Apple has announced a brand-new device at its March Event: the Mac Studio, a compact computer that's aimed at creative professionals. And it comes with the new M1 Ultra chip (or the M1 Max, in a cheaper config).
Allowing users to create the "studio of their dreams", the new Mac Studio looks like a beefed-up Mac mini with some seriously powerful specifications.
Not only is this a very powerful PC, the Mac Studio offers enormous connectivity options: four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, plus support for four Pro Display XDR monitors and a 4K TV as well.
You can also hook it up to the new Studio Display. All this power in a compact design that's just 3.7 inches high comes at a price, however, with the Mac Studio starting at $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,099 for the model with the M1 Max, and $3,999 / £3,999 / AU$6,099 for the model with the M1 Ultra.
According to Apple, "Mac Studio delivers even more capability to users who are looking to push the limits of their creativity," and can be used as part of a modular system.
We'll hopefully get our hands on one soon, but until then, here's everything we know about the Mac Studio so far.
(Image credit: Apple)
Price and availability
The Mac Studio starts at a hefty $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,099 for the model with the M1 Max, certainly a pricey prospect.
Meanwhile, the Mac Studio with the new M1 Ultra chip, 64GB of unified memory and 1TB SSD will cost a huge $3,999 / £3,999 / AU$6,099. This could put a lot of people off.
If you want to go all-out, the maximum spec with the M1 Ultra, 128GB memory and 8TB SSD will cost you an eye-watering $7,999 / £7,999 / AU$12,099. That's still cheaper than the most expensive Mac Pro, however.
It's available to pre-order from today, and will ship March 18. If you can afford it.
(Image credit: Apple)
Design
If you're a fan of the Mac mini, then you'll like the design of the Mac Studio, which essentially looks like a beefed-up Mac mini. It's built from a single aluminium extrusion, and has a square footprint of 7.7 inches and a height of 3.7 inches, making this an impressively compact computer considering the power on offer.
To keep things cool, there are double-sided blowers to channel airflow through the Mac Studio, and Apple has promised it will remain quiet, even when working hard.
(Image credit: Apple)
The Mac Studio also comes with a good range of connectivity options. There's four Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 10Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port and audio jack on the back, plus Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.
There is also an SD card slot on the front, along with two USB-C ports.
Performance
The Mac Studio is 50% faster than the MacBook Pro with M1 Mac, and 3.4 faster graphics than the most powerful iMac, according to Apple.
It's also apparently 80% faster than a Mac Pro with a 28-core Intel Xeon processor, and can support up to 18 streams of 8K ProRess video. This promises to be an extremely powerful little computer.
Apple claims it will "change everything", which is certainly a bold statement. But if performance holds up, then this could be a very interesting device.
(Image credit: Apple)
Specifications
The Mac Studio comes with a choice of the powerful M1 Max (found in the newest MacBook Pro 16-inch and MacBook Pro 14-inch laptops), or the new M1 Ultra, which is essentially two M1 Max chips connected together, which will offer some incredibly impressive performance.
This means it can come with up to a 20-core CPU and 64-core GPU, and supports up to 128GB of unified memory.
Memory bandwidth is also extremely fast, with up to 800GB/s, and also comes with up to 8TB of SSD storage.
iPhone SE (2022) was launched at the virtual Apple event on Tuesday (March 8). The new iPhone SE comes with the A15 Bionic chip and has 5G connectivity.
Apple has announced an all-new high-end CPU at its March 2022 hardware event, the M1 Ultra. This processor's aim is to bring higher performance, likely to desktop PCs meant for creative professionals.
Apple claims that this is the biggest processor ever built, a feat it was able to accomplish by taking two M1 Max dies and bridging them with a new connector, which allows Apple to reach incredible performance without losing efficiency as the two chips are basically talking to each other.
The massive M1 Ultra chip has a GPU with 8,192 execution units, which would place it on the same level as an RTX 3080 from paper specs alone. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out in our tests, though.
Just like the rest of the M1 family of processors, the M1 Max is a system-on-a-chip design, which means the CPU, GPU, RAM, storage and media engine are all included in one big chip.
