Apple has announced the iPhone SE for 2020, and it’s the new ‘cheap’ iPhone that comes in at just $399 / £419 / AU$749 / Rs 42,500 while offeringan impressive range of features for a phone at that price point.
The new iPhone SE was originally expected to be called the iPhone 9, but the company has decided to return to the SE moniker first used in 2016 (so we’ll be calling it the iPhone SE 2020 for clarity here – and no, Apple hasn’t told us officially what the SE stands for).
It essentially replaces and improves on the iPhone 8 (which is now off sale and Apple’s product page redirects to a splashy notice about the iPhone SE 2020) while maintaining the same price point.
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Why the new iPhone SE is the actually Apple’s cheapest of all time
Apple launched the new iPhone SE to muted fanfare this time around, thanks to the changing times around us all, delivering it on press release rather that calling in journalists from around the world to a congregate in the Steve Jobs Theater.
Here’s everything we know about Apple’s new and cheaper iPhone – and it’s good news if you were missing the home button after 2019’s all-screen line-up.
The iPhone SE 2020 release date is set for Friday April 24, with pre-orders opening at the end of this week (Friday, April 17) and going live at 5am PDT / 8am EDT / 1pm BST.
The iPhone SE price starts at $399 / £419 / AU$749 / Rs 42,500, meaning it’s the same price in the US as the original iPhone SE (but higher in the UK). The base model comes with 64GB of storage, with 128GB and 256GB models also available for a higher price (which you can see listed below).
In the US, Apple is offering the new iPhone SE at $16.62/month through its financing plan or, if you have something like the iPhone 8 to trade-in, just $9.54/mo or $229. If you are upgrading from the original iPhone SE or iPhone 6, you’ll only get $30 toward the full price of the device.
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If you’re familiar with the design of the iPhone 8 (and the iPhone 7, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6, come to think of it) then you already know what the new iPhone SE looks like.
It’s backwards compatible with all iPhone 8 cases, and has the same 4.7-inch Retina HD Display as found on the last 4.7-inch model (1334 x 750) with a 326 pixels per inch sharpness.
It gets the same TrueTone technology as the latest models too, enabling it to adapt to the lighting conditions around you and make the screen’s white balance to warmer or cooler.
It’s also using the Haptic Touch system that Apple brought to the iPhone 11 range, where a long press will activate a separate menu and buzz designed to replicate the feeling of a physical press.
As the design is almost identical to an iPhone 8, that means there’s a Touch ID home button built into the bottom bezel on the phone’s front.
You’ll be able to unlock your phone with your fingerprint using this, rather than using Face ID as on other modern iPhones – which for some people will be a little simpler to use (if a tiny bit less secure).
The phone is IP67 dust- and water-resistant, which means it’ll be able to survive the odd splash of water or outing in the rain.
You’ve got the choice of three colors: black, white or Product Red (that’s just another name for red).
On the bottom edge of the iPhone SE you’ll find a Lightning connector for charging your device. As was widely expected, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, so you’ll have to purchase an adapter if you want to use wired headphones.