With so many of us now on serious budgets, is Apple’s new $399 second-generation iPhone SE a smart buy?
Like its 2016 predecessor, the new 2020 iPhone SE stays small with a 4.7-inch display (the old SE was 4 inches). But it also has some big upgrades — like a A13 Bionic processor, Touch ID, water resistance and fast charging.
Starting at US $399 for 64GB, the new 2020 iPhone SE is the new budget baby of Apple’s 13th generation iPhone family, alongside the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max. You can pre-order the new iPhone SE starting this Friday, April 17. (Scroll to the end for more details on availability and pricing.)
New 2020 iPhone SE features
With the 2020 iPhone SE you’re limited to just three colors — black, white, and red. But you’re likely to cover it with a case anyway — a good idea since the back of the phone is coated with glass. The rest of the body is made of aerospace-grade aluminum.
On the front, the iPhone SE also features the familiar sapphire Home button to detect your fingerprint for Touch ID. You can choose to use Touch ID is an quick, secure alternative to entering a passcode to unlock the phone, fill in passwords, log in to apps, authorize App Store purchases, and make Apple Pay transactions.
The SE is water- and dust-resistant, with an IP67 rating for water resistance in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes. As far as splash resistance, the phone won’t be damaged by accidental spills from common liquids such as soda, coffee, tea, beer and juice. But beware that if you do suffer liquid damage, it’s not covered under warranty.
Like with other recent iPhones, the new iPhone SE has dual SIM with eSIM slots. Those allow you to have two separate phone numbers, such as for traveling abroad or for a business line.
The new 2020 iPhone SE also gives you Haptic Touch vibration when you press and hold an icon to create Quick Actions shortcuts. You can use Quick Actions to speed up tasks like previewing messages, rearranging apps, or animating photos.
2020 iPhone SE display and audio
Unlike other recent iPhones that all have screens of about 6 inches or larger, the new 2020 iPhone SE keeps things small with a 4.7-inch diagonal display. Though the display resolution is just Retina HD, that still looks sharp on the smaller size.
Like on other recent iPhones, the new iPhone SE includes Apple’s True Tone technology that adjusts the white balance to match ambient light. This provides for a more natural, paper-like viewing experience.
If you don’t mind watching videos on the small screen, you’ll get support for Dolby Vision and HDR 10 playback. You can record video or audio in stereo, and you can listen to your music or podcasts with someone else at the same time if you both have AirPods or Beats headphones.
Processor and charging speed
You won’t have to sacrifice speed with the new iPhone SE — it has the same top A13 Bionic processor found in the current iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. That means you’ll notice faster opens for apps or web pages, plus smoother gaming, photography, and augmented reality. The A13 Bionic chip is also more efficient than Apple’s previous processors, so you’ll get longer battery life.
For charging, the iPhone SE supports both standard chargers and wireless Qi-certified chargers. It also supports fast-charging, delivering a 50 percent charge in just 30 minutes.
2020 iPhone SE camera features
Apple is also not skimping too much on the new 2020 iPhone SE camera. You get a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture wide camera with an image signal processor and Smart HDR for better lighting.
The A13 Bionic chip also enables computational photography that includes monocular depth control for Portrait mode, and all six of Apple’s Portrait Lighting effects. Apple Photos also uses machine learning to organize your photos on the phone or in iCloud.
Videos taken on the new iPhone SE feature stereo audio recording and cinematic video stabilization on the front and rear cameras. The rear camera supports video capture at 4K up to 60fps, and extended dynamic range for more highlight details up to 30fps. On the front and rear cameras you can also activate QuickTake video, which enables video recording without switching out of Photo mode.
iOS 13 on board
iPhone SE comes with the Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 13. With iOS 13, you can keep the default look or choose Dark Mode for a more dramatic look.
Other major new iOS 13 features include a more private way to sign into apps and websites with Sign In with Apple, and an improved Apple Maps that includes street-level imagery with Look Around.
For security and privacy, the new 2020 iPhone SE gives you the same ability to control your information as on Apple’s other products. For example, Touch ID and the Secure Enclave protect your fingerprint data. And Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention on the Safari browser helps to stop advertisers from following you from site to site.
For a detailed, organized table of all of the new iPhone SE’s specs, check out this post at GSM Arena.
2020 iPhone SE pricing & availability
iPhone SE is available starting for pre-order Friday, April 17 in the US and more than 40 other countries and regions. You can get it at Apple.com, in the Apple Store app, at Apple retail stores, from major resellers, and from select carriers.
You can choose from 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in black, white and red starting at US $399 (US) up front or $9.54 a month. The 128GB model costs $449, while the 256GB version is $549. For prices in several other countries, see the table from GSM Arena below.
If you buy directly from Apple and have an older phone to trade in, you might get your iPhone SE price as low as $229. (Online trade-in is not available in Mexico, Brazil and Turkey.)
If you have an Apple Card and use it to pay for your iPhone SE, Apple will give you three percent daily cash back off the interest rate. You can also extend your warranty with AppleCare+ and get 24/7 priority technical support.
As another bonus, Apple is offering iPhone SE buyers one year of Apple TV+ for free. Normally, Apple TV+ costs $4.99 per month. You can watch Apple TV+ on your TV’s streaming service, online at tv.apple.com, or in the Apple TV app for iPhone or Mac.
If you choose the red “(PRODUCT)RED” model, Apple says it will donate a portion to Global Fund. That organization has a new COVID-19 Response that funds countries in need of medical supplies, and offers HIV/AIDS program grants that focus on eliminating HIV transmission from mothers to their babies.
If after all this you’re still unsure about getting the new iPhone SE or a used phone, check out our “new vs used” pros and cons here.
