Apple’s just unveiled the new lower-cost iPhone SE. Starting at $399 for the 64GB variant – the 128GB model will cost $449 and the 256GB model will cost $549 – this second generation of this smaller handset answers a growing call amongst Apple’s user base for an iPhone that has a home button and is easy to use one-handed.
“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,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “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.”
At first glance the new SE looks like an iPhone 8 and you’d be correct. Externally, Apple is sticking with a tried and tested design which they’ve paired with the same A13 Bionic chipset that powers the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro.
Using this processor means that the new iPhone SE gains some new camera features. Unlike many mid-range Android handsets which sport multiple rear-cameras, the new SE has a single 12-megapixel camera lens on the back (along with a flash). If you’re wondering how well a single lens will fare, Apple says that it’s using the A13 Bionic’s chips to improve its Smart HDR photography to improve lighting and detail.
It also has a portrait mode with “monocular depth sensing” which uses machine learning to detect depth and faces. Unlike the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, this means that it will only work on people, not pets. It includes optical image stabilisation (OIS) and supports high-quality video capture at 4K up to 60fps, and extended dynamic range comes to iPhone SE for more highlight details up to 30fps. The front-facing selfie camera is 7-megapixels and can also do portrait mode effects.
The new SE uses the same 4.7-inch IPS LCD display as the iPhone 8 and thanks to its design, you’ll be able to use iPhone 8 cases and covers with it.
While it is capable of supporting 18W fast charging, the new SE ships with the same 5W charging brick that Apple has used since the dawn of time, thankfully it supports QI wireless charging as well.
As expected there is no 3.5mm headphone jack, however, a pair of wired EarPods are included in the box. Other specs include support for Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit LTE, and dual-SIMs (the second one is an eSIM), an IP67 rating and Haptic Touch.
Available in black, white and Product Red, the new SE is available for preorder this Friday, April 17th, and will ship on April 24th in the United States. Like other new iPhones, it will come with a free year of Apple TV Plus.
Local pricing and availability for the new SE has not yet been announced by iStore.
