October 2020
(Mobile, Consumer, Tech)
Chloe, Senior Contributor
WUDN Customer Service, and a massive Apple geek
The New 2020 iPhone SE is Here, and it's the Phone You Want
The Most Affordable iPhone Features A13 Bionic, the Fastest Chip in a Smartphone, and the Best Single-Camera System in an iPhone
The NEW 2020 version of the iPhone SE may be the most affordable iPhone ever – it starts at $399 with 64GB of storage, four times the original iPhone 5SE, and has the fastest ever iPhone processor in it. iPhone SE2 has a 4.7-inch screen, large bezels on the top and bottom, and a home button with Touch ID. It’s a design that has stayed consistent since the iPhone 6, which makes the iPhone SE2 essentially the fifth generation of that same look. Apple knows this design well.
Phil Schiller Really Likes the New iPhone SE
“The first iPhone SE was a hit with many customers who loved its unique combination of small size, high-end performance and affordable price;
the new second-generation iPhone SE builds on that great idea and improves on it in every way — including our best-ever single-camera system for great photos and videos — while still being very affordable,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
“iPhone SE features the industry-leading performance of A13 Bionic that enables great battery life, takes stunning Portrait mode and Smart HDR photos, shoots amazing videos with stereo audio, is great for games and super fast web surfing, and is built with the same industry-leading security features our customers expect. We can’t wait to get iPhone SE into customers’ hands.”
iPhone SE features an aerospace-grade aluminum and durable glass design with an all-black front. Although it’s a relatively old design, this iPhone SE has Apple’s A13 Bionic chip, the same that’s available in the latest iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models.
New Powerful Single-Camera System
The processor also lets the new iPhone SE gain some new camera features. There’s a single 12-megapixel camera lens on the back (along with a flash). Apple says it’s using the A13 Bionic’s chips to improve its Smart HDR photography, which combines multiple shots into a single photo to improve lighting and detail.
It also has a portrait mode with technology Apple calls “monocular depth sensing.” It uses machine learning to detect depth and faces — which, unfortunately, means that it will only work on people, not pets. It includes optical image stabilization, and Apple says it can do “cinematic” stabilization on video as well as support 4K video at 60fps. The front-facing selfie camera is 7-megapixels, and it can also do portrait mode effects.
Home Sweet, Home Button
The 2020 iPhone SE is another major smartphone release coming in the midst of the pandemic. The SE’s lower cost and Touch ID sensor may have slightly more appeal than usual, especially as people realize that they’ll be wearing masks more often.
Touch ID is Better with a Mask on Your Face.
The iPhone SE lacks Face-ID, but in these pandemic days, and maybe the months to follow, an old-school Home Button might be nice.
Is $400 Worth Protecting?
Of course. The SE2 may be super affordable, but you’ll still want to keep it safe from harm and ugly scratches. Apple says its phones keep their resale value better than any other smartphones. So investing in a case is good for the long-term as well. Incidentally, although it’s all-new on the inside, the outside look of the iPhone SE2 is the same as the iPhone 8. Crucially, the dimensions are identical, so any iPhone 7 or iPhone 8 case will fit.
Power, Battery & Charging?
It only comes with a dinky 5W charger in the box, though it can support 18W fast charging if you have the right adapter. It uses a Lightning connector for charging, of course, and it will also support Qi wireless charging. There is no headphone jack, but it will come with Lightning headphones in the box.
Power-Up Your New iPhone SE
Water Resistant
Survives splashes, sloshes, sprinkles, sprays, splatters, and spills.
iPhone SE is water resistant to 1 meter for 30 minutes. It’s not afraid of a little coffee, tea, or soda either. And dust? No worries.
iPhone SE - Small Device, Serious Specs
Display size, resolution: 4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334x750 pixels
Pixel density: 326ppi (same as the iPhone 11 series phones)
Dimensions: (Inches) 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in
Weight: (Ounces, Grams) 5.22 oz; 148g
Mobile software: iOS 13
Cameras: 12-megapixel back, 7-megapixel front
Video capture: 4K
Processor: Apple A13 Bionic (same as the iPhone 11 series phones)
Storage: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
No Face-ID: old-school fingerprint sensor in the Home button
Special features: Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging
iPhone SE comes in three beautiful colors — black, white and (PRODUCT)RED — and will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, April 17, starting at just $399 (US). Like other iPhones, it will come with a free year of Apple TV Plus.
Is 4.7" the Right Form Factor for You?
Deciding whether it’s a good phone will have to wait for a full review, but I suspect more than a few people who have been waiting for this phone will be a little disappointed. The original iPhone SE from 2016 is beloved in part because it was so small compared to most other smartphones. It had the same design as the iPhone 5, 5s and the 1st Gen SE — and while that screen is tiny by today’s standards, it also still feels like a more natural size for some. Apple stopped selling the original SE in 2018.
For people who thought the iPhone 6, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8 were too large, the second-generation iPhone SE is unlikely to change their minds. But it’s clear that phone screens are all going to be big from now on, which makes 4.7 inches the new small.
The major external change to the design of the new iPhone SE compared to the iPhone 8 is that the Apple logo on the rear is now centered, whereas on the iPhone 8 it sat higher up. If your case has a hole for the Apple to peep through, like these, it won’t work with the new iPhone.
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October 2020
(Mobile, Consumer, Tech)
Chloe, Senior Contributor
WUDN Customer Service, and a massive Apple geek
