Reprinted from TidBITS by permission; reuse governed by Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND 3.0. TidBITS has offered years of thoughtful commentary on Apple and Internet topics. For free email subscriptions and access to the entire TidBITS archive, visit http://www.tidbits.com/ Third-Generation iPhone SE Is Another Great Bargain Josh Centers I was partial to the second-generation iPhone SE, which gave you (at the time) modern iPhone performance and features in a retro Touch ID package for only $399. I recommended it to many regular people who didn't need the latest and greatest until the advent of the iPhone 13, which made the iPhone SE look a little dated. Apple has now announced the [1]third-generation iPhone SE, much in the same vein. It starts at a slightly higher $429 for 64 GB of storage, but I think the 128 GB model at $479 is a no-brainer of an upgrade. One of the most common iPhone problems I field is people who are perpetually out of storage. An extra $50 is well worth it to avoid the tech equivalent of a toothache. What makes this iPhone SE another bargain is that it contains the same A15 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone 13 but starts at $370 less! It also now offers 5G connectivity (though not the fastest millimeter-wave 5G'see '[2]AT&T and Verizon Debut Faster, More Widely Available 5G Service,' 22 January 2022). Should you buy an iPhone 13 or the new iPhone SE? Let's run a quick comparison: * The iPhone SE has a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, while the iPhone 13 boasts a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display. The iPhone SE's screen is smaller and not quite as sharp but is still a very good screen. * The iPhone SE only has a single 12-megapixel camera, unlike the iPhone 13, which has a dual 12-megapixel system with Wide and Ultra Wide cameras (the iPhone 13 Pro adds a Telephoto camera). * The iPhone SE has somewhat worse battery life than the iPhone 13, but it should still be fine for most people. * The iPhone SE is rated at IP67 for water resistance: up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. The iPhone 13's IP68 rating makes it water-resistant up to 6 meters for 30 minutes. We don't recommend testing either one. * The iPhone SE is not compatible with MagSafe or Qi wireless chargers. The third-generation iPhone SE comes in midnight (black), starlight (white), and [3](PRODUCT)RED. Speaking of colors, If you've been hesitating about buying an [4]iPhone 13 or [5]iPhone 13 Pro and the new iPhone SE doesn't meet your needs, Apple is hoping to tempt you into the iPhone 13 fold with two new colors: Green for the iPhone 13 and Alpine Green for the iPhone 13 Pro. You can pre-order all the iPhones mentioned here on 11 March 2022, and they'll be available on 18 March 2022. References Visible links 1. https://www.apple.com/iphone-se/ 2. https://tidbits.com/2022/01/22/att-and-verizon-debut-faster-more-widely-available-5g-service/ 3. https://www.apple.com/product-red/ 4. https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-13 5. https://www.apple.com/iphone-13-pro/ Hidden links: 6. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2022/03/iPhone-SE-3.jpg 7. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2022/03/iPhone-SE-3-card.jpg 8. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2022/03/Green-iPhones-13.jpg .