Introduction
Like original iPhone SE, the new iPhone SE 2 is Apple’s budget offering with lots of bells and whistles. It has a body of iPhone 8 and a soul of iPhone 11.
After years of leaks and rumours, the second-generation iPhone SE is finally here and in this iPhone SE review, I’m going to cover everything you need to know before you buy one.
Even though the price is compelling is iPhone SE worth your money? Let’s find out!
We have a lot to cover so let’s just jump in. So first things first the NAME, it’s called just iPhone SE so, it’s not iPhone 9 it’s not iPhone SE 2, although it is the second-generation iPhone SE, the successor to the original SE so this review’s title also states iPhone SE 2.
However, the name is just going to be iPhone SE. And as is tradition with the iPhone SE line Apple is all about putting the flagship power into an older, smaller design.
So we get the A13 Bionic chip which is the same chipset found in the iPhone 11, the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. And all of that is packed inside of the iPhone 8 body.
Design & Display
iPhone SE features 4.7 retina HD all black display in a compact iPhone 8 body with a super clean look with the centred Apple logo with no iPhone text near the bottom.
The new iPhone SE borrows iPhone 8 body and the iPhone 8 body, of course, is comprised of a 4.7-inch retina HD display with a resolution of 1334 by 750 at 326 pixels per inch.
We also get the P3 wide colour gamut, true tone Dolby vision and HDR 10 support and a max brightness of 625 nits. So the resolution is lower than that of the iPhone XR.
But as we always say it’s Apple, they make some of the best looking LCD displays on the market. So it’s not like the quality is going to be terrible. It’s just not going to be something you sit there and compared to like an OLED screen or the iPhone 11 screen or anything like that.
This is a budget device and I’m sure that most people looking to buy this do not care at all. If it has an OLED display. Now it features an all-glass front and back with an aluminium frame. Its IP67 water and dust resistant and has a home button with Touch ID. All of that is just like the iPhone 8.
Now we get three colour options. Black, product red and white. The front bezels are going to be all black on all three colours including white like we see on the newer iPhones.
The iPhone 11 also came in white colour and that had a black front. So it’s going to be very similar to the white iPhone 11’s.
Now on the back of the iPhone SE, we’re going to have a super clean look with the centred Apple logo with no iPhone text near the bottom, just like on the iPhone11 and 11 Pro. And of course, we do not have a headphone jack. Only the Lightning port and you also get dual SIM support so that’s really nice.
Features
We get Wi-Fi 6 support, along with support for using Express cards with the power reserve.
Let’s talk about features now. What’s interesting is that even though we have the A13 Bionic chip the iPhone SE does not get every feature that comes with the iPhone 11.
And one of the biggest features missing in the new iPhone SE that’s in the iPhone 11 with that same A13 Bionic chip is the ultrawideband chip.
So, we do not get the ultrawideband chip in the new iPhone SE which is pretty disappointing especially with AirTags set to be released later this year.
I really expected ultrawideband chip to be included in this device but at least we do get Wi-Fi 6 support, along with support for using Express cards with the power reserve.
Camera
The rear-facing camera is going to be pretty good in iPhone SE, the only difference from the iPhone 8 is going to be the ability to take portrait selfies.
Now moving on to the camera so this is an area where the rumours really locked in and now we know why. That’s because it’s exactly the same as the iPhone 8. so we have a single firing a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera with an F 1.8 aperture and it can shoot video in up to 4k 60fps.
Unlike the iPhone 8, the new iPhone SE can take portrait mode photos of people. Thanks to the new A13 chip inside. which does also bring next-generation smart HDR for better balancing in photos and videos.
So we saw the first-gen smart HDR with the iPhone XR and iPhone Xs and iPhone XsMax. and that make your photos and videos look a lot better just from having smart HDR.
So I can’t wait to see how the photos and videos turn out on the new iPhone SE. Because I think a lot of people are going to slip on it and it’s going to pretty much impress a lot of people.
Of course, just like we compromised earlier with no ultrawideband chip, there’s also a compromise in the camera. The new iPhone SE will not include night mode or audio zoom. So these are both features that we get on the iPhone 11 series with that same A13 chip but we don’t get those in the new iPhone SE.
As for the front-facing camera, we get a 7 megapixel F 2.2 lens with the ability to take portrait selfies. You’re only going to be able to shoot video up to 1080p. So there’s no 4k support for the front-facing camera.
