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Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation)

Apple · iPhone

iPhone SE (2nd generation)

Released April 2020

The second iPhone SE is Apple's lower-priced 4.7-inch iPhone from 2020, putting the iPhone 11's A13 Bionic chip into the iPhone 8 design with Touch ID, IP67 and Qi wireless charging, suited to people who want a small, cheap iPhone with a Home button.

Model history · 2 models, 2016–2020
  1. 2016iPhone SE (1st generation)Compare
  2. 2020iPhone SE (2nd generation)
Screen
4.7″
Display
LCD, 60 Hz
Chip
A13 Bionic
Memory
3 GB
Storage
64 GB – 256 GB
Main camera
12 MP
Zoom
–
Battery
1,821 mAh
Weight
148 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers agree the SE offers flagship speed from the A13 and very good cameras in a compact body at a low price for an iPhone. All three criticise the short battery life and the dated screen with its large bezels; Tom's Guide and GSMArena also missed Night mode.

From techradar.com, tomsguide.com and gsmarena.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Screen size
4.7″
Resolution
1334 × 750
Sharpness
326 pixels per inch
Panel
LCD
Refresh rate
60 Hz
Peak brightness
625 nits
Display type
Retina HD display; 4.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
Pixel density
326 ppi
Brightness detail
625 nits max brightness (typical)
Screen protection
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Display features
True Tone; wide colour display (P3); Haptic Touch; 1400:1 contrast ratio (typical); Display Zoom; Reachability

Performance

Chip
A13 Bionic
Memory
3 GB
Storage
64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB
CPU
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores; 3 GB of RAM (GSMArena)
GPU
4-core GPU
AI engine
8-core Neural Engine

Cameras

Main camera
12 MP
Ultra wide camera
None
Telephoto camera
None
Optical zoom
None
Front camera
7 MP
Main camera
12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilisation, six-element lens, LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync, sapphire crystal lens cover
Front camera
7MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash
Zoom
Digital zoom up to 5x (photos) and 3x (video)
Video recording
4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; extended dynamic range up to 30 fps; optical image stabilisation for video; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; QuickTake; stereo recording
Front video
1080p HD at 25 or 30 fps
Camera features
Next-generation Smart HDR; Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control and six Portrait Lighting effects on both cameras; Live Photos; panorama (up to 63MP)

Battery and charging

Battery
1,821 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)
Up to 13 hours
Wireless charging
Yes (wattage not published)
Battery life detail
Video playback up to 13 hours (8 hours streamed); audio playback up to 40 hours; 6.96 Wh (iFixit); 1,821 mAh (GSMArena)
Wired charging
Up to 50% in 30 minutes with an 18W adapter or higher (sold separately)
Wireless charging
Works with Qi chargers

Design

Type
Standard
Weight
148 g
Thickness
7.3 mm
Height × width
138.4 × 67.3 mm
Water and dust resistance
IP67
Materials
Aerospace-grade aluminium and glass with an all-black front
Colours
Black, White, (PRODUCT)RED
Buttons
Home/Touch ID sensor; volume up/down; ring/silent; side button
Water resistance detail
IP67 (maximum depth of 1 metre up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
Biometrics
Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the Home button
Sensors
Touch ID fingerprint sensor; barometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
Speakers
Stereo playback

Software

Operating system
iOS
Software at launch
iOS 13

Connectivity

Mobile network
Gigabit-class LTE with 2x2 MIMO and LAA; VoLTE; Wi-Fi calling
SIM
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
NFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserve
USB
Lightning connector; video mirroring and video out up to 1080p through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
Positioning
Built-in GPS/GNSS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular; iBeacon microlocation

Storage options

Storage
64 GB
128 GB
256 GB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • A13 Bionic chip, as in the iPhone 11
  • Touch ID Home button, Qi wireless charging and IP67

Cons

  • 4.7-inch 1334 × 750 LCD with large bezels
  • Single 12MP rear camera without Night mode
  • Up to 13 hours of video playback, against 17 hours for the iPhone 11

Closest rivals

Model
ScreenDisplayChipMemoryStorageMain cameraZoomBatteryWeightReleased
AppleiPhone SE (3rd generation)
4.7″LCD, 60 HzA15 Bionic3 GB64 GB – 256 GB12 MP–2,018 mAh144 gMar 2022
AppleiPhone 12 mini
5.4″OLED, 60 HzA14 Bionic4 GB64 GB – 256 GB12 MP–2,227 mAh135 gNov 2020
AppleiPhone 8
4.7″LCD, 60 HzA11 Bionic2 GB64 GB – 256 GB12 MP–1,821 mAh148 gSept 2017

Previous model: iPhone SE (1st generation). Newer model: iPhone SE (3rd generation).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/111882
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2020/04/iphone-se-a-powerful-new-smartphone-in-a-popular-…
  3. gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_se_(2020)-10170.php
  4. ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+SE+2020+Teardown/133066

Photo: store.storeimages.cdn-apple.com

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