Unlike Apple's other SoC's, though, the M1 Ultra will only be available in the Mac Studio. An M1 Ultra-powered Mac Studio will start at $3,999 in the US, and is available March 18.
This is a developing story...more information on the way...
(Image credit: Apple)
Better than an RTX 3090? We'll see
Among all the numbers and charts Apple showed in the reveal for the M1 Ultra, there was a chart, saying that the M1 Ultra was able to reach higher levels of performance as a system with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 and an Intel Core i9-12900K, while consuming 200W less power.
It's a bold claim, but we could see Apple actually delivering, depending on how much power it's willing to pump into its desktop-class components. The M1 Ultra has a 64-core discrete-class GPU with 8,192 Execution Units. These have a different name, but would essentially be a similar concept to CUDA cores for Nvidia or Streaming Multiprocessors for AMD graphics cards.
With 8,192 EUs, that's right up there with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, so we wouldn't be surprised if the more efficient 5nm manufacturing process would be able to deliver even more performance on the same amount of compute units.
(Image credit: Apple)
Specs to back it up
The GPU built into the M1 Ultra, with its 64 cores, is the big story of Apple's March 2022 event, to be sure, but the actual CPU is nothing to scoff at. With the M1 Ultra, you get a 20-core CPU, with 114 billion transistors, making it one of the most dense processors ever built for a consumer-class device.
This is also the Mac chip that will support up to 128GB of RAM, which means it's clearly meant to power creative-class workloads like video editing and rendering, which demand huge amounts of RAM. That might sound like a lot of memory, but if you need that much RAM, you need it, and there's never going to be enough.
Apple was able to achieve this by essentially utilizing two M1 Max dies, and connecting them with an interconnect, lovingly called UltraFusion. Apple claims that this has twice the connection density of any technology - again, we'll see - but it means that there's 2.5TB/s of bandwidth between the two main CPU chiplets, which should essentially eliminate lag between them, or make it so minimal that it's meaningless.
Apple also included a graph showing the raw CPU performance of the M1 Ultra against the Intel Core i9-12900K, which has a similarly-built CPU. Apple is claiming that it can double the Core i9-12900K's performance with much less power. That'd be incredible if it's true, as in our testing, the Intel Core i9-12900K is easily the most powerful mainstream desktop processor on the market right now. We just wonder how they compare to the new AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro CPUs.
(Image credit: Apple)
Studio fresh
If you're a creative professional that wants to harness the raw power of the M1 Ultra, you're going to be looking at the Mac Studio. It looks like a Mac mini but bigger, and is able to power this monster of a processor in a chassis that's just 3.7 inches thick and 7.7 inches long. That's just a little bit thicker than the Mac mini, and should keep your desk clear.
With the Mac Studio, which starts at $3,999 if you want an M1 Ultra-powered version, Apple is claiming that it'll feature 90% faster than an entry-level Xeon Mac Pro, and a GPU that is essentially 3 Radeon Pro 5700 XTs. All of that integrated into a single chip.
That's the only Mac with the new M1 Ultra processor, but that's not too terribly surprising. The amount of power that something like this would require is just too much for a mobile form factor, so it's unlikely that we'll ever see the M1 Ultra make its way into something like the MacBook Pro - at least not in its current iteration.
But, even though it's expensive with the M1 Ultra, it's still much more accessible than the Mac Pro. Though, to be clear, the M1 Ultra is only really going to be necessary for creative professionals that need an extremely fast processor to make their living. And, as such, the Mac Studio should be considered a professional-level device. Both of these things make the $3,999 price tag even more impressive, even though, yeah, you could get an equivalent Windows 11 desktop for less cash.
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There is a lot of speculation flying right now about what Apple products we're going to see launch at this week's Apple March event, largely because Apple is about as leaky as a graphene sieve. At this point, pretty much any speculation from someone on Twitter is about as valid as any one else's speculation.
Really, nobody has any real data on anything, and just when you think you've got a good idea that the Apple M1X chip is coming, Apple throws the Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max at you instead. And trust us, we've been as off on our Apple speculation as anyone, so we're not ones to throw stones in Gorilla glass houses.
