The day the iPhone SE was revealed, I texted my dad. He’s been waiting to replace his aging iPhone 6, but I told him not to go for the iPhone 11 or XR, as he, well, he doesn’t care much about having the biggest iPhone, or the one with the most cameras, or Face ID. He just wants an iPhone.
Actually, I think he wants a flip phone, but I’ve been a terrible bad influence. The truth is, I kind of miss flip phones too.
He hasn’t gotten it yet, otherwise I might pressure him for a few quotes, maybe even a mini review! Instead, you’ll have to deal with reviews from these other people.
I’ll let him know you’re all disappointed not to be hearing from him.
I’m going to do this review a little differently than I’ve done other meta-reviews. Here, I’ll break the reviews out into sections, as I do for my normal reviews. I did this by reading through reviews and finding comments people made across experiences. Patterns of thought. It makes it feel more like a normal full review. However, I will start with video reviews, because they have value outside of the transcripts.
In This Article:
Video Reviews
iJustine
iJustine pointed out just how amazing the iPhone SE’s camera is, even the stereo audio quality. She also pointed out how much she missed the home button and Touch ID, especially in a world of masks.
Oh, and all iPhone 8 cases will work for it, so you can even save some money if you’re using an older case!
Marques Brownlee
Some highlights:
“Apple may be the only company that can pull off a budget phone like this”
“One of the best value phones of the year and for a long time.”
He also seemed to like the smaller size, noting that it fit in a pocket much nicer than other phones.
Performance
“Apple has equipped the iPhone SE with the same chip system that powers the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. It has a six-core CPU, a four-core GPU, and an eight-core neural engine … Switching between apps was fluid in my testing. Videos launched and streamed smoothly on a stable Wi-Fi connection. Downloading, installing, and launching heavy apps—like the 8-gigabyte Fornite—took around six minutes.”
– Lauren Goode, Wired
The iPhone SE has the same process as the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. For $400! That’s insane performance for the price. The iPhone SE is also driving the least number of pixels on the screen. If the GPU in the device and the memory is the same, then the iPhone SE could be an incredibly fast phone, rivaling even Apple’s best.
Apple likely could have skimped on the processor, but chose to save on product differentiation costs by using the same processor. Apple saves money and they can pass that along. The most powerful mobile processor, in iPhones or any other phones, is also in the cheapest iPhone. People notice that.
Nearly every reviewer mentioned how snappy this phone is. It’s the iPhone 11 in a smaller body. Of course it’s fast. It’s part of the fastest lineup of iPhones Apple has ever made.
The processor also means the iPhone SE will receive upgrades for many years, at least three, but possibly more. Apple has kept the first iPhone SE up to date, 4 years after its release. That could mean that this iPhone is another 4 year investment.
Of all places, Android Central pointed out that, “The cheapest iPhone has a more powerful processor than the most expensive Android phone.” That’s the kind of performance we’re talking about here.
Camera
Shot on an iPhone SE. Really. Note the detail close up and in the distance, as well as the dynamic range between highlights and shadows.
This is likely the same camera that’s in the iPhone 11, at least the standard wide angle lens. Since it’s only one lens, there’s no hardware to improve portrait mode. That means it’s driven entirely by software. No more pet portraits. It also means the phone fails when it comes to night photos, as there’s no night mode. While the A13 processor does the heavy lifting for the camera when it comes to night mode, information collected by the iPhone’s ultra-wide camera also helps. The iPhone SE is a return to noisy nighttime photos. If you’ve had night mode, this will be a little jarring. If you haven’t, it may be an upgrade over whatever you’re replacing.
“In any sort of bright lighting conditions, the iPhone SE takes absolutely lovely photos. … This is all great, but the disappointment comes with low-light photography. The iPhone SE simply doesn’t do as well there as it does in other situations. There’s no night mode, and in dim light, there’s just too much noise. It’s almost like the whole camera stack panics and overcorrects, especially on portraits.”
– Dieter Bohn, The Verge
The camera itself is very good. This performs as well in bright or normal lighting as Apple’s iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro. Sure, there’s no telephoto, but it’s still the same amazing 12MP shooter with 4K video, optical image stabilization, and stereo sound. It’s a top-end cellphone camera for a mid-range price. In a world of 3 or more cameras on flagship phones, it might not seem like much, but it’s still an improvement over the iPhone XR, which was already a wonderful camera. If you’re looking for a great camera for a great price, the iPhone SE should be high on your list.
Screen
Most videos are 16:9 anyway, so you may not even think about those bezels while watching a movie or playing a game.
The screen on the iPhone SE is Apple’s Retina LCD screen, in 4.7″. It’s Apple’s smallest screen size, though that’s offset by its huge bezels. It’s also Apple’s dimmest screen, with the lowest resolution. Still, it’s not a bad screen. Being the worst iPhone screen is like having the slowest sports car. It’s still got fantastic color accuracy, a decent enough resolution, and a decent brightness. Is it as good as Apple’s other iPhones? No. But it’s not bad. It’s brighter and more accurate than other smartphones in the same price range. In Tom’s Guide’s testing, it’s significantly brighter than the Google Pixel 3a, an older phone from Google for $399.
