Apple on Tuesday announced the iPhone SE 3, a powerful new iPhone with exceptional capabilities and performance starting at just $429. That price is, however, $30 more than the iPhone SE 2 which prompted some price-conscious users on various social media outlets to wonder if it’d instead be smarter to spend and extra $70 to get a “modern” iPhone 11 (free of the antiquated Home button with a full screen display, not counting the notch).
As with every choice between models in Apple’s iPhone (and Mac and iPad) lineups, there are pros and cons with each:
Display:
• iPhone 11: 6.1″ IPS LCD, 1792-by-828-pixels at 326 ppi, 625 nits, True Tone, P3 wide color
• iPhone SE: 4.7″ IPS LCD, 1334-by-750-pixels at 326 ppi, 625 nits, True Tone, P3 wide color
Cellular:
• iPhone 11: 4G LTE cellular
• iPhone SE: 5G cellular
Camera(s):
• iPhone 11: Dual 12MP cameras (Wide and Ultra Wide)
• iPhone SE: Single 12MP Wide camera (Wide)
Video:
• iPhone 11: 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• iPhone SE: 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
Front Camera:
• iPhone 11: TrueDepth camera, 12MP photos
• iPhone SE: FaceTime HD camera, 7MP photos
Secure Authentication:
• iPhone 11: Face ID (TrueDepth camera with facial recognition)
• iPhone SE: Touch ID (fingerprint sensor in the Home button)
Audio Playback:
• iPhone 11: Spatial audio playback; Supports Dolby Atmos
• iPhone SE: Stereo playback
Battery Life:
• iPhone 11: Up to 17 hours video playback, up to 65 hours audio playback
• iPhone SE: Up to 15 hours video playback, up to 50 hours audio playback
Sensors:
• iPhone 11: Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
• iPhone SE: Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
SIM Card:
• iPhone 11: Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
• iPhone SE: Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
Chip:
• iPhone 11: A13 Bionic chip (6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores), 4-core GPU, 8-core Neural Engine
• iPhone SE: A15 Bionic chip (New 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores), new 4-core GPU, new 16-core Neural Engine
Splash, Water, and Dust Resistance:
• iPhone 11: Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 2 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
• iPhone SE: Rated IP67 (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
Size:
• iPhone 11: 5.94 inches (150.9 mm) x 2.98 inches (75.7 mm) x 0.33 inch (8.3 mm)
• iPhone SE: 5.45 inches (138.4 mm) x 2.65 inches (67.3 mm) x 0.29 inch (7.3 mm)
Weight:
• iPhone 11: 6.84 ounces (194 grams)
• iPhone SE: 5.09 ounces (144 grams)
So, the big differences between Apple’s $499 iPhone 11 vs. $429 iPhone SE 3 are the display area, Face ID vs. Touch ID, 5G vs. 4G, and the SoC: the iPhone SE 3’s A15 Bionic (Geekbench 5: 1671 single core, 4481 multi-core, 10813 Metal) is a significantly better performer than the iPhone 11’s older A13 Bionic (1311 single core, 3060 multi-core, 7330 Metal).
In the market for an entry-level iPhone? Which one would you choose?