Apple iPhone SE (2020) with iPhone 8 like Design Launched: Specifications, Price

After months of rumors and leaks, the much anticipated Apple iPhone SE (2020) is finally official. The iPhone SE (2020) is the most affordable iPhone model from Apple’s current lineup. Called the iPhone SE or iPhone SE 2nd generation, it was originally rumored to be called the iPhone SE 2 and was later reported as the iPhone 9. The new iPhone SE comes with the same 4.7-inch display that we saw on the older models of the iPhone. Design-wise, the iPhone SE (2020) looks quite similar to the iPhone 8 that was launched as the successor to the iPhone 7 in September 2017.  Despite being the most affordable model, the new iPhone is powered by the Apple A13 Bionic chip, which is powering the iPhone 11 series. The iPhone SE (2020) also runs iOS 13 out-of-the-box and comes with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

iPhone SE (2020) Specifications and Features

The new iPhone SE is more of a refresh of the iPhone 8 than of the original SE. You can think of it as an iPhone 8 with the latest chipset and a better camera. Oh, there are new colors too, but that’s about it. The new iPhone SE comes with the same 4.7-inch Retina HD IPS LCD display with 750×1334 pixels resolution and True Tone tech to adjust white balance. It offers a peak brightness of 625 nits. There is support for Dolby Vision and HDR10. The display panel features Haptic Touch support, seen in newer iPhone models. The display of the iPhone SE (2020) is surrounded by the same large bezels that we saw on Phone 8.

Under the hood, the new iPhone SE has the A13 Bionic chip which also powers the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. On the camera front, the iPhone SE comes with a single 12-megapixel camera sensor (f/1.8 aperture + OIS) at the back along with a LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync. It offers 4K video recording at up to 60fps, and Smart HDR for photos. There is a sapphire crystal lens cover protecting the rear camera.

Despite a single rear camera, the iPhone SE (2020) offers a Portrait mode, using computational photography enabled by the Neural Engine on the Apple A13 Bionic SoC. For selfies and video chat, there is a 7-megapixel camera at the front, with an f/2.2 aperture.

Connectivity options on the iPhone SE (2020) include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ax, Wi-Fi calling, NFC, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, and a Lightning port. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack. The new iPhone also has the Touch ID button — instead of the Face ID support that requires a special array of sensors. It is protected by a sapphire crystal. Sensors onboard include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, three-axis gyroscope, and a proximity sensor.

Coming to the built quality, the new iPhone SE is built using aerospace-grade aluminum which gives the iPhone SE a Solid built quality. The iPhone SE measures 138.4×67.3×7.3mm and weighs 148 grams. It also features an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning it can survive immersion in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. However, liquid damage is not covered under warranty, so you should be very careful regardless.

As we can expect, the company has not detailed the size of the battery or the amount of RAM on the iPhone SE (2020). But, the company said that the battery in iPhone SE (2020) will last about as long as the iPhone 8, with up to 13 hours of video playback time, and 40 hours of audio playback time. The iPhone SE (2020) does support fast charging and can charge up to 50% in just 30 minutes with an 18W fast charger. However, the fast charger isn’t included in the box. The new iPhone SE also comes with support for wireless charging.

Commenting on the launch of the$399 new iPhone SE, Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said, “The first iPhone SE was a hit with many customers who loved its unique combination of small size, high-end performance, and affordable price; the new second-generation iPhone SE builds on that great idea and improves on it in every way — including our best-ever single-camera system for great photos and videos — while still being very affordable. iPhone SE features the industry-leading performance of A13 Bionic that enables great battery life, takes stunning Portrait mode and Smart HDR photos, shoots amazing videos with stereo audio, is great for games and super fast web surfing, and is built with the same industry-leading security features our customers expect. We can’t wait to get iPhone SE into customers’ hands.”

Apple iPhone SE (2020) Price and Availability

The iPhone SE (2020) starts at $399 in the US for the base 64GB variant. going up to $499 for the 128GB model, and $549 for the 256GB model. The iPhone SE 2020 will be available in Black, White, and (Product) RED color options. Pre-orders will begin from 5 pm PDT on Friday, April 17, and it will go on sale from Friday, April 24 in the US.

The Indian pricing of the iPhone SE (2020) starts at ₹42,500 for the base 64GB storage variant. The 128GB variant is priced at ₹47,800 and the top 256GB variant of the iPhone SE (2020) is priced at ₹58,300. Unfortunately, the Indian availability of the iPhone SE (2020) has not been revealed yet.