iPhone SE 2020

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

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

Apple in April 2020 unveiled a new low-cost iPhone, the iPhone SE, which is a follow-up to the 2016 iPhone SE of the same name. Like its predecessor, the 2020 iPhone SE is Apple's most affordable iPhone, priced starting at $399.

Unlike the original iPhone SE, which resembled an iPhone 5, the 2020 iPhone SE is identical to the iPhone 8 when it comes to design. It has a 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD display with True Tone to match the ambient lighting in a room, Wide color, Dolby Vision, and HDR10.

Available in black, white and (PRODUCT)RED, the iPhone SE is built with a glass front and back with a color-matched aluminum band. Wireless charging is supported and it features IP67 water and dust resistance so it will hold up to splashes and even brief submersions in water.

Because the iPhone SE is physically identical to an iPhone 8, it continues to feature thick top and bottom bezels. The top bezel houses the 7-megapixel front-facing camera and microphone while the bottom bezel includes a Touch ID Home button for fingerprint-based biometric authentication.

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

There's a single-lens 12-megapixel rear camera in the iPhone SE with an f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization, and support for Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting. Night Mode is not supported, but there is Smart HDR, Wide color support, and more, plus an LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync capabilities.

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

Design

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

The top bezel features a cutout for the front-facing camera, speaker, and accompanying sensors, and at the bottom of the device, there's a Touch ID Home button covered in sapphire crystal.

Like the iPhone 8, the iPhone SE has an all-glass body that uses a seven-layer ink process to add color to the glass, resulting in a rich depth of color. The glass display and the glass body are held together by an aluminum band that matches the color of each iPhone for a seamless look, and there are small antenna lines.

Water and Dust Resistance

The iPhone SE features an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, which means it is entirely dust proof and able to withstand one meter of water (3.3 feet) for up to 30 minutes.

The iPhone SE will hold up to splashes, rain, and brief accidental water exposure, but intentional water exposure should continue to be avoided. Apple warns that water and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and could decrease as a result of normal wear, plus Apple's warranty does not cover any kind of water damage.

Touch ID

Apple's flagship iPhones feature an all-glass design with Face ID, but to keep costs low, the iPhone SE continues to offer a Home button with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

The Touch ID Home button is covered with a durable sapphire crystal that protects the Touch ID sensor and a steel ring that detects a user's fingerprint. Touch ID is used for unlocking the iPhone, filling in passwords with iCloud Keychain, confirming App Store purchases, opening passcode-protected apps, and confirming Apple Pay transactions.

Battery Life

According to a spec sheet from a Chinese telecom, the iPhone SE features an 1,821mAh battery, which is the same battery capacity as the iPhone 8. Apple's own battery listings for the iPhone SE suggest the battery life is "about the same as the iPhone 8."

The iPhone SE's battery lasts for up to 13 hours of video playback, up to eight hours of streaming video playback, and up to 40 hours of audio playback.

Fast Charging

The 2020 iPhone SE supports fast charging, which means it can be charged to 50 percent battery life in just 30 minutes. Fast charging requires a USB-C power adapter that offers at least 18 watts, which includes 29/30W adapters from Apple (priced at $49).

The USB-C power adapter and USB-C to Lightning cable needed for fast charging must be purchased separately because the iPhone SE ships with a standard 5W power adapter and USB-A to Lightning cable.

Wireless Charging

The iPhone SE has a glass body with a built-in wireless charging coil to support Qi-based wireless charging. It is compatible with any 5W or 7.5W Qi-based wireless charging accessory.

Connectivity

Gigabit LTE

The iPhone SE supports Gigabit-class LTE with 2x2 MIMO and LAA like the iPhone 11, and it supports the same LTE bands as the iPhone 11: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 66, and 71 FDD‑LTE bands and 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, and 48 TD‑LTE bands.

Dual-SIM Support

Dual-SIM support, which allows two phone numbers to be used at one time, is included in the iPhone SE. Dual-SIM functionality is enabled through the inclusion of one physical nano-SIM slot and an eSIM.

The eSIM feature is available in many countries around the world, and Apple has a full list of carriers that support eSIM on its website.

Dual-SIMs work with select carriers in Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Spain, the UK, and the United States.

Bluetooth and WiFi

The iPhone SE supports Bluetooth 5.0, which offers longer range, faster speeds, larger broadcast message capacity, and better interoperability with other wireless technologies compared to Bluetooth 4.2.

It also supports WiFi 6 with 2x2 MIMO, aka 802.11ax WiFi. WiFi 6 is the latest WiFi protocol and it lets you download up to 38 percent faster than WiFi 5 (aka 802.11ac).

GPS and NFC

Support for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS location services is included in the iPhone SE.

NFC with reader mode is included, and there's a background tag feature that allows the iPhone models to scan NFC tags without the need to open an app first. The iPhone SE also supports Express Cards with power reserve, which means it can be used in lieu of a transit card for public transit and will continue to function even if the battery is dead.