Apple has just revealed the latest version of its affordable iPhone SE, where the most basic model costs around 500 euros, and the most advanced barely reaches 1,000 euros. The 2022 SE is physically identical to its predecessor, with a 4.7-inch screen and the home button below the screen, but this new model features 5G connectivity and the same powerful A15 Bionic chip found in the SE. iPhone’s highest range, that of Apple’s 13 models.
And while the camera setup stays the same as previous devices, with a single 12-megapixel rear lens, that new bionic chip means some worthwhile photographic enhancements.
A bionic chip to take better photos
The physical setup of the camera hasn’t changed between the old and new iPhone SE models, at least in practice. Both have 12-megapixel rear cameras with f/1.8 apertures, both can shoot 4K video, and both have 7-megapixel front-facing cameras. If you were hoping for a budget iPhone with multiple camera lens options, like a wide-view feature or a telephoto lens, you’ll have to look at higher-end (and consequently much more expensive) models.
But much of Apple’s success in camera quality comes from its software and processing, and this is where the A15 Bionic chip becomes the biggest camera news. During its presentation event for this device, Apple explained that the A15 Bionic chip allows for improved computational photography, including the impressive HDR capabilities already seen in the iPhone 13. Smart HDR 4, as this software is called, combines different exposures of the object that you are going to photograph with respect to its background, in theory allowing you to optimize portraits so that they are much more balanced, and highlighting skin tones so that they are much more natural.
Better processor for better images
Then there’s Apple’s Deep Fusion processing, which uses “pixel-by-pixel processing to optimize texture, detail, and noise,” as the company itself announced. Again, something that was not available with the previous processor in the latest model. You’ll also find Photo Styles, first seen on the iPhone 13, which let you more easily adjust color tones in your images, and on which Apple also says the A15 chip will also help improve videos shot in low light. .
What you won’t find are features like the ProRaw image format that allows for easier editing in applications like Adobe Lightroom, or the newer ProRes video that’s geared toward video professionals. Both are reserved for the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models only.
