Apple iPhone SE 2020 review: Great power with a limited battery

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It wasn't much of a secret that Apple was working on a successor to the iPhone SE, although in typical fashion it wasn't entirely known if it would simply update the innards of the older SE design, or opt for something we'd never seen in the iPhone world before.

Apple did something else instead, grabbing the essential design documents for 2017's Apple iPhone 8 and producing a phone with a mix of 2017 and 2020 era innards.

It's an unusual recipe that won't meet every phone user's needs, but for that core constituency of folks looking specifically to upgrade from a much older iPhone without the extreme cost of phones like the iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max, it's a very compelling prospect.

Design

Design

• iPhone 8 design looks dated
• Large bezels around 4.7 inch-display
• TouchID lives!

• Read our full review of the Apple iPhone SE 2020's design

  Unpacking the iPhone SE 2020, I was hit with not just an eery feeling of déjà vu, but a full on sense of absolute recognition. Just as the original iPhone SE borrowed the iPhone 4 body design, the iPhone SE 2020 – strictly speaking it's just the "iPhone SE" or at best the "iPhone SE (2nd Generation) according to Apple – takes on the precise form of the 2017's iPhone 8. However, unlike the iPhone 8, there's no "plus" sized version, so what you're stuck with is a phone with a 4.7-inch "retina" LCD display with a resolution of 1,334 x 750.

  "Retina display" remains Apple's coy little marketing term, and while it does do some good work in terms of colour balance, within the mid-range price space (verging on the low high-end for anything but the entry level 64GB model) it's not a particularly sharp display. Apple is pretty clearly retaining its profit margin on the iPhone SE 2020 by using what are actually by now quite old and low resolution screen parts.

  The iPhone SE 2020 has the same dimensions as the iPhone 8, which means if you were upgrading from one of those, any cases you had should fit perfectly. One benefit of that smaller display is that it's much easier to slip into a pocket or handbag on the go than any of today's flagship phones, almost all of which utilise much larger displays. The flip side of that older and smaller design is that it comes from an era where huge bezels on phones were the absolute norm, so what you're looking at is a 4.7-inch display with huge black bars at the top and bottom of the phone. Even back in 2017, I noted in my review that the design of the iPhone 8 felt dated, so by now it's almost due to become fashionably retro. Almost… but not quite.

  Apple has shifted away from using touch as its biometric authentication method of choice, but the iPhone SE 2020 gives TouchID something of a new lease on life. It's now Apple's only current model iPhone to use a TouchID sensor; the next model up, the Apple iPhone XR utilises FaceID. If you're more of a fan of using your fingerprint, the iPhone SE 2020 could be a good choice for you. TouchID can be used for unlocking your phone as well as authorising purchases made through the Apple App store or via Apple Pay.

  It's less common in the mid-range space to see proper water resistance, so it's nice to note that the iPhone SE 2020 is IP67 rated for water ingress. Apple's standard Australian warranty still doesn't cover water damage, so don't go nuts. But if you do happen to drop your iPhone SE 2020 into the pool, it should survive the trip.

  Like the iPhone 8, there's no headphone jack present on the iPhone SE 2020, and you don't even get a Lightning to 3.5mm adaptor in the box. You do get some lightning-connected headphones, and it's Bluetooth ready for quick connection to Apple's AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones.

  The one area where the iPhone SE 2020's design differs markedly from that of the iPhone 8 is in colour selection. Back in 2017, you could choose from the Apple default standards of Space Grey, Silver or Gold for your iPhone, but in 2020, the iPhone SE ships in rather more basic Black, White or (PRODUCT) RED finishes.

  Confusingly, Apple sent me the White model to review along with an official case that makes it look a lot like the PRODUCT(RED) model. As always, it's advisable to put a case on any phone, because it's the simplest and cheapest damage insurance you can buy.

Camera

Camera

• Single lens camera
• Poor low light performance
• Portrait mode is only fair at best

• See sample photos and read our full review of the Apple iPhone SE 2020's camera

  The iPhone SE 2020 only features a single 12MP lens at the rear, and that's a very retro design decision on Apple's part. Apple has officially played it a little coy when asked if it is in fact the same 12MP lens array as found in 2017's iPhone 8, but an independent teardown at iFixit confirms that Apple is using the same parts as it did 3 years ago. That's also true for the front-facing 7MP selfie camera.

  Three years is a very long time in smartphone photography, but the iPhone SE 2020 has a little something else to differentiate it, in the form of the A13 Bionic processor. That's the same CPU heart you'll find in the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, and it enables the iPhone SE 2020 to rather easily outshoot its older counterpart. Apple's contention is that the iPhone SE 2020 has, as a result, the best single lens camera you'll find in any phone today.

