Apple recently announced the second generation of its budget smartphone, the iPhone SE 2020. Some might be wondering if it’s worth the wait, most especially to some who’ve been wanting to switch to iPhone. Looking more like the base model of the iPhone 8 series than its predecessor, we decided to compare the iPhone SE 2020 next to the iPhone 8. Here’s what we found out.
| iPhone SE (2nd generation) | iPhone 8 |
|---|---|
| 4.7-inch Retina HD (1334 x 750) display, 326ppi | 4.7-inch Retina HD (1334 x 750) display, 326ppi |
| Apple A13 Bionic chip w/ 3rd-gen Neural Engine | Apple A11 Bionic chip w/ Neural Engine |
| Apple GPU (4-core) | Apple GPU (3-core) |
| 64GB, 128GB, 256GB internal storage | 64GB, 128GB internal storage |
| 12MP F1.8 rear camera, True Tone flash with Slow Sync | 12MP F1.8 rear camera, True Tone flash with Slow Sync |
| 4K video at 60fps, OIS, 1080p at 240fps slow-mo | 4K video at 60fps, OIS, 1080p at 240fps slow-mo |
| 7MP F2.2 front camera | 7MP F2.2 front camera |
| Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps | -- |
| 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| Dual-SIM (nano and eSIM) | Single-SIM (nano) |
| WiFi 6 | WiFi |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| NFC with reader mode | NFC with reader mode |
| GPS, A-GPS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Stereo speakers | Stereo speakers |
| Touch ID | Touch ID |
| IP67 water and dust resistance | IP67 water and dust resistance |
| Supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 content | Supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 content |
| Haptic Touch | 3D Touch |
| Express Cards with power reserve | Express Cards |
| FaceTime HD | FaceTime HD |
| Portrait Lighting | -- |
| Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control | -- |
| QuickTake video | -- |
| Stereo recording | -- |
| Next-generation Smart HDR for photos | Auto HDR for photos |
| Water-resistant up to 1m for 30 minutes | Water-resistant up to 1m for 30 minutes |
| Lightning port | Lightning port |
| iOS 13 | iOS 11 (upgradable up to iOS 13) |
| 18W wired fast charging, supports Qi wireless charging | 18W wired fast charging, supports Qi wireless charging |
| 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm |
| 148 g | 148 g |
| Black, White, Product Red | Silver, Space Gray, Gold |
| Price: • 64GB - PHP 26,490 • 128GB - PHP 30,490 • 256GB - PHP 36, 490 | Price (before discontinuation): • 64GB - PHP 30,990 • 128GB - PHP 33,990 |
Table of Contents
Performance
The latest iteration of iPhone SE bears the same A13 Bionic chip found in the iPhone 11-series. Partnered with 3rd generation Neural Engine, the iPhone SE 2020 can handle every task smoothly and deliver flagship-like performance without breaking the bank. This is made possible by the two machine learning-powered accelerators and a machine learning controller on the chipset. The processor mainly improves camera performance, battery life, and gaming experience. Meanwhile, the iPhone 8 is equipped with A11 Bionic chip w/ Neural Engine.
The graphics card of the iPhone SE is more advanced, having Apple’s GPU in four cores instead of iPhone 8’s three cores.
Memory and Connectivity
Storage-wise, the iPhone SE provides more options. It now offers up to 256GB of internal storage, trumping iPhone 8’s 128GB. Apple’s most affordable phone also boasts faster download speeds made possible by WiFi 6 and Gigabit-class LTE. Although it does not support 5G connectivity, it does improve LTE network connectivity. The iPhone 8, on the other hand, only has the standard LTE-Advanced connectivity.
Camera
Hardware-wise, both the iPhone 8 and the iPhone SE 2020 features the same single 12MP rear and 7 MP front cameras with the former sporting optical image stabilization. It does, however, differ on some camera features. It now shoots amazing photos and stunning portraits, thanks to Smart HDR and Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and depth control. To make portraits more dramatic, the camera app also includes six Portrait Lighting effects: Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, and High-Key Mono.
For video recording, the iPhone SE 2020 comes with an extended dynamic range of up to 30 fps. It also has QuickTake video on both rear and front cameras that allows video recording without switching out of Photo mode. Videos recorded are also now more immersive with stereo audio recording and cinematic video stabilization.
Other features
For other features, the iPhone SE 2020 allows Apple Pay with Power Reserve. This allows users to quickly pay for their rides for five hours even when the smartphone needs to be charged. However, Apple Pay isn’t available yet in the country so you may need to hold your wheels for that. It now supports a more simplified touch-and-hold gesture through Haptic Touch, enabling secondary gestures in just one, long tap instead of multiple taps from iPhone 8’s 3D Touch. The 2020 variant of the iPhone SE now ships with Dual SIM, with one in nano and the other an eSIM. Just like other previous iPhones, the iPhone SE 2020 offers the iconic Product Red colorway.
Now, we proceed to the price. Although it is packed with a more advanced processor and comes with more special features in the camera department, the 64GB variant of the iPhone SE 2020 seems to be more affordable than the iPhone 8 at PHP 26,490. The iPhone 8, on the other hand, starts at PHP 30,990. The 128GB version of the iPhone SE 2020 only costs PHP 30,490 compared with the 128GB iPhone 8 priced at PHP 33,990. Should you want to have more space for your media files, there’s the 256GB iPhone SE which costs PHP 36,490.
If you want an upgraded camera, optimized performance, larger memory, and faster connectivity, go for the iPhone SE 2020. But if you prefer an old school iPhone as a spare phone, then stick to the iPhone 8.
And there you have it. As for the rest of the specs, both are the same in terms of design profile, rear and front cameras, display, fingerprint scanners in the Home button, battery life, lightning port, and OS versions.
No battery Comparison.
Apple has not revealed the capacity for the SE 2020 yet but says that it has the same battery life as the iPhone 8.
If ever na same battery capacity sila ni iPhone 8 for sure iPhone SE 2020 will have longer battery life because of A13 way efficient than A11.