Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Windows 11 getting a redesigned File Explorer and video call upgrades – 38:31
Dyson’s headphone / mask combo isn’t an April Fool’s joke – 41:01
OnePlus 10 Pro review – 44:07
Dates for Microsoft Build and WWDC have been announced – 46:40
Police reports indicate AirTag stalking may be more prevalent than we know – 48:34
Snapchat Lens helps users learn the ASL alphabet – 52:38
Open AI’s DALL-E 2 latest generative art project creates amazing images – 53:41
What we’re working on – 56:25
Our pop culture picks – 1:02:15
Video livestream
Credits Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar Guest: Mat Smith Producer: Ben Ellman Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos, Luke Brooks Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Brian Oh Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
Microsoft just unveiled a set of news around Windows 11 and its capabilities for hybrid work, bringing things like system-wide improvements to video-calling tools on PCs. It also announced some changes coming to the beloved File Explorer, with the biggest being a redesign and a highly anticipated tabs feature.
According to the company’s release, “the redesigned, cloud-powered File Explorer” would let you “see all files in one centralized place.” You will be able to pin files and create tabs, keeping your most frequently visited folders within easy reach.
In a video demonstrating the new features, it looks like you can right click on a file or document and select “Add to Favorites” to pin it. And if you want to have multiple File Explorer tabs open, you can click a plus symbol at the top left of the window to start a new tab, and they look just like browser tabs.
The company also added touch Snap layouts to make it easier to quickly arrange your apps on touch-enabled devices.
Microsoft has called Windows 11 the most accessible and inclusive version of Windows ever, and today it shared more around some assistive tools coming to the platform. A system-wide Live Captions feature, which was announced earlier this year, would transcribe all audio on your PC, including content streaming from the web. A Focus mode could help people with ADHD to be more productive, the company said.
To keep your sensitive information safe, the company is bringing two new tools to Windows 11: Microsoft Defender SmartScreen and Smart App Control. The former will detect when you’re entering your Microsoft account login info into a “malicious application or hacked website,” potentially protecting you from phishing attacks.
Microsoft
Smart App Control, meanwhile, uses the company’s AI and code signing to make sure only trusted applications can be run on your PC. This “[blocks] one of the largest attack vectors on Windows by-default,” Microsoft said. The company also said it plans to bring more features to its Pluton security processor, and can also help organizations ensure their fleets of devices retain the right registry keys.
Microsoft hasn’t shared when exactly these features will be released to the public version of Windows 11 just yet, but it sounds like they’re coming soon.
Apple continues to expand its Fitness+ workout video service with more content catering to people with different needs and lifestyles. Today, the company is adding seven ten-minute videos for new parents, in a series called “Get back to fitness after having a baby.” The activities are a mix of core, strength and Apple’s “Mindful Cooldown” workouts that are led by Fitness+ trainer Betina Gozo, who is a new mom.
Like other videos in the service, the new workouts also feature modification guidance for those who want a greater challenge or prefer to take it slower. The mindful cooldowns offer stretches that target common post-pregnancy tight spots, while the core sessions also include pelvic floor exercises.
Of course, new parents should not feel any pressure to “get back to fitness” on any schedule other than what they’re comfortable with. In Apple’s introduction video to the new content, Gozo makes it clear that viewers should take things at their own pace, and make sure to get the go-ahead from their healthcare provider before engaging in strenuous activity.
The new workouts are available in Fitness+ starting today, which, as a reminder, costs $10 a month. You’ll need to have an Apple Watch to use the service.
Multiple publications are reporting that E3 2022 is fully canceled. Both the physical and a planned digital version of the gaming convention have been scrapped for this year, according to IGN and Variety. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which organizes the show, has officially confirmed to Engadget that E3 2022 is canceled, and provided an official statement.
In January, the ESA announced that E3 would be an online-only event, citing concerns over “COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees.” According to today’s statement, the ESA said “E3 will return in 2023.”
The Association added that it “will devote all our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer.” The organization said it wants to “ensure that the revitalized showcase sets a new standard for hybrid industry events and fan engagement.”
Next year’s show will be presented “to E3 fans around the world live from Los Angeles,” the ESA said. E3 2021 took place online, and in spite of some hiccups, the event saw the announcement of a ton of news. Though E3 has long been a huge and influential show, in the last decade, companies have increasingly shifted to doing things on their own schedules. The pandemic, which forced many companies to learn to host virtual events, only exacerbated the trend.
