There are a lot of ways to think about Apple's new $399 iPhone SE. One is that it's a more affordable option than the iPhone 11 ( ), with surprisingly similar camera specs, which it is. Or that it's the 2020 sequel to the original SE from 2016, which it also is. Or, at 4.7 inches, that it's the smallest and cheapest iPhone you can currently buy (though it's not that small). Or -- and this is my favorite way to think about it -- that it's an iPhone 8 with the brains and power of an iPhone 11. In fact, the new iPhone SE is all these things and that's why I'm enamored with it.

The new iPhone SE has the classic design that defined the iPhone for its first 10 years. The design, the body and the camera lenses are all the same as 2017's iPhone 8. But Apple performed a clever brain transplant, replacing the nearly 3-year-old processor with the A13 Bionic processor used in the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. This goes well beyond a simple spec bump by majorly improving things like the cameras and battery life. The new processor not only runs faster, but it will likely future-proof the phone through years of iOS updates.

Read more: iPhone SE 2020 is proof that Apple won't actually bring back the tiny phone

But a $399 (£419, AU$749) iPhone comes with compromises, which Apple chose wisely. The SE has only a single rear camera, it doesn't have Face ID and it lacks camera features like Night Mode, Slofies and Deep Fusion processing. The selfie camera is OK but not as amazing as the one found on the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.

When you look at the complete picture, the iPhone SE represents the most value for your dollar of any phone Apple sells. It has an attractive price, fantastic battery life, great rear camera, A13 processor, water resistance and support for wireless charging. The SE is not only a wonderful iPhone, but one of the best budget phones you can currently buy.

iPhone SE (2020) specs compared to iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2016), iPhone 11

iPhone SE (2020) iPhone 8 iPhone SE (2016) iPhone 11 Display size, resolution 4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334x750 pixels 4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334x750 pixels 4-inch; 1,136x640 pixels 6.1-inch LCD Liquid Retina; 1,792x828 pixels Pixel density 326ppi 326ppi 326ppi 326ppi Dimensions (Inches) 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in 5.45x2.65x0.29 in 4.87x2.31x0.3 in 5.94x2.98x0.33 in Dimensions (Millimeters) 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm 138.4x67.3x7.3 mm 123x58x7.6 mm 150.9x75.7x8.3 mm Weight (Ounces, Grams) 5.22 oz; 148g 5.22 oz; 148 g 3.99 oz; 113 g 6.84 oz; 194g Mobile software iOS 13 iOS 11 (can update to iOS 13) iOS 9.3 iOS 13 Camera 12-megapixel 12-megapixel 12-megapixel 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) Front-facing camera 7-megapixel 7-megapixel 1.2-megapixel 12-megapixel Video capture 4K 4K 4K 4K Processor Apple A13 Bionic Apple A11 Bionic Apple A9 Apple A13 Bionic Storage 64GB, 128GB, 256GB 64GB, 256GB 16GB, 64GB 64GB, 128GB, 256GB RAM Not disclosed 2GB Not disclosed Not disclosed Expandable storage No None No No Battery Not disclosed Not disclosed Not disclosed Not disclosed Fingerprint sensor Home button Home button Home button No Connector Lightning Lightning Lightning Lightning Headphone jack No No Yes No Special features Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging Water resistant (IP67), wireless charging Apple Pay; Haptic Touch Water resistant (IP68); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging Price off-contract (USD) $399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB) $699 (64GB), $849 (256GB) $399 (16GB); $499 (64GB) $699 (64GB), $749 (128GB), $849 (256GB) Price (GBP) £419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB) £699 (64GB), £849 (256GB) £359 (16GB) £439 (64GB) £729 (64GB), £779 (128GB), £879 (256GB) Price (AUD) AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB) AU$1,079 (64GB), AU$1,329 (256GB) AU$679 (16GB); AU$829 (64GB) AU$1,199 (64GB), AU$1,279 (128GB), AU$1,449 (256GB)

The iPhone SE's iPhone 8 design

Physically, the SE is an iPhone 8. The front and back are made of glass, the chassis and sides are aluminum. The only physical difference between the iPhone SE and iPhone 8 is that the Apple logo is now centered on the back to match current-generation iPhones.

