It’s finally here! The long-awaited second generation iPhone SE, aka the iPhone 9, has finally deigned to reveal itself, and it’s everything we could have hoped for. Apple has now revealed the new smartphone and it’s an impressive handset, with an even more impressive price, coming in at just $400. It's sure to be a strong contender in our best smartphones roundup.
The iPhone SE 2020 will be powered by the A13 bionic chip, the same system that powers the rest of the current iPhone lineup, including the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. This means it will be every bit as powerful as its more expensive cousins. So how is this wizardry possible?
Well, while the chipset is the same, many of the other components you’d expect to see in an iPhone have been toned down or redesigned to help make the Apple iPhone SE as cheap as possible. There’s no fancy multi lens camera setup for example. Instead, you’ll find a single 12 megapixel wide camera. Apple describes this as the best single lens camera system it’s ever put in an iPhone, which is almost certainly true given that iPhones haven’t used a single lens setup in years. Apple’s example photographs look stunning though, so until we get our hands on it, we’ll give it the benefit of the doubt here.
On the design front, the iPhone SE harks back to older models like the iPhone 8, with the once iconic home button making its return. In fact, it’s so similar to the iPhone 8 in design that existing iPhone 8 cases will be compatible. The case is made from aluminum with front and back glass covers and it's available in three colors: black, white, and red. Rounding things off is a 4.7-inch Retina HD display.
So if you’re looking for a powerful, no frills smartphone, the new iPhone SE is looking like a winner. We have our concerns about the camera, but honestly for $400 we’d be living in a dream world to expect a multi lens setup.
The Apple iPhone SE will be available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB models and is available to pre-order on the Apple store at 5pm PDT on Friday, April 17.