With the recent rumors that a Mac Studio workstation and a Mac Studio Display professional-grade monitor is on the way, there's naturally going to be speculation about when we're going to see it, and with the Apple March event this week, we're bound to see expectations rise for the debut of a new workstation PC from Apple, along with its rumored 7K professional display.
We definitely understand the excitement, but an announcement on pro gear this week isn't going to happen, and it would honestly be a major misstep on Apple's part to do so.
The Apple March event is going to be consumer focused
Every indication we've gotten in the past month is pointing to a couple of major releases from Apple.
First, we're expecting to see a new iPhone SE 3 with 5G announced at the event, which will be a major announcement in itself. Unlike the flagship iPhone lineup, the iPhone SE is positioned for the more budget-friendly consumer side of the market, and it is expected to introduce some important new technology to the lower-end iPhones, so it won't be something mentioned in passing.
Next up, we have the iPad Air 5, which is also expected to be revealed at this week's event. Unlike the iPad Pro, the iPad Air is also a lower-specced device that is much more geared toward the budget-conscious consumer. We might even see the iPad Air get the M1 chip, which would be a very big deal for the popular tablet.
The mobile half of the event won't leave a whole lot of time for what is expected to be a major reveal of the new Apple M2 chip along with as many as four new Mac devices: the MacBook Pro 13-inch (2022), the MacBook Air (2022), the Mac Mini (2022), and the iMac 27-inch (2022).
Just detailing the new features of the M2 chip will take time, not to mention all of the new devices that it could be powering. Some existing devices, like the 24-inch iMac and Mac Mini (M1, 2020), might also get upgraded silicon, including the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Those announcements, if they happen, will eat up the majority of the event most likely, which doesn't leave a lot of time for anything else.
The common thread for all of these products is that they are all consumer-facing products, with a MacBook Pro 13-inch being the most professionally-oriented device out of the lot. Dropping a Mac Studio workstation along with a Mac Studio Display simply doesn't fit the tenor of this event.
WWDC 2022 is right around the corner and will probably be an in-person event
Another thing to consider is that we aren't that far out from WWDC 2022, which usually takes place in June and is likely to be an in-person event for the first time in two years.
This is Apple's major developer's conference. The week-long event is full of professional panels, announcements about Xcode and Swift, and new OS features that Mac and iOS developers care about.
Heck, out of the entire week, only the first day of the event is open to the press, and that is also when Apple has announced major new professional-grade workstation equipment.
Now, the Mac Studio is expected to be a cross between the Mac Pro and the Mac Mini, so it's probably not going to be the kind of performance (and price) monster that the Mac Pro was, but it's still not going to be something that any regular customer is going to have any interest in buying.
The Mac Pro was announced in 2019 at WWDC, as was its accompanying Pro Display XDR. Given the past two years, giving developers at Apple's first in-person WWDC something new to get excited about makes far more sense than announcing a major new workstation PC for professionals at a consumer product event – especially when that workstation will be way out of the price range of just about everyone watching the event.
Would we even want to hear about the Mac Studio this week?
If Apple were to announce a Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display at this week's event, it can only take away from the buzz generated by the event.
Apple wants everyone to be talking about the products that they announce during the event, but the more products you announce, the more the news gets saturated by Apple products, diluting the impact of any one announcement.
Typically, Apple doesn't even announce computing and mobile devices together in the same event, so already this week's event is going to be very crowded. Tech journalists and fans alike are only going to have so much bandwidth for Apple talk coming out of this event, and the schedule is already looking to be full up. Some things are even going to have to be left out of the discussion just because there isn't time for it all.
Given that, why would Apple want to announce a major new professional workstation? If it were announced it is almost guaranteed to be the thing everyone chooses not to talk about in favor of a new iPhone or a new MacBook Air or even the possible reveal of Apple's AR/VR headset, Apple Glasses.
Announcing a Mac Studio now simply does a disservice to the Mac Studio, and with WWDC right around the corner where the Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display can have their day in the sun, announcing them this week simply makes no sense whatsoever.
