iPhone SE

 

A new 4.7-inch iPhone that looks like the iPhone 8 but has the internals of the iPhone 11.

At A Glance

• The original iPhone SE was a budget 4-inch iPhone before being discontinued in 2018, but Apple resurrected the brand in April 2020 with a new 4.7-inch model that looks like an iPhone 8 with internals close to those of the iPhone 11. It features an A13 Bionic chip, 3GB RAM, and a low starting price of $399. It comes with 64, 128, or 256 GB of storage and comes in white black, and red.

Features

• 4.7-inch display
• A13 Bionic chip
• iPhone 8 design
• Touch ID
• Single-lens rear camera
• 3GB RAM
• Red, white and black colors
• $399 starting price

The 2020 iPhone SE

In April 2020, Apple released the iPhone SE, a new low-cost iPhone that is a follow-up to the 2016 iPhone SE of the same name. The 2020 iPhone SE, like its predecessor, is Apple's most affordable iPhone, priced starting at $399.

The 2020 iPhone SE is similar to the iPhone 8 when it comes to design, unlike the original iPhone SE, which resembled an iPhone 5. It has a True Tone 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD monitor to match the room's ambient lighting, Wide Color, Dolby Vision, and HDR10.

The iPhone SE is designed with a glass front and back with a color-matched aluminium band, available in black, white and (PRODUCT)RED. Wireless charging is assisted and features IP67 resistance to water and dust so that it can stand up to splashes, unintentional spills, and even short water submersions.

Since the iPhone SE is visually similar to the iPhone 8, thick top and bottom bezels are still featured. The top bezel houses the front-facing 7-megapixel camera and microphone, while a Touch ID Home button for fingerprint-based biometric authentication is included in the bottom bezel.

The iPhone SE is the only iPhone that continues to feature Touch ID over Face ID in Apple's current lineup. Like other iPhones, it uses Haptic Touch for Fast Actions and contextual menus, now removing 3D Touch from the iPhone lineup.

In the iPhone SE, there is a 12-megapixel single-lens rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization and Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting support. There is no Night Mode on the iPhone SE, but there is Smart HDR, Big Color support, and more, plus a Slow Sync LED True Tone light.

With optical image stabilization and support for slow-motion video and time-lapse video, the camera of the iPhone SE can capture 4K video at up to 60 frames per second. The front-facing camera also supports Portrait Mode by using the A13 Bionic's image signal processor and Neural Engine.

Within, with the same A13 Bionic processor as the iPhone 11, the iPhone SE is fitted with newer chip technology, which Apple claims is the fastest chip in a smartphone to date. For better performance and productivity, the A13 Bionic has a dedicated 8-core neural engine that can perform 5 trillion operations per second, two machine learning accelerators on the CPU, and a machine learning controller.

When it comes to battery life, when watching videos, the iPhone SE lasts 13 hours, eight hours when downloading videos, and 40 hours when listening to audio. It is capable of fast charging and, when using an 18W power adapter or higher, can charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes.

Within the iPhone SE, there is no U1 chip, but it has WiFi 6 support, which is the new and fastest WiFi protocol, along with Bluetooth 5 and 2x2 MIMO Gigabit-class LTE. It also has NFC with reader mode and supports a power reserve feature for Express Cards (transit cards) that allows cards to be accessible even when the battery is dead.

The iPhone SE is available with capacities of 64, 128, and 256GB. The 64GB model is priced at $399, $449 for the 128GB model and $549 for the 256GB model.

How to Buy

You can buy the iPhone SE from Apple's retail stores, affiliate stores, and the Apple Store online.

AppleCare+ is available for $79 or $3.99 a month for the iPhone SE, and Apple also has an improved $149 package that adds theft and loss coverage.

Reviews

iPhone SE reviews are mostly positive, with reviewers praising the performance of the handset, which is on par with the iPhone 11, and its affordable price point.

Although the design of the system is dated, with its thick bezels, the display is outstanding and the build quality is high. The A13 chip guarantees super fast efficiency and years of software updates to come.

The battery life is good, but the iPhone SE is less durable than the iPhone 8. For a phone that costs $399, the camera quality is excellent, but it is worth remembering that it fails somewhat in low light conditions. That's even valid for older iPhones. The iPhone SE is outstanding in bright light, delivering precise, vibrant colour images, and there is also the Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting bonus.

In a nutshell, most critics are of the opinion that for iPhone users who have kept on to older devices, this is a major improvement. We have provided, along with some hands-on review videos, a list of reviews below. For more, make sure to check out our full review roundup.

Design

The 2020 iPhone SE, while named after the 2016 iPhone SE that shared a design with the iPhone 5, is similar to the iPhone 8. It features a 4.7-inch display at the top and bottom of the smartphone with thick bezels.