  Now, if Apple is talking to its upgrade market from older iPhones, that's probably true. If it's talking the wider smartphone market, it's most definitely not the case.

  At the price point of the iPhone SE 2020 you could buy any number of Android phones sporting multiple special use lenses for wide angle, telephoto or monochrome shooting, but even within the single lens space, there's an obvious competitor in the form of Google's low-cost Google Pixel 3a. Indeed, that's a model that is largely serving the same budget-conscious but brand-loyal audience as the iPhone SE 2020, but on the Google side.

  The current COVID-19 pandemic has somewhat limited the way I could test out the iPhone SE 2020's camera, so I've had to shoot predominantly around the area in which I live. Apple hasn't changed the camera app it runs on iOS for the iPhone SE 2020 in any significant way, although that 4.7-inch display can't help but feel tiny compared to other current iPhones, especially once you have the camera controls in play too.

  For regular daytime shots, the iPhone SE can shoot very nicely, with good colour accuracy and fast focus within the limited scope of a single lens. The use of Smart HDR does give the resultant shots some distinct clarity, but as always, you can end up with just as many good shots as poor ones. This isn't a phone for pro shooters by a wide margin – Apple would prefer you buy an Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max for that – but for everyday shots, it's quite good.

  You can push digital zoom at up to 5x, but you really shouldn't, as the quality of results degrades quite quickly. I did feel that lack of flexibility pretty rapidly, but then at this price point, I'm very much used to at least a 2-lens or more approach in the Android world. If you're part of that target upgrade market from an older iPhone model, you'll find it less jarring.

  The iPhone SE 2020 also incorporates Apple's portrait mode, leaning on the A13 Bionic to compute out the depth map and apply it to shots, due to the lack of any secondary lens or depth sensor on the rear.

  Like other iPhone models, you can adjust both focus and lighting effects after a shot has been taken, which does give it some flexibility you won't find on other phones. However, at the same time it's very much an obviously artificial effect. Here's a portrait shot taken of me in my driveway, and while I could adjust that focus effect, it never looks anything less than (effectively) photoshopped.

  

  The other area where the iPhone SE 2020 genuinely struggles is in low light, and that's no surprise at all. The iPhone 8 was no low light giant, and again the comparison with the single lens Google Pixel 3a doesn't fare well for Apple's more affordable phone. Shots in low light lacked a lot of detail and introduced a lot of noise. Where Apple's pricier iPhones offer an automated night shooting mode with a long exposure, that's not a feature found on the iPhone SE 2020 at all.

  Apple's mission with the iPhone SE in camera terms is pretty clear. If you want the best iPhone camera experience, this isn't for you. It's not the best single lens camera, and you can do better if you're willing to cross the Android divide pretty easily. That being said, folks jumping up from older iPhones will find it suitable, if not exactly exciting.

  Apple iPhone SE 2020 sample photos

  

  

  

  

  

  

Performance

Performance

• A13 Bionic is a beast at this price
• iOS upgrades assured

• View test results and read our full review of the Apple iPhone SE 2020's performance

  In the past when Apple has delivered a more "affordable" iOS device, it's tended to do so by stepping back a year or more in CPU terms. The theory was presumably meant to be that if you wanted premium performance from an iPhone, you had to pay this year's premium price.

  That's not the story for the iPhone SE, because Apple provides it with the same A13 Bionic processor as found in the top tier Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max. Apple doesn't disclose RAM figures itself, but iFixit's teardown shows 3GB of RAM, slightly down from the top tier models that get 4GB.

  If you're a fan of benchmarks, the iPhone SE performs very well indeed thanks to that A13 Bionic powerhouse CPU. Here's how it compares against a range of mid-range Android phones using Geekbench 5's CPU test:

  And here's how its graphics performance compares using 3DMark's Slingshot Extreme:

  The A13 Bionic in the iPhone SE puts it well ahead of its immediate competition in the mid-range space, and even gives it some scope as a "value" play against the more expensive iPhone XR, iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.

  In day to day usage it really didn't miss a beat when launching even the most intensive apps. Although that smaller screen did make some experiences, like engaging in a bout or two of Fortnite, a bit more challenging than on larger devices. That's very much a question of screen metrics rather than performance, however.

  There's more benefit to the inclusion of the A13 Bionic than just raw speed though. Over time, the limits of older processors have seen Apple drop selected models from future iOS upgrades.