If you're looking for cheap TV sales, then you've come to the right place. We've scoured all the best retailers in the UK to bring you the hottest TV deals on everything from cheap TVs to more premium displays. That means you can relax with your favourite show in style, and your wallet can breathe a sigh of relief as well.
We've done all the searching, so you can simply browse the TV sales below for a size and price that suits you. That means no more obscure model numbers to look up and no more wondering if you've really got the best TV deal around. We've done all that legwork and brought all the need-to-know information right here.
We've organised all the latest cheap TV sales by size here, but it's worth checking out the prices throughout because you might be surprised how large a display you can get for your cash these days. We've also picked out a TV deal of the week, which represents the best outright value for most people.
That means all of these top brands are competing to offer the best tech for the money, so even if you're on a budget, you can still bag yourself some top-shelf features in a cheap TV. Between their powerful upscaling processors, full smart home integration, and, in some cases, Dolby Atmos support, all these 4K TV deals are fantastic value.
The best cheap smart TV deals in this week's roundup all offer awe-inspiring HDR and streamlined 4K upscaling to make everything shine. If you're looking to push the budget, you can also take a look at the best OLED TV prices and deals available right now.
The best TV deal of the week
JVC 65-inch 4K Ultra HD Fire TV:£599.99£449 at Currys
Save £150 - If you're looking for a big-screen budget display in today's TV deals, Currys has this 65-inch 4K TV on sale for just £449. The 4K Ultra HD TV comes with the Fire operating system for seamless streaming and works with Amazon Alexa for hands-free control.
The best cheap TV sales available now
(Image credit: Toshiba)
32-49 inch cheap 4K TV deals
JVC 32-inch HD LED Fire TV:£249£199 at Amazon
Save £50 - This week's cheapest TV deal is this 32-inch HD TV from JVC that's on sale for just £199. This budget set includes the Fire operating system, which allows you to seamlessly stream your favorite movies and TV shows from the home screen of your TV.
JVC 40-inch Smart Full HD Android TV:£319.99£229.99 at Currys
Save £90 - If you're looking for a 40-inch budget set, this JVC HD TV is a fantastic option, and it's on sale for just £229 - £20 less than last week's price. The HD TV comes with smart capabilities and the Google Assistant built in so you can use your voice to control your TV.
Toshiba 43-inch 4K HDR Smart TV:£379£249 at Very
Save £130 – This Toshiba is excellent value for money if you need a small screen on a budget. Support for 4K resolution and HDR ensures a crisp and clear picture, while access to Freeview Play and all the major streaming apps means you won't lack films and TV to watch.
Samsung 43-inch TU7020 Smart 4K UHD TV:£369£329 at Argos
Save £20 - Argos has this Samsung 43-inch 4K TV on sale for a record-low price of £329 - $20 less than last week's deal. The 43-inch set from Samsung delivers a bright, bold picture with life-like images thanks to the Crystal processor and 4K HD resolution.
Sony 32-inch HDR TV: £449£379 at John Lewis Save £70 - This 32-inch HDR TV from Sony is well worth a look, especially with this £70 saving. It makes do with 720p resolution, Freeview Play, a capable Android TV platform, and support for HDR – despite the lack of 4K Ultra HD. A great buy for budget shoppers.
(Image credit: Samsung)
50-59 inch 4K TV deals
Hisense 55-inch R55A Roku 4K TV: £499£379 at Argos Save £120 - You can snag a £120 discount on this 55-inch Hisense TV which brings the price down to a new record-low. As far as budget 4K TVs go, Hisense still manages to create affordable sets without compromising too far on picture and audio quality – as we found in our review. It's definitely not going to compete with the high-end OLED and QLED TVs, but it'll offer a satisfactory viewing experience when streaming films, watching TV shows, and more.
Hisense 58-inch 4K UHD Smart TV:£549£399 at Very
Save £150 - Very has this Hisense set on sale for just £399 which is the lowest price we've seen and a fantastic deal for a feature-rich 58-inch 4K TV. You're getting 4K HD resolution, DTS Studio Sound, Freeview Play, and Amazon Alexa built in for hands-free control.
