This year, Apple announced the launch of the new 2022 iPhone SE — described as the most affordable yet still powerful iPhone.
For many, the smartphone holds many crucial responsibilities. It’s where they keep track of upcoming events, listen to music, connect with others on social media, and more. Of course, the mobile phone has evolved quite a bit (or rather massively) since the early days of just being used for the purposes of calling and texting. Technology has definitely grown remarkably throughout the years — bringing to the world new marvels.
One of the most apparent improvement is how camera features have changed since. Smartphones now come with efficient and adequate photography and videography features. In fact, amateur photographers or anyone who enjoys just taking shots of anything they see are reaping the benefits from the advent of technology. The little device now allows users with to achieve top-notch results with some of the best cameras around.
An example to note is the latest iPhone SE that was released in March 2022. In addition to being fitted with the A15 Bionic chip and 5G, the 2022 iPhone SE also has a new camera system imbued with Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, and Deep Fusion — meant to help users up the ante on their photography game. I put the iPhone SE’s camera to test to find out more for myself. Ps. I’m reviewing the smartphone’s camera from an amateur’s point of view.
My first impression of the iPhone SE went a little like this: “Wow, that’s actually way smaller than I thought”. It’s also really light at only 144 grammes. Fans of the classic Home button would be happy to know that the iPhone SE has one that’s also fitted with Touch ID Sensor. The size of the 4.7-inch Retina HD display with True Tone did take me some time getting used to but it’s a huge difference compared to the 6.7-inch display that I’ve been using, after all. Nonetheless, that did not take away from how seamless and smooth the device is, thanks to the lightning-fast A15 Bionic chip.
Now, let’s put all that aside and focus on the star of the show review — the camera. The 2022 iPhone SE features an all-new camera system powered by A15 Bionic. There’s the 12-megapixel Wide camera, digital zoom up to five times, Portrait Mode with advanced bokeh, and Smart HDR 4, among others. The iPhone SE also comes with a 7-megapixel Front camera. Unfortunately, Ultra Wide and Tele cameras are still not available with the latest iPhone SE.
The camera app interface is also rather easy to use, with everything you need readily displayed. I found that, some with the faithful assistance of Photographic Styles, the images I took on the iPhone SE have pretty accurate colour rendering. This also means that the final capture doesn’t stray too far off from the preview image. For amateur photography, it’s good to know that the iPhone SE’s camera does help providing the goods by using intelligent segmentation to apply different adjustments for noise, contrast, and colour.
One could look at the iPhone SE as an entry-level device for taking photos and practicing before investing in the bigger and more expensive iPhones in the market. After all, it’s often dubbed the most affordable iPhone. Whether it’s a photo of a cat, a bowl of soup, or a shot of a building, the camera is efficient (in most light). But, would the device benefit from a Night Mode feature? That’s for sure!
The 2022 iPhone SE is, without a doubt, the most powerful of its kind so far. Powered by the A15 Bionic chip, even the camera capabilities have been enhanced and given a photogenic upgrade. Although definitely not limited to just amateur photographers, the iPhone SE is perfect for simple and light photography because there are adequate and helpful features that automatically adjust your final images for you, if necessary. There’s no Night Mode but the iPhone SE’s camera does work well with most light. Moreover, it doesn’t hurt that you can toggle between photography functions rather smoothly too.
So, if you’re searching for an iPhone that does photography well enough without breaking the bank, the new iPhone SE might just do the trick. It’s small, not heavy, easy to use, and packed with all the bare necessities.
The iPhone SE is priced from RM2,099 and available in three colours — Midnight, Starlight, and (Product)Red. For more information on the iPhone SE, click here.
(All images from Apple except sample images taken for review)
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