The iPhone SE 3 and the iPhone 13 comparison has a central point from which to start: the target audience. While the third-gen SE of 2022 is more recent, it is also designed for those looking for a more affordable option, while the 13 has been designed to be the flagship of Apple in 2021. Nonetheless, there are some key differences between the iPhone SE 3 vs. the iPhone 13 you should know before carrying on with your purchase apart from the price. Let’s dive into them.
Table of contents
Reasons to buy the iPhone SE 3
- Budget-friendly
- Affordable yet powerful
- 5G connectivity
- Easier to hold in one hand
- For Touch ID fans
Reasons to buy the iPhone 13
- One of the best cameras in a smartphone
- Night mode
- Photographic Styles
- Exceptional OLED screen
- Over-the-top performance
- High screen-to-body ratio
- Several colors to choose from
iPhone SE 3 vs. iPhone 13: Specs comparison table
| Features | iPhone SE 3 | iPhone 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 5.45 x 2.65 x 029 inches (138.4mm x 67.3mm x 7.3mm) | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.30 inches (146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65mm) |
| Weight | 5.08oz (144g) | 6.14oz (173g) |
| Colors | Midnight Starlight (PRODUCT)RED | Blue Green Pink (PRODUCT)RED Midnight Starlight |
| Screen size | 4.7 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Screen technology | Widescreen Retina HD IPS LCD | Super Retina XDR OLED |
| Resolution | 1334 x 750 pixels at 326 PPI | 2532 x 1170 pixels at 457 PPI |
| Peak brightness | 625 cd/m2 (nit) | 1200 cd/m2 (nit) |
| Ratio | 16:9 | 19.5:9 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 60Hz |
| Screen-to-body | 65.34% | 87.24% |
| CPU | Apple A15 Bionic | Apple A15 Bionic |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Rear camera | 12MP (f/1.8): OIS, PDAF, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Photographic modes | Dual 12MP: Ultra Wide (f/2.4) Wide (f/1.6) OIS, PDAF, Optical zoom, Smart HDR 4, Deep Fusion, Photographic modes |
| Front camera | 7MP (f/2.2) | 12MP TrueDepth (f/2.2) |
| Video recording | 3840×2160 (4K UHD) (60FPS) 1920×1080 (Full HD) (240FPS) 1280×720 (HD) (30FPS) | 3840×2160 (4K UHD) (60FPS) 1920×1080 (Full HD) (240FPS) 1280×720 (HD) (30FPS) Sensor-shift OIS |
| Night mode | No | Yes |
| 5G connectivity | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | 64GB 128GB 256GB | 128GB 256GB 512GB |
| Battery capacity | 2018 mAh | 3227 mAh |
| Battery life | 15 hours of video playback 10 hours of video streaming 50 hours of audio playback | 19 hours of video playback 15 hours of video streaming 75 hours of audio playback |
| Charging speed | Wired: 20.0W Wireless: 7.5W (with MagSafe) | Wired: 20.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
| Water and dust resistance | IP67 | IP68 |
| SIM | Dual (nano and eSIM) | Dual (nano and eSIM) |
| Biometric security | Touch ID | Face ID |
| Price (refurbished) | Starting at | Starting at |
iPhone SE 3 vs. iPhone 13: Review and comparison
Here is a comprehensive review of both iPhones.
Design
The design of the iPhone SE 3 is not identical to older releases of the same series, but it has some resemblance. One of the most notable aspects of its design is that it’s pretty similar to the old form factor of older SE releases with Touch ID and the Home button.
If you prefer a phone with a full-screen look, the iPhone 13 should be your choice. The iPhone SE 3 is also smaller than the iPhone 13, making it easier to hold in one hand.
In addition, the iPhone 13 has the same design as the iPhone 12, employs a Ceramic Shield for exceptional protection of the handset, includes a smaller notch than its predecessors, and has Face ID (a feature not present on the SE). The notch of the 13 offers more screen real estate than the third-gen SE, but it is not something everybody appreciates equally. Once again, this is just a matter of preference.
The SE comes in Midnight, Starlight, and (PRODUCT)RED colors, which are fancy names for black-ish, white-ish, and red-ish. The 13 comes in blue, green, pink, (PRODUCT)RED, Midnight, and Starlight.
Image: Apple
Size and weight
Size and weight are two of the most significant differences in this comparison.
- The iPhone SE 3 measures 5.45 x 2.65 x 029 inches (138.4mm x 67.3mm x 7.3mm) and weighs 5.08oz (144g).
- The iPhone 13 measures 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.30 inches (146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65mm) and weighs 6.14oz (173g).
The SE is more comfortable to carry around and easier to use in some cases, making it one of the best iPhones for kids and teenagers. Still, its downside is that it has a smaller screen to enjoy watching videos, playing video games, or making video calls.
Display
The screen size is most likely to be one of the factors that can tip the balance in your purchasing journey. The iPhone SE 3 has a 4.7-inch IPS LCD screen, one of the smallest displays you can get on an iPhone nowadays. Even the iPhone 13 mini has a bigger 5.4-inch screen (so, which one is the mini, after all?).
The iPhone 13’s screen has 6.1 inches, but it has an essential difference: the screen technology. The Super Retina XDR OLED display of the 13 offers richer colors and deeper blacks than an LCD, as well as faster response times and better viewing angles. At the same time, it has almost double the peak brightness of the SE 3 at 1200 cd/m2 (nit) and HDR support.
