Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review

Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review -should I wait for iPhone SE 2?

Should I wait for iPhone SE 2 2020? What does make the SE special, though, is the fact that it’s running Apple’s latest processor, the A13 Bionic. This gives the SE many of the same capabilities as the much more expensive iPhone 11 Pro, all for $399. The iPhone SE 2020 is built around one goal: to launch a new iPhone for less money than ever, and it achieves that well. For just $399 / £419 / AU$749 you can have a brand-new handset from Apple – it’s one of the best iPhones ever created and you can now get your hands on one. Discover details in Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review.

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But what exactly are you getting for $400, and what other options should you consider? Should I wait for iPhone SE 2 2020? The phone comes in black, red, or white. The 64GB base model costs $399 (more in Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review), the 128GB model is $449, and the 256GB model goes for $549. As Apple phones don’t have expandable memory, I suggest getting the 128GB model, especially if you intend to shoot any video with it.

It’s now seen as the ‘smaller’ iPhone form factor given the all-screen designs of the more recent models, and it’s both more lightweight and pocketable than anything from the iPhone 11 range. The design of the phone is going to be familiar to anyone that’s used an iPhone recently – unless you’ve not held a handset from Apple since 2013 then you’ll have seen this 4.7-inch frame before, complete with bezels top and bottom and a home button with fingerprint scanner built in (reveal more in Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review).

Specifications

  • Price: $399/£419
  • CPU: A13 Bionic
  • Storage: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
  • Display: 4.7 inches (1334 x 750)
  • Rear camera: 12MP (f/1.8)
  • Front camera: 7MP (f/2.2)
  • Video recording: 4K video up to 60 fps
  • Water resistance: IP67
  • Battery life: Up to 13 hours video playback
  • Wireless charging: Yes (Qi)
  • Fast charging: Yes via optional 18W adapter
  • Size: 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches
  • Weight: 5.22 ounces

Pros & Cons – Should I wait for iPhone SE 2 2020?

Pros – Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB

  • A13 Bionic processor: The A13 chip is the fastest in a phone and offers smooth performance, whether you’re juggling multiple apps, playing games or using AR apps.
  • Solid cameras: That A13 chip also boosts the photography powers of the iPhone SE, as you get Portrait mode for the front and rear shooters, Smart HDR for better highlights and extended dynamic range in 4K video.
  • Premium design: While a lot of premium phones have plastic designs, the iPhone SE is made of glass and metal and is also IP67 water resistant. 
  • Bright and colorful display: It’s not full HD, but the 4.7-inch Retina Display on the iPhone SE is easy to see outdoors and provides a vibrant picture.
  • Easy to use with one hand: Fans of small phones will appreciate how compact the iPhone SE is. And the Touch ID button lets you easily unlock the device.

Cons – Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB

  • Big bezels: The iPhone SE would be even more attractive if Apple were able to deliver something closer to a full-screen design. 
  • No Night mode for the camera: The iPhone SE lacks the Night Mode camera feature on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. So you’ll have to rely on the flash in really dim conditions.

Price & availability

  • The cheapest iPhone ever at $399 / £419 / AU$749
  • New iPhone SE release date was April 24, 2020
  • Easily available now in the US, UK and Australia

The iPhone SE 2020 release date was Friday April 24 (with pre-orders going live the week before) so you can now get your hands on Apple’s latest handset if you’re hankering for some low-price iPhone action. It’s on sale in the US, UK and Australia as well as a variety of other markets around the world.

Although it was rumored to be called the iPhone SE 2, the iPhone SE is the official name that Apple opted for for its 2020 device. You won’t see it referred to as the iPhone SE 2020 on Apple’s website – that’s just our way of distinguishing it from the 2016 device.

The iPhone SE price starts at $399 / £419 / AU$749 / Rs 42,500, meaning it’s the same price in the US as the original iPhone SE (but higher in the UK). The base model comes with 64GB of storage, with 128GB and 256GB models also available for a higher price.

The 128GB costs $449 / £469 / AU$829 while the 256GB costs $549 / £569 / AU$999.

