Apple just announced an affordable new iPhone SE that costs $600 less than the range-topping iPhone 11 Pro, and packs just as much processing power.
The second-gen SE gets the same industry-leading A13 Bionic chip that debuted in the iPhone 11 range. The Retina HD display, which is capable of Dolby Vision and HDR10 playback, is paired down to 4.7 inches. That’s the same length as an iPhone 8 and approximately 1.1 inches shorter than the 11 Pro.
With a rear glass finish over a centered Apple logo and a color-matched aluminum band, there haven’t been any major departures from previous models’ overall design. The device is water- and dust-resistant with an IP67 rating for water resistance up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Three color schemes will be available at launch: black, white and red.
Instead of the 11 Pro’s groundbreaking triple-camera setup, the SE gets Apple’s most advanced single-camera system with a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture lens that uses an image signal processor and the chip’s Neural Engine to run Portrait mode, all six Portrait Lighting effects and Depth Control. As Business Insider notes, the SE does not support Apple’s low-light Night Mode or ultra-wide-angle shooting.
The rear camera supports high-quality video capture at 4K up to 60fps. QuickTake video on the front and rear cameras allows video recording without switching out of Photo mode
The SE also supports wireless charging with Qi-certified chargers, while fast-charging promises a 50 percent battery life in just 30 minutes. Dual SIM cards allow users to have two separate business and personal phone numbers on a single device instead of two separate phones.
How much does the iPhone SE cost?
Starting at $399, the iPhone SE will be available to pre-order beginning Friday, April 17 before the first shipments arrive on Friday, April 24.
