iPhone SE (2020) Review - everything you need

What You Really Want from an iPhone?

When it comes to what you want out of an iPhone, most people think about things like a good camera or long battery life. While those are definitely important features, there's more to it than that. What you really want is for your new iPhone to be reliable for several years, have access to all the best apps, and be easy and simple to use.

The New iPhone SE: A Review

So, what does the brand new iPhone SE offer? For just $399 for the base 64 gig model, this phone delivers on all of those fronts. The answer to whether it's an iPhone is a resounding yes. But does it do everything you want from an iPhone well? That's what we're here to find out.

Design and Display

The iPhone SE has a familiar design that's similar to the iPhone 8, iPhone 7, or iPhone 6S. It boasts a 4.7 inch LCD display with true tone technology, making colors change depending on the light. The screen is really good, and the huge bezels on top and bottom might be a bit of a drawback for some users. However, this is something that many inexpensive Android phones have figured out how to reduce, so it's not entirely surprising.

One thing to note about the design is the classic home button with a fingerprint sensor. This is compatible with iPhone 8 cases, which is convenient. The phone is also IP67 waterproof, which is a good feature. However, the size of the phone might be a bit of an issue for some users. At just 4.7 inches, it's small compared to other phones on the market.

Another gripe with the design is that there are no head-phones jack. This is becoming less common as the world moves towards wireless technology, but it's still something to consider. On the plus side, Apple does include Wired Lightning headphones with the phone.

Performance and Speed

What really sets the iPhone SE apart from other phones in its class is its performance and speed. Inside the phone is the exact same processor as the iPhone 11 Pro, the A13 Bionic chip. This means that the phone is incredibly fast and will get OS updates for many years to come.

One thing to note about battery life is that it's not quite stellar compared to some of Apple's other phones. However, with wireless charging included, it makes a big difference in terms of average battery life. The phone can get through a whole day and is somewhere in the neighborhood of four to five hours of screen time.

Camera

One of the most exciting things about the iPhone SE is its camera. With just one 12 megapixel sensor on the back and a seven megapixel selfie camera on the front, it might seem like not much has changed compared to other iPhones. But trust us, this phone punches well above its weight class when it comes to video recording.

One thing to note about low-light photography is that the Pixel 3a and upcoming Pixel 4a are probably going to be able to beat this phone in those areas. However, in terms of video recording, the iPhone SE is right up there with some of the best phones on the market.

The Verdict

So, what's the verdict on the iPhone SE? If you're coming from an older iPhone like an OG iPhone SE or an iPhone 6/7, this phone will be a huge improvement. And if you're looking for a reliable phone that won't break the bank, the iPhone SE is definitely worth considering.

One thing to note is that the 64 gig model might not be enough storage for some users. If you want to upgrade to 128 gigs of storage, it's only $50 extra. This is well worth the investment if you want this phone to last three or four years.

