Apple has announced a new iPhone outside the month of September for the first time since 2016, and outside autumn for only the second time in a decade. It is a very big deal. It’s the new iPhone SE for 2020.
Apple’s popular first-gen iPhone SE was discontinued in September 2018, and fans of small, affordable handsets have been asking for a replacement ever since. At long last, they’ve got it – although it isn’t quite as small this time around.
In this article we have all the details about the new iPhone SE’s release date (when you can pre-order, when it will appear in shops), price in the UK and US, specs, design and new features. We’ll help you decide if this is the phone for you.
Release date: When will the new iPhone SE come out?
The iPhone SE (2020) was announced at 4pm UK time on 15 April 2020. You’ll be able to pre-order the new iPhone SE from 1pm UK time (or 5am PDT) on Friday 17 April, and it will be available in shops from Friday 24 April.
| NETWORK | Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
|---|
| LAUNCH | Announced | 2020, April 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Coming soon. Exp. release 2020, April 24 |
| BODY | Dimensions | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm (5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 148 g (5.22 oz) | |
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | |
| SIM | Nano-SIM and/or eSIM | |
| IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) |
| DISPLAY | Type | Retina IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 4.7 inches, 60.9 cm2 (~65.4% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 750 x 1334 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~326 ppi density) | |
| Protection | Ion-strengthened glass, oleophobic coating | |
| Wide color gamut True-tone 625 nits max brightness (advertised) |
| PLATFORM | OS | iOS 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+) | |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2×2.65 GHz Lightning + 4×1.8 GHz Thunder) | |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| MAIN CAMERA | Single | 12 MP, f/1.8 (wide), PDAF, OIS |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR | |
| Video | 2160p@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, OIS, stereo sound rec. |
| SOUND | Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, hotspot |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS | |
| NFC | Yes | |
| Radio | No | |
| USB | 2.0, proprietary reversible connector |
| FEATURES | Sensors | Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, proximity, gyro, compass, barometer |
|---|---|---|
| Siri natural language commands and dictation |
| BATTERY | Non-removable Li-Ion 1821 mAh battery (6.96 Wh) | |
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Fast charging 18W, 50% in 30 min (advertised) Qi wireless charging |
The $399 iPhone SE is the most affordable Apple phone
At a time when the “value” iPhone 11 costs $699 and the flagship 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max cost $999 and $1,099 respectively, an option more people can afford is welcome. Like the original when it was introduced, the new iPhone SE is the cheapest iPhone you can buy. In fact, it starts at the exact same $399 price as the original SE.
It’s a perfect time for an affordable phone. With shelter-in-place being a daily reality that won’t let up anytime soon, millions of us rely more than ever on a phone to stay in contact with friends, a loved one or work. At the same time, millions of people are in financial distress. If you’re in the unfortunate situation where you need a new phone or can’t fix a damaged phone, today’s announcement offers some relief
The $399 price of the SE places it alongside a growing crowd of budget-friendly Android phones, which includes the upcoming Moto G Power and G Stylus ($249 and $300 respectively), the $400 Samsung Galaxy A51 and the heavily discounted Google Pixel 4, which currently sells for $500. There’s also last year’s Google Pixel 3A, which normally costs $399 and now sells for around $300.
Price: How much does the iPhone SE (2020) cost?
The iPhone SE (2020) starts at £419 in the UK, and $399 in the US. Yeah, that exchange rate bites just a bit. Here’s the full pricing:
- iPhone SE (2020, 64GB): £419/$399
- iPhone SE (2020, 128GB): £469/$449
- iPhone SE (2020, 256GB): £569/$549