IPhone SE (2nd generation)

For other models of iPhone SE, see iPhone SE (1st generation) and iPhone SE (3rd generation).

iPhone SE

The second-generation iPhone SE in White
Developer	Apple Inc.
Manufacturers	Foxconn[1] (on contract) Wistron[1] (on contract) for the Indian market
Type	Smartphone
First released	April 24, 2020 (2020-04-24)
Discontinued	March 8, 2022 (2022-03-08)
Predecessor	iPhone SE (1st generation)
Successor	iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Compatible networks	GSM, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA+, DC‑HSDPA, CDMA EV‑DO, FDD‑LTE, TD‑LTE
Form factor	Slate
Dimensions	H: 138.4 mm (5.45 in)[2] W: 67.3 mm (2.65 in)[2] D: 7.3 mm (0.29 in)[2]
Weight	148 g (5.2 oz)[2]
Operating system	Original: iOS 13.4[3] Current: iOS 18.2, released December 11, 2024[4]
System-on-chip	A13 Bionic[2][5]
Modem	Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM), Gigabit-class LTE with 2x2 MIMO and LAA[2]
Memory	3 GB of LPDDR4X RAM[6]
Storage	64, 128, or 256 GB[2] (256 GB model discontinued since September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14)) NVMe
SIM	Nano-SIM and eSIM
Battery	1821 mAh, 3.82 V Li-ion[6]
Charging	Lightning connector (fast-charge capable up to 18W),[2] or Qi wireless charging[2]
Rear camera	12 MP with six-element lens, ƒ/1.8 aperture, quad-LED "True Tone" flash with Slow Sync, autofocus, IR filter, Burst mode (photography), 4K video recording at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps, slow-motion video (1080p at 120 or 240 fps), timelapse with stabilization, panorama, face detection, Smart HDR, digital image stabilization, optical image stabilization, cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p), Portrait mode and Portrait lighting
Front camera	7 MP with QuickTake video, f/2.2 aperture, burst mode, exposure control, face detection, auto-HDR, auto image stabilization, Retina Flash, 1080p HD video recording, cinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p), Portrait mode and Portrait lighting
Display	4.7 in (120 mm) True Tone Retina HD display with IPS technology, 1334 × 750 pixel resolution (326 ppi), 1400:1 contrast ratio (typical), 625 nits max brightness (typical), with dual-ion exchange-strengthened glass and Haptic Touch[2]
Sound	Stereo speakers
Connectivity	Near-field communication (NFC), Lightning connector, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Wi‑Fi calling, GPS, GNSS, Express Cards with power reserve
Data inputs	Multi-touch touchscreen display, barometer, motion coprocessor, 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, digital compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, Touch ID fingerprint reader, microphone
Water resistance	IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 minutes)
Hearing aid compatibility	M3, T4[7]
Website	iPhone SE - Apple at the Wayback Machine (archived March 5, 2022)
References	[8]

The second-generation iPhone SE (also known as the iPhone SE 2 or the iPhone SE 2020) is a smartphone developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the 13th generation of the iPhone, alongside the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro/Pro Max models. Apple announced it on April 15, 2020, coinciding with the discontinuation of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Orders began on April 17, 2020, and the phone was released on April 24, 2020.^[9] It was released with a starting price of US$399, and positioned as a budget phone.^[10][11]

Following the pattern of the first iPhone SE (which shares the form factor of the iPhone 5s, with the internal hardware of the iPhone 6s), the second-generation model shares the form factor of the iPhone 8, with internal components from the iPhone 11 lineup. It has components such as the Apple A13 Bionic system-on-chip, which allows the phone to utilize the single wide-angle lens Portrait Mode, as on the iPhone XR. It also features Smart HDR-2 photos, which are marketed as being better than Smart HDR photos on the iPhone XS and iPhone XR.^[12][13]

History

A successor to the first-generation iPhone SE had been a source of rumor stemmed in 2017, the year after original was released.^[14] The name was also subject to speculation. Guesses included (most prevalently) iPhone SE 2, iPhone SE 2020, and iPhone 9 due to design similarities with the iPhone 8.

In March 2020, cases for the phone were reportedly being supplied to Best Buy,^[15] showing an iPhone with an iPhone 8-sized body and a single camera lens.^[15] Belkin screen protectors for the iPhone SE were also listed on the online Apple Store, cross-compatible with the base models of the iPhones 6, 6S, 7, and 8. However, references to the iPhone SE were quickly removed.^[16][15]

On April 15, 2020, the second-generation iPhone SE was announced in a press release note on Apple's website.^[9] It was marketed as "A powerful new smartphone in a popular design", and was released worldwide on April 24, 2020.^[9]

The second-generation iPhone SE was discontinued on March 8, 2022, following the announcement of its successor, the third-generation iPhone SE.