The new phone has Apple's old-school forehead and chin bezel above and below the screen. This makes the SE look, well, old. This is the one of the few things that I'm not too thrilled about. It's not ugly, it's just dated. And that might appeal to some people, but not me.

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Having used Face ID for the past couple years, it's a strange and familiar feeling to set up and use Touch ID. It's like going from an automatic transmission back to a stick shift. But in the right car, stick shift can be a blast.

I forgot how much I missed the home button and how it makes interactions and navigation less fussy than swipes and holds. I tap and hold to pay for purchases instead of angling my phone to get Face ID verification. A speedy double-tap shows recent apps. Though Face ID has its own benefits, the home button is still as satisfying to use as it was back in the day.

For tiny phone lovers, the iPhone SE's 4.7-inch LCD display isn't as small as the original SE's 4-inch screen. But it's still smaller than most phones out right now and is enough to be portable and comfortable for most people.

The screen on the SE is similar to the one on the iPhone 11, especially in terms of quality and resolution. Text looks sharp, colors are accurate and it's bright in sunny conditions.

Patrick Holland/CNET

The iPhone SE is rated IP67, meaning it can withstand being submerged for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter (about 3 feet). I wasn't able to test this claim, though I did submerge it in a liter of water for 30 minutes and everything worked fine. This level of water and dust resistance isn't something you normally find on phones under $400, so it's particularly noteworthy that the iPhone SE has it.

The SE comes in three colors: black, white and red. The iPhone 8 had its own red version too, but it had white bezels and damn if the iPhone SE doesn't look more striking in red with black bezels.

The iPhone SE's battery life is longer than the iPhone 8



Apple's website says that the iPhone SE's battery lasts about the same as the iPhone 8, but my testing showed it lasted much longer. I played a looped video on Airplane mode at 50% brightness and the iPhone SE lasted 15 hours, 45 minutes. That's hours longer than what the iPhone 8 and iPhone SE lasted in the same test when they were new. Anecdotally, it made it through a day and a half without a problem, and a couple times it went two days straight without a charge.

Patrick Holland/CNET

I should note that I have more battery tests to run (including streaming video tests), so check back when I'll update the results.

The iPhone SE has wireless charging, which is another feature not found on most budget phones. There is also support for fast-charging, which replenishes the battery to 50% in 30 minutes. But the iPhone SE doesn't come with the necessary 18-watt charger and instead includes the slower 5-watt one. Again, this is likely to keep the cost of the device low.

iPhone SE has A13 Bionic processor performance

The longevity of Apple's iOS support for "older devices" is a quiet but significant appeal of owning an iPhone. The iPhone 8 and its A11 processor are now two-and-a-half years old and will likely stop receiving iOS software updates a couple years before the iPhone SE and its newer A13 Bionic processor.

In performance tests, the iPhone SE was consistently better than the iPhone 8 and (no surprise) the original iPhone SE. It scored similar results to what we got on the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.

In real life that meant app launches were peppy, playing games like Sky: Children of Light and Doomsday Vault were a breeze. Editing photos was easy and I could even use graphics-heavy AR apps such as Wonderscope, which transformed my bedroom into a training ground for ghosts.