Here’s the entire statement from the ESA:
E3 will return in 2023 with a reinvigorated showcase that celebrates new and exciting video games and industry innovations.
We previously announced that E3 would not be held in person in 2022 due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19. Today, we announce that there will also be no digital E3 showcase in 2022.
Instead, we will devote all our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer. Whether enjoyed from the show floor or your favorite devices, the 2023 showcase will bring the community, media, and industry back together in an all-new format and interactive experience.
We look forward to presenting E3 to fans around the world live from Los Angeles in 2023.Look for more news and announcements soon.
Update (at 3:55pm ET): Added official statement from ESA after the organization sent confirmation after this story was published.
This is not an April Fools’ joke. Tomorrow (April 1st) at 12pm ET, UK bureau chief Mat Smith and I will be hosting a Twitter Space on the Engadget account, and we’d love for you to join us. We’ll be discussing our experiences with the OnePlus 10 Pro, which Mat reviewed, and the Dyson Zone, which I tried out in person earlier this month.
If you have a burning question about either of these devices, or anything Engadget covers, bring them to the session! We expect to open up for Q&A after about 30 minutes, and can’t wait to hear from you all. If you already follow Engadget on Twitter, you’ll be able to join the Space when we’re live.
Dyson just unveiled its first wearable product and… it’s not what you think it is. The device is called the Dyson Zone, and it’s a set of noise-canceling, air-purifying headphones. It comes with a detachable visor for the bottom half of the wearer’s face that looks, to put it mildly, odd. That vizor actually blows filtered air to your nose, mouth and chin, sort of like a portable fan dedicated to the lower portion of your face. Dyson integrated a smaller version of its air filtration system into the earcups, and the idea is that people can protect themselves from pollution while out and about.
The Zone might seem like a response to the pandemic, but Dyson says this device has actually been six years in the making. It’s not borne from a desire to keep out COVID-19 germs, per se, and more as a means to help people breathe less-polluted air wherever they go. The Zone is not only a wearable air filtration system, but it’s also the company’s first audio product. In fact, Dyson describes it as “headphones delivering pure air and pure sound.”
If you’re thinking this thing looks absurd, you’re not alone. My first reaction to seeing the Zone on a mannequin’s head during a virtual briefing was complete and utter amusement. Shortly after, I saw it on an actual person on the demo call and it did not look like they were enjoying themselves. So when Dyson offered to show the contraption to me in person, I knew I had to see and try this thing out for myself. Sadly, I wasn’t allowed to take any photos or video of the Zone, so I’ll do my best to describe the experience.
Dyson
My biggest takeaway after spending some time with a prototype is that, yes, it does look just as ridiculous in real life. But somehow, in spite of its wild appearance, I still really want one. Dyson said it engineered the headset to fit comfortably and distribute weight evenly, by drawing inspiration from horse saddles. There are three cushions on the headband, and the central one is slightly curved like a saddle to distribute the load through “contact areas.”
When I put on the Zone and adjusted its arms to fit my head, it felt balanced and didn’t feel heavy. The earcups themselves were spongy and soft, and once they clamped on there was a noticeable noise canceling effect. That’s because the demo unit had already been set to enable active noise canceling when it’s worn. By clicking through a physical switch on the earcup, I toggled through different sound profiles, and though I occasionally heard some static, the pass-through and complete cancellation modes were effective.
Three ANC modes are available: Isolation, Conversation and Transparency. Isolation provides the highest level of muffling, while Conversation, which kicks in when you dip the visor, turns off the filtration motors to let you better hear who you’re talking to. Transparency allows certain sounds to pass through, so you can be aware of your surroundings.
For an initial foray into the audio space, the Zone is impressively satisfying. A company rep streamed Spotify to the demo unit and I enjoyed the ample bass and clear sound in songs like Doja Cat’s Say So.
Dyson
The highlight of my time with the Zone, though, has got to be when I snapped the magnetic visor on. After I figured out where on the headphones to aim the edges, taking the attachment on and off was easy. Once the mask was connected, the motors in the earcups whirred to life and a gentle, clean-smelling trickle of air started blowing at my lips and nose. It was surprisingly comfortable and, for an obsessive clean freak like me, felt borderline magical. This could not only be the personal air bubble I’ve dreamed of, but also might be a portable air conditioner for the lower half of my face, which would be a blessing in the summer.
Four air purification modes are available as well — low, medium, high and auto. You can toggle these to, say, use the maximum level when you need a higher purification speed if you’re breathing rapidly during a quick jog on the streets. For the Auto mode, the Zone will use onboard accelerometers to determine which setting to choose.