Specifications

Design

Back of second iPhone SE in Product Red

The iPhone SE features an aluminum frame, paired with a glass front and back. It shares the same physical sizes and dimensions as the iPhone 8 and is externally identical, except for a centered Apple logo and the removal of the iPhone branding in the lower midsection. As a result, phone cases made to fit the iPhone 8 will also fit the iPhone SE.

The iPhone SE is available in three colors: Black, White, and a Product Red edition.^[2] Though the offered colors line up with those of the iPhone 8 (Silver, Space Gray, and Product Red respectively, with no equivalent to the Gold model), the iPhone SE uses a noticeably deeper shade of black, a brighter shade of white, and a lighter shade of Product Red. The black and white colors are reminiscent of those on the iPhone XR, while the Product Red looks very similar to that on the iPhone 11.^[17] Unlike all prior white and silver iPhones from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 8, except for the iPhone 5C, the 2020 iPhone SE features black bezels around the display on all models, matching the color schemes of the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR.

Color	Name	Bezel
	Black	Black
	White
	(Product) RED

Size

With a screen diagonal of 4.7 in (120 mm), the second generation of the iPhone SE was among the smallest mainstream in-production smartphones at the time of its release.^[18] However, it is still thirty percent larger than the first generation variant, whose screen diagonal measures 4 in (100 mm).

Dan Seifert from The Verge declared the second-generation SE a "nail in the coffin" for small phones.^[19] This was affirmed by CNET, who stated that "Apple's decision to not build a brand-new 4-inch screen phone is telling. It signals that the company will probably never bring back the tiny iPhone, no matter how badly people crave it."^[20]

Hardware

The iPhone SE incorporates the Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm) architecture system on a chip (SoC), with an integrated M13 motion coprocessor and third-generation neural engine.^[13] It is available in three internal storage configurations: 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB.^[2] The SE has the same IP67 rating for dust and water resistance as the iPhone 8.^[2] The phone lacks the ultra-wideband features enabled by the U1 chip found in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro.^[21][22] Despite the phone's smaller size which may lead to increased thermal throttling, the SE's A13 SoC runs at the same peak CPU frequencies as the iPhone 11.^[23] Like the iPhone 7 and 8 that were previously available in the same form factor, but unlike the iPhone 6, 6S and first-generation iPhone SE, the second-generation iPhone SE does not feature a standard 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.^[10]

Display

The iPhone SE features the same HD Retina display found on the iPhone 8, using IPS technology with True Tone and wide color gamut (Display P3). The display has a resolution of 1334 × 750 pixels, like the previous 4.7 in (120 mm) iPhones. The pixel density is 326 PPI, the same as on all iPhones with LCDs since the introduction of the Retina display on the iPhone 4, excluding the Plus models. The pressure-sensing 3D Touch feature found on the iPhone 8 has been replaced with Haptic Touch on the iPhone SE, which initially did not work for notifications,^[24] but was later fixed in iOS 14. It can play HDR10 and Dolby Vision content despite not having an HDR-ready display, done by down-converting the HDR content to fit the display while still having some enhancements to dynamic range, contrast, and wide color gamut compared to standard content.^[9]

Camera

The iPhone SE has a rear 12 MP camera with a single lens, similar to the single lens camera system of the iPhone 8, capable of recording 4K video (at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps), 1080p HD video (at 30, 25 or 60 fps), or 720p HD video (at 30 fps). The camera has an aperture of ƒ/1.8, autofocus, optical image stabilization, and a quad-LED True Tone flash. The phone can also take panoramas up to 63 MP, and shoot photos in burst mode. The front camera is 7 MP with an aperture of f/2.2 and autofocus, capable of shooting 1080p HD video at 30 fps.^[2][25] The camera interface adopts "QuickTake" from the 11 and 11 Pro, which allows the user to long-press the shutter button to take a video.^[26][2] The burst function can now be accessed by swiping the shutter button to the left.^[27]

The new image signal processor and neural engine of the SE support several camera functions not supported on the iPhone 8. Like the 11 and 11 Pro, the rear camera supports next-generation Smart HDR.^[9] The rear camera also supports extended dynamic range video up to 30 fps, stereo recording and cinematic video stabilization. Both the front and rear cameras of the iPhone SE support Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting.^[9] Like the 11 and 11 Pro, Portrait mode has depth control and an advanced bokeh effect (blurring effect of the out-of-focus background around the portrait). However, the usage of older sensor hardware results in some limitations—the iPhone SE does not support the Night Mode or Deep Fusion features of the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro.^[28] The SE's implementation of Portrait mode only natively supports images of humans, as the hardware does not produce depth maps through the use of focus pixels and instead relies on software-based machine learning.^[29]

Software

See also: iOS, iOS 13, iOS 14, iOS 15, iOS 16, iOS 17, and iOS 18

The iPhone SE was originally supplied with iOS 13.4,^[30] supporting Apple Pay and the Apple Card.^[2] iOS 13.4.1, an update fixing bugs related to Bluetooth and FaceTime, was released on April 23, 2020 (a day prior to the device's official release), making it a day-one software update.^[31]