Samsung TU7020 50-inch 4K Crystal UHD Smart TV:£549£389 at Very
Save £160 - This stunning Samsung 50-inch 4K TV is on sale for just £389 at Very. That's the best price you'll find for the 4K set that delivers bright, bold colors thanks to the powerful Dynamic Crystal technology and works with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant for hands-free control.
LG 55-inch 4K UHD HDR Smart LED TV:£459£429 at Amazon
Save £30 - Amazon has this 2021 LG 55-inch 4K smart TV on sale for £429 at Amazon. You're getting 4K Ultra HD resolution, AI Sound, smart capabilities for seamless streaming, and voice control with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.
Philips 50-inch 4K UHD Smart TV:£749£559 at Amazon
Save £190 - You can snag this 50-inch 4K smart TV from Philips on sale for £559 at Amazon. This Android TV packs smart capabilities with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant built-in, plus HDR 10+, Dolby Vision, and Atmos Sound.
TCL C72 55-inch 4K HDR QLED TV:£799£519 at Amazon
Save £280 – The main advantage of choosing a QLED screen is that they offer wider viewing angles and superior brightness, so if your TV is going into a big room that receives a lot of light you will be able to get a much clearer picture. TCL has established itself as a low-cost alternative to the likes of Samsung and LG while still producing some well-made sets, so this is a more affordable way to pick up a QLED screen on a lower budget.
LG NanoCell 816PA 50-inch Smart 4K UHD TV:£649£578 at Currys
Save £71 - Currys has this LG 50-inch 4K smart TV on sale for just £578 at today's sale. LG's NanoCell display delivers bold, bright colours thanks to the quad-Core 4K processor, and the ThinQ AI technology allows your TV to become a smart home hub.
Sony Bravia X85JU 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV:£799£749 at Currys
Save £50 - You can score a £50 price cut on Sony's Bravia 65-inch 4K TV at Currys' latest sale. That's the lowest price we've seen for this 2021 set that features Sony's powerful X1 processor and Dolby Atmos for a cinema-like picture experience. You're also getting smart capabilities with the Google Assistant built-in for hands-free control.
(Image credit: LG)
60-85 inch 4K TV deals
JVC 65-inch 4K Ultra HD Fire TV:£599.99£449 at Currys
Save £150 - If you're looking for a big-screen budget display in today's TV deals, Currys has this 65-inch 4K TV on sale for just £449. The 4K Ultra HD TV comes with the Fire operating system for seamless streaming and works with Amazon Alexa for hands-free control.
Philips 58-inch Smart 4K UHD HDR TV:£599 at Argos An incredible price for a big-screen 4K TV, Argos has this Philips 58-inch 4K smart TV on sale for just £599 - the lowest price we've seen. You're getting 4K Ultra HD resolution, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and smart capabilities with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant for hands-free control.
LG UP75 65-inch 4K UHD Smart TV:£749£529 at Amazon
Save £210 - Amazon has this 65-inch 4K smart TV from LG on sale for £529. That's the lowest price we've ever seen and an incredible deal for a big-screen 4K TV. The 65-inch display features 4K HD resolution and smart capabilities and works with Amazon Alex and the Google Assistant for hands-free control.
Hisense 65-inch QLED TV:£999£679 at Very
Save £325 – Hisense has established itself as a maker of quality TVs for budget prices - and that also extends to its range of high-end QLED sets. This TV tech delivers bright and pristine picture quality that is better suited to lighter rooms in the house. This latest discount may be £25 off the record low, but it's up to £1000 less than TVs of a similar size and power from the likes of LG and Samsung, so the saving is considerable.
Samsung 65-inch Q80A QLED 4K Smart TV:£1,399£1,150 at Amazon
Save £250 - If you're looking for a premium display, you can get this stunning Samsung 65-inch QLED TV on sale for £1,150, thanks to today's massive £250 discount at Amazon. You're getting a premium viewing experience thanks to the QLED display coupled with the Object Tracking Sound for an immersive audio experience.
LG AI OLED 65-inch 4K UHD HDR Smart TV:£2,199£1,198 at Amazon
Save £1,000 - If you're looking for a premium display, Amazon has a massive £1,000 discount on the LG A1 OLED TV. That's the best price we've seen for the 4K OLED TV that packs an α7 Gen4 AI processor 4K, Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos, and the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for hands-free control.