The visor was also designed to diffuse two jets of airflow and at no point during my time with the Dyson Zone did I feel like I was being overwhelmed or pummeled by wind. The earcup’s compressors draw air through dual-layer filters, including negatively charged electrostatic filters to catch particles like allergens and dust. A potassium-enriched carbon layer captures gas pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone.
Earlier versions of the Zone took the form of a snorkel-like mouthpiece connected to a backpack (like oxygen tanks in a scuba diving setup). 500 prototypes later, the company settled on the headset and visor combination, and the mouthpiece can deliver clean air without touching the wearer’s face. “Developing a non-contact solution was a must for Dyson engineers, to avoid the discomfort and irritation often associated with full-contact alternatives,” the company said in a statement.
Dyson
It does leave room for you to insert a face mask, though, and Dyson provides attachments for coverings that would meet FFP2 filtration standards in the box. It also includes a “community face covering attachment” that would form a “sealed solution” so you can mask up while keeping your filtered air clean.
Dyson also made a companion app that shows the air quality of the region you’re in, though at the time of the demo it didn’t offer information that was more location-specific than a city. You couldn’t, for instance, see if your place of work had more air pollutants than the park you’d walk to for lunch.
The company hasn’t shared pricing and availability information for the Zone just yet, other than to say it’s coming this year. I can already see this being a great device for my future travels — whether in an airplane or a commuter train, and at the demo I even went to lay down on a couch to see how comfortable the Zone would be to wear on a redeye flight. It felt surprisingly comfortable for the admittedly brief period of time I was lying down. But of course, there are still things I’d need to know before spending money on the Zone — like battery life and real-world performance. Hopefully, Dyson will share more information on those things soon.
Dyson’s hairstyling gadgets have been among some of the most popular around, and one of the most intriguing is the Airwrap. It’s a curler that can double as a straightener, and you may even have seen one of the mesmerizing GIFs where strands of hair attach themselves to the rod, as if by magic. The Airwrap Complete, which came with all six attachments, as well as cases and accessories, cost $550. Today, Dyson announced that a new version is coming this summer. It’ll work faster and come with a slew of new attachments to make styling your hair easier.
As a refresher, the Airwrap uses a high-pressure motor to power the “Coandă effect,” which gently pulls hair (and air) towards its surface. Dyson said that since launching the original Airwrap in 2018, its engineers challenged themselves to “miniaturize and multiply the Coandă effect” to make the device more versatile.
In addition to the performance improvements, the company also designed new attachments, and the most intriguing one, especially for those familiar with the previous Airwrap, are new styling barrels that can curl hair clockwise and anti-clockwise. Before, you would have had to check the arrows on the barrel to make sure you have the right direction set up, and if you wanted to change it up mid-style, you’d need to switch out the attachments. With the new attachment, you’d just have to toggle a switch at the top of the rotating cool tip.
The barrels come in 30mm, 40mm, 30mm long, 40mm long and 20mm long for various curl sizes. There’s also a new smoothing dryer that, as its name suggests, can both smooth and dry your hair. Dyson also added firm and soft brush attachments, available in large and small, for those who prefer a straight finish.
Importantly, Dyson said owners of existing Airwraps can “upgrade to these latest attachments, whilst retaining the original machine.” And like the previous version, the new Airwrap can also work on damp hair (that’s 80 percent dry) and can style your locks without extreme heat.
While pricing is not available at the moment, Dyson’s products tend to cost around $500. Like I said, the previous Airwrap with all its attachments cost $549, while the Corrale straightener will set you back $500. The Supersonic hairdryer, meanwhile, is $400. Still, though the company’s hairstyling gadgets have been more expensive than most, they’ve also generally been well-received and can last a long time.
Since the iPhone 5c, Apple’s approach to making a more affordable iPhone has been to stuff premium processors into cases belonging to older models. With the third generation of the iPhone SE, the company has stuck to that strategy. With its home button, top and bottom bezels and rounded corners, the new iPhone SE is nearly identical to the 2020 model, at least on the outside. Inside, this year’s version packs an A15 Bionic chip and a 5G radio, promising a serious speed boost. Apple is also touting longer battery life and improved durability on this year’s model, which will set you back a modest $429. That’s $30 more than the last iPhone SE, but still cheaper than the $450 Pixel 5a. If you want a simple iPhone that runs like new, and you don’t mind the dated design and single rear camera, the iPhone SE might fit the bill.