“Unfortunately, the bezels around the iPhone SE’s screen look big and dated for a 2020 smartphone. I kept trying to zoom in on videos to no avail. I would have liked Apple to fit a larger display in the same size chassis.”
– Mike Spoonauer, Tom’s Guide
This is still an LCD screen, like the one in the iPhone 11. That means it won’t have the same deep contrast of an OLED display, like the ones in the iPhone 11 Pro models. Black colors will appear dark gray on the screen. Can you put up with that? Most likely. In fact, after a short time, you may not even notice it.
Form Factor
Notice how, while the screen (4.7″ vs 6.1″) is much smaller, the device is only a little smaller, thanks to those bezels. Still, it’s hand relief.
The iPhone SE is a little smaller than the iPhone 11 Pro, and therefore is the smallest iPhone Apple makes. It’s still too large, thanks to those large bezels, but it’s Apple’s smallest and lightest iPhone.
And reviewers love it. Unsurprisingly—to people who have asked for smaller smartphones for years—a smaller iPhone is a better iPhone. It fits in the hand better, in the pocket, even your purse or bag. People want a smaller iPhone, Apple! Get with the program!
However, they were quick to point out that this screen was too small. And that might still be true. There’s a lot of space at the top and the bottom of this phone, and even a little on the side, that’s just wasted. All the additional difficulty of a larger phone, but with a smaller screen. So what Apple and other phone manufacturers should really take away from this is that people want smaller devices, but don’t give them bezels. They want the largest screen they can possibly fit in their hands comfortably. Anything else is a compromise.
Touch ID
You can tell this is the iPhone 6s because it has a headphone jack. Otherwise, it would be hard to tell, the design hasn’t changed much in 6 years.
You know what? I wish I had some Touch ID right now. Every time I go out of my apartment, I put on my mask and face covering. Now my iPhone can’t recognize me. Of course, if I’m wearing gloves, Touch ID wouldn’t be able to recognize me either. However, unlike a face mask, I don’t need gloves every time I head outside, especially if I’m washing my hands well and often (and I am).
Face ID just doesn’t work well in a world of face masks and pandemics. Masks aren’t going to just disappear in a week or two after this pandemic slows or ends. People are going to have a hard time giving up those habits. The masks are here to stay, maybe Touch ID should be as well.
Battery Life
“The battery is smaller than Apple’s bigger phones, so you’ll find it drains pretty quickly if you’re playing lots of games and streaming movies. You’ll get to the end of the day if you’re spending more time just surfing the web and texting, so it’s good enough for most people and I don’t really have any complaints.”
– Todd Haselton, CNBC
This is one of the trade-offs of the iPhone SE. This is the smallest battery of any iPhone. The screen is smaller, so it uses less energy, but not enough to make it more efficient than the iPhone 11, which has a significantly larger battery. The battery life in the iPhone SE seems to last through some light use throughout a day, especially if you can top it off after or during work. But if you weren’t pleased with the iPhone battery life before the iPhone XR was introduced, this will be a callback to those less efficient models. The Verge says they got about 4-5 hours of screen time for their battery. If you’re a heavy user and commute without power, that means your commute alone could cost you half your battery life.
Let’s hope you’re not the type to listen to music or scroll through a feed on your phone at work.
The battery life, more than the processor, limits the longevity of the iPhone SE. In four years, you’ll likely only get 75% of what you’re getting today. That could mean 3 hours of phone use before you’re reaching for a charger. It may be wise to carry an external battery pack or battery case with you when you’re using this iPhone if you use your iPhone frequently.
Overall
This view of the black iPhone in bright lighting makes it look really cool. Photo: Chris Velazco/Engadget
Reviewers seem to be split on the form factor. Some love the smaller size and the fact that Touch ID works with a mask on. Others feel as though the screen, at 4.7″, is too small for them, especially with bezels. All praise the speed and the surprisingly good single camera setup. However, battery life is a drawback. The screen is only a little better than what you pay for. While it’s not the best screen on the market, it’s better than the average in this price range.
Overall, this is a steal. It’s a fast, compact iPhone with the power of Apple’s best where it counts. If you’re thinking about trying out iOS, but couldn’t afford an iPhone, now is the best time ever to try it out. You get iMessage, a great camera, a fast phone, and the iOS ecosystem for half the price you’d normally pay. The battery life and screen brightness suffer, but those are hardly drawbacks when you consider other people spend over $1,000 for a phone with these specs. The iPhone SE is the best bargain Apple ever released.
Reviews Used in this Meta-Review:
- Dieter Bohn, The Verge. Rating: 8.5 / 10
- Lauren Goode, Wired. Rating: 8.0 / 10
- Todd Hasselton, CNBC
- Patrick Holland, CNet. Rating: 8.6 / 10
- Matthew Panzarino, TechCrunch
- Mike Spoonauer, Tom’s Guide
- Chris Velazco, Engadget. Rating: 90 / 100