Apple pulled off a huge surprise last night by launching the iPhone SE. Or to put it correctly, the second-generation iPhone SE. Apple didn’t tease the phone even once before its debut and simply made it official via a press release, but the phone has managed to send ripples throughout the industry. Why is that? Well, that’s primarily because due to a killer asking price of $399 and a great package in terms of hardware. Here’s everything you need to know about the iPhone SE specs, camera features, and more:
Design
The iPhone SE looks identical to the iPhone 8. A spiritual successor that fills the gap left for a mythical iPhone 9 in Apple’s portfolio? Yes, and no. While the iPhone SE brings back a familiar design that we saw years ago, the internal hardware is a few generations ahead.
The iPhone SE’s frame is made out of aerospace-grade aluminum with glass on the front and back. The Touch ID button is protected by a layer of sapphire glass to keep scratches at bay. Notably, the iPhone SE comes with IP67 certification, which means it can handle accidental liquid spills and dust particles fairly well.
Camera
The camera hardware of iPhone SE is identical to that of the iPhone XR. It has a single 12MP (f/1.8) wide-angle camera at the back that comes with OIS support. The main camera offers 5X digital zoom output and supports portrait mode with depth control feature. Plus, there are six portrait lighting effects to play with, compared to the three options the iPhone XR originally shipped with. Notably, the iPhone SE also brings the upgraded Smart HDR feature to the table.
Coming to video capture, it can shoot 4K videos at up to 60fps frame rate. Moreover, the digital zoom for videos goes up to 3X level. Other video-centric features include QuickTake, slo-mo 1080p video capture at 240fps, and stereo recording.
Apple has equipped the iPhone SE with a 7MP (f/2.2) front camera that supports Auto HDR for photos. (One small difference here is that the iPhone XR’s 7MP selfie camera supports the more advanced Smart HDR feature). The device offers portrait mode with depth control support and six portrait lighting effects for the front camera as well.
Display
An overwhelming majority of phones launched in the past couple of years pack a 5.5-inch or larger display and as a result, they usually are quite a handful. To put it in simple terms, compact phones have become a rarity. The iPhone SE is a breath of fresh air in this regard.
It features a 4.7-inch Retina HD (1334×750 pixels) display with a pixel density of 326PPI and 1400:1 contrast ratio. The maximum brightness it can hit is 625 nits and also supports Haptic Touch. However, there is no 3D touch tech.
As far as aesthetics, the thick top and bottom bezels make the iPhone SE look ancient by today’s standards, but those hit by the nostalgia bug will lap up the design without any second thoughts. To further sweeten the deal, there is support for Dolby Vision and HDR10 playback as well. Plus, the iPhone SE also stays clear of the divisive notch on Apple’s recent phones.
Hardware
Brute power is one area where Apple has not cut any corners when it comes to the iPhone SE. Apple’s latest offering is powered by the A13 Bionic chip that also ticks at the heart of the iPhone 11 series phones. We don’t know the amount of RAM packed inside the iPhone SE, but it offers up to 256GB of onboard storage. There are also two lower-end models with 64GB and 128GB storage respectively.
Battery
Apple hasn’t revealed the battery capacity but claims that that iPhone SE can last 13 hours of video playback on a single charge. Despite its relatively affordable price point, the iPhone SE supports 18W wired fast charging, which ensures that the battery can be charged up to the 50% mark in just half an hour. Another notable feature is support for wireless charging. The iPhone SE can be juiced up using any standard Qi-certified wireless charger.
Price
The iPhone SE comes in Black, White, and (PRODUCT)RED shades and starts at $399 for the 64GB variant. If you want more storage, the 128GB variant will cost you $449, while the 256GB configuration will set you back by $549. At that asking price, the iPhone SE is a seriously good value and gives even pricier phones a run for their money. The phone is now up for pre-order and will be up for grabs later this month in over 40 countries across the globe.