Apple’s $399 iPhone SE

Apple Unveils $399 iPhone SE With 4.7-inch Display, A13 Bionic SoC

Lovers of small phones have cause to celebrate today — after years of rumors and speculation, Apple has unveiled a second-gen iPhone SE. The display is just 4.7 inches, making it much more comfortable than other modern smartphones, and it’s Apple’s least expensive iPhone since the last SE. You can pick one up for a mere $399 with 64GB of storage.

The current flagship iPhones have 5.8 and 6.5-inch OLED displays, which are larger than some would prefer. The new iPhone SE has a much smaller 4.7-inch LCD panel. Apple is notorious for skimping on actual specs, so we don’t know what the resolution of that screen is, but reports claim it’ll be 750p. With such a small display, that should still be plenty of pixels. Apple still considers this a “Retina HD” screen.

While this phone has a modest screen, the processing power is anything but. The new SE has the same custom A13 Bionic chip inside that powers the flagship iPhone 11 lineup. That’s amazing for a $400 phone — other smartphone makers with smaller, cheaper phone options include a midrange processor. Apple’s robust supply chain and purchasing power have allowed it to cram this small phone full of high-end hardware.

Physically, the iPhone SE looks like a shrunken iPhone 8 with the classic home button design (complete with Touch ID) and big top and bottom bezels. There’s no Face ID, though. You do get IP67 water protection and wireless charging. Those features are almost unheard of in phones that cost a mere $400. Most budget phones have retained the headphone jack in recent years, but not the iPhone SE. It’s all Lightning all the time.

Around back, you get a single 12MP camera with optical stabilization. It might not match the convenience of having multiple camera modules, but this phone should have the same Deep Fusion image processing that has made the iPhone 11 so much better than its predecessor.

Apple has spent years leaning into premium phones, and that means you’re paying at least $1,000 for the latest flagship iPhones. However, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has shaken the world economy. This is a good time to launch a cheaper phone, and bonus, Touch ID doesn’t care if you’re wearing a mask. The iPhone SE goes up for pre-order April 17th and it ships on the 24th. It comes in black, white, and red.

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