iPhone SE vs. iPhone 12 Buyer's Guide: Comparing Some of Apple's Cheapest iPhones

[Powerbooky]

Touch ID is still more convenient and more reliable than Face ID. I love my SE and will keep buying Touch ID phones as long as possible. A lot of friends have Face ID phones and I see it failing and being annoying soooo often.

Well, I must say that I've used Touch ID and indeed it worked great on my SE (2017), but sometimes with wet fingers it could fail. I recently got a iPhone 13 mini and Face ID works well and even faster too. In a lot of situations I can access important stuff like company 2FA way faster than I could with Touch ID.
BUT... the thing is, you really have to disable all the switches that can activate the phone too quickly. Unintended unlock happens fast when grabbing the phone from the table when the option "Raise to wake" is enabled.
With Touch ID this doesn't happen that quickly.

iPhone 13 mini would be my choice if I needed an iPhone right now.

Just got one. Good size but still bigger than the original SE. And up to like a decade ago I didn't care much for a camera on a phone... they were awful back then. But now I got this iPhone because the camera's have become really good and there's no need anymore for separate point-and-shoot camera IMHO.
For all those moments one really needs a quality picture I still can grab the DSLR.

Btw... in this guide the SE 2020 would be a good choice too. They're still on sale in stores for a good price. We got one for one of our children two months ago.

 

[compwiz1202]

It was the other way round for me.Touch ID kept failing and Face ID just works every time.

I never had an issue with either on a iPhone. Face still isn't the greatest on Android but at least you have a choice there. I prefer Touch for unlocking while taking it out of my pocket, paying and getting new apps. Otherwise Face

 

[webkit]

For $170 more, the iPhone 12 offers a more modern design and a larger, OLED display, as well as Face ID, an Ultra Wide camera, Night mode, considerably better front-facing and Main cameras, MagSafe, and longer battery life. There is also the benefit of improved water resistance, the U1 chip, and Dolby Atmos audio playback, and even additional color options to choose from. All of this makes for a significant upgrade over the iPhone SE if you value these features and can afford the $170 extra, but it is worth bearing in mind that they are not essential capabilities for many users.

Actually, it's $200 more. The $599 retail figure includes a $30 connectivity discount from Sprint/T-Mobile and Verizon but not everyone buys phones for those carriers.

I'm still not sure why some iPhones get the $30 discount (12, 13, 13 mini, 14, 14 Plus) while others don't (SE, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max). I would think carriers would be willing to offer the discount on all of the models.

It is also worth noting that the iPhone 13 mini starts at the same $599 price point as the iPhone 12.....

Same $629 price point.

 

[sleeptodream]

Looking to upgrade my iPhone 7 and although the SE2 is an attractive phone, I really want a larger screen, so that rules it out. The iPhone 12 seems like a great alternative.

For someone who doesn't really need bleeding edge technology, is there any point in upgrading to an iPhone 13 or iPhone 12 pro over a (used/refurb/new) iPhone 12?

For me, the battery life in the 13 was wayyy better than the 12.

Plus, 13 is a cooler number

 

[spatlese44]

Maybe we could stop using the term “entry-level”?

 

[Orizaba]

Maybe the iPhone 13 mini should continue to live and just become the next iPhone SE...

 

[QCassidy352]

I was in the Apple Store last week to check out the 14 series, and I ended up drawn to the SE and 13 mini (ordered the 13 mini). Both just feel fantastic in the hand compared to the larger phones.

 

[filmbuff]

I just upgraded from an SE 2 to a 12 and it completely blows the SE out of the water. The screen is so much better, the camera is so much better, the battery lasts longer. It also seems a little more durable because my SE's screen was covered in micro scratches within weeks and this one still looks brand new. It's my first phone with faceID and that took a little bit to get used to but now that I'm used to it I like it better. There are still times where touchID would be better (like using Apple Pay) so ideally it would have both. But considering that the 13 and 14 still don't have both I saw no reason to pay more for basically the same phone.

I do find it weird that Apple is still selling the 12, 13, and 14 which are almost the same phone for almost the same price. Just pick one?

 

[dampfnudel]

The A14 is not underpowered, and the A16 is not that much faster. I'd wager that most people wouldn't even notice the difference. Less marketing, please.

Yeah, when it comes to app performance and capability, the A14 can handle pretty much everything the A15 and A16 can handle. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple drops support for both the iPhone 13 and 14 a year after they drop support for the iPhone 12. The 12 may even get company when that day comes. In other words, the A14 shouldn’t be the reason someone avoids getting it.

 

[Apple$]

My dream phone is a Mini as SE version with iPad style touch ID and USB-C !!!

It would be a instant switch for me from Android if Apple did this!

