iPhone SE 2020 – The Absolute Budget Phone with Ultimate Flagship Power

For a long time, the rumors about Apple’s latest iPhone were getting tech enthusiasts excited. And, in April 2020, Apple finally unveiled its latest release, the iPhone SE, a new lost-cost phone that is a follow-up to the iPhone SE of 2016. Similar to its predecessor, the iPhone SE 2020 is the most affordable iPhone by Apple, with its pricing starting from Rs 42,500 in India.

The iPhone SE 2020 resembles iPhone 8 when it comes to design specs, just like the original iPhone SE is identical to iPhone 5. This means it has the 4.7-inch Retina HD screen with the True Tone display to match the ambient lighting of its surroundings, Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Wide colour gamut, among others.

Here is a quick summary of its key specifications and top features.

iPhone SE 2020 key specs and features

Processor – The iPhone SE 2020’s processor is powered by the latest Apple’s A13 Bionic chipset that Apple has declared to be its fastest chip in a smartphone. It is the same processor that was introduced last year with the iPhone 11 series. The A13 Bionic SoC (System-On-Chip) comes with a devoted “8-core Neural Engine, an exclusive Machine Learning Controller, and two Machine Learning Accelerators, to enhance the power efficiency of CPU”. The result is that the CPU can deliver one trillion operations per second and enhance battery life as well. This makes the iPhone SE a high-speed phone.

Storage space – Its storage options come in three variants: 64GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB.

RAM – iPhone SE comes with 3GB RAM.

Camera – To be a low-cost, reasonably priced phone, the iPhone SE has a single-lens rear camera embedded with some of the technology from iPhone 11 Pro and 11.

The wide-angle 12-megapixel camera is incorporated with an f/1.8 aperture, wide colour capture, optical image stabilization, and the Smart HDR of next-generation for portraying improved shadow details and highlights. Because it does not have all the features of the iPhone 11 series with multiple camera lenses, there is no support system for optical zoom or Night Mode in the iPhone SE 2020. On the other hand, iPhone SE has Depth Control, Portrait Lighting, and Portrait Mode, and uses the Neural Engine and image signal processor for computational photography.

The camera supports 4k video shooting, up to 60 frames per second, along with 30 and 24 frames available with 720p and 1080p shooting modules. The QuickTake Video feature, introduced by Apple in its 2019 smartphones, is also included. It allows users to take quick videos by pressing down on the camera button in photo mode. Other modes, like time-lapse and slow-mo, are included.

The front-facing camera of 7 megapixels features an f/2.2 aperture with Depth Control and Portrait Mode support, despite lacking a TrueDepth camera system. Apple enables this through the embedded monocular depth estimation and machine learning accelerators. The selfie camera supports QuickTake, making this first iPhone offering this feature in its front-facing camera. 1080p video can be captured at 30fps. Other features included are auto image stabilization, Retina Flash, auto HDR, wide colour capture, and Burst Mode.

Read Also – The Best Group Video Calling and Meeting Apps for Self Isolation 

Design – iPhone SE 2020 features a display screen of 4.7 inches with thick bezels around the bottom and top of the device. It has an overall glass body created using a “seven-layer ink process” that adds a richness of colour to the glass. An aluminium band holds together the glass body and the glass display. The bottom houses speaker holes and a Lightning port. Just like the previous iPhones, a headphone jack is absent. Hence, Lightning or Bluetooth headphones/earphones are required. The measurements are “7.3mm thick, 67.3mm wide by 138.4 mm tall, and weighs at 148 grams (0.14 kg)”. Because the design resembles iPhone 8, cases for iPhone 8 and 7 can be used for iPhone SE 2020.

Colour options – There are three colour options: space gray, white, and (PRODUCT)Red version, which has a glass-backed bright red shell. In the effort of contributing to the COVID-19 response fund, Apple has announced that a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the iPhone SE 2020 (PRODUCT)Red will go to  Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response efforts. So, when you buy a (PRODUCT)Red iPhone SE, Apple will directly contribute that to the relief fund of COVID-19.

Display – The iPhone SE features the same display used in iPhone 8, with the 4.7-inch screen, a resolution of “750 by 1334 with 326 pixels per inch and a contrast ratio of 1400:1”. It demonstrates P3 wide colour gamut support for natural, true to vibrant life colours, max brightness of 625 units, and multi-touch capabilities. The display supports the patent True Tone feature. True Tone detects the lighting of its surroundings, using its ambient light sensors to adjust the intensity and colour temperature of the display accordingly. This presents a more paper-like, natural viewing experience, which reduces eye strain.

Other than this, the display offers Haptic touch functionality, the same functionality provided in the iPhone 11 series. Haptic Touch is similar to 3D touch and can be used for many of the same tasks, like overseeing links in Safari, opening notifications, surfing Quick Actions, and more. Haptic Touch is not as pressure-sensitive as 3D touch and does not offer multiple functions for each press. It is instead a deep press and hold gesture supported by haptic feedback.

Battery life – The iPhone SE 2020 runs on a 1,821mAh battery that has the same capacity as that of iPhone 8. The battery can offer eight hours of video streaming playback, 40 hours of audio playback, and video playback of 13 hours.

iPhone SE has the backing for fast charging, meaning, it can charge up to 50% of battery life within just 30 minutes (only with a separate 18W charger), as Apple claims. The USB-C to Lightning cable and USB-C power adapter required for the fast charging need to be purchased separately, as the standard USB-A to Lightning cable and 5W power adapter are provided with the iPhone. The glass body is inbuilt with a wireless charging coil that supports wireless Qi-based charging. Any 7.5W or 5W wireless Qi-based charging accessory is compatible.

Connectivity – The iPhone has a dual SIM support for the network carriers supporting eSIM and nano-SIM, with Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. NFC with reader mode and GPS are included as well.

Note: If your network carrier does not support eSIM, then you are struck by using only one phone number.

Dust and water resistance – The iPhone SE 2020 has an IP67 water and dust rating. It means, it is completely dustproof and can resist one meter or 3.3 feet of water for like 30 minutes. Even though it can hold off accidental water exposure or brief splashes of rain, any kind of water exposure should be avoided, as the warranty of Apple does not provide coverage for any water damage.

What’s next?

Analysts are already predicting the launch of iPhone SE’s successor in 2021. Apple is expected to introduce an “iPhone SE Plus” that will feature a full-screen design of 5.5 to 6.1 inch LCD Retina display, which is going to be another addition to this cost-effective series.

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