New iPhone SE (2022) review live: camera samples, battery life, design discussed and more

(Image credit: TechRadar)

So, you’ve probably noticed that we’ve just published our iPhone SE (2022) review. It’s a good one from Lance Ulanoff, and you should definitely set aside some time to read it.

I’ve also been using the new iPhone SE for a little while now and I thought that, rather than just add in to the review, I’d go live with you lovely readers so you can give me some thoughts, ask any questions, and give some live feedback that we can discuss over the next four hours.

(Image credit: Future)

Given this is Apple’s cheapest iPhone, but given it hasn’t really changed the design at all since the iPhone 7, it’s hard to say that it’s ‘cutting-edge’. But for $429 / £419, is that enough to sway you? Do you miss the fingerprint scanner?

If you’ve got any thoughts on what you’re seeing here, or any questions you want answered, tweet me on @superbeav and I’ll add them into the mix here – the more discussion we can get going, the better.

Let’s dig in and see what this phone is really all about.

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Initial thoughts 

So, welcome to the live blog – let’s get cracking. I’ve been using this as my main device for the best part of the last week – here are my initial thoughts, and as I mentioned, do tweet if you’ve got anything you want to know:

The design is super thin and lightweightTouch ID is nice to have, but actually feels a bit archaicPictures are much improved over the SE 2020, despite no new hardwareThe screen is just… fine for the priceIncredible power on board

That’s just a flavor though – I’ll have plenty more to say over the next few hours.

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Battery life

So let’s begin with the battery – the new iPhone SE doesn’t, outwardly, have any changed characteristics. It’s the same shell as before.

However, there’s a lot of hope that things are improved inside, as it appears that things have been redesigned to allow for more battery space, which is a must as this phone comes with 5G.

As we saw with the iPhone 12, this can be a real problem for battery life – Apple solved this in the iPhone 13, but the battery space needed to increase for the new iPhone SE, otherwise any 5G usage would have sucked down too much power.

Lance managed to get around 12 hours’ usage on the iPhone SE in his review, and I largely agree with that finding – and it’s a shame. The iPhone 13 series has really given us an iPhone that can last longer than 24 hours (especially the iPhone 13 Pro Max).

I’ve been experimenting with charging the iPhone SE (2022) at different times – for instance, I left it overnight on 52% charge, and 8 hours later it was down to just 47%.

That’s good, efficient power sipping on Wi-Fi.

Then I left for work, using it to stream audio, take a couple of pictures, download a video on 5G, (attempt) to watch said video if the ads hadn’t got in the way, and do some small spreadsheet viewing.

Four hours later, it had dropped around 35% of battery life through realtively hard usage – this, to me, is about right.

Over the course of my time with the phone, I definitely felt like I’d returned to ‘old iPhone’ battery, where it’s a bit slippy and makes you wonder where the charger is – it makes me feel like the iPhone 13 mini is a better buy (or even the larger models) if you care about longevity.

An easier way to get into the Twitter-sphere if you want to join in with this live blog:

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Design

There’s something quite… divisive about the iPhone SE 2022. My feeling is that any phone that doesn’t update in design in two years is falling rapidly behind the curve, and that’s the lingering feeling here.

However, there are many people that still aren’t in love with the idea of having an iPhone with an all-screen display, that they don’t like the notch, that they miss the fingerprint scanner.

To many, those that aren’t willing to explore the rich and varied world that Android devices have to offer, they don’t want to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a new iPhone – they just want familiarity that works.

That’s clearly what Apple is offering here, a throwback design in a familiar shape – but I feel like there could have been some design tweaks to make it better. It’s not enough to just call it a ‘familiar’ design and be done with it – making it a little thicker wouldn’t have been the end of the world and the battery life could have increased as a result.

(Image credit: Future)

Or maybe we could have seen the industrial design of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series – that might have given people a reason to upgrade.

Of course, if it sells well, then Apple won’t really care if the design is too dated – but I think people are going to be interested in the size of this phone, rather than the shape – and that means it’s a missed opportunity.

It is very thin and lightweight in the hand – perhaps almost too light, one might say, given the comforting weight that more glass and battery can offer.

But the screen – which I’ll dissect at more length in a moment – is easily reachable with a thumb across the whole display, and I think that’s worth celebrating.