If you can afford to stretch your budget to the Apple iPhone 13 mini, we'd recommend it over the iPhone SE (3rd generation) any day of the week, but as an entry-level iPhone, the third generation SE is a solid performer and a great upgrade option - you just have to be able to look past that ageing design.
Affordable with flagship power; Excellent performance; Solid camera results; Good battery life; Touch ID is still great tech; Punchy display; 5G capabilities; Some photography iPhone 13 features; Excellent software experience;
Old design; Poor low light camera performance; Single camera; No display changes; No MagSafe;