Is The Iphone Se Camera Good?
Our Verdict
This is the telephone to get if you simply want a iPhone that will terminal you a few years, but don't desire to pay a lot for information technology. It might not be the newest model any more but the iPhone SE 2020 offers 'decent but not elevation-end' operation: a good camera, enough power, a dandy App Store to plunder and a lighter iPhone than most recent models. Bombardment life and screen tech could be ameliorate, the headphone jack is a miss, but - for the cost - this is ane of the all-time iPhones Apple has ever made. Even now.
For
- Lightweight frame
- Low cost for iPhone
- Powerful chipset
Against
- Bombardment life could be ameliorate
- Erstwhile screen engineering
- No headphone jack
TechRadar Verdict
This is the phone to become if you just want a iPhone that will last you a few years, just don't want to pay a lot for it. It might non exist the newest model whatsoever more only the iPhone SE 2020 offers 'decent simply not peak-terminate' operation: a good camera, enough power, a bully App Store to plunder and a lighter iPhone than most recent models. Battery life and screen tech could be meliorate, the headphone jack is a miss, but - for the toll - this is one of the best iPhones Apple tree has always made. Even at present.
Pros
- +
Lightweight frame
- +
Depression toll for iPhone
- +
Powerful chipset
Cons
- -
Battery life could be better
- -
Old screen engineering science
- -
No headphone jack
Two-minute review
Update: The iPhone SE 2022 has at present been appear to take over the mantle of Apple'south 'inexpensive' iPhone.
Coming in with the same 4.vii-inch display, design and Touch ID, non a huge amount has changed, only you are getting 5G on lath and the newer A15 fleck inside too, allowing for more detailed and realistic photography.
However, it costs $429 / £419 equally a starting cost, for the 64GB model, which is a surprising increase in cost - the iPhone SE 2020 is now discontinued, so only purchase it if y'all tin go information technology in a cut-cost deal.
The iPhone SE 2020 was built around ane goal: to launch an iPhone for less coin than ever, and it accomplished that well. For only $399 / £389 / AU$679 you tin can accept a brand-new handset from Apple tree – it's ane of the best iPhones ever created and yous tin pick one up for less than one-half the price of a new flagship phone.
The pattern 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, you lot'll have seen this 4.vii-inch frame before, complete with bezels top and bottom and a home button with a fingerprint scanner congenital in.
This isn't the newest smartphone from Apple - that's the iPhone 13 serial, including that telephone, the iPhone xiii mini, iPhone xiii Pro and iPhone xiii Pro Max. You can find reviews for each of them past clicking the linked names, simply they're all pricier and more premium devices than the SE.
The iPhone SE (2020) is seen as the 'smaller' iPhone grade factor given the all-screen designs of the more recent models, and information technology's both more lightweight and pocketable than any other mod Apple phone besides the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone xiii mini, which are marginally smaller (despite packing in a larger screen), simply also pricier than a mid-range phone.
The SE is pleasingly water resistant, but does have some drawbacks: it lacks a headphone jack at the bottom, and because the display technology is slightly dated (every bit it comes from the iPhone viii) it can suffer in vivid low-cal when you're trying to watch videos or the similar.
Apple might accept stuck with the same blueprint as the iPhone 8, but the innards are much improved – notably the new A13 Bionic chipset inside, which adds speed nearly everywhere and really does meliorate the functioning over the older 4.7-inch models. It'south not quite at the level of the iPhone 12 range, merely information technology's not far off – and getting the recent silicon means the iPhone SE has years of iOS updates caput of it.
That A13 chipset has improved the camera operation too, despite no discernible change to the specs of the sensor since the iPhone 8 (there's but a unmarried lens on the iPhone SE 2020).
It takes decent, bright photos that will please most people, although information technology doesn't quite offer the same color reproduction or clarity as the iPhone 11 Pro Max, for example, let alone the iPhone 12 Pro Max or iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The portrait mode doesn't work likewise every bit on phones that pack a 2nd, depth-sensing sensor for precise bokeh effects , and as a result you tin be left with some odd-looking fringing effectually the edges of subjects. Simply overall the camera – and especially for the price – takes impressive pictures in most scenarios.
Battery life is probably one of the biggest issues nosotros constitute with the iPhone SE 2020 – it's not going to easily last you a 24-hour interval unless you're a light and sedate user.
