Third-Generation iPhone SE Features Increased 4GB of RAM

Apple this week unveiled a third-generation iPhone SE, with key new features being an A15 chip, 5G support, longer battery life, camera enhancements, and more durable glass. While not advertised by Apple, the new iPhone SE also features more RAM.

iPhone SE 3 stacked
With assistance from developer Moritz Sternemann, MacRumors has confirmed that the third-generation iPhone SE features 4GB of RAM, compared to 3GB in the previous model. This information is sourced from strings within the Xcode 13.3 Release Candidate that Apple released following its "Peek Performance" event on Tuesday.

The same type of Xcode strings have accurately revealed the amount of RAM in several generations of iPhones and iPads. For example, the strings revealed that the sixth-generation iPad mini also has an increased 4GB of RAM.

Photo and video editing apps can benefit from access to more RAM, as they are able to keep more layers stored in memory. Additional RAM can also allow more apps and pages loaded in Safari to remain active in the background.

The new iPhone SE will be available to pre-order starting at 5 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, March 11 in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, and more than 30 other countries and regions. Deliveries to customers and in-store availability will begin Friday, March 18.

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Top Rated Comments

44267547 Avatar
44 months ago

It could be the underclocked A15 from the iPad Mini 6.
So what if it is? Consumers don’t care about that. With the A15, that’s at least five years of iOS updates from a compact iPhone priced at $429 with improved battery life. I’m pretty sure that’s the selling point here.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Klae17 Avatar
44 months ago
Translation: We are going to keep this design for another 4 years.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Reggaenald Avatar
44 months ago
Wait, is it featuring the exact same chip as the iPhone 13 Pro? That reminds me of the first SE which was actually faster than the 6s and 6s Plus because the screen was smaller and lower res. Funny.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DFZD Avatar
44 months ago
So much performance. So little screen.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CheesePuff Avatar
44 months ago

Wait, is it featuring the exact same chip as the iPhone 13 Pro? That reminds me of the first SE which was actually faster than the 6s and 6s Plus because the screen was smaller and lower res. Funny.
No, it’s the same chip as the 13. The 13 Pro has one additional GPU core
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rr23 Avatar
44 months ago
This SE3 will be incredibly snappy and fast in day to day use.

I’m pretty sure it’s going to be noticeably faster when navigating between screens than the rest of the iPhone 13 lineup. It’s probably not a huge difference, but I’m sure it’s there.

The same thing happened with SE2 and iPhone 11. If you play with both side by side, you will clearly notice that the SE2 is snappier, despite having the same chipset.

I plan on upgrading to the SE3 from my iPhone 13 Pro for the following reasons:

- Face ID just sucks. For me, Touch ID is far more reliable and convenient.
- 13 Pro is too bulky and heavy. Feels like a brick. Never got used to it.
- 13 Pro has extra cameras that I never use. Bunch of gimmicks all around that are useless to me.

Now that SE3 comes with an improved camera and 5G, it’s a no-brainer to me.

I just wish Apple offered it in black. There should always be a black color. I emphasize black, no graphite or midnight. The midnight is actually a rich navy, which is clearly blue during the day.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)