Apple’s latest MacBook Pros are some of the most powerful laptops you can get right now, and they have high price tags to match. But if you’ve had your eye on the 16-inch model, you can grab it for $200 less than usual right now thanks to a new Amazon sale. The online retailer has the 512GB model for $2,299 and the 1TB version for $2,499, both of which are record-low prices.
These are the MacBook Pros many have been waiting for, not only for their impressive power but also their equally improved connectivity. We gave the M1 Pro and M1 Max laptops a score of 92 for their excellent performance, lovely Liquid Retina XDR Displays, great speakers and solid battery lives. Both machines blew every Windows machine we reviewed last year out of the water when it came to performance benchmarks, and we didn’t notice a slow down when the laptops ran in battery power. Plus, you’ll get a lot of use out of them before you need to power up — the 14-inch laptop lasted about 12.5 hours in our testing, while the 16-inch model survived for just over 16 hours.
Power alone makes these laptops solid options for videographers, photographers and other creatives, but they’re made even better by the new ports Apple included on both laptops. You’re no longer limited to just a few Thunderbolt ports — both machines now have a full-sized HDMI port, a MagSafe power connector, three USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports and an SD card slot. So while you will still need an adapter if you have USB-A accessories, hooking the machine up to other peripherals is much easier than it was on previous models. They may still be expensive even with this discount, but it’s hard to beat the latest MacBook Pros if you’re looking for a new laptop with as much power as possible, plus all of the latest features from Apple.
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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
As Apple’s new powerful mini-desktop, the Mac Studio, arrives, Intel’s very own series of tiny desktop PCs, the humble NUC, has reappeared.
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The NUC 12 Extreme is basically a slightly upgraded version of last year’s NUC 11 Extreme, which was notable for being the first of its kind that could fit a full-sized desktop graphics card. Now it has Intel’s hybrid 12th-gen desktop processors, which promise to be a huge upgrade over last year’s CPUs. The NUC 12 Extreme may not be as tiny as previous models, but it can fit in a full-sized desktop GPU. There is some groundwork you’d have to do yourself, like adding your own RAM, SSD and GPU, but it can also be easily upgraded over time. Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar was impressed. Read his full review here.
Earlier this week, Square Enix updated the Steam version of Chrono Trigger for the first time in four years. It adds support for 21:9 resolutions, “improved” D-pad controls and a handful of other quality of life changes. The addition of ultrawide screen support is particularly notable since it’s pretty rare. For instance, 2022’s Elden Ring doesn’t come with native 21:9 support.
Samsung has started sending out invitations to the Galaxy A Event, where it’ll unveil its latest mid-range smartphones. The tech giant introduced the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 on the same day last year. Samsung isn’t stopping: This comes just over a month after the company launched its flagship Galaxy S22 series.
Because the company announced its own Studio Display.
Days after discontinuing the 27-inch iMac, Apple has also stopped selling one of LG’s UltraFine displays. If you visit the company’s website, it no longer lists the 27-inch 5K model that retailed for $1,299 before its removal. LG has seemingly stopped selling the monitor as well, with its website indicating it’s “out of stock.”
Unsurprisingly, the 27-inch model’s removal from the Apple Store comes in the same week Apple announced its new Studio Display. Starting at $1,599, the monitor features a 5K retina panel with P3 wide color gamut coverage and 600 nits of brightness. It’s also 27 inches.
We dive into the iPhone SE, M1 Ultra and Mac Studio.
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In Friday’s episode, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into all the news from Apple’s first 2022 event. They talk about the iPhone SE, the new iPad Air and discuss who exactly the Mac Studio is aimed at. Not to mention the latest on Android 12L, the Magic Leap 2 and fond memories of illicit filesharing services.
Samsung has started sending out invitations to the Galaxy A Event, where it will unveil its latest mid-range smartphones under the product line. The tech giant introduced the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 on the same day last year and then launched the A52s, an upgraded version of the A52 with a newer processor, in select regions a few months later. You’ll be able to watch the event on Samsung’s website or the company’s YouTube channel on March 17th, starting at 10AM Eastern time.
The event comes just over a month after Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy S22 series in the first Unpacked event of the year. Along with the S22 and the S22+, the company also unveiled the Galaxy S22 Ultra that represents the consolidation of the Galaxy S and the Note lines. The S22 Ultra has the Note’s rectangular silhouette and onboard slot for its accompanying S Pen, whereas the other models have the traditional look of the previous S line devices.
Samsung also recently released the Galaxy S21 Fan Edition with a 6.4-inch screen and a slightly more affordable price than its standard counterparts. If we’re talking about phones in the same price range as the Galaxy A line, though, there’s the new iPhone SE that Apple unveiled on March 8th. The new budget-friendly SE model supports 5G connectivity and has an updated chip, but it looks almost identical to its predecessor. It will be available starting on March 18th for $429.
For decades, Star Trek has defined the future of consumer technology. We have smartphones and voice assistants because in-universe devices like the Tricorder inspired engineers at Apple, Google and other companies to recreate those technologies in the …
Days after discontinuing the 27-inch iMac, Apple has also stopped selling one of LG’s UltraFine displays. As spotted by MacRumors, if you visit the company’s website, it no longer lists the 27-inch 5K model that retailed for $1,299 before its removal. …
Apple discontinued the 27-inch iMac when it launched the Mac Studio and 5K Studio Display, but reports that came out earlier this year suggested that a replacement was in the works. According to 9to5Mac, though, Apple currently has no plans to release an all-in-one iMac bigger than 24 inches in the near future.
If true, that means we won’t be seeing a 27-inch model powered by an M1 processor — the recently discontinued iMac still uses Intel chips — anytime soon. Apple reportedly has no plans for a larger iMac equipped with an M1 Pro, Max or Ultra, as well. We also likely won’t be seeing one with the M2-powered MacBooks that Apple is expected to launch later this year. 9to5Mac says it got the information from the same source that told the publication about the pro-level Mac Studio and the Studio Display before they were unveiled.
At the moment, the only iMacs you can get straight from the Apple Store website is the 24-inch model with M1 processor released last year. The publication says the tech giant is developing a new 24-inch all-in-one computer slated to be introduced sometime in 2023. However, similar to the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro, it will likely remain one of the company’s (relatively) affordable options and won’t come with its high-end chips.
