come with. The back of the iPhone SE is also covered in the same glass. 5G comes to the iPhone SE range for the first time, but it appears to only cover sub-6GHz, so no fancy mmWave here.

The design hasn’t changed from the existing iPhone SE, and IP67 weather and dust-proofing are still featured.

The iPhone SE 5G starts from $429, an increase of $30 from the existing 4G handset. Preorders are live on Friday, March 11, with shipping starting on March 18.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.