Along with the A15 chip upgrade and more, iPhone SE gets a battery improvement over its predecessor and other iPhones. Let’s look at how iPhone SE 3 battery life stacks up against old and modern iPhones alike.
As expected, the iPhone SE 3 continues on as the most affordable option in Apple’s smartphone lineup. While it does gain 5G support, a new color option, and A15 Bionic chip, there are some features it lacks:
However, even with the same dimensions and overall design as the iPhone SE 2 and likely the same 1,821 mAh battery capacity, Apple was able to improve battery life. That’s thanks to the tight integration between the A15 chip, the rest of the iPhone hardware, and iOS. That includes what Apple says is its latest battery chemistry and “internal design updates.”
What to expect with iPhone SE 3 battery life
With iPhone SE 3, you get 2 hours more for video playback and 10 hours more for audio than the SE 2 or iPhone 8.
That puts the iPhone SE 3 battery life on par with the iPhone 12 mini but is still less than the iPhone 13 lineup.
Note: Battery estimates from Apple feature the “up to” qualifier on all of its specs pages.
| iPhone SE 3 | iPhone SE 2 | iPhone 8 | iPhone 12/13 mini | |
| Battery for video playback | 15 hours | 13 hours | 13 hours | 15/17 hours |
| Battery for streaming video | 10 hours | 8 hours | – | 10/13 hours |
| Battery for audio playback | 50 hours | 40 hours | 40 hours | 50/55 hours |
So if you’re coming from an iPhone SE 2, 8, or older, you’ll probably be impressed with the iPhone SE 3 battery life. Apple says the new iPhone SE offers 4 more hours of video playback than the iPhone 6s.
And just like the iPhone SE 2 and other models, the SE 3 offers fast charging so a 20W+ power adapter will give you a 50% charge in 30 minutes.
Check out more of our Apple March event coverage:
- Apple announces new ‘Mac Studio’ desktop computer powered by M1 Ultra chip with expanded I/O
- Apple announces new $1599 27-inch 5K Apple Studio Display, featuring Center Stage webcam
- Apple unveils iPad Air 5 with M1 chip, purple color option, more
- Download the new green iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro wallpapers right here
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