Apple Revamps iPhone SE With A15 Bionic Chip

During its Peek Performance event on Tuesday, Apple introduced a new iPhone SE with an upgraded A15 Bionic chip. Notably, A15 Bionic, the same chip used in the iPhone 13, features a 6-core CPU, which is 1.8 times faster than the iPhone 8, along with a 4-core GPU.

The device’s 16-core Neural Engine is capable of running 15.8 trillion operations per second, according to the company, which supplies the device with faster machine learning computations for third-party apps and unlocks new features including Live Text in the Camera app and on-device dictation.

The iPhone SE arrives in three new colorways — Midnight, Starlight and (PRODUCT)RED — and features the “toughest glass in a smartphone”, which is rated IP67 for water and dust resistance and also appears on the back of the iPhone 13.

As part of Apple’s latest camera innovations, the new device includes the 12-megapixel camera with Deep Fusion, a feature that provides optimal texture and depth in photos, and Photographic Styles, which allows users to incorporate their personal photo preferences into every image. The company notes that the A15 chip’s ISP is responsible for the upgraded photo quality, not new camera hardware.

Additionally, Apple says the iPhone SE features a “better battery life” and a home button with Touch ID for secure login. The new device will also arrive with 5G capabilities and will receive iOS updates for “years to come,” according to the company.

The new iPhone SE will start at $429 USD and will release on March 18. Preorders will begin this Friday.

Elsewhere in tech, YouTube wants to pay podcasters to video their shows.