Apple iPhone SE (2022): A Powerful Chip Trapped in the Past (473 User Reviews Analyzed)

To understand what owners truly think, we analyzed 473 verified user reviews for the Apple iPhone SE (2022). Our method is direct: we examine what people say about specific features, which we call aspects. For this phone, we focused on its Value for Money, Camera, Screen, Design, Performance, Software, and Battery. We then tallied the positive, negative, and neutral comments for each aspect. This data-driven approach gives you a clear picture of the phone’s real-world strengths and weaknesses, based entirely on user experience.

💰 Value for Money: Great Price, Hidden Costs

When it comes to the Value for Money of the Apple iPhone SE (2022), the story is one of profound satisfaction clashing with significant frustration. Users are overwhelmingly happy with the core proposition of the phone, feeling they’ve secured a powerful device at a fair price.

This is reflected in an 85% positive score for overall satisfaction relative to cost, a figure that edges out the category average of 84%. For many, this phone represents the most accessible entry point into Apple’s ecosystem, delivering modern performance without the flagship price tag.

The 3rd generation is the same on the inside as all the new ones now like the 14 but is much cheaper. It’s also smaller which is another plus for me.

This sentiment—getting the essentials of a high-end iPhone in a familiar and affordable package—is the primary driver of its value. Another owner put it simply:

If you want a smaller, affordable phone without all of the bells and whistles that you don’t need, but with everything you do, and that works, this is it.

Hidden Costs & Frustration

However, this positive feeling is sharply undercut by a significant pain point: what’s missing from the box. The iPhone SE receives a dismal 4% positive score for unexpected costs or missing items, a score that falls a staggering 17 points below the category average of 21%.

This isn’t just an abstract number; it’s a tangible frustration for customers who find they can’t use their new device straight away. The primary culprit is the lack of a charging brick, an omission made worse by the fact that older chargers are often incompatible.

This forces an immediate, unexpected purchase, turning the initial joy of a good deal into an annoyance. One user voiced this common grievance perfectly:

the SE does not come with a charger and the one from the 6 is incompatible, so I’ve had to fork out another £20 for a charger. Sorry Apple, but I won’t be buying another one of your phones.

A Compelling Upgrade Path

In the competitive landscape, the iPhone SE’s value proposition becomes clearer, especially for those upgrading from older devices. With 65% of users feeling the upgrade was justified—well above the category average of 59% and the Google Pixel 8a’s 54%—the SE carves out a specific niche.

It’s a lifeline for long-time iPhone users with aging hardware. For them, the performance leap is dramatic. As one happy customer noted:

I am 79 years old and not tech savvy. I wanted a phone similar to my iPhone 6S whose battery was no longer working. This fit the bill perfectly!

This makes it a compelling choice for those seeking familiarity and a significant speed boost without a steep learning curve or a high price.

Trade-Off: The iPhone SE (2022) delivers exceptional core performance for its price, making it a fantastic value for those deep in the Apple ecosystem, but this compelling offer is soured by the frustrating and near-certain need to spend extra on essential accessories right out of the box.

📸 Camera: Simple But Lacks Features

The camera system on the Apple iPhone SE (2022) is a story of dependable simplicity clashing with modern expectations. While it satisfies users on a fundamental level, a deeper look at the data reveals a significant gap in creative capability that defines its place in the market.

Reliable Everyday Performance

For everyday use, the camera is a reliable performer. The core factor of Image and Video Quality earns an 80% positive sentiment score, slightly edging out the 78% category average. This indicates that for the target user, the camera simply works as expected, delivering clear and pleasing results without any fuss.

Many users upgrading from older devices were pleasantly surprised, with one noting,

What surprised me most was the camera. It was certainly an improvement to the old one.

This sentiment is echoed by those who prioritize function over flair, who feel it has

a camera good enough for the average person.

For these users, who feared a major compromise, the quality holds up, as one reviewer confirmed:

I was worried the camera would be noticeably worse… but I haven’t noticed it at all.

A Major Lack of Features

However, this satisfaction quickly evaporates when users look for anything beyond basic point-and-shoot functionality. The phone’s Camera Features and Modes are a source of major disappointment, scoring a dismal 18% positive sentiment.

This is a staggering 43 points below the category average of 61%, highlighting a bare-bones experience. Users feel this limitation acutely, particularly when trying to capture distant subjects, with one lamenting the

only downside camera for for detailed far off photos.

The lack of versatility leaves some users feeling they bought a compromised device, summed up by the stark advice:

If you want amazing photos, you’ll want something else.

