The new iPhone SE adds 5G but keeps the home button

It's been two years since Apple launched the last iPhone SE and finally, a new model is here. At its “Peek performance” event today, Apple unveiled the new iPhone SE, which like its predecessors is a more affordable version of the flagship range. As expected, the budget-friendly phone has an updated quad-core A15 Bionic processor and supports 5G cellular standards. Surprisingly, though, it still retains a home button below the screen for Touch ID, and has a single 12-megapixel rear camera. In fact, it looks nearly identical to its predecessor.

The new iPhone SE will be available in midnight, starlight and red colors, and has a 4.7 inch Retina HD screen. It's covered in glass, with Apple saying this is the “toughest glass in a smartphone on both the front and back.” It's the same glass as that on the back of the iPhone 13. The iPhone SE also comes with IP67 dust and water resistance, and the company is promising better battery life thanks to efficiencies from the A15 Bionic and iOS 15.

Pre-orders begin this Friday with the iPhone SE starting at $429, and wider availability is due March 18th.

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