Given the number of ability-hungry apps bachelor that volition make the well-nigh of all that power provided by the A13 chipset, we would have liked to have seen at least an all-day battery in there, fifty-fifty for the lower price.
However, don't let that detract from the fact that the iPhone SE 2020 follows on from its predecessor by bringing you lot a new iPhone, with not a lot of compromise, for less money than you might look.
While information technology doesn't hit many heights in terms of ability or performance, it more than offsets that by being the cheapest iPhone Apple has e'er launched while all the same packing refined and useful hardware, making the new iPhone SE a splendid option for those either on a upkeep or just wanting to find an easy road into the Apple tree ecosystem.
iPhone SE toll and release engagement
- The cheapest iPhone ever at $399 / £389 / AU$679
- New iPhone SE release date was April 24, 2020
- Easily available now in the US, UK and Commonwealth of australia
The iPhone SE is available now around the world including the US, Great britain and Commonwealth of australia. The release date was April 24, 2020, with pre-orders going live the calendar week earlier.
Although it was rumored to exist chosen 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'south just our style of distinguishing information technology from the 2016 device.
The iPhone SE cost starts at $399 / £389 / AU$679, which is a slight price drop in some regions from its launch price of $399 / £419 / AU$749 / Rs 42,500. The base of operations model comes with 64GB of storage, with 128GB and 256GB models also available for a college price.
The 128GB model costs $449 / £439 / AU$759 while the 256GB one costs $549 / £539 / AU$929. In the US, Apple tree is offering the new iPhone SE at $16.62/month through its financing programme or, if you take an older iPhone to trade in, you tin become information technology for less.
Rumors propose an iPhone SE iii is in development, and we may see it in the first half of 2022. If you're looking for the latest tech, you may want to wait to meet if these rumors come up to fruition.
- Looking to buy? Check out the best iPhone SE deals
Design and display
- A very familiar (read: erstwhile) design
- Retina HD display is fine, if a piffling dark
- iPhone SE 2020 comes in black, white and ruby
The iPhone SE has exactly the same design and brandish as the iPhone 8 from 2017. Using this form factor and screen hardware allowed Apple to keep the price of the device equally depression as it has, every bit information technology didn't demand to invest in a whole new manufacturing process.
It feels like the iPhone world has moved on in 3 years though – now the 4.7-inch screen with the chunky bezels above and below feels like it belongs to the past.
In that time the flagship iPhone range has moved to an all-screen blueprint – barring a notch at the peak, you're presented with barely whatsoever bezels – while with more premium aluminum within, things accept got a little weightier in recent years.
So returning to the iPhone 8 design means Apple is bringing back its more lightweight telephone, bridging the gap betwixt the older iPhone SE and the behemothic (but impressive) iPhone eleven Pro Max, for example.
Indeed, picking upwardly the new iPhone SE , the first thing you'll notice is how lightweight it is. Again, some might not observe the change if they're coming from a smaller telephone from 2016/17, simply trust u.s.a.: information technology could have been a lot worse, as the devices in the newer all-screen iPhone ranges are a lot heavier.
While the iPhone 8'southward design might experience like an archaic selection for a new iPhone, it makes a lot of sense in the iPhone SE 2020 – and for some who don't particularly intendance for the latest features, this more familiar design will be a lot more desirable.
1 suspects that if Apple had rebooted the original iPhone SE shape, with the smaller 4-inch screen and clickable domicile button (the new iPhone SE 2020 features a haptic push button that doesn't move), it would still take sold well; but the larger 4.seven-inch LCD screen is more useful for today'south apps, which brand good use of the extended display.
1 thing that many volition miss is the 3.5mm headphone jack. We've been lamenting its loss for many moons now, simply as the original iPhone SE (or other cheaper phones that are 2-3 years old, that you might be upgrading from) had this feature we can see information technology might still cause consternation.
While some phone buyers might have accustomed this loss by now (barely whatsoever handsets are existence launched with the port at present) it might all the same be something of a stupor for those using phones from a few years ago, in spite of the plethora of true wireless earbuds.
Apple has put its EarPods in the iPhone SE box, which use the telephone's Lightning connector in place of the iii.5mm headphone jack, but those who already have wired headphones that they're happy with will need to spend $9 / £9 / AU$15 on an adapter. Otherwise, you could use a pair of wireless earbuds.
The display on the iPhone SE 2020 might not be the most feature-rich, only it'southward fine. Given the target market this phone is aimed at – those who desire a new iPhone, but don't desire to spend a huge amount of money on one – there's not really an expectation of a fancy OLED display here.