In the US, Apple is offering the new iPhone SE at $16.62/month through its financing plan or, if you have something like the iPhone 8 to trade-in, just $9.54/mo or $229 – although if you’re upgrading from the original iPhone SE or iPhone 6, you’ll only get $30 toward the full price of the device.

What I may miss – should I wait for iPhone SE 2 2020?

One of the most common questions I’ve been asked about the new iPhone SE is what you’re missing by buying a $400 iPhone. The most obvious answer would be multiple cameras, Face ID, a bigger battery, and an OLED display if you’re comparing it to more expensive iPhones.

Put it up against modern Android flagships, and there are a few more differences. You won’t get super high-res cameras, you won’t get fast wired or fast wireless charging, you’re stuck with a 60Hz display, and you won’t get tight integration with Google Assistant.

iPhone owners can download Google Assistant from the iTunes App Store, but you have to activate Siri and then say “OK Google” to get it working. This is an awkward workaround. Given how much better Google Assistant is than Siri, it’s nice to have Assistant baked into the platform. Further, some smart home systems (including mine) are based on Google Assistant, which makes it hard to switch.

If you’re into customization, you’ll also be robbed of launchers and icon packs. Android is just more customizable in general, where iOS only really allows you to change your wallpaper.

In terms of power and performance, though, you’re not missing a lot. Sure, the iPhone SE doesn’t have as much RAM as a lot of Android phones, but it is much better at RAM management than Android is. Where Android needs about 6GB to skirt by without issue, the iPhone SE gets along fine with 3GB. And the iPhone 11 series gets much better battery life than the iPhone SE, primarily due to the larger, physically more massive batteries.

Does Apple iPhone SE 2 2020 64GB support 5G?

I tested the iPhone SE on AT&T and Verizon, side by side with an iPhone 11, and found that the two phones have the same LTE performance.

The iPhone SE has an Intel modem, likely the XMM7660, supporting gigabit LTE with 2×2 MIMO antennas. There are three regional variants: “US and Canada,” mainland China, and everywhere else. The primary difference between the US and “everywhere else” models is that the US version has band 71, used by T-Mobile, but not band 28, which is used by many carriers outside the US; the other model is the other way around. There are a few other band differences, but that’s the big one. Both models have plenty of LTE bands, including band 46 LAA and band 48 CBRS.

LTE speeds - Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review -should I wait for iPhone SE 2?
Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review -should I wait for iPhone SE 2?

Depending on how old the iPhone you’re upgrading from is, you’ll potentially get much better connectivity and call quality with the SE than with an older device. Call-quality wise, the iPhone 8 was the first iPhone to support EVS, a high-quality calling system you’re most likely to see in calls to other people on the same network (it usually pops up as HD+ in the dialer). EVS calls are much richer and more textured than non-HD calls, with better background noise cancellation.

Data-wise, the iPhone XR/XS generations were the first models to support band 71, which greatly improves T-Mobile’s LTE range in rural areas, and the XS was the first with band 46, which really juices speeds in dense urban centers like parks and university campuses. The iPhone 11 generation introduced band 48, which primarily Verizon uses in a similar way to band 46. So compared with anything older than the XR, the iPhone SE has better range in the countryside and better speeds in some parts of cities.

Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review -should I wait for iPhone SE 2?
Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review -should I wait for iPhone SE 2?

The iPhone SE isn’t covered here because the phone wasn’t released at the time this chart was researched; according to our tests, the SE has the same LTE performance as the iPhone 11

This chart shows comparative speeds for different generations of iPhones, gathered from Ookla Speedtest Intelligence. The big bump for the iPhone 11 Pro shows the power that bringing 4×4 MIMO antennas to the table gets you. That’s a nice boost, but it’s also $600 more, which isn’t going to be worth it to many people.

The iPhone SE also has Apple’s eSIM-based dual-SIM solution, which lets you select a second mobile subscription from an on-device menu if you want a home line and a work line, or if you’re roaming.

For Wi-Fi it supports Wi-Fi 6, which also comes in the iPhone 11 series. Wi-Fi 6 doesn’t make a difference for most people right now, because relatively few people have Wi-Fi 6 routers, but it will improve Wi-Fi performance in crowded situations like public hotspots in future years. I didn’t find any real difference in Wi-Fi performance between the SE and the iPhone 11, and that’s a good thing.

