The new iPhone costs just $719 and you can pre-order one from Saturday

Apple just announced a new iPhone SE, a new entry-level iPhone that shares its processor with the iPhone 13 family. Starting at $719, the 2022 iPhone SE is slightly more expensive than the $679 the previous model was selling for, but cheaper than the $749 you'd pay at launch back in 2020. 

iPhone SE pre-orders begin at 12am (AEDT) on March 12, ahead of a March 18 release date. You'll be able to get in a choice of midnight, startlight, or red. Full pricing is as follows:

• iPhone SE 64GB: $719
• iPhone SE 128GB: $799
• iPhone SE 256GB: $969

We're expecting to see the new iPhone SE available through the standard range of retailers, and through Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone. 

In terms of the phone itself, the new iPhone SE is a souped-up version of its predecessor from 2020. You still get a 4.7-inch Retina Display with a Touch ID fingerprint reader, but this is paired the A15 processor found across the iPhone 13 family. As it stands, the A15 is the fastest processor you can find in any phone. It also enables 5G connectivity, which previous generation iPhone SE models did not support. 

Apple says the new iPhone SE has a better battery life than its predecessor, thanks to the more efficient predecessor and "internal design updates". The manufacturer now claims you'll get up to 15 hours of video playback per charge, up from 13 hours on the last model. That's still the shortest advertised battery life on any current iPhone, however, and battery was the biggest weakness we found when testing the 2020 iPhone SE. 

The new iPhone SE still features a single 12MP camera on the back that should benefit from some quality improvements thanks to support for Apple's latest computational photography tech. You also get the iPhone 13 family's style features, which lets you customise the look and feel of your images before you shoot. Night mode does seem to be missing, however, which could mean the new iPhone SE may not be a great choice for low light photography. 

Other key specifications include IP67 water-resistance, eSIM support, WiFi 6 connectivity, and wireless charging. 

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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