When I tried the iPhone 11 it was pretty clear to me: it was a round phone in many respects and, with a more reasonable price, it could easily be considered “the iPhone of the masses”. At the time I did not know, of course, that some time later the protagonist of this analysis would come into our lives, the iPhone SE 2020 , whose price does not exceed 500 euros. If you have not had the opportunity to try it, you may be wondering if it is really possible, for that price, to enjoy an “iPhone with all its letters”. Well, after trying it for a while, today I am going to remove you from doubts.
What is really important in this iPhone SE
I admit that when I heard about the iPhone (SE 2020) it did not convince me at all. An old-fashioned phone with a small HD screen and a single camera? As you may well know, all these features are effectively present in this new iPhone and are, in fact, the worst of this smartphone. The point here is that this model is more than just these three qualities you just named.
The engine of this iPhone and its greatest attraction lies in its processor. We are talking about an A13 Bionic chip from the house, the same that gives life to the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. This guarantees you very good fluidity when moving around the equipment, a gross power worthy of the most advanced phones and In short, a tremendously decisive team that knows how to do everything and knows how to do it well.
During the time that what I have been testing I have not had any downside in that regard, with a device capable of all kinds of tasks, which is guaranteed the same cycle of software updates as its high-end older brothers and has been able to offer me exactly the same user experience that I already had in the 11 Pro .
Even so, it must be taken into account that it is not a phone aimed at users who carry out very demanding activities. That is, it has a small screen (with short resolution, in HD) and that limits the experience, so you will not spend long hours watching movies on it or playing games – although you could perfectly at the level of performance. You will hardly put it therefore in a compromise and this also concerns its short battery.
The autonomy of this iPhone SE is just, without more. Making an average use of the phone, without exploiting it too much, you can get to the end of the day (and even the next), but as soon as it is used much more thoroughly, you will notice that the battery is somewhat low. It is true that it comes with wireless charging, a very comfortable feature and that I did not expect to find in a mid-range phone like this, but in this case it would have been much more useful if instead it had a quick charge plug in the box ( supports 18W but needs to be purchased separately) to help better offset this brisk spending problem.
As for its design , it goes without saying that you are not imagining. The iPhone SE looks the same as the iPhone 8, with the same build quality (and that coming from Apple is always a guarantee) but in a more compact size. I must admit that in a long time I did not enjoy so much with a phone that fits so well in my hand , but that does not mean that it continues to look somewhat out of date, with a screen whose black (and huge) stripes could well have saved them Apple would have gained a lot from just this. The only good thing about this return to the past ? Well, its Touch ID , which is still as fast, effective and comfortable to use as ever. Seriously, I hadn’t realized how much I missed him until I was reunited with him.
And what about your cameras ? Well there are only two so for good and bad you won’t have much loss. On the front we have a 7 MP sensor, with which you can take very correct selfies, while on the back you also go for a single 12 megapixel lens. Is it good Yes enough? At this point … I’m afraid not.
It is true that the iPhone offers a good daytime capture , with a good color approximation, good detail and a pretty good portrait mode, thanks to the work of its processor – you have several example images in the video that you have at the beginning of this article. However, if we get him out of these favorable conditions … there is little to scratch. Here there is no night mode or optical zoom or a wide angle that allows you to capture other types of scenarios, so the possibilities in this regard are very limited when taking photos with this iPhone.
Should you buy the iPhone SE 2020?
After this review, you will probably have more clarity on whether or not this iPhone is for you.
Without a doubt, if you are on a tight budget and want to have the iPhone experience above all, of course you do. It is a phone of very good quality of construction, decisive in performance and camera (under the described conditions) and very easy to use, thanks to a system, iOS, which is well known for its intuitive and comfortable results. An authentic “iPhone of the masses” with a price that starts from 489 euros.
Of course, in case you aspire to have an advanced iPhone on screen, in photography and / or battery … my bet is undoubtedly the iPhone 11 .
That you don’t want to spend more than 500 euros but you don’t care about the brand or the “iPhone experience”? Then you must bear in mind that there are very versatile options (on screen, in number and type of cameras and on battery) within Android that will surely leave you the same or more content than this iPhone SE.