Sony Bravia A84J 65-inch Smart 4K UHD OLED TV:£1,899.99£1,799 at Currys
Save £100 - Sony's brilliant Bravia XR OLED TV is now on sale for £1,799 at Currys. That's the lowest price we've found for the Sony set that packs a 65-inch OLED panel, Dolby Vision, HDR10 and works with the Google Assistant for hands-free control.
More cheap TV sales from your favourite retailers
Not found the right cheap TV today? Or maybe you'd prefer to directly browse the offers at your favourite retailers instead of our highlights of the best smart TV deals? We're updating this page on a regular basis, so you may have better luck another day. If you want to take a look for yourself now though, here are the direct links to a the full collection of TV sales at multiple stores.
Argos - the best place for cheap TVs but regionalised stock
Large screen smart TV deals
If you're after larger smart TV deals, we should warn you, they don't come cheap. However, if you're after 65 to 85-inch TVs- we'd recommend heading over to John Lewis,Currys and Amazon as they seem to stock more models than most UK retailers.
If you'd like a headstart on some of the very finest TVs money can buy, be sure to take a look at our guides for the best 55-inch TV or if you're going large we've got the best 65-inch TV models covered too.
How to tell if cheap TVs are worth it
Cheap TVs can often wow with price tags but disappoint once they're at home and plugged in, however there are ways to find 4K TV deals that bring premium experiences down to lower price ranges. Sacrificing a few features you won't use to prioritise the ones you will is an easy way to get started, but finding that perfect mix might prove difficult.
On the other hand, even displays costing between £300 and £400 are often considered to be cheap TVs, so you'll want to make sure you're getting your money's worth with your new setup. That's where these TV deals come in handy - you can easily get features well above your price range included in your new cheap smart TV if you know when and where to deal hunt.
Nowadays, you'll want to be picking up a 4K TV if you're looking to spend within this price range. Straight HD and HD-ready TV deals are still kicking around some retailers and, for the price you're paying for the previous wave of technology, you could well be picking up a 4K display instead. As the price scale rises, you'll be picking up higher pixel density, better colour differentiation, deeper dynamic range, and better upscaling from pricier units. It's worth checking out the various display specifications to make sure your cheap TV matches up to what others are offering at that particular price point.
Or, you could let us do all of that for you with the 4K TV deals listed here.
(Image credit: Hisense)
Are 4K TV deals getting cheaper?
As the technology progresses, and even leaps into the world of 8K, 4K TV deals are getting cheaper and cheaper, meaning more households than ever are able to afford premium displays like the ones highlighted here. Not only does that show just how cheap these 4K TV deals have become in recent years, but it also means there's more content being made to be displayed on these 4K TVs available as well. So, not only are these sets getting cheaper, but there's also plenty more to watch on them as well.
How to find the best TV deals
We've found that the best TV deals usually come from a few retailers in particular - Very regularly discounts their cheaper models, Currys holds excellent prices on Philips Ambilight displays, and John Lewis can offer up invaluable peace of mind with their extensive warranty guarantees.
So, you know where to shop but if you're not seeing any particularly enticing offers -you might be searching at the wrong time. The best TV deals are usually between November and January, when Black Friday and holiday sales are discounting premium displays left and right. However, you'll also find the summer sales fruitful as well.
What to look for in smart TV deals
The vast majority of TV deals on offer right now will offer Smart TV functionality. It's now become the norm for your TV to offer at least a limited selection of streaming and on demand apps, but the quality of this experience will vary between models. Cheap smart TVs will typically send you home with preset apps like Netflix, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, All 4, and UK TV Play among other everyday streamers.
However, if you spend a little more you'll start finding Alexa compatibility, more niche app options like Disney Plus, CrunchyRoll, and NowTV, and a faster, slicker operating system. You'll find more options for connecting extra services on more premium smart TV deals.
The iPhone SE is Apple's best budget iPhone, and the third generation will be announced at the Spring 2022 Apple Event in March.