The Google Pixel 8a Comparison

This weakness is thrown into sharp relief when compared to its direct rival, the Google Pixel 8a. While the Pixel 8a also beats the iPhone SE on basic image quality (91% positive vs. 80%), the critical difference lies in the features.

The Pixel 8a boasts an 88% positive score for its camera modes and features, a massive 70-point advantage over the SE’s 18%. This isn’t just a number; it represents a fundamentally different user experience.

It means Pixel 8a owners have a versatile, creative toolkit at their disposal, while iPhone SE users are often left with a camera that feels dated and restrictive, reinforcing the sense that it

hasn’t the photo clarity of larger more expensive phones.

Trade-Off: The iPhone SE’s camera is a dependable tool for simple, well-lit snapshots, but this reliability comes at the steep cost of the creative features and versatility found in its direct competitors.

📱 Screen: Clarity vs. Cramped

For the Apple iPhone SE (2022), the screen experience is a story of stark contrasts, satisfying a specific subset of users while frustrating many others. For those upgrading from much older devices or who prioritize compactness above all else, the display delivers a welcome boost in clarity and readability. This is reflected in its 57% positive score for display quality and vibrancy, driven by users who feel it’s a significant improvement.

One partially sighted owner was relieved that

the words come in larger and sharper print,

while another user upgrading from an old SE found the new version to be a

revelation… The display is crystal clear.

For this group, the screen is sharp enough to make daily tasks more pleasant and accessible.

Outdated Design and Usability Issues

However, the positive sentiment stops there. The screen’s outdated design is the primary source of user frustration, causing the display quality score to fall a dramatic 26 percentage points below the category average of 83%. This isn’t just an aesthetic issue; it has severe practical consequences.

The small size and large bezels create a cramped user experience that feels out of place in the modern smartphone era. Users complain that

Many Apps & Websites are not optimized for such a small display, so everything is just a bit too squished.

This frustration extends to basic usability, as another owner noted they

constantly make mistakes typing on it because it’s so small,

while others found the touchscreen itself sometimes unresponsive, requiring that the

‘send’ often needs two taps!

Competitive Comparison

The iPhone SE’s weaknesses are thrown into sharp relief when compared to its modern rivals. Its 57% positive rating for display quality is profoundly overshadowed by the Google Pixel 8a, which boasts a score of 81%. This 24-point deficit represents a tangible gap in user experience.

While SE users lament a screen that feels like

the first iPhone I had years and years ago,

buyers of the Pixel 8a are getting a display that meets contemporary expectations for size and immersion. This vast difference proves that while Apple packed a powerful chip into the SE, the screen is a significant compromise that makes competitors feel like a much better value for a modern visual experience.

Trade-Off: The iPhone SE’s screen offers functional clarity for users with basic needs, but its dated and cramped design presents a significant usability compromise compared to the modern, immersive displays offered by its key competitors.

📐 Design: Compact Love, Dated Frustrations

The design of the Apple iPhone SE (2022) is a deliberate choice that sharply divides its users, championing a form factor that the rest of the market has abandoned. The most celebrated element by far is its size and handling, which earns a 76% positive score, a full five points above the category average.

In an era of ever-expanding screens, this compact size is not a compromise but the primary motivation for purchase. Users feel it is the “great size if you don’t like the larger size phones,” a practical benefit for those who value portability. One user sums up the sentiment perfectly:

If you want a high performance iPhone that fits easily into your pocket this is hard to beat.

For some, the appeal is even more personal and essential, with one person stating:

I have arthritis in my hands. So small phone is easier for me to hold.

Dated Design, Modern Frustrations

However, this commitment to a classic form factor comes with significant drawbacks. The phone’s design features are a source of clear frustration, scoring a low 35% in positive sentiment, five points below the category average. This reflects a design that feels not just familiar, but frustratingly dated.

While some cherish the return of the home button—”I missed the home button and I’m glad I did”—others are annoyed by legacy quirks and missing modern standards. One user switching from an older SE model was unhappy with an ergonomic step backward:

I am hating the button to turn it on and off. My other SE had it on the top, easy to use with one hand. It was moved to the side opposite from the volume buttons, so you have to use two hands.

Another user simply lamented the old look, stating:

It looks like the first iPhone I had years and years ago when the phone was introduced.

How It Compares

This dated feeling is thrown into sharp relief when compared to its competitors. The Nothing Phone (2a), for instance, achieves a perfect 100% positive score for its aesthetics and design features, making the SE’s design ethos feel even more like a relic.