In short, the iPhone 13’s screen is far superior to the SE’s, both in quality and size. The screen-to-body ratio of 87.24 % also guarantees a much better experience using your phone for prolonged periods for anything related to video and reading.
We miss a higher refresh rate for a high-end phone like the 13, but 60 Hz is still a good compromise. If you want 120 Hz, you will need to explore the iPhone 13 Pro or the 13 Pro Max.
Camera
The camera is one of the strongest points of every new iPhone that comes into the market. This time, the differences between the SE 3 and 13 are visible.
If you flip the phones, you’ll see that the first has just a single camera, while the iPhone 13 features two cameras, one with a wide-angle lens and the second with an ultra-wide one. If you want to capture a large portion of the background in a picture, the iPhone SE will feel limited.
And what about the Night mode? Sad news for the iPhone SE 3 because only the iPhone 13 offers this function. If you prioritize taking pictures at night or in a dark ambiance, the 13 is your choice here.
However, there is good news for the SE as well; it supports Smart HDR 4 to properly work with challenging lighting situations and Deep Fusion for more detail.
Image: Apple
The Photographic Styles featured appeared with the iPhone 13. Even if the third-generation SE is a more affordable model with more modest features and hardware, it also supports it. Needless to say, the iPhone 13’s camera is the king here.
Lastly, both iPhones have optical image stabilization and can record video in 4K, but the front camera of the iPhone SE is only 7MP, while the iPhone 13 has TrueDepth technology and 12MP.
Performance
The iPhone SE 3 and the iPhone 13 enjoy the same A-series chip, the A15 Bionic processor. There are no significant differences in performance, especially considering that both have 4GB of RAM.
However, surprisingly, the SE 3 can timidly outscore the 13 on the Geekbench 5 CPU benchmark. Be that as it may, the performance differences shouldn’t be your main concern in this review.
👉 Related: iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 13: Comparison and Differences
Storage
As with other releases, you can select different storage capacities when buying your new iPhone. Apple does not offer a way to expand this storage with microSD cards in their phones anymore, so think twice before buying one. Here are the options you can choose from:
- iPhone SE 3: 64GB / 128GB / 256GB
- iPhone 13: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB
One tip: if you are interested in recording 4K videos, you should choose models with at least 256GB because they can take up quite a lot of storage. 128GB can also be enough, but 64GB might not be. However, you can think about going for the cheaper option if budget is your absolute priority and use cloud services to store your data.
Battery life and charging
The iPhone SE 3 has a battery capacity of 2018 mAh, while the iPhone 13 has 3227 mAh. Indeed, this is an important difference that will impact your daily usage.
Apple claims that the SE 3 can last up to 15 hours playing video, up to 10 hours in video streaming, and up to 50 hours in audio playback.
In contrast, the iPhone 13 enjoys video playback of up to 19 hours, video streams of up to 15 hours, and audio playback of up to 75 hours.
Both terminals have the same charging speed of 20W. The most notable difference is that the iPhone 13 supports up to 15W wireless charging if you use a charging device compatible with MagSafe, while the iPhone SE 3 only reaches 7.5W.
Connectivity and ports
Unlike its predecessors, the iPhone SE 3 has 5G cellular connectivity. Of course, the iPhone 13 is also compatible with 5G.
Both smartphones have Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, Lightning USB, NFC, and eSIM support, but no 3.5mm headphone jack.
Takeaway
The choice of getting the iPhone SE 3 vs. the iPhone 13 mostly depends on how much you are willing to pay to get a new phone.
Since the SE 3 is an iPhone designed for those looking for a more affordable smartphone, it offers more limited specs and functions than the 13, which was made to be Apple’s flagship.
If you highly value the camera and enjoy a bigger and brighter screen, the iPhone 13 can be for you, but you will spend more. Here are our compared refurbished iPhone 13 models in real time:
128GB storage
Blue
128GB storage
Pink
Conversely, if the camera is not your absolute priority, you are OK with a more modest screen, and you prefer to have a smaller phone to carry around, you can go for the iPhone SE 3 at a lower cost. Take a look at every refurbished model available here:
64GB storage
Midnight
64GB storage
Red
We hope this guide has helped you decide. Head on to RefurbMe if you want to get the best Apple deals compared in real time from our trusted merchants. You can also learn more in our 6 best places to buy refurbished iPhones article.
Good luck!
Related comparisons:
👉 iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 13
👉 iPhone 11 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max
👉 iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max
FAQ
The design of both handsets differs greatly: the SE 3 comes with an iPhone 8-era aesthetic, while the iPhone 13 looks identical to Apple’s most recent lineup. The SE 3rd gen has thicker black borders around the top and bottom of the display and a physical home button on the bottom, whereas the iPhone 13 has an edge-to-edge display with a notch placed around its camera and Face ID sensor.
The iPhone SE 3 is one of Apple’s most affordable iPhones with 5G connectivity, offering great value for money. It comes with a big performance boost that puts it on par with the rest of the iPhone lineup in terms of processing power. However, it lacks the camera and screen quality of the phones of its time, like the iPhone 13.
No, the iPhone 13 is older than the iPhone SE 3 since it was released in September 2021. However, it has a much better camera and screen quality than the iPhone SE released in March 2022. The iPhone SE 3 is the most affordable series, while the iPhone 13 is the regular lineup.
