Apple has officially announced the new iPhone SE, a lower-cost iPhone that starts at $399 for a version with 64GB of storage. It has the same basic shape and look as the iPhone 8, which means it has a 4.7-inch screen, large bezels on the top and bottom, and a home button with Touch ID. It’s a design that has stayed consistent since the iPhone 6, which makes the iPhone SE essentially the fifth generation of that same look. Apple knows this design well.
It is available for preorder this Friday, April 17th, and it will ship on April 24th. Apple’s latest smartphone will be available in black, white and (PRODUCT)RED finishes, and in the following storage configurations:
64GB: $399
128GB: $449
256GB: $549
It’s worth noting that the base model SE costs $50 less than the comparable iPhone 8 Apple has just discontinued. This puts Apple in a surprisingly strong position to compete in a sea of mid-range devices, which is good news for iOS fans on a budget or small phone aficionados. The last time Apple released a dedicated value smartphone was in 2016 with the original iPhone SE, a device that squeezed modern performance into beloved iPhone 5s body.
The iPhone SE is essentially an iPhone 8 with a better camera and processor and a lower price tag. Although it’s a relatively old design, this iPhone SE has Apple’s A13 Bionic chip, the same that’s available in the latest iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models.
That should ensure that it has a much longer lifespan than the $449 iPhone 8 model that it’s replacing in Apple’s lineup, which had an A11 chip from 2017. There won’t be a plus-sized version of the second-generation iPhone SE, but the iPhone 8 Plus will continue to be sold in certain markets.
The processor also lets the new iPhone SE gain some new camera features. There’s a single 12-megapixel camera lens on the back (along with a flash). Apple says it’s using the A13 Bionic’s chips to improve its Smart HDR photography, which combines multiple shots into a single photo to improve lighting and detail. If video is a bigger priority for you, the SE also records at resolutions as high as 4K at 60 fps.
It only comes with a 5W charger in the box, though it can support 18W fast charging if you have the right adapter. It uses a Lightning connector for charging, of course, and it will also support Qi wireless charging. There is no headphone jack, but it will come with Lightning headphones in the box.
Rounding out some of the other modernized specs, it supports Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit LTE, and dual-SIMs. (The second one is an eSIM, however.) It also supports Haptic Touch, which is Apple’s replacement for 3D Touch, amounting to a long press with haptic feedback.
The iPhone SE might look dated, but it seems to pack plenty of power and some modern flourishes into a remarkably accessible package. The bigger question is whether the SE can carve out a niche in a mid-range market increasingly defined by big, beautiful screens, multiple cameras, and even 5G.