While the SE’s build quality is decent at 70% positive, it still falls 6 points below the category average and trails the Google Pixel 8a’s 78% score. Ultimately, the choice to buy an SE is a conscious decision to prioritize a specific, and now rare, design principle. It’s for the user who actively rejects the modern trend, as one person who owns a newer iPhone 13 explained:

I have an iPhone 13 and it is just too big to fit normal pockets.

Trade-Off: The iPhone SE’s celebrated compact size and familiar handling are directly coupled with an undeniably dated aesthetic and a feature set that feels years behind its more innovative rivals.

🚀 Performance: Power Meets Bottleneck

Future-Proof Power

The performance of the Apple iPhone SE (2022) is defined by a single, powerful contradiction: a top-tier engine inside a dated chassis. The phone’s processing power and speed are its standout feature, achieving an 86% positive sentiment score, which is a full 3 percentage points above the category average.

For users, particularly those upgrading from older models, this translates into a dramatically improved daily experience. They describe a device that is “extremely fast and smooth,” thanks to the inclusion of the A15 Bionic chip, the same processor found in Apple’s more expensive iPhone 13 lineup. This isn’t just a minor bump; it’s a leap that makes the phone feel future-proof.

You get the very latest processor as used in high end models and the latest software, so it’s future proofed for a few years yet.

This raw speed provides a sense of security and value, assuring them the phone will remain capable and efficient for years.

Performance Bottlenecks

Despite this impressive power, a segment of users feels this strength is undermined by the phone’s other limitations, leading to frustrating performance bottlenecks. While the processor itself is rarely faulted, some users report the device “became laggy” or that it “actually seems to load web content slower than 4G.”

The root of this dissatisfaction appears to be a mismatch between the modern chip and the phone’s older design. One user perfectly captured this sentiment, calling the SE a “powerful, but pointless smartphone,” explaining that “there is nowhere to use this power, the screen is extremely small, not of high quality.” For these individuals, the phone’s incredible processing muscle feels wasted, trapped within a form factor that hinders its full potential.

Competitive Edge

In the competitive landscape, the iPhone SE’s performance is its primary weapon. Its 86% positive score for processing power narrowly edges out the Google Pixel 8a (85%) and decisively surpasses the Nothing Phone (2a), which lags far behind at 71%.

This 15-point advantage over the Nothing Phone (2a) highlights a key strategic difference: Apple chose to equip its budget model with a flagship-grade processor, a decision that resonates strongly with users. Many feel they are getting unparalleled performance for the price, with one owner stating the SE “still leaves Android phones in the dust.”

Another user directly compared it to a higher-end competitor, saying it “works faster than my Galaxy S22,” demonstrating that the SE’s speed isn’t just good for a budget phone—it competes with and even beats more expensive rivals.

Trade-Off: You get class-leading, flagship-level performance for a budget price, but you must accept that this power is constrained by a dated design and small screen.

🍎 Software & OS: Smooth Yet Glitchy

The software and operating system of the Apple iPhone SE (2022) is a study in contrasts, delivering the sublime ease-of-use that users expect from Apple, while simultaneously frustrating them with underlying instability. The core of its appeal lies in its exceptional User Experience & UI Smoothness, which scores an impressive 84% positive sentiment, a full 10 points higher than the category average. For users, this translates into a feeling of reliable simplicity and a lack of daily friction.

As one owner put it:

Its an Apple product- it just works, no drama or fuss.

This sentiment is particularly strong among those upgrading from older devices, who celebrate how “moving all my data and Apps from the old phone was very easy.” For many, this seamlessness is the entire point, providing a device that “delivers and gets less screen to thigh slaps and cursing and a more happy you.”

Software Stability Concerns

However, this smooth facade is cracked by significant problems with Software Stability & Issues. With a positive sentiment score of only 36%, this factor reveals a deep well of user frustration, even if it does track 9 points above the dismal category average of 27%. These are not minor hiccups; they are tangible problems that disrupt daily use.

Owners report that “several apps don’t work correctly on the SE (Strava, Outlook email and WhatsApp),” a direct contradiction of the “it just works” promise. For some, the problem escalates over time, starting with a screen that would “start to glitch” until the phone became “completely inoperable.” This unreliability forces users into constant troubleshooting, with some “needing to reboot more than once daily” just to keep their phones functional.

