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After almost a year of rumors, Apple has finally unveiled the 2020 edition of the iPhone SE. The device shares the same design as the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch screen and Touch ID home button, but it has a faster Bionic A13 chip and an additional GB of RAM. Most importantly, the new iPhone SE starts at just $ 399 in the United States.
With iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus now discontinued, the bottom end of Apple’s smartphone lineup now includes the new iPhone SE and iPhone XR, released in October 2018. Thinking of upgrading? Read our device comparison below.
The differences
Smaller versus bigger screen
The new iPhone SE has a 4.7-inch screen, while the iPhone XR has a 6.1-inch screen.
Both displays are LCD with 326 pixels per inch, true tone, maximum brightness of 625 nits, a contrast ratio of 1400: 1, and compatibility with the wide P3 color gamut.
A13 Bionic vs. A12 Bionic
The new iPhone SE is powered by the A13 Bionic, which is the same newer and better chip within the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. By comparison, the iPhone XR is equipped with the previous-generation Bionic A12 chip.
Apple advertises the A13 chip as up to 20 percent faster and up to 30 percent more efficient than the A12 chip.
Notch bezels
The new iPhone SE has the same design as the iPhone 8, with thicker bezels above and below the display for the front camera and the Touch ID home button. In comparison, the iPhone XR releases the home button and instead has an almost edge-to-edge display with a notch on the top for the front camera and facial identification sensors.
Touch ID vs Face ID
The iPhone SE has a Touch ID home button for fingerprint authentication, while the iPhone XR uses Apple’s most advanced Face ID system for facial authentication.
Face ID debuted on the iPhone X in 2017. At the time, Apple said the probability that a random person could unlock someone else’s iPhone X was approximately one in 1,000,000, versus one in 50,000 for ouchTouch ID. However, both forms of authentication are quite secure, so it really comes down to personal preference.
Face ID doesn’t work well with masks, while Touch ID doesn’t work well with wet or sweaty fingers, so neither system is perfect.
Since the new iPhone SE lacks Face ID, it doesn’t support Animoji or Memoji.
Rear camera
While the new iPhone SE and iPhone XR are equipped with a 12-megapixel wide-angle rear camera with an f / 1.8 aperture, the iPhone XR has a newer sensor with 1.4 µm pixels and larger Focus Pixels, while iPhone SE has the same sensor as iPhone 8. However, the new iPhone SE benefits from the A13 chip’s improved image signal processor, so the gap between the cameras is probably minimal.
Battery duration
As a physically larger device, the iPhone XR has a longer battery life than the new iPhone SE.
Apple says the new iPhone SE can last up to 13 hours for streaming video playback and up to 40 hours for audio playback, which is almost the same as the iPhone 8. By comparison, Apple says the iPhone XR lasts up to 16 hours for streaming video playback and up to 65 hours for audio playback.
Wifi
The new iPhone SE supports Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, while the iPhone XR supports Wi-Fi 5 or 802.11ac.
Wi-Fi 6 offers faster speeds, greater network capacity, improved energy efficiency, lower latency, and connectivity improvements in areas with multiple Wi-Fi devices. Wi-Fi 6 devices are also required to support WPA3, the latest Wi-Fi security protocol with enhanced cryptographic strength.
LTE
The new iPhone SE supports Gigabit LTE class, potentially allowing slightly faster LTE speeds compared to iPhone XR.
Thickness and weight
The new iPhone SE is 7.3mm thick and weighs 0.3lbs, while the iPhone XR is slightly thicker and heavier at 8.3mm and 0.4lbs.
Prices
The new iPhone SE starts at $ 399, while the iPhone XR starts at $ 599, both with 64GB of storage. Both devices are also available with 128GB of storage, but only the iPhone SE has a 256GB option as of now.
In perspective, the iPhone SE with 256GB of storage for $ 549 is still cheaper than the iPhone XR with 64GB of storage for $ 599.
Colors
Both the new iPhone SE and iPhone XR come in black, white, and (RED), and the iPhone XR is also available in blue, coral, and yellow.
Similarities
- Glass and aluminum design.
- Wireless charging
- Fast charge with USB-C: up to 50% battery life in 30 minutes
- IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- 4K video recording at up to 60 FPS
- Lightning connector
- Without headphone jack
- Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
- Bluetooth 5.0
- VoLTE
- Dolby Vision and HDR10 support
- EarPods with Lightning connector in box
Compared Technology Specifications
iPhone SE
- 4.7 inch LCD screen
- Resolution 1334 × 750 and 326 PPI
- True tone display
- 12 megapixel single rear camera (wide lens)
- 7 megapixel individual front camera
- Vertical mode with depth control: human only
- Six portrait lighting effects
- Next generation smart HDR
- A13 bionic chip with third generation neural motor
- touch id
- Haptic touch
- Lightning connector
- Fast charge capacity: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
- Qi-based wireless charging
- IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- 64/128 / 256GB
- Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM)
- Gigabit-class LTE
- VoLTE
- 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 3GB RAM
- Similar battery life as iPhone 8
iPhone XR
- 6.1 inch LCD screen
- Resolution 1792 × 828 and 326 PPI
- True tone display
- 12 megapixel single rear camera (wide lens)
- 7 megapixel individual front camera
- Vertical mode with depth control: human only
- Three vertical lighting effects
- Smart HDR
- A12 bionic chip with second generation neural motor
- Face id
- Haptic touch
- Lightning connector
- Fast charge capacity: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
- Qi-based wireless charging
- IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- 64 / 128GB (256GB discontinued)
- Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM)
- Advanced lte
- VoLTE
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 3GB RAM
- 1.5 hour longer battery life than iPhone 8 Plus
Bottom line
If price is the key factor in your upgrade decision, then the new iPhone SE is a very attractive device considering it has the same A13 Bionic chip as the iPhone 11 Pro despite starting at just $ 399.
If you’re upgrading from an older device like an iPhone 6 or iPhone 7, you’re already familiar with the experience of the start button on the new iPhone SE, while Face ID and gestures on the iPhone X and newer take time to Get used . And with a 4.7-inch screen, the new iPhone SE is also the same size as the iPhone 6, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8.
The new iPhone SE could also receive at least an additional year of iOS updates compared to the iPhone XR given its new Bionic A13 chip.
Two reasons to choose the iPhone XR over the new iPhone SE would be its larger 6.1-inch screen and modern design with slim bezels, a notch, and Face ID. The new iPhone SE could end up being the last iPhone that Apple sells with a home button, so those who choose the new iPhone SE will settle for an older design.
