The New iPhone Comes Out Today — and It's Perfect for Travelers

Apple's latest iPhone update may not look like a major departure for the brand on the exterior, but in this case, it's most certainly what's on the inside that counts.

On Mar. 18, the tech giant will release two new phone upgrades; the latest iPhone SE and a new green colorway for the iPhone 13. While the only update to the iPhone 13 is the color (which will truly make people green with envy), the iPhone SE offers a few upgrades that the jet-setting crowd will find particularly appealing.

Updates to the iPhone SE, largely regarded as the smaller, more budget-friendly alternative to the latest iPhone releases, include improved durability thanks to "aerospace-grade aluminum and glass design, now with the toughest glass in a smartphone on the front and back — the same as on the back of iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13," Apple shared in a statement. Essentially, this latest iteration of the iPhone SE preserves the parts of the past SE generation fans love, while adding functionalities perfect for on-the-go travelers.

The phone also includes improved battery life, which can help travelers stay out and explore longer. Though Apple did not provide specifics on just how long the battery lasts, Tom's Guide tested the new iPhone SE battery and found it outlasts the last generation of the iPhone 13 mini (though not the iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Pro).

The best upgrade of all comes with the new phone's camera.

Thanks to the A15 Bionic chip in the new iPhone SE (the same one you'll find in the iPhone 13), Apple says users will get to experience "new camera capabilities for this form factor, first introduced with the iPhone 13 lineup including Photographic Styles and Smart HDR4."

The iPhone SE now features a 12-megapixel, ƒ/1.8 aperture lens that can make photos incredibly crisp. The camera also offers new Photographic Styles, which Apple explains, allows people to save individual preferences to apply right to their images in the camera roll. The Photographic Style also works across scenes and subject types to help users create an aesthetic all their own.

Perhaps most excitingly, the styles will also make photography more inclusive, according to the statement, which says, "Photographic Styles leverage our deep semantic understanding of the scene context to intelligently apply the right amount of adjustments to different parts of the photo which helps preserve skin tones."

The Apple release further explains, "Through targeted sharpening, subject relighting, and multi-scale tone mapping, we can treat people's features more naturally, distinctly from other details in the rest of the photo. Smart HDR 4 can now create individual segmentation masks (for up to four people) in a group shot, to optimize lighting and skin tone for each person."

The iPhone SE is $429, making it the cheapest new iPhone you'll find. Learn more about both the iPhone SE and the new green iPhone 13 here.