The resolution of the iPhone SE screen might not be top-stop (it'southward far less precipitous than more recent iPhones, or even a number of cheap Android phones), but it'south not something that'southward actually that obvious in most utilize-cases.
The only matter that we would like to come across improved is the brightness of the display: in the years since the iPhone 8 launch the colour and vividity of the screens on phones has improved hugely, and they appears brighter at default settings – and forcing the brightness right up has a strong (and negative) effect on the battery life.
That effulgence does need to be increased a lilliputian too often as well – there's no escaping the fact that this is an older display on offer with the iPhone SE 2020, and there were more than a few occasions when we needed to shelter the phone from brighter light to see what was on the screen – something that isn't an issue with newer iPhones.
- The best iPhone SE cases for your phone
A13 Bionic chipset
- Much more powerful than the iPhone viii
- Can open up apps with proficient speed
- Fifty-fifty manages to become toe-to-toe with the iPhone xi Pro at times
The large modify with the iPhone SE 2020 (and we don't utilize the italics lightly there) is the upgraded engine from the iPhone 8. While the external design is nigh-on identical, Apple has supercharged the insides, with an improved chipset running the show.
That extra power is designed to allow the new iPhone SE to rival the iPhone 11 range in terms of speed when flipping between apps, and editing snaps and video, and should also improve the camera performance (cheers to upgraded computational power from the new chipset).
Apple tree looks to have implemented some serious functioning improvements while keeping the cost of this phone down, and that impression has been borne out in our experience with the iPhone SE: it matched the iPhone xi Pro Max for speed when exporting an iMovie, and actually compressed a 1080p 4-and-a- half minute video at an almost identical speed.
We compared information technology to the older iPhone viii Plus with the same exam, and when compressing and exporting a film downwards to a smaller size, the iPhone SE 2020 managed the chore so much quicker.
If yous're going to tax the telephone to its limits, then the iPhone 11 Pro handsets are more able to handle graphically intensive tasks and apps - but fifty-fifty when playing more powerful games like Pascal'south Wager, we didn't experience the new iPhone SE losing whatsoever performance. The average user volition notice piddling divergence unless intentionally trying to taxation the SE 2020.
Of course, the newer iPhone 12 range has information technology beat whatever you're doing, thanks to an even newer A14 Bionic chipset, but the iPhone SE 2020 isn't far backside.
What's interesting is the way that the iPhone SE has been 'angled' by Apple tree in terms of power output. Our criterion testing showed that the newest iPhone doesn't quite take the raw grunt or speed of the iPhone 11 range, suggesting that Apple is balancing power output with bombardment performance.
Those criterion scores saw an almost identical single-cadre (for low-impact tasks) score of 1300 for the iPhone SE, and 3100 for the multi-core test. That'southward less than the 3500 for the iPhone eleven Pro range, but not far off the standard iPhone 11.
All the benchmarks nosotros ran painted a like picture, proving that the iPhone SE 2020 doesn't have the raw grunt of the Pro range, perhaps designed to provide the most battery life possible.
You can meet the same thing on the iPhone 11 vs the iPhone 11 Pro - pocket-sized differences in benchmark scores, probable in a bid to make sure each experience is tailored to unlike target users.
Those interested in the Pro model will desire the absolute max power (which is why in that location's a larger battery to compensate) only the more 'regular' user might be fine with more of a balance - the new iPhone SE likewise has 3GB of RAM, rather than the 4GB the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 are packing, likely again to minimize costs.
We experienced very trivial in the way of slowdown during our fourth dimension with the new iPhone SE – apart from in the camera, where the phone took a second or two to process each image we took. That's non a huge problem in the 1000 scheme of things, but if you want to instantly check out a snap you lot've taken it takes the smooth off somewhat.
Information technology'due south difficult to know what else to say nigh the upgraded chipset (which will have an bear on on the operation of some apps in the future), only based on side-by-side comparisons we couldn't fault the power of the new, cheaper iPhone.
The iPhone SE launched with iOS 13.4 on past default, merely information technology's received numerous updates since then, including a major one to iOS 14 and iOS 15 - with the latest available version for the phone at the time of writing beingness iOS fifteen.1.
