Apple iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 Mini: Which Low-Cost iPhone Is the Best Deal?
The new iPhone SE, at $429, is Apple's current lowest-cost iPhone. And it has some big things going for it, most notably 5G and a fast A15 processor at a price $179 lower than the next model up. Is it worth the price—and what are you losing out on by not buying a more costly model?
We'll have the full answers when we review the iPhone SE, of course. But for now, we have some ideas based on the spec sheets.
The 2020 iPhone SE isn't on sale directly from Apple, but you might find some around from retailers still in stock. It has a fast-enough processor and many features that are similar to the 2022 model.
The major advantage with the new SE is potential added performance and coverage from 5G. Adding low-band 5G can help with coverage on T-Mobile, and mid-band 5G will speed up T-Mobile, Verizon, and soon AT&T.
Stepping up to the iPhone 12 mini gets you a higher-resolution display and a better camera system. The iPhone 12 mini has 4x4 MIMO, so it may have better cellular range and speeds than the SE does. The iPhone 12 mini is also lighter. I suspect that the mini has less battery life than the SE does, but that's a very vague suspicion and we need to test the SE to be sure.
Stepping up as far as the iPhone 13 mini gets you a brighter screen and noticeably better battery life than on the iPhone 12 mini, although we don't know how they compare with the iPhone SE. We'll have full details with our iPhone SE review, so check back soon.
And head over to our story on the best iPhone to buy in 2022. We'll add the new iPhone SE to the list as soon as we get a chance to test it.
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