Design
At a time when basically all smartphones have done away with home buttons, this year’s iPhone SE feels anachronistic. Its home button sits in a bezel below the screen, while the top bezel hides the device’s front camera. If you’re familiar with the last iPhone SE, then you’ll know what to expect: This year’s model is so similar that I legit have trouble telling them apart. The only way I know which one I’m holding is if I scrutinize the phone’s rear casing under a fluorescent light. The review unit Apple sent this year is a dark blue, while the 2020 iPhone SE in my possession is black. Oh, and, according to the specs sheets, the new SE is a wholefour grams lighter. Considering the earlier model already looked outdated, the latest iPhone feels very much stuck in the past.
Still, in spite of its stodgy design, I like the way the SE feels. It’s very similar to the Pixel 3: slim, slightly curved and solidly built. The iPhone 13 mini is a little smaller and thicker, with flatter edges and a notch at the top of its 5.4-inch screen that houses its front camera. If you hate notches but for some reason don’t mind bezels, the iPhone SE’s retro look is for you.
More importantly, Apple says the iPhone SE is covered in the same hardy glass used on the iPhone 13. While I have yet to drop my review unit, knowing that this will be more scratch resistant offers some peace of mind. I don’t use a case with the iPhone 13, and it’s still pristine, despite having been tossed into bags with keys and other sharp objects. It does pick up fingerprints and smudges very easily, though. It’s also nice that the iPhone SE is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance — something the Galaxy A52 5G and the Pixel 5a also offer.
Display and audio
Like many phones from 2017, this year’s iPhone SE sports a 4.7-inch LCD screen with 1,334 x 750 resolution. Honestly, those specs are downright tragic for 2022 standards, by which OLEDs have become commonplace. Don’t even get me started on the refresh rate. The Galaxy A52 has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED running at 120Hz, while the Pixel 5a’s OLED panel at least refreshes at 90Hz.
I used four phones – the iPhone SE, its predecessor, the iPhone 13 mini and the Pixel 5a – to watch a recap of the Apple event on YouTube concurrently on each device at max brightness. The iPhone 13 mini was the brightest, followed by the Pixel. The iPhone SEs were indistinguishable from each other and had a reddish tint compared to the other two.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
It’s not going to wow you, but the iPhone SE’s display is serviceable. I watched the beginning of The Problem with Jon Stewart on the TV+ app, and though everything looked somewhat muted compared to the OLEDs I’m used to, the show still looked fine. You’ll definitely want to push the screen to max brightness to watch videos outdoors in the sun, though.
Despite its small size, the iPhone SE’s speakers are surprisingly loud. I enjoyed listening to the tap-dancing sequence in a video of a performance of Anything Goes, as well as Sutton Foster’s ample vocals.
Cameras
The iPhone SE’s biggest disadvantage in the mid-range space is its cameras. It has just one rear 12-megapixel sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, while most of the competition come with at least two, making them more versatile shooting rigs.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
But if you’re content with a solo camera, the iPhone SE 2022 will suffice. It takes surprisingly sharp and colorful photos that are on par with the iPhone 13 mini’s. Ornaments on the red brick facade of a local building looked equally crisp when shot on either phone, even when I zoomed all the way in. It’s clear that with the A15 Bionic and processing upgrades like Smart HDR 4, Apple’s been able to make the iPhone SE’s camera perform as well as the main sensor on its flagship.
The Pixel 5a generally produced darker images with cooler, more neutral tones in its images, and though I’m not a fan of Apple’s default treatment, which has a slightly yellowish tinge, you do have the ability to change that. The company introduced Photographic Styles with the iPhone 13 series, which lets you adjust preset profiles for contrast and tone. Every picture you capture will use those settings (until you pick a different style). Happily, the new iPhone SE also offers Photographic Styles, so you can exercise a bit more control over how your shots turn out.
I was surprised by how similar the iPhone SE’s pictures were to the iPhone 13 mini’s. From landscapes to portraits of my coworkers, there were barely any differences in the shots taken by the two phones. The Pixel 5a was better at isolating our video producer’s spiky hair from the background than either iPhone, but all three devices performed admirably.
Our main complaint about the last iPhone SE’s camera was that there was no Night mode. This year’s model still doesn’t offer one, and though some of the pictures I took of buildings surrounded by mist one night came out muddy, others came out bright and sharp. It’s likely that my shivering hands contributed to the blur, but in general, Google retains an advantage in low light.
