Apple's new iPhone SE is basically an iPhone 11 in a small package
Today Apple announced a new phone.
It's a new version of the iPhone SE which basically crammed an iPhone 11 into the body of an iPhone eight.
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For this new iPhone.
Apple basically took the iPhone SE recipe from 2016 and revamped it for 2020.
And the first ingredient on that list is affordability.
The original one costs $399 and the new one cost $399.
That gives you a 64 gigabyte bottle for $50 more you could upgrade to 128 gigabytes or you could pay $549.
Get a 256 gigabyte model.
Now compare that to the iPhone 11 that starts at $649 or the iPhone 11 Pro that starts at $999.
The 399 price puts this phone right into the budget phone category.
This means it rivals other phones like the Moto G7 which could be had for around $300 The upcoming Moto G stylus a Moto G power, pp also phones like the year old or Google Pixel three a hxey the next part of the iPhone SE recipe is compact size.
The original iPhone SE had the body that iPhone five or five s and you have to remember this came out during the time when the six and six s are already out.
And yet it showed Apple that a lot of people still wanted a small phone and that four inch screen that had been around for a couple years.
Now some people, including myself, were kind of hoping that Apple might bring back that form factor.
Factor the original iPhone SE or maybe a variation of it, but yeah, they didn't.
Instead they used the 4.7 inch form factor from phones like the iPhone 6, 6s, 7, and iPhone 8.
It's definitely thinner, but it's definitely taller and a little bit wider.
I think it's interesting we start comparing it to the other phones in Apple's lineup like the iPhone 11 and it's 6.1 inch screen.
It's just enormous and it's like a lot thinner than the iPhone 11 and when you look at it this way, the new iPhone SE is literally a compromise between the iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE original I don't know if that'll be enough though, to sway people who really want to smile I mean maybe it will maybe, I don't know.
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Okay, so one thing is kind of underappreciated about this new iPhone SE, at least I think there's no not.
There's no ugly notch, and that's because this doesn't have face ID, instead it uses touch ID in that optic button on the bottom.
So if you're not a fan of face ID, this could be for you, you're not a fan of the notch, this definitely is for you.
The next ingredient that Apple copied from the original iPhone SC recipe is making smart feature compromises.
Look there's just no way you are gonna take all the features on iPhone 11 That cost $650 and put them into a smaller body and charge $400.
That's just not gonna happen.
In fact, the original iPhone SE had many of the same features as the iPhone 6 and success but it didn't have all of them, it had like the camera, the processor.
So what do we get in this new iPhone SE?
Well, we get the a 13 bionic chip.
We get a True Tone display, we get wireless charging.
Also, we get fast charging.
You gotta pay extra for the fast charger.
You also get a phone that's rated IP67 for water and dust resistance.
Meaning, it could be submerged under one meter of water for 30 minutes.
I think those are some pretty good features.
Now, you won't be getting the double or triple rear cameras found in Apple's flagship phones.
However, you get a single rear camera that has most of the features, like Smart HDR and portrait mode, photos and cinematic stabilization, the ability to shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second, and Extended dynamic range video up to 30 frames per second.
That's pretty amazing.
So what's on the back of this phone?
It's got a 12 megapixel camera that has a 28 millimeter f/1.8 lens.
Compare that to the 26 millimeter f/1.8 lens That's found on the main camera of the iPhone 11, 11 pro 11 Pro max.
You're also not going to get night mode, which I didn't see it listed in the press release.
I'm assuming it's not there and you're not getting that ultra wide camera that a lot of people like In the new iPhones.
But again, for 399, I think those are smart compromises.
[MUSIC]
When we look at the new iPhone SE and all the ingredients it's borrowed from the original iPhone SE, I think it lines up pretty well.
I think it's a good 2020 version of an iPhone SE, at least on paper.
So should you preorder one?
Well, that's complicated.
And I say that because I haven't tested the new iPhone SE yet.
That said, if you're still rockin an original iPhone SE, and you're okay with a tiny increase in size, a ginormous increase in features, functionality and future proofing And a no increase in price then yeah, you should definitely consider upgrading.
And for those of you who are mulling whether or not to buy an iPhone 11 but maybe you wanted one at a lower price or one that's a little bit smart.
Yeah, you should definitely consider the new iPhone S.
[MUSIC]
If you're looking to learn more about the new iPhone S check out our coverage on cnet.com.
But you know what, I wanna hear from you guys.
What do you think of this new phone?
Is it all you'd hoped for?
Did you want a feature that they didn't add?
And if you're a fan of smartphones, is this small enough for you?
You know what are your responses in the comments.
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