Having grown accustomed to giant Android phones, I wondered what to make of the sweetly small iPhone SE 2020 when I first held it in my hand. “How cute,” was my first thought,  followed closely by marvelling at the slim lightness of the device. Quite pristine in white (the other colours are red and black), I find it looking so neat and Apple-esque and really so lovely to hold. But this little gadget costs upward of Rs 42,000 and if you were to pay half the price in the Android world, you would get so much more, in a sense. So I decided to get inputs from those who don’t necessarily want what Android offers and would willingly buy the new iPhone SE. That included a user of the original iPhone SE from 2017 who thinks he might upgrade — in a year or two. 

Small and sweet

iPhone SE 2020

By now you would be really hard put to it to find smartphones that are 4.7 inches across. Most people want enough screen space to feast on videos and movies and a canvas on which to see their photos and selfies in all their glory. And you get screens that border on 7 inches for the price of the little iPhone. But as it turns out, the small size of the SE is so desirable it’s wroth the trade-offs it comes with. It’s wonderful to hold for long calls, it can be used one-handed, and cozily slips into a pocket. For someone who’s used the 4-inch original SE or an iPhone 8, the SE 2020 is just fine and big Android phones are just too large and overwhelming with too much of a presence of their own. Overall, the SE 2020 has the exact body of the iPhone 8 and can even take its cases.

Screen scenario

If you haven’t used an Android phone with a nice big screen, you don’t miss it. But for those who are aware of what other advantages those screens bring, it does seem disappointing to see the big bezels on the iPhone SE 2020, seeming to gobble up half the real estate available. If only Apple had found a way to do away with those, it would have been rather nice. The SE’s screen is LCD and not an AMOLED so it isn’t quite as bright and contrasty as others, but again, customers who want the SE don’t necessarily care as much, going by the inputs we got. The SE’s screen does in fact still look pretty nice and certainly not anything like the old LCD displays you’d get on cheap or dated Android phones. 

The SE 2020’s screen has big bezels that doesn’t mean it’s housing the True Depth camera on the other recent series of iPhones. It will not give you Face ID, which actually works very fast, and you’ll have to use Touch ID on the big round Home button that’s come back on this device. Many users like the feel of that Home button and will actually welcome it, though. 

Big brains, small body

Just about the most remarkable thing about the iPhone SE 2020 is that it runs on the A13 Bionic chip that’s on the top iPhone 11 Pro line-up. It may not have more than 3GB RAM but it works smoothly and can handle processor heavy tasks like video editing, gaming and AR without slowing down. While Android phones outdo the little SE in many ways such as screen size, battery, charging, storage, etc there’s no doubting that it’s the smallest phone to have a top level flagship processor on the inside. It also runs the same software as the top-end iPhone and is expected to get updates and keep up with it for the next few years. That’s one important reason fans of this little phone still want it — they expect longevity that outlasts the average Android phone. 

Camera

The A13 chip is also contributing to how the single rear 12MP and single front cameras perform. With photo processing able to happen very quickly as a result, the SE’s cameras give very nice results in good light. Detail, white balance, dynamic range are all good on this set of cameras, even though extras like a wide angle, telephoto or macro lens are missing on this device. Because of the power of the chip the camera can do background blurring and include some of the interesting Portrait mode features available on other iPhones — studio lighting effects and the new high key mono effect, for example. Portrait mode works for people, not objects however. The 7MP front camera also has these features. A lot of work is being done by software, but it’s doing a good job of it. You even have OIS for smooth videos. What you don’t have is anything special for low light photos. 

A baby of a battery 

Being a small phone there’s only so much battery you can fit into it. The one in the SE 2020 is said to be 1,821mAh, less than anything Android phones worth Rs 5,000 come with. Battery life may be acceptable, but how long can a tiny battery go? Using the phone a lot will probably mean having to top it up during the day sometime. But it’s probably light users who will like this device so once in 24 hours may work fine for them. One premium feature is that it supports wireless charging so can be dropped on a charging mat at night and be good to go in the morning. The charger in the box is a 5watt one and that’s really very ungenerous considering it does support a 15watt charger and could have had one. It seems a bit paradoxical to have given this phone the most powerful chip but not that much battery to run it with.

The iPhone SE has IP67 water resistance, so it can be submerged in water for up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. If it falls into a monsoon puddle, it should survive the ordeal. But it doesn’t have the 3.5mm stereo jack, USB-C, two regular SIM slots or a memory card slot on top of its 64GB storage. Or 128GB if you opt for the higher variant. Despite what’s missing the previous SE had its avid fans and Apple believes the new version will as well, being as it is a combination of an older loved design on the outside and updated interiors. In fact, Apple says this has been about the most popular size of all its phones. If only it were a little cheaper. In the US, the device is $400 which is just upward of Rs 30,000. Yet, with the help of duties and god knows what else, the starting price in India is Rs 42,500. Luckily, there are lower prices available depending on where you buy and on special offers. While it’s still expensive, many would argue that it’s the most affordable current iPhone you can buy. 

Price: Rs 42,500, Rs 47,800, Rs 58,300

Pros: Powerful A13 Bionic chip, comfortable to hold, updated camera, newest Apple software with expected longevity, IP67 rated, wireless charging

Cons: Dated body, battery runs out fast, no 18W charger, no case, limited colour options, low res display, still expensive despite being most affordable iPhone