For the front-facing camera, speaker and accompanying sensors, the top bezel features a cutout, and there is a Touch ID Home button covered in sapphire crystal at the bottom of the screen.

Like the iPhone 8, the iPhone SE has an all-glass body that adds colour to the glass by using a seven-layer ink process, resulting in a rich colour depth. An aluminium band that matches the colour of each iPhone for a seamless look, keeps the glass monitor and the glass body together and there are short antenna lines.

A single-lens rear camera, a microphone, and an LED flash are located in the back of the iPhone SE.

There is a mute switch and volume buttons on the left side of the iPhone SE, while the sleep/wake button appears on the right side. There is a Lightning port and speaker holes in the bottom, and there is no headphone jack, like previous iPhones, so Bluetooth or Lightning headphones are needed.

At 138.4mm tall by 67.3mm high, the 2020 iPhone SE measures 7.3mm thick and weighs 5.22 ounces. It is the smallest iPhone from Apple, but still much larger than the previous iPhone SE version. Since the iPhone SE shares a template with the iPhone 8, the iPhone SE fits with cases optimized for the iPhone 8.

Color Options

White, space grey and a (PRODUCT)RED edition with a bright red glass-backed shell are available for the iPhone SE. Black front panels are featured in all three colours, including white, which was white in previous light-colored iPhones.

Water and Dust Resistance

The iPhone SE has an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, which means it is fully dust resistant and can withstand up to 30 minutes of one metre of water (3.3 feet).

The iPhone SE can withstand splashes, rain, and brief accidental exposure to water, but it should continue to prevent deliberate exposure to water. Apple warns that resistance to water and dust is not permanent and can decrease as a result of normal wear, and Apple's warranty does not cover any form of water damage.

Touch ID

The Apple flagship iPhones feature a Face ID all-glass design, but the iPhone SE continues to offer a Home button with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor in order to keep costs down.

A robust sapphire crystal that protects the Touch ID sensor and a steel ring that detects the fingerprint of a user are shielded by the Touch ID Home button. Touch ID is used to unlock your iPhone, fill in iCloud Keychain passwords, confirm purchases from the App Store, open passcode-protected applications, and confirm Apple Pay transactions.

Display

With a resolution of 1334 by 750 with 326 pixels per inch and a 1400:1 contrast ratio, the iPhone SE appears to have the same 4.7-inch display that was used in the iPhone 8.

It features multi-touch capabilities, P3 wide color support for rich, true-to-life colors, and 625 nits max brightness.

True Tone

True Tone, a function that has been included in iPad and iPhone models for several years, is supported by the iPhone SE.

To detect the lighting in a room, True Tone takes advantage of the ambient light sensor to adjust the colour temperature and intensity to match the light for a more natural, paper-like viewing experience that cuts down on eye strain.

Although 3D Touch is supported by the iPhone 8, the iPhone SE provides the same Haptic Touch feature available in the current iPhone 12 lineup.

Similar to 3D Touch, Haptic Touch works and provides a lot of the same features, but it is not pressure sensitive and does not allow multiple functions for each click. Instead with haptic feedback, it is best defined as a long press or a press and hold motion.

Like 3D Touch and many of the same functions, Haptic Touch can be used in the operating system, such as accessing Fast Actions on the home screen, previewing links in Safari, triggering the flash on the Lock screen, accessing additional features throughout the Control Center, and more.

While Haptic Touch is enabled by the iPhone SE, it should be noted that Haptic Touch does not function on the Lock screen or in the Notification Center for notifications.

A13 Bionic

The iPhone SE is fitted with the same A13 Bionic chip used in the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, and when it was first launched in 2019, it was the fastest chip ever on a smartphone. As well as being more power-efficient, the A13 chip is much faster than the A11 that was in the iPhone 8, which increases battery life.

The A13 chip has an 8-core Neural Engine, which offers real-time picture and video processing faster than ever. The CPU can run up to six times faster with a pair of Machine Learning Accelerators, providing more than 1 trillion operations per second.

The Neural Engine controls the camera system, Face ID, applications for augmented reality and more, plus a new Machine Learning Controller is available to balance efficiency and performance. The A13 Bionic paired with iOS 13 makes new applications that make use of machine learning and Core ML, according to Apple.

Storage Space

The iPhone SE is available in 64, 128, and 256GB storage options.

RAM

Ahead of when the iPhone SE was released, rumors suggested it had 3GB RAM, and listings from a Chinese carrier have also listed the 3GB RAM number.

Cameras

The iPhone SE uses a single-lens rear camera to keep costs down, but it adopts some iPhone 11 and 11 Pro technologies, meaning better images than were possible with the iPhone 8.

The iPhone SE uses the same 12-megapixel rear camera sensor as the iPhone 8, based on the iFixit teardown, but benefits from the enhanced image signal processor of the A13.