Geekbench v.5.0 single-core Apple iPhone SE (2020) 1,326 Apple iPhone 11 1,338 Apple iPhone 8 921 Apple iPhone SE (2116) 546 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Geekbench v.5.0 multicore Apple iPhone SE (2020) 2,638 Apple iPhone 11 3,436 Apple iPhone 8 2,242 Apple iPhone SE (2016) 1,003 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Slingshot Unlimited Apple iPhone SE (2020) 10,405 Apple iPhone 11 10,505 Apple iPhone 8 2,529 Apple iPhone SE (2016) 1,865 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Apple iPhone SE (2020) 97,415 Apple iPhone 11 97,199 Apple iPhone 8 64,333 Apple iPhone SE (2016) 29,066 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

iPhone SE cameras have Portrait Mode, Smart HDR



The rear camera on the SE has the same specs as the iPhone 8, but when combined with the A13 chip and iOS 13 it transforms the camera into something that can compete with the best phone cameras, and even go toe-to-toe with the main rear camera on the iPhone 11. It has a slew of features, including Smart HDR for photos, Quick Take filming and Portrait Mode -- these are impressive features and a first for a $399 iPhone.

John Kim/CNET

The rear camera on the SE has a 28mm f1.8 lens while the iPhone 11 has two rear cameras: a main wide-angle camera with a 26-mm f1.8 lens and an ultrawide-angle camera with a 13mm f/2.4 lens. I do enjoy the ultrawide-angle on the iPhone 11 but I didn't miss it during my time with the iPhone SE.

When I compare photos taken with each phone, it's hard to distinguish between them unless you bring them onto a larger screen and even then the differences are subtle.

In good light, photos from each are similar in terms of image quality. Look at the pictures below of a tree I took in my backyard. Can you tell the difference? You see my point. The most obvious difference is that the iPhone SE photo is framed tighter than the iPhone 11.

Here are a few other photos from the iPhone SE.

Patrick Holland/CNET

Patrick Holland/CNET

Patrick Holland/CNET

Patrick Holland/CNET

Both phones have portrait mode and produce excellent results. The 11 can capture portrait mode photos of both people and pets. The iPhone SE, like the iPhone XR ( ), can only do people. It's not until you look very closely at the photos below that you can see that the iPhone 11's portrait mode captures just a bit more detail and less noise.

In the picture below of my shoulder, you'll notice the quality of the falloff from in-focus to out-of-focus areas looks more natural on the iPhone 11 than on the iPhone SE.

Below are photos of my bike trainer taken indoors in medium lighting. The most obvious difference here is the framing is tighter on the iPhone SE. But the iPhone 11 captured more detail, which you can see on the wall outlet. And if you look at the bottom right side of the trainer, you'll notice the iPhone SE suffers from noise in the shadows. That said, there isn't a huge difference between the photos. For indoor and medium light photos, the 11 has a thin edge.

As for video, both phones are similar. The iPhone SE and 11 can shoot 4K 60fps video, but only the 11 takes advantage of the extended dynamic range at that resolution and frame rate. The SE has extended dynamic range for video, but only up to 4K 30fps. Take a look at my iPhone SE review video to see samples of videos captured with the iPhone SE.

The one place where there's a big difference between the two phones are the selfie cameras. The iPhone 11 has a wider front-facing camera, and it's capable of shooting 4K and slow-mo videos. The iPhone SE only shoots 1080p video and no Slofies. Both have Portrait mode for selfies, but photos from the iPhone 11 show more detail in my skin.

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Current iPhone models and prices compared Model and storage US price UK price Australia price iPhone SE 64GB $399 £419 AU$749 iPhone SE 128GB $449 £469 AU$829 iPhone SE 256GB $549 £569 AU$999 iPhone XR 64GB $599 £629 AU$1,049 iPhone XR 128GB $649 £679 AU$1,129 iPhone 11 64GB $699 £729 AU$1,199 iPhone 11 128GB $749 £779 AU$1,279 iPhone 11 256GB $849 £879 AU$1,449 iPhone 11 Pro 64GB $999 £1,049 AU$1,749 iPhone 11 Pro 256GB $1,149 £1,199 AU$1,999 iPhone 11 Pro 512GB $1,349 £1,399 AU$2,349 iPhone 11 Pro Max 64GB $1,099 £1,149 AU$1,899 iPhone 11 Pro Max 256GB $1,249 £1,299 AU$2,149 iPhone 11 Pro Max 512GB $1,449 £1,1499 AU$2,499

Patrick Holland/CNET

First published on April 22.