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Here’s how iPhone SE 3 battery life compares to SE 2, iPhone 8, and other models

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 3iPhone SE 2iPhone 8iPhone 12/13 mini
Battery for video playback15 hours13 hours13 hours15/17 hours
Battery for streaming video10 hours8 hours10/13 hours
Battery for audio playback50 hours40 hours40 hours50/55 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:

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Avatar for Michael Potuck Michael Potuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.


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