Photographic camera
- 12MP unmarried sensor, imbued with advanced image processing
- Good photos, but non market leading
- High range of video recording options
In our view, the make-or-interruption feature for the iPhone SE – and then the key focus of this review – is the iPhone SE photographic camera and how well information technology performs in day to 24-hour interval use – given that there'due south 'old' hardware on offer here, Apple has taken a gamble that information technology tin can amend photo quality using image processing powered past the A13 Bionic chipset.
Spoiler alert: the gamble has paid off handsomely. The new iPhone SE can often stand up up to the iPhone eleven Pro Max in terms of general snapping, and but struggles when it comes to the areas where the hardware is lacking.
We'll explain more than virtually that in a moment, but we've compared the iPhone SE 2020 to the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone viii Plus, and it holds its own well.
Before we get into more detail about the photographic camera's performance, let's wait at the hardware: the iPhone SE camera is basically using the aforementioned ready of lenses, and megapixel count, as the iPhone 8, with a 12MP camera, a half dozen-element lens and a sapphire glass encompass for strength.
Nosotros don't know the exact sensor that'south being used - Apple wouldn't confirm whether information technology had upgraded the hardware at that place - merely the same 12MP camera and f/1.8 aperture remains, so information technology seems that there's very little modify to the sensor.
However, Apple has kept the aforementioned hardware specs for the 'normal' wide-angle lens on the iPhone range since the iPhone 8, merely hugely improved the quality of the pics – which suggests the processor is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. So just how much deviation does imbuing the iPhone SE with the same A13 Bionic chipset, complete with that improved image indicate processor inside, make?
The brusk answer is: a lot. Put photos from the iPhone SE 2020 adjacent to snaps taken with the iPhone 8 Plus, for example, and you can instantly run into improved sharpness, more accurate color reproduction, and an overall 'meliorate' photo whether taken in brighter or darker atmospheric condition.
Apple tree's 'tuning' of images from the new iPhone SE – the way it thinks a photo should expect – is interesting, with the processing appearing to follow in the footsteps of that in the iPhone 11 range, favoring a cooler-looking scene.
This results in images that look less warm compared to those from even the iPhone XS from 2018 (which, to our heart, are more visually appealing), but the processing does produce snaps with good levels of sharpness and clarity.
In a side-by-side comparison with the iPhone 13 Pro Max, one of the most feature-packed telephone Apple has ever created, the iPhone SE doesn't perform as well… but that'southward understandable for the price. Information technology's clear that the SE has a tendency towards overexposing in some scenarios, with some of the colour and vividness lost in a few pictures.
One in particular saw us having to massively drop the exposure of a nature scene taken under wood cover. Despite the darker conditions, the image was far too brilliant – it seemed the new iPhone SE camera was trying likewise hard to recoup. We often found that the images on the viewfinder were much brighter than in real life, which usually meant nosotros had to tweak the exposure.
However, in a directly comparison with the best iPhone on the market place, there wasn't every bit much of a difference equally the massive gulf in terms of cost tag would advise. You don't get things like night fashion (which is superb, and worth looking into if yous're considering the iPhone 11) or the additional ultra-broad and 2x zoom cameras.
In terms of the prototype quality yous practise get, the differences are small, simply however there to meet. Not all the tricks take come up off – for instance, the depth of field capabilities on the iPhone SE aren't as stiff (due to the aforementioned lack of a depth-sensing lens).
This means portrait manner doesn't ever quite work out the edges of the subject (and it can only manage to employ the background defocusing on humans, not on objects).
The new iPhone SE camera volition mistiness effectually the edges of a subject at times, meaning using one of the smart effects, similar Stage Light Mono, look quite strange, with parts of the hair missing at the sides. Information technology's not terrible, simply it's not easy to go the smart-looking snaps Apple tree uses in its marketing.
While whatsoever phone that tin algorithmically work out a subject using machine smarts alone is impressive, there'southward a gulf in quality between a portrait fashion photo taken with a phone with two-cameras compared to a unmarried sensor.
Elsewhere, the low-light particular isn't as robust, and the color reproduction is behind that of the giant iPhone 11 Pro Max or in a higher place.
Just when y'all consider the relative cost of the phones, and the fact that the new iPhone SE is near a 3rd of the price of the 11 Pro Max, it's piece of cake to forgive some of these mild deficiencies, and instead be impressed that Apple has managed to improve things so well but by putting a new engine inside what is in many respects an quondam handset.
The front-facing camera, a 7MP thing, has as well been given smarter capabilities: you're able to have the same portrait fashion pictures, meaning the groundwork blurs abroad and you can arrest the globe with only your dazzling features.