It should be a big upgrade for Apple's most affordable handset, with the same processor as the iPhone 13 for an incredibly low price. But affordability was never the main selling point of Apple's entry-level iPhone: it was all about the portability.
So when Apple introduced the very first iPhone SE back in 2016, it was all about the size. According to Apple's Greg Joswiak, the first generation iPhone SE was "the most powerful four-inch phone ever."
So where did it come from, and how has it fitted in with the rest of the iPhone line-up? Let's find out.
The first iPhone SE was based on the design of the iPhone 5, which despite the name was the sixth generation of the iPhone. Released in 2012, the iPhone 5 was pretty impressive at the time with its newer, slimmer body, its 4-inch Retina display and its snazzy new Lightning connector, which replaced the previous 30-pin Dock connector.
The iPhone 5 was one of the shortest-lived iPhones, replaced in 2013 by the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, and it was much missed: when the next iPhone, the iPhone 6, got significantly bigger it was clear that for many people the smaller iPhone was the sweet spot in terms of portability and usability.
The iPhone SE was launched in March 2016 to make those people happy, and while it looked like the iPhone 5 it didn't have the same innards.
Instead of an Apple A6 chip it had the same A9 as the 2015 iPhone 6S, and it also had a 12MP rear camera, Live Photos and Retina Flash. It was something of a stealth iPhone, with modern internals in an older case, and it was much-mourned when Apple canned it in late 2018.
It has the distinction, along with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, of having the longest iOS support of any iPhone: seven versions, starting with iOS 9 and running all the way up to iOS 15.
iPhone SE (2020)
(Image credit: TechRadar / Apple)
The second generation iPhone SE
Apple decided to bring back the iPhone SE in early 2020. This time it was part of the same iPhone generation as the iPhone 11, and Apple launched the iPhone SE 2020 at the same time as it discontinued the iPhone 8/8 Plus in April 2020.
Like the first generation, the second iPhone SE was a mix of older design and modern insides. It was based on the iPhone 8, but inside it was an iPhone 11: it had the A13 Bionic system-on-a-chip and a 4.7-inch Retina display.
That's small compared to other phones, but it was a significant improvement over its predecessor's 4-inch display, and it has True Tone, Display P3 and HDR10/Dolby Vision support (although it can't actually display HDR; instead it enhances the content for its own display).
Camera-wise the second iPhone SE was very similar to the iPhone 8, with its 12MP rear camera capable of 4K video, 63MP panoramas and Smart HDR. Both cameras also support Portrait modes.
The biggest change we're expecting to see in the 2022 iPhone SE 3 5G is that last bit: 5G. The current iPhone SE is 4G-only, and that means it's lagging behind much of the rest of the affordable smartphone market. Now that 5G is widely available it needs to be in this iPhone too.
According to the most recent iPhone SE 3 rumors, it's going to have the same A15 Bionic SoC as the iPhone 13 and it'll come in the same design and with the colors as before: white, black and red. There will be three storage options of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, and the display will remain a relatively small 4.7 inches.
The most tantalizing rumor isn't about the device's specification, though. It's about its price tag.
The phone is tipped to launch at a price point as low as $299, which is great news for consumers, but terrible news for the Android firms who currently have that sector of the market to themselves. A super-cheap iPhone SE 3 could bring a lot more new buyers into the iPhone family.
The eventual launch of the Google Pixel 6a could be good news for people who like the look of the Pixel 6, but aren't as keen on the price tag Google has given it.
Google's Pixel a series of phones are budget alternatives to its main series - for example, the Pixel 5a was a more affordable version of the Pixel 5 - and with the Pixel 6 family being pricier than their predecessors, the Pixel 6a is doubly important.
While we don’t know anything for sure about the Google Pixel 6a yet - other perhaps than the name, which Google itself has mentioned in a coloring book - the design and some of the specs and features have started to leak, so we’re beginning to get a good idea about it.
Below you’ll find everything we’ve heard so far, along with information on the possible release date and price, and we’ll update this article as soon as we hear anything new about Google’s next handset.
The first big Pixel 6a release date rumor suggests the phone will be coming in May 2022. Max Jambor, a leaker who has a good track record for smartphone information, has said the release is scheduled for May.