Overall, the iPhone SE is a really good phone that checks all the right boxes. It's affordable, reliable, and delivers on performance and speed. If you're looking for a new phone that won't break the bank, the iPhone SE is definitely worth considering.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- What do you want out of an iPhone?(upbeat instrumental music)You probably think ofsomething like a good cameraor long battery life and yes,you definitely want those things,but what you want out of an iPhone,what you really want, isall of the iPhone stuffthat you don't usually think about.You want the thing thatworks with iMessage.That's going to bereliable for several years.That has access to all of the best appsand that's easy and simple to use.And this iPhone, the brand new iPhone SE,does all of those thingsfor only 399 bucksfor the base 64 gig model.So this review is actuallygonna be really simple.Is this an iPhone?Check, yes.Yes it is.It does all of the iPhone things.The only question we have to answer thenis whether or not it doesall those things well.Basically, if paying just400 bucks for an iPhonemeans that you're giving up way too much.So if you've seen aniPhone 8 or an iPhone 7or an iPhone 6S or iPhone 6,you get the basic shape andfeel of the new iPhone SE.It has a 4.7 inch LCDdisplay with true toneto make the colors changedepending on the lightand it's a really good display.It also has these huge bezelson the top and the bottomand there is a classichome button on the bottomwith a fingerprint sensor.It's compatible with iPhone 8 cases.It's IP67 water proof,which is not the best,but it's pretty good.Overall, this thing is just really solidand it's really familiarfrom the glass backto the fingerprint sensorto the whole package.And I gotta say, dearhome button, I missed you.I didn't realize howmuch, but you're great.Anyway, there are still twosmall bummers to talk aboutwith this overall designthat we're so familiar with.One, I'm just gonna say it again,these bezels, they're huge.And I'm knocking it becausea bunch of inexpensive Android phoneshave figured out howto reduce these bezelsto fit a bigger screen and a smaller body.But Apple is just keeping things the samethat it's always been here.Two is the size.It's 4.7 inches, it's small,but it's not nearly as small as this guy,the original iPhone SE.Whereas this thing isbasically not that much smallerthan my iPhone 11 Pro.And sorry, that's just theway the phone world is now.Actually, there is athird thing to gripe aboutand that is that there's noheadphone jack on this phoneand that is also the waythe phone world is now too.But at this price point,a bunch of Android phonesdo manage to hang on to theheadphone jack to be clear.So it is a little bit of a bummer here.At least Apple is includingWired Lightning headphones,it's just not includinga headphone 3.5 adapter.Now the reason this phoneis really impressiveis that inside it hasthe exact same processoras the iPhone 11 Pro.It's the A13 Bionic.That means this phoneis really fast, sure,but the real reason it mattersis that it means this phoneis sure to get OS updatesfrom many years to come.Now there may be other Androidphones that cost the same,$399, but it's not really about that cost,it's about how often you have to spend it.And with this iPhone,you're not gonna have tospend it for a very long time.I was hoping that that modern processorwould mean that batterylife would be about as goodas on the iPhone 11Pro, but it's not quite.It's still very good, don't get me wrong.I'm getting through a whole dayand it's somewhere in the neighborhood offour to five hours of screen time.It's just not stellar.I am glad it has wireless charging though,which makes the average-ish battery lifea little bit easier to deal with.So let's talk camera.There's just one on the back.It's 12 megapixels andthere is a seven megapixelselfie camera on the front.And for a $400 phone,I have zero complaints.In bright lighting conditions,it's kind of lovely.Photos are well detailed,they're color accurate and they're sharp.In good light, it is almosthard to tell the differencebetween this phone and athousand dollar iPhone 11 Pro.It does some other stuff withnew portrait effects and so onbecause it has that A13 Bionic chip,but it's still hit andmiss with portrait modebecause you know, you lose somethingwhen you save this much money.So for example, low light is,it's not great.There's no night mode for one thingand for another, whenit's really dim light,I feel like the softwarejust kind of panicsand over corrects andintroduces a bunch of artifactsthat didn't need to be there.If you're coming from anOG iPhone SE or an iPhone 6or even iPhone 7, you're stillgonna see a huge improvement.And I know that the Pixel3a and the upcoming Pixel 4aare probably gonna be able tobeat this thing in low light,but they will not beat itat video where the iPhone SEcompletely punchesabove it's weight class.So look, if you took away my iPhone 11 Proor because I'm a nerd Ialso have a Galaxy S20,and you told me I couldn'thave my multiple camera systemsor my fancy face unlock orin screen fingerprint sensorand the big bezelless OLED screensand instead I had to use this iPhone SE,I'd be sad, I'd miss those things,but not as much as you might think.Because other than low light photography,I am able to do all thesame things that I doon those thousand dollarphones on this $400 phone.Now if I were buying the SE,I would probably spend the extra 50 bucksto get a 128 gigs ofstorage instead of 64.I think it's a good upgradeif you want this phone to lastthree or four or maybe even five years.And that time span is whythe iPhone SE is a big deal.No other phone for less than $500can promise that it'sgoing to be this goodor that it's going to last that long.And beyond that, the iPhone SE,it isn't just a good deal,it's a really good phone.Hi, thank you so much for watching.Let me know what youthink of the iPhone SEdown in the comments and if you missed it,I also reviewed the MagicKeyboard for the iPad Proand there'll be a linksomewhere on your screen.I never know where to point.I do my best.\n"