Our Verdict
The 2020 iPhone SE is a world apart from the 2016 iPhone SE , but it has a lot in uncouth and that ’s a good thing .
Four yr ago – back when we were able-bodied to go outdoors without fear of descend into contact with another human – Apple launched an iPhone that read the constituent of the 4.7 in iPhone 6s ( foretell the premature September ) and squished them into a lowly 4 in handset pose on the iPhone 5s .
The result was the iPhone SE : a compact iPhone that offer the same spec as Apple ’s flagship example of the meter at a more affordable price . It was a pop choice with consumer until Apple discontinue it in September 2018 when it launched the iPhone XR .
There had been rumor advise that there would be a new low-cost iPhone coming from Apple , but at £ 749/$799 the iPhone XR was not that sound . So for the past class and a half the only choice for those looking for a low - price iPhone was to buy one of the former - twelvemonth ’s handsets – until recently the iPhone 8 . Now the iPhone 8 is no more and in its place sits the brand name fresh iPhone SE . The 2nd orgasm of Apple ’s Special Edition iPhone ( if you ’d draw a blank , that ’s what SE stood for ) .
iPhone history
These iPhones have been substitute with newer models . bump links below to our review of all iPhone models , include the late generation.iPhone 16is expect to launch in September 2024 ( seewhen is the good meter to buy a fresh iPhone ) . You might also like ouriPhone buying guide , good iPhone dealsandcomparison of every iPhone that is available to buy today .
Home Sweet Home
In this comparability we ’ll be looking at how the onetime iPhone SE compares to the Modern iPhone SE . As you would gestate the two phones are worlds apart – a lot has changed in the preceding four twelvemonth – but there are some ways in which the two phone are the same . Most prominently the retention of the Home button , which Apple enclose on its website as the “ Home Sweet Home Button ” a thought shared by many who struggle with the swipes required to navigate those iPhones fit out with Face ID .
The 2020 iPhone SE is the ONLY iPhone now sell by Apple that has the Home button . If you want an iPhone with a button then this is your only choice . That ’s not the same Home button as the 2016 iPhone SE though – second generation Touch ID was bring in with the iPhone 6s the previous year , but did n’t make it into the original iPhone SE .
Display, dimensions and design
When the 2016 iPhone SE launched the main matter that set it aside from the other iPhone French telephone of the time was its 4 in video display . If you were hop that the new iPhone SE would retain that small display you ’ll be disappoint – it ’s screen is 4.7 in , like the iPhone 8 .
We ’d propose that you accept that it ’s not a bad matter that the 2020 iPhone SE has a bigger showing than its namesake . While you may consider that a little video display will think that your iPhone is smaller – which might appeal if you have diminished hands and diminished scoop – there are many more downside to a minor CRT screen : you ’ll be able-bodied to see less info , pictures lack detail , less textual matter go on the screen , and secret plan crammed on to the smaller screen are less enjoyable to bring .
But if a small phone is what you are after then there ’s no traverse that the 2016 iPhone SE was low :
The novel iPhone SE is a fraction thin though , so it ’s not all bad .
There ’s another affair that will disappoint you if you were a big fan of the honest-to-god iPhone SE design . Back in 2016 Apple ’s iPhone SE came in Space Grey , silver gray , gold , and Rose Gold . This fourth dimension round the iPhone SE 2020 fall in white , black and red .
The black and white option will likely remind you of the iPod . If you pick the reddened interpretation Apple will donate some money to the Product ( RED ) charity – combating AIDS in Africa .
The phone are constructed from the same material though – deoxyephedrine and aluminium , no plastic finish here .
Flagship specs at a low price
As we mentioned above , in 2016 the iPhone SE shared its component with the iPhone 6s , which launched in September 2015 . This time round the iPhone SE shares its specs with the iPhone 11 . That ’s actually pretty good going considering many expected the 2020 iPhone SE to be a rebadged iPhone 8 , kind of like when Apple took the year - old iPhone 5 and popped it in a plastic grammatical case to sell as the 2013 iPhone 5C.