The iPhone SE has received updates to every version of iOS since, including the latest version, iOS 18, released in 2024.^[32]

Controversy

Power adapter and EarPods

Apple, citing an environmental initiative, removed the EarPods (except in France) and power adapter from all new iPhone boxes beginning in October 2020, including the iPhone SE (2nd generation). Apple claimed that removing these items will reduce e-waste and permit a smaller iPhone box, allowing more devices to be shipped simultaneously to decrease carbon footprint. However, Apple now includes a USB-C to Lightning cable which is incompatible with the existing USB-A power adapters that Apple previously shipped with their devices. Upgraders can still use their existing iPhone power adapters and cables, but users wanting fast charging capabilities will have to purchase a USB-C power adapter separately.^[33]

See also

• List of iPhone models
• History of iPhone
• Comparison of smartphones
• Timeline of iPhone models

References

1. "Apple iPhone SE is being made in India, why it may be good news for you - Mobiles News | Gadgets Now". Gadget Now. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
2. "iPhone SE - Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
3. "Apple's iOS 13.4.1 Fixes FaceTime Bug, Now Available for 2020 iPhone SE". Gadget Hacks. April 7, 2020. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
4. "About iOS 18 Updates". Apple Support. iOS 18.2.
5. Andrei Frumusanu (April 24, 2020). "System Performance - The iPhone SE (2020) Review: A Reinvigorated Classic". AnandTech (anandtech.com). Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
6. "iPhone SE 2020 Teardown". iFixit. April 27, 2020. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
7. Apple (April 15, 2020). "About Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) requirements for iPhone - Apple Support". Apple Support. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
8. GSMArena (April 15, 2020). "Apple iPhone SE (2020)". www.gsmarena.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020.
9. Apple (April 15, 2020). "iPhone SE: A powerful new smartphone in a popular design - Apple". Apple Newsroom (apple.com). Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
10. Sareena Dayaram (May 6, 2020). "How iPhone SE 2020 specs compare to old iPhone SE, iPhone 8, iPhone XR, iPhone 11 - CNET". CNET (cnet.com). Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
11. Annie Gaus (May 6, 2020). "Who Apple Is Targeting With Its New iPhone SE - TheStreet". TheStreet (TheStreet.com). Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
12. Peters, Jay (April 15, 2020). "How the second-gen iPhone SE compares to the iPhone 11". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
13. Stephen Shankland (April 24, 2020). "iPhone SE outclasses all Android phones thanks to Apple's A13 chip". MSN News (MSN.com). Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
14. "iPhone SE 2 Again Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2018". MacRumors. November 22, 2017. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
15. Miller, Chance (March 30, 2020). "iPhone 9 case inventory arriving at Best Buy, other retailers with April 5 merchandising date". Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
16. "iPhone 9 will be called iPhone SE and could launch soon (Update)". Tom's Guide. April 3, 2020. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
17. "IPhone - Compare Models". Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
18. Axon, Samuel (April 18, 2020). "Why Apple has stopped making small phones—and why it should start again". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
19. Seifert, Dan (April 15, 2020). "Even 'small' phones are big now". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
20. Sareena Dayaram (May 10, 2020). "iPhone SE is not as small as people want it to be. And I don't think Apple cares - CNET". CNET (cnet.com). Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
21. Peterson, Mike (April 15, 2020). "Apple's new iPhone SE doesn't have a U1 Ultra Wideband chip". appleinsider. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
22. "2020 iPhone SE Misses Out On These 5 Features". iPhone Hacks. April 23, 2020. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
23. Frumusanu, Andrei (April 24, 2020). "The iPhone SE (2020) Hands-On Quick Review: A Reinvigorated Classic". AnandTech. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
24. "PSA: iPhone SE's Haptic Touch Doesn't Work With Notifications and It's Not a Bug". MacRumors. April 27, 2020. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
25. "Apple iPhone SE (2020)". GSMArena. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
26. "iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro camera features". Apple Support. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
27. "How to Take Burst Photos on iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro". MacRumors. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on March 9, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
28. Monckton, Paul (April 28, 2020). "New iPhone SE 2 Reports Cause Serious Questions To Be Asked". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
29. Sandofsky, Ben (April 27, 2020). "iPhone SE: The One-Eyed King?". Medium. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
30. "Apple's iOS 13.4.1 Fixes FaceTime Bug, Now Available for 2020 iPhone SE". Gadget Hacks. April 7, 2020. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
31. "About iOS 13 Updates". Apple Support. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
32. "iOS 18". Apple (Australia). Retrieved September 22, 2024.
33. "iPhone 12: Apple's muddled charger messaging". iMore. October 15, 2020. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.

External links

• iPhone SE (2nd generation) – official site

Preceded by iPhone SE (1st)

iPhone SE 13th generation

Succeeded by iPhone SE (3rd)