For enhanced highlights and shadow information, the 12-megapixel wide-angle camera features an f/1.8 aperture with optical image stabilization, wide colour capture, and next-generation Smart HDR. Apple claims it's the best iPhone single-camera device ever.

No Night Mode

The iPhone SE does not have the same features as more expensive multi-lens iPhones, so the iPhone SE does not allow Night Mode or optical zoom.

Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting

Although there are not two sensors, the iPhone SE uses the image signal processor and the Neural Engine for computational photography to support Portrait Mode, Portrait Lighting, and Depth Control. The iPhone SE is the first iPhone to allow Portrait Mode using a software-only solution.

Portrait Mode allows for artful blurring of the background in a picture while taking a portrait photo of a human, pet, or object, while Portrait Lighting allows six studio-quality lighting effects to be applied to photographs. For the best possible blending of blurring and detail, Depth Control enables the amount of blur in a picture taken in Portrait Mode to be tuned.

Video Capabilities

The iPhone SE shoots 4K video at up to 60 frames per second, along with 1080 and 720p shooting modes, with 24 and 30 frames also available.

For video, up to 30 frames per second, extended dynamic range support is available, and optical image stabilization is available.

A feature first introduced in Apple's 2019 flagship iPhones, QuickTake video, is included, enabling users to capture fast videos while in picture mode by holding down the camera button. There are also existing modes on the iPhone SE, such as slo-mo (1080p at 120 or 240 fps) and time-lapse.

Despite the lack of a TrueDepth camera setup, the 7-megapixel front-facing camera features an f/2.2 aperture with Portrait mode and Depth Control support. Apple uses machine learning and monocular depth estimation to allow this feature.

QuickTake is supported by the front-facing camera and it's the first front-facing iPhone camera to offer the feature. You can record 1080p HD video at 30 frames per second, and Retina Flash, auto image stabilisation, Burst Mode, auto HDR, and large colour capture are other features.

The front-facing camera is mainly used for FaceTime calls and selfies. As of iOS 14.2, WiFi connections stream FaceTime calls to 1080p.

Battery Life

The iPhone SE has a battery capacity of 1,821 mAh, which is the same capacity as the iPhone 8 battery. Apple's own iPhone SE battery listings say that the battery life is "about the same as the iPhone 8."

The battery of the iPhone SE lasts for up to 13 hours of video playback, up to 8 hours of video streaming and up to 40 hours of audio playback.

Fast Charging

Fast charging is enabled by the 2020 iPhone SE, which ensures that 50 percent of the battery life can be charged in just 30 minutes. A USB-C power adapter that offers at least 18 watts, including Apple's 29/30W adapters (priced at $49), is required for fast charging.

Since the iPhone SE ships with a regular 5W power adapter and USB-A to Lightning cable, the USB-C power adapter and USB-C to Lightning cable needed for fast charging must be bought separately.

Wireless Charging

To endorse Qi-based wireless charging, the iPhone SE has a glass body with a built-in wireless charging coil. Any 5W or 7.5W Qi-based wireless charging accessory is compatible with it.

Connectivity

Gigabit LTE

The iPhone SE supports 2x2 MIMO and LAA Gigabit-class LTE and supports the following LTE bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 66, 71 FDD-LTE bands and 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48 TD-LTE bands.

Dual-SIM Support

The iPhone SE provides dual-SIM support that allows two phone numbers to be used at one time. By including one physical nano-SIM slot and an eSIM, dual-SIM functionality is allowed.

In several countries around the world, the eSIM functionality is available, and on its website, Apple has a complete list of carriers that support eSIM.

In Austria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, dual-SIMs operate with select carriers.

Bluetooth and WiFi

Compared to Bluetooth 4.2, the iPhone SE supports Bluetooth 5.0, which provides longer range, faster speeds, greater broadcast message capability, and better interoperability with other wireless technologies.

It also supports WiFi 6 with 2x2 MIMO, aka 802.11ax WiFi. The new WiFi protocol is WiFi 6 which allows you to download up to 38 percent faster than WiFi 5 (aka 802.11ac).

GPS and NFC

The iPhone SE includes support for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS location services.

NFC with reader mode is included, and there is a background tag feature that allows NFC tags to be scanned by the iPhone models without first opening an app. Express Cards with a power reserve are also provided by the iPhone SE, which means it can be used instead of a public transit card and continues to operate even though the battery is dead.

iPhone SE vs. iPhone XR

If you're curious about the differences between the $399 iPhone SE in 2020 and the $499 iPhone XR in 2018, we have a guide along with a comparison chart below that goes through the differences.

The iPhone SE has a newer and faster A13 Bionic processor, Touch ID, and thick top and bottom bezels in a nutshell, while an A12 processor, Face ID, and an all-screen interface feature on the iPhone XR.