Apple has taken the components of the iPhone 11 ( and the 11 Pro and the 11 Pro Max ) , which launch in September 2019 , fitted them in a more compact French telephone , and is sell it at almost half the monetary value . We ’re not going to go into a lot of detail about how the 2020 iPhone SE compares to the iPhone 11 as we will reckon at that in a separate article , but we will say that it compares very favorably in moderately much every way of life that matter .
Like the iPhone 11 the iPhone SE features the A13 Bionic chip and third propagation Neural Engine and offers all the benefit for picture taking and augment reality offer by that scrap . This mean that the iPhone SE 2020 has a better central processor than the iPhone XR , which is still sell by Apple , and costs more . We ’ll also talk over how the iPhone XR and iPhone SE 2020 compare elsewhere on our web site .
It seems pointless to discuss the spec of the iPhone SE 2016 here . Of course the 2020 iPhone SE Is better – four years have draw ! Back then we had a A9 chip with the M9 apparent motion co - C.P.U. . That ’s the same mainframe as the iPhone sextuplet – if you have an iPhone 6s or an iPhone SE from back then upgrading to this new good example will be a immense rise for you ! The picture above usher what the iPhone SE face like in 2016 – it ’s definitely dated !
There are a few other gamy - close features that you ’ll discover in the iPhone SE 2020 that obviously were n’t a feature of the original iPhone SE , these include :
As for the price , it ’s not at all forged . Here ’s how the terms in 2020 compares to the cost when the iPhone SE set up in 2016 :
2020 iPhone SE prices:
2016 iPhone SE prices:
The iPhone SE did get a storage boost in 2017 , with 32 GB and 128 GB versions replacing the 16 GB and 64 GB choice .
As you may see , the starting price of the 2020 iPhone SE is the same in the US as it was in 2016 – and given that it ’s a better speech sound with more storage that ’s with child . The Leontyne Price does n’t look as good for the UK but that ’s more to do with currency fluctuation than Apple decide to make us pay more for the handset .
Camera and battery
Four years have passed but one thing has n’t deepen : the tv camera on the iPhone SE in 2016 was 12MP and the camera on the iPhone SE 2020 is also 12MP . There ’s a worldly concern of difference between the kind of photos you ’ll be able-bodied to take though thanks to the capableness of the iPhone SE 2020 central processing unit and other additions , such as the ƒ/1.8 aperture rather than ƒ/2.2 aperture .
For lesson , the iPhone SE 2020 offers Portrait mode , Portrait Lighting & depth dominance feature , so you’re able to take portrait exposure of admirer and family line with a clouded backdrop . Other unexampled camera lineament that have arrived over the four yr interval include LED rightful Tone flashbulb with Slow Sync , Autofocus with Focus Pixels , and two-channel recording for video .
One significant change is to the front facing camera – the one you use for selfies and FaceTime . On the new iPhone SE that is a 7MP camera , on the old iPhone SE it was a 1.2MP camera .
Finally , we ’ll touch on battery life . Apple says that the new iPhone SE offers 13 hour of video on a undivided tutelage . The video playback on the 2016 iPhone SE was also 13 hours . However there are some ways in which the battery aliveness is worse than the iPhone SE when that phone was novel ( you ’d be lucky to get a decent day ’s battery life-time out of a four class old phone now ) . For illustration , Apple notes that the 2020 iPhone SE propose 40 minute or sound recording compared to the 50 hour it promised for the 2016 model . Interestingly Apple does n’t quote a talk prison term battery life for the iPhone SE 2020 .
Verdict
It ’s no surprisal that the 2020 iPhone SE shares little with the 2016 iPhone SE , four year has passed and a lot has changed in the public of iPhones . But one matter has n’t changed : the new iPhone SE combines the feature of the flagship phones in a more compact and meretricious iPhone just as the iPhone SE did in 2016 . It ’s potential to be just as popular as the iPhone SE was four age ago – especially in these tough economic meter .