Up front, the iPhone SE’s 7-MP camera also falls short of the competition on paper, but in reality it performed just as well as the Pixel 5a and iPhone 13 mini. It struggled to keep up in dim environments, though; I observed a more noticeable difference in the selfies I shot inside a stationary car one night. The iPhone SE’s photos weren’t as clean as the others, but they were still good enough to share.
Performance
Synthetic benchmarks don’t paint the most complete picture of a phone’s performance, but in a pinch they’re a good point of reference. The iPhone SE’s Geekbench 5 scores blew away the Galaxy S22 series, and even came close to matching the iPhone 13 Pro. That makes sense, given Apple equipped its budget phone with the same powerful A15 Bionic chip found in its flagship series.
In everyday use, the A15 Bionic was powerful enough for most of my tasks, including editing and exporting a minute-long video in iMovie and using the camera’s Live Text feature to scan product labels around me. I did notice some delays while setting up the phone, with a noticeable pause from when I tapped “Continue” to when the next page came up. I also couldn’t screen record while using SharePlay on a FaceTime video call to show my home page to my colleague which, according to an alert, was a buffering issue. Apple also doesn’t allow you to record your screen while SharePlaying, which I wish was what the notification explained instead. But everything else ran smoothly.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
The iPhone SE did get a little warm while I ran tests and used the camera’s Live Text feature to scan addresses on a bottle and look them up in Maps. Thankfully, it cooled back down quickly.
As someone who’s grown accustomed to gesture-based navigation, I needed to reacquaint myself with using a home key. It doesn’t physically depress; like on the previous iPhone SE this is a touch sensor that vibrates in response when you push it. That said, as strange as it felt to navigate iOS with a home button, I did welcome the convenience of Touch ID.
Unlocking the phone was a breeze, too, and if you’re familiar with the last iPhone SE’s sensor you’ll be used to this, especially since the hardware is exactly the same. In fact, if you’ve never known life without the button below the screen and don’t want to give it up, this is the only modern phone around with it.
Battery life and connectivity
One area where small devices like the iPhone SE and iPhone 13 mini tend to fall short is battery life. Apple promised that the A15 Bionic would bring better endurance to this year’s iPhone SE, which turned out to be true. While it did outlast its predecessor, the latest iPhone SE made it just about 12 hours on our video rundown battery test. The iPhone 13 mini clocked a few hours more, while the Pixel 5a notched an impressive 22 hours and 56 minutes.
In daily use, the new iPhone SE typically lasted about a day before needing a charge. I spent one morning and afternoon testing its camera and display, and by 6pm it had dropped to 46 percent. At about 9pm it had fallen to 37 percent, and I hadn’t done much besides taking nighttime photos. The iPhone SE definitely won’t survive your after-work nights out.
I do appreciate that, in addition to the Lightning port, the iPhone SE charges wirelessly. It also supports sub-6 5G, and can work with midband networks as well. Those hoping for ultrawideband for more precise AirTag locations will be disappointed; Apple didn’t include it here. mmWave 5G is also a missing feature, though with the lack of widely available reliable coverage, that’s more understandable.
The competition
If you’re considering the iPhone SE, you’ve probably already decided Android isn’t for you. But I feel it’s my duty to tell you that in this price range, non-Apple offerings tend to offer better specs. Sure, the A15 bionic is the most powerful chip you’re going to get at this price, but nowadays most mid-range phones come with competent processors. You probably won’t notice a huge difference in daily performance between the iPhone SE and the Pixel 5a, which uses a Snapdragon 765G.
What you’re likely to miss out on by sticking to Apple is beautiful OLED panels with faster screen refresh rates. The Pixel 5a and Galaxy A52 also come with multi-camera systems that will make shooting landscapes or faraway objects easier. But if you’d rather stick to a familiar ecosystem, or if the person who you’re buying this for doesn’t need those things, the iPhone SE is a safe choice.
Apple currently still sells the iPhone 11 for $500, so if you have about $70 more to spend it’s worth considering while it’s available. You’ll lose 5G and the home button, and get an A13 chip instead of the A15. But the iPhone 11 also offers longer battery life and a second ultra-wide camera.
