The iPhone SE is Apple's entry-level iPhone, starting at $429. The device offers an affordable entry point to the iPhone lineup, with many important features such as a powerful A-series chip, a high-quality camera with 4K video recording, Haptic Touch, wireless charging, water and dust resistance, and more. The current model added the A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13, 5G connectivity, an upgraded rear camera with more advanced computational photography capabilities, improved battery life, and stronger glass.
Design
The third-generation version of the iPhone SE continues to look like the second-generation model from 2020, which in turn was identical to the 2017 iPhone 8. The iPhone SE 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.
The iPhone SE measures 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches and weighs 5.22 ounces, which is smaller and narrower than the Google Pixel 4a but about the same weight. The Pixel 3a has a much bigger 5.81-inch edge-to-edge display with a hole punch cutout. However, unlike Google's budget phone, the iPhone SE 2020 has IP67 water resistance. That means it can be submerged in 1 meter of weather for up to 30 minutes. You also shouldn’t have to worry about coffee or soda spills with this phone.
On the left side of the iPhone SE, there are a mute switch and volume buttons, while the right side features the sleep/wake button. The bottom includes a Lightning port and speaker holes, and like prior iPhones, there is no headphone jack so Bluetooth or Lightning headphones are required.
Display
The iPhone SE uses a 4.7-inch "Retina HD" LCD display with a resolution of 1334 by 750 with 326 pixels per inch and a 1400:1 contrast ratio. Apple has not improved this display since the iPhone 8, and the iPhone SE is the only iPhone that uses an LCD display. Apple has upgraded other iPhones to OLED.
It features multi-touch capabilities, P3 wide color support for rich, true-to-life colors, a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, and 625 nits max brightness.
In all, the screen isn’t horrible to use, but the display might be a dealbreaker if you plan on using this phone for the next three to four years. It’s already outdated at launch, and it’ll only look worse compared to other devices in the years to come.
Camera
The iPhone SE features a single 12-megapixel rear camera and a 7MP front camera. You don’t get an ultra-wide-angle lens like the iPhone 11 or a telephoto lens with an optical zoom like the iPhone 12 Pro models. But the iPhone SE's A13 Bionic chip boosts its camera performance in several ways.
For instance, you can take portraits using both the back and front camera on the iPhone SE, complete with Portrait Lighting effects and the ability to control the depth of field. The iPhone SE also benefits from Smart HDR for bringing out the highlights in faces.
The most disappointing photos are those taken at night. Apple, for some reason, did not include a Night mode, resulting in grainy and murky-looking images. Well-lit areas retain a decent amount of detail, but anything in the shadows will resemble a watercolor painting.
Performance
The iPhone SE delivered silky smooth gameplay while I sped along in Sayonara Wild Hearts and tried to stay on the track in Super Impossible Road. The graphics were not as crisp due to the iPhone SE’s lower-res display, but the overall action was just as swift and enjoyable. Loading apps and switching between apps were also lag-free.
Scrolling on the iPhone SE feels slower than on phones with a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate, but I don’t expect that perk on a sub-$400 phone.
We ran Geekbench 5 on the iPhone SE and compared it to the iPhone 13 Pro if you’re looking for benchmark scores. As you might expect, since the A15 Bionic CPU powers both handsets, the scores were nearly identical. The iPhone SE (2022) had 1734 single-core and 4549 multi-core scores. The iPhone 13 Pro received a 1723 single-core score and a 4650 multi-core score.
The inclusion of Apple’s top-of-the-line CPU is the iPhone SE’s saving grace. Most $500 budget smartphones run slower and/or older processors that age faster, resulting in you needing to upgrade sooner. Having the A15 Bionic means the iPhone SE is comparable to flagship smartphones in performance and longevity.
Battery Life
During our testing, we found an average of seven to eight hours of battery life while on Wi-Fi and five to six hours while on cellular. Turning off 5G would likely get you more juice while on the go.
Of course, all of this was with moderate use, such as scrolling through Twitter, browsing the web, and checking my email. Playing resource-heavy games and watching videos on TikTok and YouTube for extended periods caused my battery percentage to drop dramatically. I recommend buying a charger to top back up, especially since one no longer comes in the box.
Unfortunately, you won’t find fast charging in the iPhone SE like you would on similar-priced Android handsets. The good news is that since the device has a physically smaller battery, it doesn’t take too long to charge fully. Using a 20W or faster brick, you can expect to go from 0 to 50% charge in about half an hour while plugged in. Since Apple didn’t bring MagSafe or its 15W wireless charging to the iPhone SE, you’ll be stuck with 7.5W Qi charging.
Pricing
The iPhone SE costs $399/£419, the same price it debuted in April 2020. The $399 model features 64GB of storage for $399, but you can upgrade to the 128GB version for $449/£469 and to 256GB for $549/£569.
Verdict
The iPhone SE 2020 is the affordable iPhone to beat, and one of the best cheap phones you can get. It’s the closest thing to future-proof you’ll find under $400, offering the fastest performance around, very good cameras, wireless charging, and a premium design that outclasses cheap Android phones.
Yes, I wish the bezels were smaller and that Apple included Night mode for the camera — and you don’t get 5G connectivity — but overall it’s hard to complain too much at this price. A 5G-capable iPhone SE 3 could be on the horizon, but it likely won't arrive until 2022.
The iPhone XR is a tempting alternative to the iPhone SE as it now costs just $499. For that money, you bet a bigger display and bigger battery but a slower CPU and less advanced cameras. If you prefer a smaller phone, however, this handset will not disappoint. Overall, the iPhone SE is one of the best phones for those on a budget.
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