Similarities

• Glass and aluminum design
• Wireless charging
• Fast charging with USB-C: up to 50% battery life in 30 minutes
• IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
• 4K video recording at up to 60 FPS
• Lightning connector
• No headphone jack
• Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
• Bluetooth 5.0
• VoLTE
• Dolby Vision and HDR10 support
• EarPods with Lightning connector in box

Tech Specs Compared

iPhone SE

• 4.7-inch LCD display
• 1334×750 resolution and 326 PPI
• True Tone display
• Single 12-megapixel rear camera (wide lens)
• Single 7-megapixel front camera
• Portrait Mode with Depth Control: humans only
• Six Portrait Lighting effects
• Next-gen Smart HDR
• A13 Bionic chip with third-gen Neural Engine
• Touch ID
• Haptic Touch
• Lightning connector
• Fast charging capable: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
• Qi-based wireless charging
• IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
• 64/128/256GB
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM)
• Gigabit-class LTE
• VoLTE
• 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 3GB RAM
• Similar battery life as iPhone 8

iPhone XR

• 6.1-inch LCD display
• 1792×828 resolution and 326 PPI
• True Tone display
• Single 12-megapixel rear camera (wide lens)
• Single 7-megapixel front camera
• Portrait Mode with Depth Control: humans only
• Three Portrait Lighting effects
• Smart HDR
• A12 Bionic chip with second-gen Neural Engine
• Face ID
• Haptic Touch
• Lightning connector
• Fast charging capable: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
• Qi-based wireless charging
• IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
• 64/128GB (256GB discontinued)
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM)
• LTE Advanced
• VoLTE
• 802.11ac Wi‑Fi 5
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 3GB RAM
• 1.5 hours longer battery life than iPhone 8 Plus

What's Next for the iPhone SE

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared predictions about the iPhone SE's replacement, which is supposed to come in 2021. Kuo expects Apple to release an iPhone SE Plus with a full-screen design, no Face ID, and a fingerprint Touch ID sensor built into the device's side power button. A 5.5 or 6.1-inch LCD display is expected to be featured in the latest iPhone SE Plus and will be positioned as a lower-cost iPhone.

Apple originally intended to release the iPhone SE Plus in the first half of 2021, according to Kuo, but it will possibly be delayed until the second half of 2021 instead.

Display analyst Ross Young claims that before Spring 2022 there will not be an updated version of the iPhone SE. The iPhone SE 3 is expected to have a 6.1-inch display, Touch ID, 5G support, the same dual cameras first seen in the iPhone 11, and an iPhone 11-style design when launched.

iPhone SE Timeline

DECEMBER2020

Dec 2iOS 14.2 Quietly Added FaceTime 1080p Support to iPhone 8 and Later Models

NOVEMBER2020

Nov 5Apple Reportedly Using iPad Parts in the iPhone 12 Pro to Combat Shortages

OCTOBER2020

Oct 21French iPhone Boxes Come Packed in an Outer Box With Separate EarPods

Oct 2iPhone 13 Lineup Rumored to Feature 120Hz ProMotion Displays, No iPhone SE 3 Until 2022

SEPTEMBER2020

Sep 15Best Buy Lists 'iPhone SE Plus' Screen Protector With iPhone 8 Plus Dimensions

AUGUST2020

Aug 24Apple Confirms iPhone SE is Now 'Assembled in India' For Local Customers

JULY2020

Jul 20Apple's iPhone SE Sales a 'Bright Spot' in Q2 2020 Thanks to Android Switchers and Those Upgrading From iPhone 6s or Older

Jul 55.4-Inch iPhone 12 Model Size Compared to Original iPhone SE and iPhone 7

Jul 1Leaker: Future iPhone Models to Come in 'Exquisite' Thinner Box

MAY2020

May 510 Top iPhone SE (2020) Cases

May 1iPhone SE: How to Hard Reset or Enter DFU Mode

APRIL2020

Apr 28Camera Comparison: 2020 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 8 and iPhone 11 Pro

Apr 27Halide Does Deep Dive Into iPhone SE's Software-Based Portrait Mode

Apr 27PSA: iPhone SE's Haptic Touch Doesn't Work With Notifications and It's Not a Bug

Apr 27iPhone SE Teardown: 3D Touch Chip Removed, iPhone 8 Camera Sensor, and More

Apr 26iFixit Details Which Parts Can Be Swapped Between the iPhone 8 and iPhone SE

Apr 24Hands-On With the New Low-Cost 2020 iPhone SE

Apr 24iPhone SE Now Available as First Pre-Orders Delivered to Customers

Apr 23Teardown Video Compares New iPhone SE to iPhone 8

Apr 23Apple Releases iOS 13.4.1 for iPhone SE Ahead of Launch