Apple’s new iPhone SE goes back to basics: it’s smaller, cheaper and the home button has returned

At US$399, the new iPhone SE is Apple’s cheapest in years. It has an older design and a single-lens main camera
The much missed home button has returned, and the chip is the same as in the iPhone 11

Smartphones

Ben Sin

Published: 12:36pm, 16 Apr 2020

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Apple has announced a new iPhone and it addresses three of the most vocal complaints from iPhone users over the past few years: that phones are getting too big; too expensive; and they miss the home button.

The new iPhone SE is much smaller, with just a 4.7-inch screen; it starts at US$399; and the iconic circular home button is back.

The last bit is actually part of the compromise that helped Apple get to that very low (for Apple) price. The iPhone SE 2020 sports an older design – almost identical to 2017’s iPhone 8 – with thick top and bottom bezels, the latter is where the home button is placed. So yes, this new iPhone omits the fancy 3D facial scanning system of recent iPhones, but at least there isn’t a notch that cuts into the top part of the screen.

Despite the retro design, the iPhone SE packs plenty of punch, using the same A13 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone 11 series. In benchmarks, this chip tops both Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 and Huawei’s Kirin 990, making it the most powerful mobile processor on the market.

The new iPhone SE is aimed at the budget-minded and will start at US$399. Photo: AFP/Apple

Another notable omission is the multi lens camera system that is now standard everywhere. The iPhone SE sticks to a single 12 megapixel main camera and a seven megapixel selfie camera.

Apple reps say the main camera is “all new”, although it looks very similar to the iPhone 11’s main camera.

The iPhone SE is tiny compared to most phones in 2020. Photo: Apple via AP

What’s new likely refers to the software algorithms Apple designed to help produce realistic bokeh portrait images with a single lens (previous iPhones used both lenses to pull that off). From the promotional samples Apple showed to media, portrait photos look good.

The iPhone SE also supports wireless charging, and while Apple has traditionally declined to reveal battery size, it promises the phone will offer better battery life than the 2016 model of the iPhone SE and the iPhone 8. Another first for the SE line is the ability to record videos in 4K/60FPS resolution.

Ultimately, what will attract buyers will be iPhone loyalists who want an iPhone but find the recent prices or sizes too much to handle. The iPhone SE measures 138.4mm in height, 67.3mm in width, and weighs 148 grams, making for a phone that’s downright petite by 2020 standards.

The US$399 starting price for the 64GB model is also the cheapest Apple has sold an iPhone in years. However, in Hong Kong, the price is marked up slightly to HK$3,399 (US$438).

Android fans will likely scoff at the idea of this iPhone being a “good value” – and on paper that is true, as there are dozens of Chinese brands offering phones at that price point that offer a much more modern design – but the reality is this is not a product aiming at tech geeks or Android enthusiasts, it is for the average consumer to whom the iPhone is their main idea of a phone.

This is also for the older crowd who prefer the tactile feeling of pressing a button to go home instead of swiping up.

And the switch back to fingerprint scanning instead of using facial scanning for biometrics will come in handy as we remain masked up during this global pandemic.

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