Third-Generation iPhone SE Teardown Reveals Larger Battery Capacity and Snapdragon X57 Modem

The first teardowns of the third-generation iPhone SE have surfaced on YouTube, providing a look at components inside the device.

iphone se 3 teardown pbkreviews

iPhone SE 2 on top vs. iPhone SE 3 on bottom via PBKreviews

The teardowns reveal the new iPhone SE has a larger 2,018 mAh battery compared to 1,821 mAh for the previous-generation model. The new iPhone SE offers up to an extra two hours of video playback and up to an extra 10 hours of audio playback on a full charge versus the previous model, according to Apple's tech specs.

The new iPhone SE is also equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X57 modem, according to Nikkei's xTECH. This modem does not appear to be listed on Qualcomm's website, so it may be a custom model designed for Apple, but no further details are known. The modem enables 5G on the iPhone SE, but support is limited to sub-6GHz bands, whereas iPhone 13 models also support faster mmWave bands in the United States.


A few weeks ago, it was confirmed that the new iPhone SE also features 4GB of RAM, up from 3GB in the previous model.

Overall, the third-generation iPhone SE appears to have a very similar internal design as the second-generation model. Repair website iFixit will likely share a comprehensive teardown of the device in the coming days for a closer look.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE
Buyer's Guide: iPhone SE (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Glowtime Live Coverage Article 1

Apple Event Live Blog: iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, and New AirPods!

Monday September 9, 2024 9:21 am PDT by
Apple's "It's Glowtime" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the iPhone 16 lineup and some updated Apple Watch and AirPods models unveiled, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog...
16 pro

Apple Announces iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max with Larger Displays, New Camera Control, and More

Monday September 9, 2024 11:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max—its latest flagship smartphones—featuring larger displays, an all-new Camera Control button, and the A18 Pro chip. The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch display—the biggest iPhone display ever. The borders around the display are the thinnest of any Apple device. The...
sonny iphone 16 pro colors

New iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Colors Revealed Ahead of Apple Event

Friday September 6, 2024 5:01 am PDT by
Apple is "shaking up its color palette" for its iPhone 16 lineup this year, according to well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. Early iPhone 16 Pro dummy models via Sonny Dickson According to Gurman, the iPhone 16 Pro models will come in a Gold Titanium to replace Blue Titanium, while the Black, White, and Natural Titanium options that debuted with the iPhone 15 Pro will remain...
iPhone 16 Pro Mock Article

How Much Will the iPhone 16 Cost?

Friday September 6, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 16 series is expected to launch on September 20 and will compete in a quickly evolving smartphone market, and with some notable upgrades rumored, the new models could see price changes compared to previous years. Successive iPhone models always come with new features and hardware upgrades, but Apple typically does not increase the retail prices as a result....
airpods max 2024 colors

Apple Updates AirPods Max With USB-C Port and New Colors

Monday September 9, 2024 10:36 am PDT by
Apple today announced that the AirPods Max are being updated with a USB-C charging port and new color options, including Midnight, Blue, Purple, Orange, and Starlight. In addition, Apple said the AirPods Max are gaining support for Personalized Spatial Audio with the upcoming iOS 18 software update. The updated AirPods Max will be available to pre-order for $549 starting today, and the...
sequoia

macOS Sequoia Release Likely to Be the Earliest in Years

Sunday September 8, 2024 2:14 am PDT by
macOS Sequoia will be one of the earliest new macOS launches in over a decade, likely releasing within as little as just a week. Internal Apple documentation obtained by MacRumors suggests that macOS 15.0 Sequoia will be officially released to the public by mid-September. The release dates of major macOS updates in recent years are listed below: OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) – October 22,...
Screenshot 2024 09 09 at 6

Apple Announces Thinner Apple Watch Series 10 With Bigger Screen Than Ultra

Monday September 9, 2024 10:11 am PDT by
Apple at its event today announced the Apple Watch Series 10, featuring a wide-angle OLED display that is larger than the Apple Watch Ultra, with the company describing it as the "biggest display and thinnest design ever." The Series 10 is 9.7mm thick, which is nearly 10% thinner than Series 9, and it weighs 20% less than the Stainless Steel Series 9. The Aluminum cases also weigh up to 10%...

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
32 months ago
Saw this tweet yesterday. Very impressed by the battery life iPhone SE offers. Major improvements. Especially the fact it contains a 5G modem.

[MEDIA=twitter]1505605192053579777[/MEDIA]
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ouimetnick Avatar
32 months ago
Not sure why iFixit doesn’t do teardowns on launch day anymore. They we’re slow to teardown the AirPods Max, M1 Macs, new 14” & 16” MBP, AirPods 3, etc.

They eventually get around to it days later, but I remember being excited for the launch day teardowns.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spock Avatar
32 months ago
Decent update but the SE needs a redesign..
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JM Avatar
32 months ago

Saw this tweet yesterday. Very impressed by the battery life iPhone SE offers. Major improvements. Especially the fact it contains a 5G modem.

[MEDIA=twitter]1505605192053579777[/MEDIA]
That’s great… but the tweeter needs to show what apps were used and what percentages.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JM Avatar
32 months ago

Numbers don't lie. Can you imagine how much battery life improvements will be made towards the iPhone 14 line-up?

[MEDIA=twitter]1505753649477304324[/MEDIA]
Nice!

I can get 8 hours with my 13mini. 7 is pretty darn good ?

Especially for $300 less

Using fingerprint reader on iPad is really unpleasant compared to faceid though! It’s hard to go back
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iksnirks Avatar
32 months ago
man I'd consider it if they updated the screen. don't even care for the size. I upgraded from the SE2 to the 12 Mini and the screen is just so much better and that's what I'm looking at all day.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)