The phone doesn’t have 5G, but 5G isn’t making a huge difference to a lot of people right now, and the least expensive 5G phone on the US market, the OnePlus 8, costs $300 more than the iPhone SE.

Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review

Design and colors

I tried out the black model, which looks and feels sleek but did pick up smudges despite the oleophobic coating. You’ll probably want to opt for white if you want to hide fingerprints.

I generally like the iPhone SE’s design — with one exception. On the plus side, it’s a very well made handset with the same sturdy glass-and-aluminum design of the iPhone 8. There are three color options for the iPhone SE: black, white and (Product)Red. I like how the aluminum band is color matched with the back of the device.

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 3a but about the same weight. The Pixel 3a has a bigger 5.6-inch display but a cheaper plastic design.The iPhone SE 2020’s design also has IP67 water resistance, which 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.

Another plus to the iPhone SE: The whole design is almost comically compact compared to the iPhone 11 Pro Max. It’s the difference between barely noticing a phone is in your front pocket and having it bulge out. I also didn’t feel any discomfort when gaming for over 30 minutes at a time; I can’t say that about my iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Unfortunately, the bezels around the iPhone SE’s screen look big and dated for a 2020 smartphone. I kept trying to zoom in on videos to no avail. I would have liked Apple to fit a larger display in the same size chassis.

Another issue is that Haptic touch does not work on the lock screen of the iPhone SE for some reason. Unlike other iPhones, you can’t long press on notifications to expand them on the lock screen.

Display

Just don’t expect a full HD picture. The iPhone SE’s display resolution is just 1334 x 750 pixels. We would prefer to see a 1080p display but it’s not too bad of a trade-off. 

The iPhone SE’s screen is bright, as it’s rated for 625 nits and scored an even higher 653 nits in our testing. It’s also way brighter than the Pixel 3a’s 401 nits.

I enjoyed checking out the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer on YouTube on the iPhone SE 2020’s Retina Display. The superhero’s gleaming red, blue and gold suit popped as she deflected bullets with her silver bracelet. The iPhone SE’s screen also did a good job rendering finer details in a Tiger King scene: I could make out individual whiskers on the majestic animal’s face.Advertisement

Based on our tests, the iPhone SE’s display reproduces 111.2% of the sRGB color gamut, which trails the 182.3% from the Pixel 3a’s OLED panel. The iPhone SE delivers accurate colors, too, achieving a Delta-E score of 0.2; a score of zero is perfect. The Pixel 3a’s screen scored a slightly better 0.18.

I didn’t have any issues viewing the screen outdoors when surfing the web or taking photos. The panel also supports True Tone, which means it can automatically adjust the screen’s color temperature based on the ambient lighting conditions. 

Touch ID

Just like I remembered, the combo Touch ID/home button worked well, and you can choose the amount of haptic feedback you prefer when you press down. The Touch ID button has a very important — and unexpected — benefit right now as many are being ordered to wear face masks in public. You can still easily unlock your iPhone SE without having to take off your mask. Face ID won’t work with masks.

Although Apple has offered Face ID on all of its newer phones for the past couple of years, the new iPhone SE 2020 uses a Touch ID sensor underneath the display for unlocking the device. This same sensor can be used for authorizing App Store downloads, Apple Pay and entering passwords.

Camera features

  • 12MP rear camera
  • 7MP selfie camera
  • Rear video up to 4k 60fps
  • Front video up to 1080p 30fps
  • Portrait mode
  • No night mode

The iPhone SE 2020’s camera is so good that you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between it and the iPhone 11 in many cases. The one exception is Night mode, which the iPhone SE simply does not have.

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.

Like the iPhone 8, the iPhone SE features a single 12-megapixel rear camera and a 7MP front camera. You don’t get a ultra-wide angle lens like the iPhone 11 or a telephoto lens with optical zoom like the iPhone 11 Pro. But the A13 Bionic chip boosts the camera performance of the iPhone SE in several ways.

I was pleasantly surprised by the level of detail in this iPhone SE photo of a man-made pond. You can make out the drops of water in the waterfall in the distance, and the greenery pops around the rock formations. The iPhone SE also did a great job capturing the black-and-white and orange-and-white fish in that pond, as well as the blue-green water.