At that place'due south no 'slofie' (read: slow-motility selfie video) option here, and we can't say we miss information technology – although that may just be considering we're still slightly sickened by the invention of the word 'slofie'.
The quality of the images is good – they're sharp and make clean, and even expect decent in low-light also. Apple has applied its photography algorithms well here, and improved the capability of the front end-facing photographic camera to take smooth, well-lit photos.
Again, using any of the portrait mode options will mostly lead to a closely-cropped image, with pilus looking somewhat unnatural or blurred – but standard selfies come out well.
In terms of video too, the overall power of the iPhone SE 2020 is as good equally anything Apple is offering elsewhere in its lineup: you can shoot 4K video at upwardly to 60 frames per second (fps).
The 60fps option should only exist used in skillful lite though, every bit movies volition look dark in lower light. The slickness of the footage looks a flake odd – information technology almost looks too slick – but it gives a nicer wait for fast-moving scenes.
Bombardment life
- Battery life is just about a day
- Surprisingly the new chipset doesn't make things more efficient
- Fast and wireless charging can assistance offset the lower capacity
The new iPhone SE battery size hasn't been appear by Apple (information technology never reveals this spec), but we practise know that the iPhone 8 came with a 1,821mAh power pack, and we anticipate something similar for the iPhone SE 2020.
And if that is indeed the example and then information technology's a potential issue, because the iPhone 8 didn't have stellar battery life – information technology could only well-nigh final a day in normal use, with the charger needing to be in accomplish towards the stop of the evening.
The new iPhone SE should, in theory, have a longer-lasting battery as information technology's got a more efficient engine at its middle, and iOS thirteen.4 is better at managing power consumption.
Withal, Apple says the iPhone SE "lasts near the aforementioned equally iPhone 8", which is surprising and suggests that you should see nearly 2-four hours' less bombardment life in normal use than an iPhone xi, and up to 25 hours less if but using the iPhone for audio.
In practical use, nosotros saw a mixed functioning from the new iPhone in terms of battery life: it certainly wasn't in the aforementioned power-utilize bracket every bit the impressive iPhone XR and iPhone xi range, and nosotros institute ourselves having to regularly achieve for the charger in the evening.
Notwithstanding, on low-usage days, where we didn't utilise the iPhone for a heavy corporeality of photography or spider web browsing, we got to the end of the day with over 30% left in the tank, and we saw piddling power-bleed overnight too, suggesting that the iPhone SE is pretty power-efficient in standby style.
Yous'll go around 5% functioning drain overnight depending on what devices you have linked via Bluetooth (we had two wearables linked, which caused more of a driblet.
But, overall, we felt that the iPhone SE was indeed a throwback to the older, 4.7-inch iPhone models, where it only felt like the power pack inside wasn't big plenty to comfortably last the day – we definitely didn't have the conviction in this handset that we've come up to enjoy with more recent iPhones.
All the same, if you're coming from an original iPhone SE or older iPhone model y'all won't find any event (and you'll probably come across a slight improvement) – information technology's just a shame that this feels like an opportunity to improve things that Apple has surprisingly missed.
One way of alleviating this event is to invest in a fast charger. Annihilation with USB-C PD or 18W power delivery (such as the charger that comes in the box with the iPhone 11 Pro and is bachelor for an extra $29 / £29 / AU$49) will accuse the phone rapidly – we're talking getting you from empty to over 50% in around 30 minutes.
The overall charging speed is around i hour and fifty minutes for a full, dead-to-100% recharge, but the 5W charger that comes in the box will exist a lot slower. Nosotros'd propose picking up a fast iPhone charger from Apple tree or Anker to accommodate your speedier charging needs.
Then again you could buy a wireless charger instead, every bit the iPhone SE 2020 is Qi-charging enabled. Catch a cheap wireless pad or two, for dwelling house and when (eventually) at work, and y'all'll never have an issue with power levels once more.
It'due south not ideal – we'd rather the iPhone could merely easily final a mean solar day without you needing to reach for the charger, giving yous some breathing room going into the next mean solar day or in case of emergency, merely that's non the instance here for some reason.
- The all-time iPhone charger: the cables and fast charging blocks you lot need
Should I purchase the iPhone SE?
Buy it if...
Don't buy information technology if...
Starting time reviewed: Apr 2020
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Source: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/iphone-se
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