If you’re in the market for a small, cheaper iPhone, you’ve probably also got your eye on the iPhone 13 mini. For about $270 more, it brings a nicer, fullscreen display, additional rear camera, updated design and slightly longer battery life. You’ll have to finally let go of the home button and Touch ID, sure, and get used to a notch for the selfie camera. But those are fairly minor tradeoffs. I do want to point out that the base model’s 64GB of storage is measly. I’ve barely installed all my apps on my review unit and there’s already about 22GB gone. You’ll definitely want to spend the extra $50 for the 128GB version at least, which is what the entry-level iPhone 13 mini includes.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Wrap-up
For the price, the iPhone SE offers many advanced features, like a premium processor, 5G support and iOS 15. With these, Apple’s mid-range phone is likely to keep running respectably for at least two more years. But some of its other aspects are practically ancient, like its cramped screen and limited camera setup. If you’re hellbent on getting an iPhone for under $500, and don’t want a refurbished version of previous flagships, the iPhone SE is good enough. Plus, this is the only iPhone around that still has Touch ID, which many people prefer over Face ID.
Those who want superior cameras and displays, though, should at least consider the Galaxy A52 or the iPhone 13. If you can wait a little longer and don’t mind Android, there’s also a chance Google’s next mid-range Pixel will be a better deal. For now, it’s nice to see a new iPhone SE that brings modern performance and connectivity in a design that fans of smaller phones will enjoy. It’s basic, but it gets the job done.
Key specs
Spec
iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Display
4.7-inch 1,334 x 750 widescreen Retina HD (LCD), 326ppi,
Dimensions
5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches / 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm; 5.09 oz / 144 grams
Processor and Storage
A15 Bionic; 64GB / 128GB / 256GB storage
Rear cameras
12MP main camera, f/1.8 aperture with up to 5x digital zoom, Smart HDR 4, Deep Fusion and Night Mode Time Lapse
Front camera
7MP, f/2.2, with Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4 and Night Mode Time Lapse
Battery
Up to 15 hours video playback, Up to 50 percent charge in 30 minutes with separate 20W adapter or higher, Qi-certified wireless charging
Sensors and connectivity
Touch ID fingerprint sensor in home button, NFC, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
While the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13’s new hues look earthier and closer to a leafy green, the Pro flagships come with a sort of frosted finish that helps them better reject smudges. It also makes the color a little paler and adds a metallic sheen.
There’s nothing else different about these new iPhones. They’re last year’s iPhone 13s, but green. Intrigued? Then take a look at these pictures I took of the new gadgets under different lighting conditions.
I have included photos of the two new iPhone 13s alongside other green phones like the sage Pixel 5 and the Pixel 5a. The latter’s official color is called “Mostly Black,” but it definitely feels more like “Off Green.” My favorite is still the pastel green iPhone 12, which will reign in my heart as the best verdant gadget. At least, until someone comes up with a Matcha-colored (or flavored) phone. Or lime. Or pandan. You’re welcome for the color inspiration, phone makers.
It’s been two years since Apple launched the last iPhone SE and finally, a new model is here. At its “Peek Performance” event today, Apple unveiled the new iPhone SE, which like its predecessors is a more affordable version of the flagship range. As expected, the budget-friendly phone has an updated quad-core A15 Bionic processor and supports 5G cellular standards. Surprisingly, though, it still retains a home button below the screen for Touch ID, and has a single rear camera. In fact, it looks nearly identical to its predecessor.
The new iPhone SE will be available in midnight, starlight and red colors, and has a 4.7 inch Retina HD screen. It’s covered in glass, with Apple saying this is the “toughest glass in a smartphone on both the front and back.” It’s the same glass as that on the back of the iPhone 13. The iPhone SE also comes with IP67 dust and water resistance, and the company is promising better battery life thanks to efficiencies from the A15 Bionic and iOS 15.
Though there is just one 12-megapixel rear camera here (with f/1.8 aperture), Apple said the latest iPhone SE has a “new camera system,” adding things that we saw on the iPhone 13 like Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 4 and Deep Fusion for better processing.
Apple
Finally, like the iPhone 13 series, the iPhone SE is made with some recycled materials, according to Apple. It uses “100-percent recycled rare earth elements in the Taptic Engine and audio magnets, 100-percent recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine, and 100-percent recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board.” The company also changed its packaging so it no longer uses an outer plastic wrap.
Pre-orders begin this Friday (March 11th) at 5am PT, with availability beginning March 18th. At $429, it’s worth noting that year’s iPhone SE is $30 pricier than the last model. If you’re still keen on getting a new iPhone SE, I’d suggest waiting till we can get in a unit to test before you get one, so we can evaluate things like battery life and real-world camera performance. Stay tuned for our full review.
Catch up on all of the news from Apple’s Peek Performance event right here!
