iPhone SE’s RAM and battery capacity likely revealed in Chinese listing

Apple never lists how much RAM its phones have, nor their battery capacity, and the new iPhone SE was no exception. However, these things cannot be hidden forever, and — thanks to a listing on China Telecom’s site (via MacRumors) — we now probably know these figures for Apple’s cheapest new iPhone. 

According to the listing, the iPhone SE has a 1,821mAh battery and 3GB of RAM. 

We won’t know whether these figures are accurate until someone disassembles the iPhone SE, but they’re likely accurate. Apple itself says that the iPhone SE’s battery “lasts about the same as iPhone 8,” and the iPhone 8 has a 1,821mAh battery. 

As far as RAM goes, 3GB sounds about right. The iPhone 11 has 4GB of RAM, and the iPhone XR has 3GB of RAM. Given that the iPhone SE has a more powerful processor than the iPhone XR, but a less demanding camera than the iPhone 11, 3GB should be plenty. 

Furthermore, it’s fair to assume that Apple doesn’t want the SE to be just as powerful as the far more expensive iPhone 11; both phones share the same, A13 Bionic chip and the same memory storage capacities, so putting a little less RAM into the iPhone SE is a logical move. 

Apple’s tactics of omitting RAM and battery capacity from their phone’s spec sheets may annoy tech journalists, but they do make sense in one way: Apple’s phones typically perform well with fairly low amounts of RAM (at least compared to similarly priced Android phones), and Apple’s battery life estimates are fair. So, if the numbers above seem paltry to you, you shouldn’t worry — the iPhone SE is likely be a solid performer, despite its low price. 

The iPhone SE was launched yesterday, and will be up for preorder this Friday, starting at $399.