iPhone SE (2020). An iPhone that makes sense?

Aravind A

Apple is one of those brands that always had a mystique surrounding it. The trillion-dollar company has never been afraid of being exuberant when pricing their products. While Apple users say that the price is well justified, having been an Android user from the very beginning I just couldn't see why people are spending almost $1400 for an iPhone. Now though the scene is very different as other companies are also following the iPhone bandwagon of charging a $1000+ on their flagships. I mean, it has been the trend. Apple does something new, others follow suit (like the removal of the headphone jack, the notched displays, touch id, etc.). Other companies have tried to follow Apple's footsteps to earn their user base. But that is just not happening. While there are many people who have switched from iPhone and are perfectly happy with it, the majority of people cannot get out of the Apple ecosystem.

OK then, where am I going with this? Well as it happens, Apple has started to be more sensible in their product range recently as though they were listening to their users (Which is weird.... I guess?) and one of them is to bring back the original "budget" iPhone. And as the heading of this article might suggest, Apple has dropped the new iPhone SE (Special Edition). And as an android user, This phone might be the most sensible new iPhone that Apple has released. Priced at $400, this might finally convince some android users to switch to iPhone or it might be the most sensible upgrade path if you are coming from an older iPhone (say, iPhone 7 and before). So let's have a look, shall we...

Design & Display

Starting from the design, Apple has kept the basic formula for an SE. This means a compact but slightly older design. The design is basically like the iPhone 8 from 2 years ago. This means that the overall design is very compact and familiar. The front is where you can feel the age of this design as the 4.7" HD display is flanked at the top and bottom with huge bezels. On the top bezel, we have the front-facing camera and the earpiece which also doubles as a speaker for stereo effect. On the bottom bezel, we have the touch id sensor which finally makes a return after 2 years of making us conform to face id. It is still arguably the best fingerprint scanner in the business and some people (me especially) like a physical sensor both for reliability and security. So kudos to Apple for bringing back touch id.

Moving to the bottom, we find nothing special, just the speaker and microphone grille and the lightning port. Sadly, no headphone jack is present.

To the back, we find the single camera and the Apple logo, which is now dead center instead of being slightly up like in the iPhone 8. To the right side, we have the power button and on the opposite side, we have the typical volume rockers and mute switch. So when it comes to the overall design, it's pretty familiar design and distinctively Apple. Plus since it is IP67 rated you shouldn't worry about the usual dust and water ruining your phone. And at this price, that peace of mind is a bonus.

In terms of in-hand feel, it's a compact phone. Which is refreshing considering the sea of large, almost tablet-sized 6.5inch plus devices. It's not s compact as the original iPhone SE, but in my opinion, it strikes the optimal balance between size and ergonomics for one-hand usability.

When it comes to the display, the 4.7" HD retina display is nothing special. This is one of the corners Apple had to cut to achieve this price. Though a little lacking in the resolution front, the colors and contrast are spot-on. Apple knows how to make a good display and it shows. While not super sharp the display boasts a decent 326 pixels per inch, which is plenty sharp for the average user. Just don't try to compare it with the Super-AMOLEDs and the QHD+ displays around.

Performance

In terms of performance, this $400 phone wipes the floor with phones 2-3 times its price range. Which is of no surprise since it comes with the same A13 bionic found in the $1000+ iPhone 11 series. This is in keeping with the same formula as the original iPhone SE.

In terms of benchmarks, it edges out all the top dogs from the lights of Qualcomm, Mediatek, Huawei, etc.. Which is of no surprise, as the company has been leading the mobile chip game since 2013! (though the gap is narrower than ever). This translates well in day-to-day performance. pair with the lower resolution screen, 3gigs of RAM, and heavily optimized iOS 13, you should have a flawless experience for the coming 3-4 years. IMO, if you want the best performance for the price, there is literally no contest.

Cameras And Software

In terms of optics, Apple is taking a bit of a gamble by giving the same 12-megapixel f1.8 sensor at the back and the same 7-megapixel front camera found on the iPhone 8. I guess Apple hopes that the upgraded chipset will enable to improve the camera quality via the improved signal processor and software processing of iOS 13.

As far as the images are concerned, while a tad overexposed, there is plenty of detail and dynamic range. The white balance is OK, though it has a tendency to warm things up. Overall for daytime photos, while not the best, especially compared to their flagship phones, it can still hang in with the big guns. Especially at this price point.

When it comes to low light the lack of night mode really became obvious. The photos came out noisy and lacked details in the shadows. Compared to its android competitor, the pixel 3a (which is $100 cheaper now) It blows the iPhone out of the water.

When it comes to the selfie side of things, the 7-megapixel camera does a very good job of capturing the details and the colors are also nice and accurate. But in low light, it all falls apart pretty quickly as the lack of night mode really hampers the overall camera quality.

When it comes to video, iPhones have a history of being a step ahead of the competition. And it's no exception here, the 4K video is super stable and thanks to the new guts, the processing is also excellent. And the 240. Overall in the video front, this phone can punch way above its weight. It might even become a threat to the Samsung s20 which is above 2 times its price.

For more details, check out the review on Tom's Guide here.

Software And Battery

When it comes to software, well... its iOS. Take it or leave it, it's exactly the same as in any iPhone. It's a very familiar experience if you come from an iPhone, boring, and restrictive when you are coming from android. But one thing you can't deny is the support. Judging by Apple's update cycle you should be good for another 5 years. That's not something you can say about other $400 phones

But when it comes to the battery like always, Apple doesn't disclose the actual capacity But from what Apple has said, they have rated it for 13 hours of continuous video playback, which is lower than the iPhone 11's 17 hours

What it translates to is acceptable if not unremarkable battery life. from light to moderate usage you can expect a full day's worth but for heavy use, be sure to carry a power bank with you.

Thankfully though, the SE does support 18w fast charging which supposedly charges the iPhone from 0-50% in 30 minutes. The downside is that the charger is sold separately. Also, there is wireless charging onboard which is nice, but it is at a measly 5 watts which is the same rating of the wired charger Apple includes in the box. So it's more of a convenience thing rather than an actual deal-setter.

Final Thoughts

There is no other way to say it. For $400(? 42,000/-) this is the most future-proof phone out there. And for an iPhone, this is the best value yet. If you want a compact phone with top of the line performance and excellent software support but also don't care about getting the best camera and can deal with the mediocre battery life, then the iPhone SE 2020 is the best option out there right now.

When it comes to alternatives, Well the upcoming pixel 4a might be a good option for the android folks out there. And though the Realme x50 pro and iQoo 3 offer a better value, if you want an iPhone for less you can confidently pull the trigger on this one.