How the SE Compares

This mixed experience is thrown into sharper relief when compared to its direct Android competitors. The iPhone SE’s signature UI smoothness gives it a major advantage over the Google Pixel 8a, which scores 13 points lower at 71% for the same factor, underscoring why users who prioritize a user-friendly interface stick with Apple. Yet, when it comes to stability, the story flips, with the Pixel 8a proving slightly more reliable with a 40% positive score compared to the SE’s 36%. In a surprising turn, however, the SE’s software issues appear far less severe than those of the Nothing Phone (2a), which received a startling 0% positive score for stability, making the SE’s bugs seem like the lesser of two evils for shoppers comparing these specific models.

Trade-Off: Users gain Apple’s best-in-class user-friendliness and smooth interface at the cost of enduring frustrating software bugs and stability issues that undermine the seamless experience.

🔋 Battery: Modern Charging, Poor Life

When analyzing the battery performance of the Apple iPhone SE (2022), user opinion is sharply divided, creating a story of both surprising convenience and significant frustration. While many upgrading from older devices express relief, a substantial portion of owners find themselves tethered to a charger more often than they expected, revealing a deep conflict behind the overall score.

Modern Charging Methods

The most notable bright spot for users isn’t endurance, but rather the modern conveniences of its charging methods. With a 46% positive sentiment, this factor outperforms the category average of 32% by a significant 14-point margin.

This isn’t just about plugging in a cable; it’s about seamless integration into a modern lifestyle. The addition of wireless charging, a feature typically found on more expensive flagships, is a key driver of this satisfaction.

Users are genuinely delighted by the practicality, as one owner’s comment illustrates how this feature removes a point of friction from their daily routine:

I CAN ALSO LAY IT ON THE FLAT CHARGER IN MY 2022 FORD WHEN I’M DRIVING. NO WIRES

Core Battery Life Anxiety

However, this modern convenience is overshadowed by persistent anxiety over the phone’s core battery life. This is the SE’s Achilles’ heel, with positive sentiment at 68%, a full 6 percentage points below the category average of 74%.

For users, this shortfall translates into a tangible daily burden and a sense of disappointment. The dream of all-day power quickly dissipates for many, as one frustrated owner reports:

I did think the battery would last longer between charges as I do have to charge the phone twice a day.

Another user was even more direct about their dissatisfaction, stating:

The battery can not even last a day with minimal use. The worse apple iPhone I have ever had.

Competitive Landscape & User Compromise

This feeling of compromise is thrown into sharp relief when compared to its direct competitors. The Nothing Phone (2a) achieves a flawless 100% positive sentiment for battery life, highlighting a vast gap in user experience.

While an iPhone SE owner might be planning their day around charging opportunities, a Nothing Phone user experiences complete freedom from battery anxiety. Even for those upgrading from much older iPhones who feel an initial improvement, the feeling is often relative rather than absolute.

One reviewer summed it up perfectly:

Yes the battery doesn’t last as long as previous or more fancy models but to be honest it’s not been an issue at all. I’d say a very small price to pay for an up to date brilliant phone.

This highlights the central compromise users must make: accepting subpar endurance for the sake of the Apple ecosystem and a lower price point.

Trade-Off: For users seeking modern conveniences like wireless charging in a familiar form factor, the SE delivers, but this comes at the cost of a battery that fails to provide the all-day confidence offered by its direct rivals.

Bottom Line

• ✅ Flagship-Level Speed: Its core strength is performance, achieving an 86% positive score for its blazing-fast processing power—a key reason 65% of users felt the upgrade was justified.
• ⚠️ A Critically Dated Experience: The biggest complaint is the lack of modern features, most notably a camera that scores a dismal 18% positive for its modes and options, a full 43 points below the category average.
• 🔻 Feels Like a Step Backward: The screen is a major compromise, with its 57% quality score falling 26 points below the category average due to a cramped, outdated design that users feel is “squished” and like “the first iPhone.”
• ⚠️ Warning on Hidden Costs: Be prepared for immediate extra spending. User frustration over missing items (like a compatible charger) results in a shocking 4% positive score, 17 points below the category average.
• 🏁 Vastly Outmatched by Rivals: The Google Pixel 8a holds a massive 70-point advantage in camera features, while the Nothing Phone (2a) achieves a perfect 100% positive score for battery life, highlighting the SE’s key weaknesses.
• 💡 The Verdict: For Loyalists Only: This is a powerful upgrade for long-time iPhone users seeking modern speed in a classic, small design, but only if they can tolerate major compromises on the screen, camera, and battery.