Apple on Wednesday announced its latest iPhone SE for 2020, a budget phone that serves as a sequel to its sleeper hit from 2016, the original iPhone SE. In fact, the new iPhone SE largely follows Apple’s original 2016 recipe. Featuring a physical home button, wireless charging and the A13 Bionic processor, the $399 device is the most affordable iPhone in Apple’s lineup today, offering modern hardware and iOS 13 features to a more cost-conscious set of consumers.
But Apple’s foray into budget phones is not without company. For years Android devices have covered this price market and two of the best devices in this category were released last year: Google’s Pixel 3A and the Samsung Galaxy S10E. The $399 Pixel 3A features a headphone jack and has a great Night Sight-enabled camera that shoots great photos in the dark. Meanwhile, the $600 Galaxy S10E has a superfast Snapdragon 855 chip and a long-lasting battery, and can wirelessly charge other phones and accessories. Samsung more recently launched the Galaxy A51, another phone that costs $399 and has impressive camera specs (there is a 5G variant that costs $499).
The new iPhone SE.
Apple
To see how Apple’s iPhone compares spec-by-spec to these two other devices, check out the chart below, or do a deeper dive into the differences between iPhone SE’s specs and iPhone 11’s, or compare to the old iPhone SE and other recent iPhones. And for more about the handset, read CNET’s iPhone SE 2020 first take.
iPhone SE (2020) spec comparison
| Apple iPhone SE (2020) | Google Pixel 3A | Samsung Galaxy S10E | Samsung Galaxy A51 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334×750 pixels | 5.6-inch gOLED; 2,220×1,080 pixels | 5.8-inch AMOLED; 2,280×1,080 pixels | 6.5-inch FHD AMOLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels |
| Pixel density | 326ppi | 441ppi | 438ppi | 405ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in. | 6.0 x 2.8 x 0.3 in. | 5.6 x 2.8 x 0.27 in. | 6.2 x 2.89 x 0.31 in. |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm | 151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2mm | 142 x 70 x 7.9mm | 157.5 x 73.4 x 7.9mm |
| Weight (ounces, grams) | 5.22 oz.; 148g | 5.19 oz.; 147g | 5.3oz.; 150g | 6.06 oz.; 172g |
| Mobile software | iOS 13 | Android 9.0 | Android 9.0 | Android 10 |
| Camera | 12-megapixel | 12.2-megapixel | 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultrawide-angle) | 48-megapixel (standard), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 5-megapixel (macro), 5-megapixel (depth sensing) |
| Front-facing camera | 7-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 10-megapixel | 32-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | Apple A13 Bionic | 2.0GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 | 2.3GHz octa-core |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 64GB | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB |
| RAM | Not disclosed | 4GB | 6GB, 8GB | 4GB |
| Expandable storage | No | No | Up to 512GB | Up to 512GB |
| Battery | Not disclosed | 3,000 mAh | 3,100 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Home button | Back | Power button | In-screen |
| Connector | Lightning | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Special features | Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging | AR in Google Maps, Timelapse video shooting | Wireless PowerShare; hole punch screen notch; water resistant (IP68); Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 | Dual-SIM capabilities |
| Price off-contract (USD) | $399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB) | $399 | $750 | $399 |
| Price (GBP) | £419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB) | £399 | £669 | £329 |
| Price (AUD) | AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB) | AU$649 | AU$1,199 | UK price converts to AU$650 |
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Apple’s new iPhone SE is basically an iPhone 11 in a…
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