Also no Animoji or Memoji support which is going to be very disappointing for those of you who’d like to use those cool features.
So, the rear-facing camera is going to be pretty good on the new iPhone SE but the front-facing camera is not going to be that great. Really, the only difference from the iPhone 8 is going to be the ability to take portrait selfies.
Battery Life
The rear-facing camera is going to be pretty good in iPhone SE, the only difference from the iPhone 8 is going to be the ability to take portrait selfies.
As for the battery life we have the same battery found in the iPhone 8 so you can expect about the same usage. However, that A13 Bionic chip once again could help squeeze out more juice on a single charge compared to the A11 chip that was found in the iPhone 8 but overall it’s going to be about the same.
I mean Apple was claiming up to 8 hours upstreamed video playback on something like YouTube or Netflix or up to 40 hours of audio playback but those numbers don’t really mean anything. You know nobody just sits there and does that throughout an entire charge.
So I’m expecting a little bit better battery life than the iPhone 8, not quite as good as something like the iPhone X or the iPhone XR or anything like that.
But don’t expect anything to blow you away. Don’t expect amazing just because it has the same capacity as the iPhone 8 did.
Of course, since we have that glass back we do also get wireless charging. We do also get fast charging capabilities as well but a fast charging block is not included in the box.
Price & Release Date
You can pre-order this new iPhone starting on Friday the 24th April 2020 for A$749 and they will be arriving at your doorstep next week
Finally, the iPhone SE Australia Price. So, the price of the new second-generation iPhone SE has been rumoured for a long time. The price actually turned out to be accurate, so it starts at A$749 for a 64-gigabyte model and goes up to 256 gigabytes for A$999.
So, that is an absolute killer deal for a brand new iPhone in 2020. I don’t care what the iPhone looks like. it’s an iPhone, a brand new iPhone in 2020 for 700 bucks, this thing is going to sell like crazy.
Now you can pre-order this new iPhone starting on Friday the 24th April 2020 and they will be arriving at your doorstep next week
Should You Buy?
I think it’s going to sell very well. But it’s also not for everybody and not everybody should be considering buying this. Lets find out who should buy it.
So now that you know everything about this new iPhone SE, let’s discuss who should actually consider buying this device because I think it’s going to sell very well. But it’s also not for everybody and not everybody should be considering buying this.
First off, if you have an iPhone Xs, iPhone XR, iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro. you really should not even be considering this for obvious reasons unless you really miss Touch ID and you don’t like Face ID or something like that.
There’s really no other reason that you would want to go back to something like this. However, if you have an iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 or even older maybe iPhone 5s or iPhone 5, you should strongly consider getting the brand-new 2020 iPhone SE.
You likely haven’t upgraded in a few years because you can’t justify spending close to a thousand dollars on a new iPhone but with the new 2020 iPhone SE 2, you’re only going to be paying a couple of hundred dollars if you get it and then sell your old device you’re only going be out like three maybe four hundred dollars If you sell that old device.
So, I think this has a very very compelling value proposition for those of you with the iPhone 8 or older and plus you’re not going be wishing that you had Face ID or anything like that because you’ve already been used to the home button and having Touch ID.
So you’re not only going to be getting a much faster device but you’re also going to have a better camera. You’re going to have better battery life and a much cleaner design, especially on the backside.
Not to mention this new iPhone SE is going to be supported with software updates for at least two to three more years than an iPhone 8 or earlier models. So this iPhone SE is going to last longer and it’s going to make you not have to spend more money in the future on a new phone that’s going to be supported by future software updates.
Let me know your thoughts. What do you guys think about the iPhone SE 2? Do you think it’s worth buying? Are you going to be getting one? Let me know all your thoughts down in the comments below.
Also before I Sign-off, please check our Tech SCORE for iPhone SE below.
And don’t forget to check our iPad Pro 2020 Review.
8
Total Score
Best Tech
iPhone SE is a beautiful device that ticks many boxes and at this price point, it’s a killer deal. However, Apple has to cut corners to make it a budget device.
PROS
- A13 Bionic Chip
- 4.7 inch HD retina display
- Wireless Charging
- A$749 Starting Price
CONS
- Single rear camera
- LCD screen, not OLED
- Identical to iPhone 8
