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Apple iPhone SE (2022) Battery test

This device has been retested in the latest version of our protocol. This summary has been fully updated. For detailed information, check the What’s New article
OTHER AVAILABLE TESTS FOR THIS DEVICE

We put the Apple iPhone SE (2022) through our rigorous DXOMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in autonomy, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.

Overview

Key specifications:

  • Battery capacity: 2018 mAh
  • 20W charger (not included)
  • 4.7-inch, 750 x 1334, 60 Hz, LCD display
  • Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm)
  • Tested ROM / RAM combination: 64 GB + 4 GB

Scoring

Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.


Apple iPhone SE (2022)
84
battery
53

221

92

195

61

198

106
Charging
111

224

101

212

97

205

180

194

Key performances

Charging Time
1 day 13h
Battery life
Charging Time
0h51
80% Charging time
Charging Time
1h51
Full charging time
Quick Boost
2h30 autonomy
after 5-minute charge

Pros

  • Outstanding efficiency thanks to very low discharge currents in all our test cases
  • Low consumption during nights

Cons

  • 36h58 of autonomy in moderate use
  • Very low autonomy in all calibrated tests
  • Weak autonomy in on-the-go tests
  • Very low autonomy gained when charging for 5 minutes
  • Very long wireless charging time: 3h11 to fully charge the battery

The Apple iPhone SE (2022)’s battery has a very small capacity of 2018 mAh, the smallest we’ve tested so far. The size had a significant impact on the autonomy and its score, which placed it near the bottom of our entire database. The iPhone SE (2022) offered only 1.5 days of autonomy in moderate usage, struggling a lot in all our test cases, whether in default mode or calibrated mode.
The iPhone SE (2022) took 51 minutes to charge 80% of the battery capacity with its 20W official charger, which is slower than the average. But even at 20W, the charging power never exceeded 16W during our test. The device features wireless charging, but takes a good 3 hours and 11 minutes to fully charge the battery. Whether wired or wireless, the charge efficiency was very low.
But when it comes to discharge currents, the iPhone SE (2022) showed outstanding results. During almost all our test cases, the discharge currents were very low, showing that the device is very well-managed.
Compared with other devices in the High-end segment ($400 – $599), the device ranks at the bottom of the list, mainly because of its autonomy (the lowest score too). However, the iPhone SE (2022) is extremely efficient, thanks to its outstanding discharge subscore, which pushes the iPhone SE (2022) to the top of the segment when it comes to efficiency.

Test Summary

About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)

The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.

Battery Charger Wireless Display Processor
Apple iPhone SE (2022) 2018mAh 18W
(not included)
15W LCD IPS
750 x 1334
Apple A15 Bionic
Google Pixel 6 4614mAh 30W
(not included)
21W OLED
1080 x 2400
Google Tensor
Oppo Find X5 Lite 4500mAh 65W
(included)
- AMOLED
1080 x 2400
Mediatek Dimensity 900 5G

Autonomy

60

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

197

Honor X9c
How Autonomy score is composed

Autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Stationary, On the go, and Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.

Light Usage
52h
Light Usage
Active: 2h30/day
Moderate Usage
37h
Moderate Usage
Active: 4h/day
Intense Usage
23h
Intense Usage
Active: 7h/day

Home/Office

53

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

221

Honor X7b

A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.

Typical Usage Scenario discharge curves

On the go

92

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

195

Samsung Galaxy M51

Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device

Autonomy for on the go use cases (full charge)

Calibrated

61

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

198

Samsung Galaxy M51

For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.

Autonomy for calibrated use cases (full charge)

Charging

106

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

218

Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
How Charging score is composed

Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is at a minimum, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.

Wired
Wired
57%
in 30 min
0h51
0 - 80%
1h51
Full charge
Wireless
Wireless
17%
in 30 min
2h15
0 - 80%
3h11
Full charge

Full charge

111

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

224

Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)

Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long and how much power the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the UI, and until an actual full charge.

Two charts here below illustrate the full charge performance of the smartphone: (1) The charging curves, in wired and wireless (if available) showing the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the power consumption in watts during the stages of charging toward full capacity.
(2) The time to full charge chart breaks down the necessary time to reach 80%, 100% and full charge.
Power consumption and battery level during full charge
Power consumption and battery level during wireless full charge
The charging curves, in wired and wireless (if available) showing the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the power consumption in watts during the stages of charging toward full capacity.
Time to full charge
Time to full charge
The time to full charge chart breaks down the necessary time to reach 80%, 100% and full charge.

Quick boost

101

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

212

Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)

With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The chart here compares the average autonomy gain from a quick 5-minute charge.

Average autonomy gain for a 5 minute charge (wired)

Efficiency

146

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

154

Oppo Reno6 5G
How Efficiency score is composed

The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into consideration the device’s battery capacity. DXOMARK calculate the annual power consumption of the product, shown on below graph, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.

Annual Consumption Apple iPhone SE (2022)
3 kWh
Efficient
Good
Bad
Inefficient

Charge up

97

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

205

Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro

The charge up sub-score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to how much energy you need to fill up the battery compared to the energy that the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when your phone is fully charged and still plugged into the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The chart here below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.

Overall charge efficiency

Discharge

180

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

194

Apple iPhone 14 Pro

The discharge subscore rates the speed of a battery’s discharge during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio of a battery’s capacity divided by its autonomy. A small-capacity battery could have the same autonomy as a large-capacity battery, indicating that the device is well-optimized, with a low discharge rate.

Average discharge current

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