iPhone SE (2020) vs. iPhone 11, iPhone 8 and iPhone XR, is it worth it?

Apple today presented its cheap iPhone, the new iPhone SE that comes with a big surprise: the A13 Bionic processor, its most powerful chip, used by the iPhone 11. 

This makes it even more interesting to compare it to the rest of the iPhones in the catalog: The iPhone 11 itself, the iPhone 8 on which it is based, and the iPhone XR. Is your purchase worth it?

The new  iPhone SE (2020)  features a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, A13 Bionic processor, a single 12 MP camera on the rear, and wireless charging. You can discover all the details in this news from the presentation of the iPhone SE.

This new cheap iPhone can be obtained for a price starting at 489 euros. It's still quite a bit of money, so let's see if it makes up for it in this comparison with the  iPhone 11, iPhone 8 and iPhone XR.

The iPhone SE is the cheapest new iPhone you can buy, but if you find other iPhone on sale, refurbished or second-hand, you may be in doubt.

If what you care about a mobile is power, use Apple's most powerful processor, so in that sense its quality/ price ratio is second to none. But if you value other aspects such as cameras, or the extra technology that Apple always provides, you should consider other options.

To focus the topic, we compile the main specifications in this table:

IPhone SE is an iPhone 8 with modern processor and software

The first important fact that we can extract from the table is that the design, the screen, the cameras and the battery are identical in the iPhone SE and the iPhone 8.

The main differences are in the processor, the brand new A13 on the iPhone SE, two years newer, as well as the best WiFi (if you have a compatible WiFi 6 router).

So if you have to choose, iPhone SE is equal to or better than iPhone 8 in everything. Not only is it faster, but artificial intelligence has been greatly improved. Equal cameras, you will get better photos with the iPhone SE.

An old-fashioned design

Apple calls the iPhone SE design "a very popular design". And it certainly was ... two years ago. It is a clone of the iPhone 8, and although it uses an aluminum casing and it is undoubtedly a beautiful mobile, aspects such as the large frames above and below, or the huge home button, make it a mobile with a somewhat outdated design. Or retro , if we want to soften it a little ... 

It can only be considered an advantage if you like compact mobiles that take up little in your pocket.

An identical screen ... in all

If the screen seems important to you, it is not an aspect that we can assess here.

All four models compared use exactly the same IPS Retina HD display. The resolution changes due to size, but its quality is the same because they have the same dots per inch (326) and the same brightness (625 nits).

Still, there are a few differences: iPhone 11 and iPhone SE have HDR10 and more color depth. But in everyday use you will not notice differences in quality. Logically, there are with respect to size.

The processor, the big surprise of the iPhone SE

Rumors indicated that the iPhone SE would have a CPU of a generation or two ago, to justify the price reduction. But it's not like that. Apple has surprised by including its A13 Bionic processor, the most powerful. It is the same one that uses the iPhone 11, which is worth almost double.

We do not know if it has been cut somewhere, but a priori it is the same as the iPhone 11, and therefore in performance the iPhone SE far exceeds the power of the iPhone 8 and iPhone XR.

Furthermore, by using third-generation artificial intelligence it is also able to capture better photos and use light or focus effects that the iPhone 8 and iPhone XR cannot.

Memory and storage

As usual, Apple has not revealed the RAM of the iPhone SE 2020. We have seen that it is identical in almost everything to the iPhone 8, so the most logical thing is to think that it will mount 2 GB of RAM. However, according to a Chinese operator it has 3 GB of RAM. This equates to 3GB of iPhone XR and 4GB of iPhone 11.

In multitasking, editing 4K video and high-resolution photos, and other demanding features, you will notice better performance on the iPhone 11.

In the storage section, all models are available in 64 and 128 GB versions. Only iPhone 11 and iPhone SE have a version with 256 GB.

The cameras, the key point

If iPhone SE has the same processor and display as iPhone 11... where are the cutouts? Well, basically, in the cameras.

Comparative iPhone SE 2020

It has a single 12 MP wide-angle main camera and an f / 1.8 aperture, with OI. It is the same as in the rest of the iPhone compared.

But both iPhone SE and iPhone 11 use third-generation artificial intelligence to create advanced Bokeh effects, portrait lighting, burst mode, etc.

Also, iPhone 11 adds another additional 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and some advanced effects that iPhone SE doesn't have.

The 7 MP front camera with f/ 2.2 aperture is the same on the iPhone SE, iPhone 8, and iPhone XR , except that the SE has Portrait Mode (Bokeh effect). The iPhone 11 has a superior sensor, with 12 MP and aperture f / 2.2.

In the video section all record at 4K and 60 fps, and have optical stabilization.

In short,  the iPhone SE again outperforms the iPhone 8 and XR in cameras, by a small margin, mainly thanks to artificial intelligence, but falls well short of the iPhone 11. If cameras are a vital aspect, then you should consider saving a little more to buy the iPhone 11.

Battery

Again, Apple is quite hermetic when it comes to facilitating the battery capacity of their mobiles.

We do know, however, that the iPhone SE has the same battery as the iPhone 8. That of the iPhone XR lasts one hour more, and that of the iPhone 11, two hours more.

All are fast and wireless charging, and recharge 50% in 30 minutes.

If autonomy worries you, the iPhone SE can last all day without problems, but the more expensive iPhone can last 1 or 2 more hours.

In summary

Compared to the iPhone 8, the iPhone SE is clearly superior. They share design, display, battery and cameras, but the iPhone SE has the most powerful Apple processor there is, with two-year superior hardware, and it will take better photos and more effects, thanks to artificial intelligence. Even if you find the iPhone 8 cheaper, we recommend the new iPhone SE.

Even regarding the iPhone XR, we still stick with the iPhone SE. It costs 220 euros less and has a more powerful processor, with the same screen and camera. 

It falls below the screen size, autonomy and some camera effects. But they do not seem to us aspects that justify those 220 euros of difference, unless you really need a large screen.

With respect to the iPhone 11  it is already more complicated, but it is that we speak of 320 euros of difference.

They both have the same screen (except the size) and the same processor. In theory they are just as powerful, the great merit of the iPhone SE (unless Apple has cut the A13 processor somewhere). 

But iPhone 11 is far superior in RAM, camera quality, autonomy, and facial recognition. If these aspects are vital to you, maybe you should wait until you can buy an iPhone 11.

For most people, on the other hand, the iPhone SE is going to be the most balanced option. Especially when you start to enter promotions and discounts.