Since late 2019, there was wisespread speculation that a new iPhone would launch in the spring-summer seasons of 2020 — perhaps the iPhone 9 or an upgraded iPhone SE. That said, on April 15, Apple unveiled the second-generation iPhone SE, which is the brand’s most affordable iPhone. However, you may have to wait a while to get your hands on this device, owing to the slow-down in non-essential retail services due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.
- One of the biggest upgrades from the first-generation iPhone SE, is the security boost-ups, such as Touch ID and the Secure Enclave protect fingerprint data, Intelligent Tracking Prevention on Safari helps stop advertisers that follow users from site to site, Photos app uses Machine Learning to organise photos on device and more.
“The first iPhone SE was a hit with many customers who loved its unique combination of small size, high-end performance and affordable price; the new second-generation iPhone SE builds on that great idea and improves on it in every way — including our best-ever single-camera system for great photos and videos — while still being very affordable,” says Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing in a company statement. “iPhone SE features the industry-leading performance of A13 Bionic that enables great battery life, takes stunning Portrait mode and Smart HDR photos, shoots amazing videos with stereo audio, is great for games and super fast web surfing, and is built with the same industry-leading security features our customers expect.”
At a glance
The new iPhone SE is a virtual clone of the iPhone 8, another successful model. But the SE has some modernised aspects.
The second-generation iPhone SE
As expected the iPhone SE comes with a single rear camera system. The device also features an aerospace-grade aluminium and durable glass design with an all-black front, and is available in black, white and (PRODUCT)RED. It is water- and dust-resistant with an IP67 rating for water resistance up to 1 metre for 30 minutes. Plus, the smartphone is available in three colours: black, white and Product Red. Apple users have long been waiting for dual-SIM capability in iPhone. But all Apple can offer right now is Dual SIM with eSIM.
The 4.7-inch Retina HD display with True Tone adjusts the white balance to match the ambient light for a more natural, paper-like viewing experience. The vibrant wide colour gamut Retina HD display offers incredible colour accuracy, and supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 playback.
Introduced with the iPhone 11 series, the A13 Bionic chipset will also be making a home in the second-generation iPhone SE. A13 Bionic was built with a focus on machine learning, with a dedicated 8-core Neural Engine capable of 5 trillion operations per second, two Machine Learning Accelerators on the CPU and a new Machine Learning Controller to balance performance and efficiency. One can also expect efficient battery life with the A13 Bionic, supporting and wireless charging, and fast charging, giving customers up to 50% charge in 30 minutes. However, expect a 5W charger in the box despite the fact that the device itself supports 18W fast charging.
Camera-wise, iPhone SE is equipped with quite an upgrade. The smartphone has a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture Wide camera, and uses the image signal processor and Neural Engine of A13 Bionic to unlock even more benefits of computational photography, including Portrait mode, all six Portrait Lighting effects and Depth Control.
iPhone SE will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in black, white and (Product) Red starting at ₹42,500.