  Apple's position is that the older phones can't handle the newer features of iOS as well, and while there's an argument around forced obsolescence there, the fact that the iPhone SE 2020 has the same processor as 2019's flagship iPhones means that it should be good for iOS updates for a good long period. It's nowhere near as common in the Android world, excluding Google's own Pixel phones.

  The limits around COVID-19 limited quite how I could test out the iPhone SE 2020's actual phone and data throughput abilities, but during testing I had few issues using it as an actual handset. It's only an LTE phone rather than 5G, but then Apple was never going to jump into the 5G world with its more affordable handset anyway.

Battery life

Battery life

• 1,821mAh battery is too small for a 2020 flagship
• Wireless charging is welcome

• View test results and read our full review of the Apple iPhone SE 2020's battery life

  Officially speaking, Apple only states that the iPhone SE 2020 battery "Lasts about the same as iPhone 8", but then Apple's pitch is always much more to the everyday consumer rather than folks who deep dive on particular specifications. Back in 2017, the iPhone 8's battery life was decent for an iPhone, but not great against the Android competition.

  Fast forward to 2020, and it's a much bleaker picture, because general expectations of battery capacity have lifted remarkably, even within the iPhone world.

  Teardowns of the iPhone SE 2020 have shown an 1,821mAh battery, and to give that some context, the iPhone 11 features a 3,110mAh power pack. Sure, it has more space to cram batteries in, but we've seen plenty of competing Android phones in this space at similar sizes manage a lot better than 1,821mAh.

  Still, Apple has full control over both hardware and software, and in 3 years it would have made sure that the Apple iPhone SE 2020's battery performance was up to scratch, right?

  Nope.

  Here's how the iPhone SE 2020 compared to similar priced phones as well as Apple's other iPhone ranges using our YouTube battery rundown test. The iPhone SE 2020 did have a slight advantage here as YouTube currently won't serve 1,080p video that we'd usually use for this test. Video was run at full brightness and moderate volume for 1 hour from 100% battery to get a comparative picture of battery rundown metrics:

  That 83% figure is astonishingly low, and it really points to how Apple has equipped the iPhone SE 2020 with a premium engine but rather skimped out on the fuel it needs to run full tilt as much as you might want.

  Anecdotally, the iPhone SE 2020 struggles to get through a day's usage, even at a moderate level, requiring a battery top-up of some sort well before the day is out.

  As an example, running the Covidsafe app for an hour while doing little else with the iPhone SE 2020 saw it drop by an alarming 10%, so if you're a heavier user, you may have to look at going back to carrying cables or a portable battery with you.

  The Apple iPhone SE 2020 supports up to 18W charging via Lightning cable, but you only get a 5W charger in the box, so you'd have to spend more to get that level of faster charging. It does support Qi wireless charging which isn't super common in phones in this price bracket, which is another welcome addition.

Verdict

Verdict

• A mid-range phone with a bright future

Should you buy it?

The recipe for the iPhone SE 2020 is a rather contradictory one. It's running on one of the fastest processors in any smartphone, period, let alone in a mid-range phone. Apple's control over iOS makes it enjoyable to use with a huge range of available apps to pick from.

However, it's also running on a design and with camera specs that belong to an entirely different era of smartphones, and its battery life sits at the lower end of any smartphone on the market, even those much cheaper than the iPhone SE itself.

It's a conundrum, then, and its solution in value terms depends on your precise needs in the smartphone market.

If you're updating from an older iPhone and you don't want to switch to Android, then it's a very easy recommendation. It's more powerful than the iPhone XR and competes well even against the iPhone 11 series of phones, albeit with that compromised battery life. That's less true if you're using a premium iPhone model from the last two years, because the step back in camera terms will affect you more.

If you're looking at the wider smartphone market, it's more powerful than competing Android handsets at this price point, but with a much more compromised camera and battery life story to tell.

Price

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Alternatives

In the purely iPhone space, the next model "up" in pricing terms is the Apple iPhone XR. Like the iPhone SE 2020, that features a single rear lens camera, but it's a different and more advanced module; the flipside there is that it runs on the older Apple A12 Bionic processor.

Then there's the Apple iPhone 11, which gives you dual rear cameras and that same A13 Bionic processor, as well as a 6.1-inch display, but at a much higher price point.

If you're happy enough in the Android world there's a very wide range of choices to consider at this price point. From a pure-phone standpoint, consider the Google Pixel 3a, which runs rings around the iPhone SE 2020 in low light terms.

If you crave more camera complexity, consider phones such as the Oppo A91, or the realme XT, which also sell for much less than the Apple iPhone SE 2020.

Specifications