The Google Pixel 5a was unveiled in August 2021, and the Pixel 4a was similarly launched in August 2020. That means Google will be pulling forward its launch to earlier in the year, and it's likely to avoid the upcoming Google Pixel 7 that we expect at the tail-end of 2022.
Plus, the Pixel 5a was only sold in the US and Japan, so Google might want to soon make a more widely available mid-range model.
Google's own show (that's Google I/O) usually takes place in May, so we may see it make a debut at the 2022 version of that show. We've yet to get official dates from Google, but we'd expect it in the second half of the month. The company did similar when it announced the Pixel 3a.
We've also now heard that the Pixel 6a has been spotted on a US carrier's inventory list, which further suggests it's coming soon.
On the other hand, other sources are saying the global chip shortage could push the phone's launch back to late July. It seems as though the Google Pixel 6a release date is still up in the air.
There’s no news on what the phone might cost, but the Google Pixel 5a retailed for $449 (around £325 / AU$610), and the Pixel 4a 5G was $499 / £499 / AU$799, so somewhere in that region seems likely.
Design and display
We have a good idea of what the Google Pixel 6a might look like, as unofficial renders have been shared by OnLeaks (a leaker with a good track record) and 91Mobiles. You can see some of these below, and if you’ve seen the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro then the design here will look very familiar.
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(Image credit: @OnLeaks / 91Mobiles)
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(Image credit: @OnLeaks / 91Mobiles)
The design shown includes a large camera block running horizontally across the back of the phone, housing a dual-lens camera. There’s also a three-tone color scheme, a punch-hole camera on the front, and a flat screen.
You can also see power and volume buttons on the right edge, and a USB-C port along with speaker and microphone grilles on the bottom edge. There’s no sign of a headphone port.
According to the source, the Google Pixel 6a has a glass back and comes in at 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.7mm (or 10.4mm including the rear camera bump). That would make it slightly smaller than the Pixel 6, which makes sense as this phone also apparently has a smaller 6.2-inch OLED screen.
Exactly the same design can be seen in the photos below, which show what’s purportedly an aluminum dummy unit of the Pixel 6a. Dummy units are sometimes used by accessory makers and the like to help design products prior to a phone’s launch, though it’s not clear exactly where this one came from.
While the Google Pixel 6a will probably inherit the design of the rest of the Pixel 6 range, it might not inherit their cameras, as code found in the Google Camera app suggests that this phone will have the same 12.2MP main camera as the Pixel 5a – and most other Pixels prior to the Pixel 6.
That would be in place of the 50MP one found on the latest models. However, the same code suggests that it will at least get the same 12MP ultra-wide snapper as the Pixel 6, and the same 8MP front-facing camera, so it might only be the main sensor that differs.
One big specs leak, which we'll dive into further in the next section, provides us with some battery details. It says we'll see a 4,800mAh cell inside the Pixel 6a alongside 30W fast-charging.
For reference, the Pixel 6 has a 4,614mAh battery, so the Pixel 6a could end up giving stronger battery performance than its more expensive sibling.
Specs and features
The Google Pixel 6a could live up to the Pixel 6 name, as not only might it have the same basic design as the rest of the range, but also the same chipset, as code found in the Google Camera app suggests as much.
That means it might have a Tensor chipset, designed to power advanced features like Live Translation.
We've since heard that from another source, and it matches with a lot of the other spec details we've heard.
Google Pixel 6a Scheduled for Q2 2022.Specs-6.2" 120Hz OLED Straight Display-Tensor GS101 Chipset Same as 6/6Pro-6GB/8GB RAM-128GB Storage-4800mAh + 30W Charging-12.2MP(IMX363)+12MP(IMX386) Ultra Wide Angle Rear Camera-8MP(IMX355) Selfie-Android 12-8.7mm ThickJanuary 23, 2022
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Elsewhere, we’ve heard that the Pixel 6a might have an in-screen fingerprint scanner, 128GB of storage, and 6GB or 8GB of RAM – along with running Android 12 out of the box. We’d expect it would also support 5G, since that’s a fairly standard feature now.