 

[4tune8chance]

The third-generation iPhone SE and the iPhone 12 are now among Apple's lowest-cost iPhone options, starting at $429 and $599 respectively. Apple released the iPhone 12 in late 2020, and has bumped it down in price since then to make it more accessible as new iPhone models have been released. On the other hand, the third-generation iPhone SE launched in early 2022, refreshing the most affordable iPhone option in the lineup.

With just $170 between them, should you get the new, smaller, entry-level iPhone or the older, larger, standard model that has come down in price over the years? Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two iPhones is best for you.

Differences


iPhone SE (third-generation)

• Smaller form factor, weighs 144 grams
• Glass front and back
• 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD display
• 625 nits max brightness (typical)
• 1400:1 contrast ratio (typical)
• Home Button with Touch ID
• A15 Bionic chip
• Single rear camera (ƒ/1.8 Main)
• Photographic Styles
• Smart HDR 4 for photos
• Front-facing 7MP FaceTime HD camera with 1080p HD video recording and Smart HDR 4
• Battery life with up to 15 hours video playback
• Rated IP67 water-resistant to a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes
• Midnight, Starlight, and PRODUCT(RED) color options

iPhone 12

• Larger form factor, weighs 164 grams
• Ceramic Shield front and glass back
• 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display
• 625 nits max brightness (typical) and 1,200 nits peak brightness (HDR)
• 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
• Face ID
• A14 Bionic chip
• Dual rear cameras with 2x optical zoom range (ƒ/1.6 Main and ƒ/2.4 Ultra Wide)
• Night mode
• Smart HDR 3 for photos
• HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 30 fps
• Audio zoom
• Front-facing 12MP TrueDepth camera with 4K video recording, Smart HDR 3, slo-mo video support, Animoji, and Memoji
• Battery life with up to 17 hours video playback
• Rated IP68 water-resistant to a depth of six meters for up to 30 minutes
• U1 Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness
• Supports Dolby Atmos audio playback
• Compatible with MagSafe cases, wallets, wireless chargers, and more
• Purple, Blue, Green, Black, White, and PRODUCT(RED) color options

Overall, the iPhone SE is an excellent entry-level iPhone option for just $429. In some respects, the iPhone SE is better than the iPhone 12 since it is a newer device, featuring a faster and more efficient chip, Photographic Styles, and Smart HDR 4.

For $170 more, the iPhone 12 offers a more modern design and a larger, OLED display, as well as Face ID, an Ultra Wide camera, Night mode, considerably better front-facing and Main cameras, MagSafe, and longer battery life. There is also the benefit of improved water resistance, the U1 chip, and Dolby Atmos audio playback, and even additional color options to choose from. All of this makes for a significant upgrade over the iPhone SE if you value these features and can afford the $170 extra, but it is worth bearing in mind that they are not essential capabilities for many users.

The main drawback of buying the iPhone 12 is its age, with the device featuring an older and less powerful chip. Some users may even value the smaller size and weight of the iPhone SE, as well as features like Touch ID. Overall, it comes down to whether you value having a smaller, newer device, or can look past this to get the benefits of a device with Face ID and a larger, OLED display.

If you prefer the iPhone 12's set of features, then it is still a good option for $599, but generally most users looking for an affordable iPhone should opt for the iPhone SE since it is more future-proof and offers a similar A15 chipset as Apple's latest iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models.

It is also worth noting that the iPhone 13 mini starts at the same $599 price point as the iPhone 12 and continues to be available from Apple, but it features a smaller display at just 5.4-inches. The iPhone 13 mini is a newer device and starts with double the storage of the iPhone 12 at 128GB, so the iPhone 13 mini will be a better option for users who are considering the iPhone 12 but do not mind having a slightly smaller display.

Article Link: iPhone SE vs. iPhone 12 Buyer's Guide: Comparing Some of Apple's Cheapest iPhones

Have to agree the SE Fantastic value.

 

[Sinfonist]

Touch ID is still more convenient and more reliable than Face ID. I love my SE and will keep buying Touch ID phones as long as possible. A lot of friends have Face ID phones and I see it failing and being annoying soooo often.

Agree. TouchId on my old 6s was much better than Face ID on my 13

 

[svish]

SE is a great iPhone. But if budget allows, maybe better to go for iPhone 13 mini.

 

[Frantisekj]

Shouldn't iPhone 13 mini be in the mix here - SE size / 12 price with iPhone 13 performance? I know it's included as an afterthought, but I think it should really be a key contender for anyone weighing up these options.

Should not be 12 mini there even it is not sold officialy but you can get in on many places? That is my target device when its price come down to level I am willing to accept, new or used. You can get one in excelent condition from 340-420 USD.

 

[jouster]

Maybe the iPhone 13 mini should continue to live and just become the next iPhone SE...

This would make sense. But there seems to be a strong feeling that the next SE will be based on the XR. I would find that surprising, given that the SE has tended to be smaller and the XR is not a small phone.