I also give the nod to the iPhone SE here with this portrait. My skin tone looks more natural and the bokeh effect looks very convincing. The Pixel’s manages to take a chunk out of the right side of my head. There is one small drawback to the iPhone SE when taking portraits, though; you have to get considerably closer to your subject than you do with the iPhone 11 Pro because the iPhone SE doesn’t have a telephoto lens. (You will be within 6 feet, which is not social-distancing friendly.)

The iPhone SE held its own against the Pixel 3a in this photo of light pink cherry blossom flowers. The iPhone SE’s shot is warmer and brighter, but the Pixel 3a’s image is a bit more detailed and has more contrast.

The iPhone SE pulled ahead in this photo of an Aperol Sprtiz cocktail. The overall image just looks brighter and more appetizing. I also like how the iPhone SE blurs out the background. The only strike against the iPhone here is that the tile looks more yellow than white; the Pixel 3a got that right.

The iPhone SE is also capable of recording 4K video at up to 60 fps, and you can enjoy extended dynamic range if you drop down the frame rate to 30 fps. This brings out more details in the shadows along with better highlights.

The one camera weakness for the iPhone SE is the lack of a Night Mode. In this photo taken outside at night, the Pixel 3a is able to render the trees in the foreground, the car in the street and the house in the background. You can barely make out anything in the iPhone SE’s shot. I don’t know if the iPhone SE could pull off a Night mode with a software upgrade, but it would be great to see Apple add the feature.

Battery life and charging

The iPhone SE is rated for less battery life than the the iPhone 11, so you shouldn’t expect the longest endurance. For instance, Apple says that the iPhone SE delivers 13 hours of video playback, versus 17 hours for the iPhone 11 (Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB review).

On our lab Test, which involves continuous web surfing over 4G LTE, the iPhone SE 2020 averaged 9 hours and 18 minutes. That’s well below the endurance of the iPhone 11 (11:16), iPhone 11 Pro (10:24) and iPhone 11 Pro Max (11:54). The iPhone SE also trails the Google Pixel 3a, which lasted an epic 11:59 on our test.

In my anecdotal testing, I found that the iPhone SE does have less staying power than my iPhone 11 Pro Max, as it has a smaller battery. For example, after unplugging the iPhone SE at 7 am and using it for web surfing, playing games, taking photos and more throughout the day, I had 20% juice left at 8 pm. That’s not bad, but my iPhone 11 Pro Max still had close to 40% power.

Unfortunately, the iPhone SE comes with Apple’s standard 5-watt Lightning charger. And with that you can expect to get to just 29% power in 30 minutes, based on our testing. If you want to be able to juice this phone to 50% in 30 minutes, you’re going to have to pay extra for an 18W charger from Apple. It’s $29 for the power brick and another $19 for the USB C to Lightning cable.

If you want to go wireless, the iPhone SE supports 7.5W wireless charging and supports the Qi standard.

Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB Performance review

While Android phone makers outfit their budget phones with weaker processors, the iPhone SE packs the same state-of-the-art A13 Bionic chip as the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. This means you’ll enjoy the same fast and responsive performance.

For example, 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 was 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.

On Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, the iPhone SE scored 3,226 on the multi-core test and 1,337 on the single-core portion. Those numbers are comparable to what the iPhone 11 (3,251 and 1,331) turned in. They also beat the Galaxy S20, which scored 3,147 and 867 and costs $600 more.Advertisement

The iPhone SE performed very well on real-world performance tests, too. It took the phone just 43 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p after applying a few edits in the Adobe Premiere Rush app. That result actually beats the pricier Samsung Galaxy S20, which took 1 minute and 15 seconds.

Is it worth buying?

The iPhone SE 2020 is the affordable phone to beat, and the 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.

I do wish Apple would offer an iPhone SE Plus for those that prefer a bigger display, say for $499, but if you prefer a smaller phone this handset will not disappoint. Google’s upcoming Pixel 4a is rumored to offer even better cameras and a larger display than the iPhone SE, but with a slower processor. Overall, the iPhone SE is the best phone for anyone on a budget.

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