5 Reasons The iPhone SE 5G Is Your No-Brainer Upgrade In 2022

Apple could’ve gone all-out with the iPhone SE. A bigger, better display; a new aesthetic; all the flavors of wireless connectivity. Problem is, then it would’ve inevitably lost the primary reason the smartphone has been such a perennial success across its three generations: value for money.

I suspect that, for most iPhone SE buyers, the fact that they can be pretty much guaranteed to get half a decade or more of iOS updates on the same device, and yet spend under $500, is more important than having a long list of other features. And, if they really do need the cutting-edge in photography (not that the new iPhone SE’s camera is bad, for that matter, even if you don’t get an ultrawide-angle or telephoto lens) then there’s the iPhone 13 for them to consider.

My suspicion is that this is the last time Apple will roll out this particular recipe for the iPhone SE. When the fourth-generation model arrives — which, if the Cupertino company sticks to its past cadence, will be in about two years time — I’d be very surprised if it kept the same screen size. Today, though, this still feels like an iPhone very well suited to the mass market, even if there are areas where its more expensive brethren undeniably have an edge.

Preorders for the new iPhone SE are open now. Apple says its newest, most affordable smartphone will ship from Friday, March 18th, both unlocked and from its usual carrier partners.