2024-09-13

iPhone SE (2. generations)

the second-generation iPhone SE (also known as iPhone SE 2 or iPhone SE 2020) is a smartphone designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the thirteenth generation of iPhones, alongside the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro/Pro Max models. Apple announced it on April 15, 2020, simultaneously with the end of sales of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Orders began on April 17, 2020, and the phone went on sale on April 24, 2020. The starting price was $399, which positioned it as a budget phone.

History

The successor to the first-generation iPhone SE has been the subject of speculation since 2017, a year after the release of the original. The name has also been the subject of speculation. The iPhone SE 2, iPhone SE 2020 and iPhone 9 were most often suggested because of their similarities to the iPhone 8. In March 2020, there were reports of cases shipped to Best Buy, showing an iPhone the size of the iPhone 8 and with a single camera lens. on April 15, 2020, the second generation iPhone SE was announced in a press release on Apple's website. The phone was advertised as a "powerful new smartphone in a popular design" and was released worldwide on April 24, 2020.

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

Specifications

Design

the iPhone SE has an aluminum frame, with the front and back made of glass. It has the same physical size and dimensions as the iPhone 8 and is externally identical, except for the centrally placed Apple logo and the removal of the iPhone lettering at the bottom of the. Therefore, cases designed for the iPhone 8 also fit the iPhone SE.

the iPhone SE is available in three colors: black, white and Product Red edition. Although the colors offered match those of the iPhone 8 (silver, space gray and Product Red), the iPhone SE uses a noticeably deeper shade of black, a lighter shade of white and a lighter shade of Product Red. The black and white colors resemble those of the iPhone XR, while Product Red is very similar to that of the iPhone 11. Unlike previous white and silver iPhones from iPhone 4 to iPhone 8, with the exception of the iPhone 5C, the 2020 iPhone SE has black bezels around the display on all models, matching the color schemes of the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR.

second-generation iPhone SE

iPhone SE 2

TheGoldenBox, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Size

With a 4.7-inch (120 mm) screen, the second-generation iPhone SE was one of the smallest mainstream smartphones produced at the time of its release. However, it is thirty percent larger than the first generation, whose screen was 4 inches (100 mm) diagonal. Dan Seifert of The Verge described the second-generation SE as the "nail in the coffin" for small phones. CNET also noted that Apple's decision not to build a new phone with a 4-inch screen indicates that the company is unlikely to ever bring back the small iPhone, no matter how much people desire it.

Equipment

second-generation iPhone SE includes Apple's A13 Bionic chip (7 nm) with integrated M13 motion coprocessor and third-generation neural engine. It is available in three internal memory variants: 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB. It is also IP67 certified, which means dust and water resistance, just like the iPhone 8. Phone does not have ultra-wideband features activated by the U1 chip found in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. Despite the smaller size, which can lead to increased thermal throttling, the A13 chip in the SE runs at the same maximum CPU frequency as in the iPhone 11. Like the iPhone 7 and 8, but unlike the iPhone 6, 6S and first-generation iPhone SE, the second-generation iPhone SE does not have a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

Display

the iPhone SE has the same Retina HD display as 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 previous 4.7-inch (120 mm) iPhones. The pixel density is 326 PPI, which is the same as in all iPhones with LCD displays since the introduction of the Retina display in the iPhone 4, except for the Plus models. The 3D Touch pressure detection feature found in the iPhone 8 was replaced by Haptic Touch in the iPhone SE, which initially did not work for notifications, but was later fixed in iOS 14. It can play HDR10 and Dolby Vision content even though it does not have an HDR display, by converting HDR content to the appropriate format.

Camera

the iPhone SE has a 12 MP single-lens rear camera, similar to the camera system from the iPhone 8, capable of recording video in 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps, in 1080p HD at 30, 25 or 60 fps, and in 720p HD at 30 fps. The camera has a ƒ/1.8 aperture, autofocus, optical image stabilization and a four diode True Tone flash. The phone can also take panoramas of up to 63 MP and photos in continuous mode. The front camera has 7 MP, f/2.2 aperture, autofocus, capable of recording video in 1080p HD at 30 fps. The camera interface adopts the "QuickTake" feature from the 11 and 11 Pro, which allows users to long-press the shutter button to record video. The continuous shooting function can now be accessed by moving the shutter button to the left.

SE's new image processor and neural engine support several camera features that were not available on the iPhone 8. The rear camera supports the next generation of Smart HDR. The rear camera also supports extended dynamic range video up to 30 fps, stereo recording, and cinematic video stabilization. Both cameras, front and rear, support portrait mode and portrait lighting. Portrait mode features depth control and advanced bokeh effect. However, the use of older sensors causes some limitations - the iPhone SE does not support Night Mode or the Deep Fusion feature available on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. The SE's portrait mode implementation natively supports only photos of people, as the hardware does not create depth maps using focus pixels, instead relying on machine learning.

Software

the iPhone SE originally shipped with iOS 13.4, supporting Apple Pay and Apple Card. iOS 13.4.1, an update that fixes Bluetooth and FaceTime-related bugs, was released on April 23, 2020, a day before the official release of the device, making it a day-one software update.

the iPhone SE received updates to iOS 14, iOS 15 and iOS 16 on their respective release dates in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The latest version of iOS compatible with the second-generation iPhone SE, as of September 2023, is iOS 17. iPhone SE 2. generation will also be compatible with the upcoming version of iOS 18, which is expected to be released in late 2024.

Controversy

Power adapter and EarPods

Apple, citing an environmental initiative, has removed EarPods (except in France) and a power adapter from all new iPhone boxes starting October 2020, including the iPhone SE (2. generations). Apple claimed that removing these items would reduce the amount of electro-waste and allow for smaller packaging of iPhones, enabling more devices to be shipped at once, reducing the carbon footprint. However, Apple only included a USB-C to Lightning cable, which is incompatible with existing USB-A power adapters that Apple previously shipped with their devices. Users who wanted to use fast charging had to purchase a USB-C adapter separately.

Summary

the second-generation iPhone SE successfully combines the classic iPhone 8 design with modern components, offering performance with the A13 Bionic chip and support for the latest versions of iOS. Despite lacking some of the advanced features available on higher models, such as night mode and ultra-wideband features, the iPhone SE 2. generation is a powerful device in a compact form. With its attractive price and solid capabilities, it is an excellent choice for those looking for a powerful smartphone at an affordable price. Apple's decision to remove the power adapter and headphones from the box was controversial, but the company argued for environmental concerns. Finally, the iPhone SE 2. generation has become a popular choice among users looking for a balance between price and performance.

The back of the second-generation iPhone SE in Product Red

iPhone SE 2 - tył

Seth Whales, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Brand	Apple Inc.
Manufacturer	No data available
Slogan	Lots to love. Less to spend. [2]
Generation	13th
Model	A2275 (United States/Canada) [3] A2296 (Global) [3] A2298 (China) [3]
Colors	No data available
Compatible networks	GSM, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, CDMA EV-DO, FDD-LTE, TD-LTE
First released	April 24, 2020 ; 4 years ago ( 2020-04-24 )
Discontinued	March 8, 2022 ; 2 years ago ( 2022-03-08 )
Predecessor	iPhone SE (1st generation)
Successor	iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Related	No data available
Type	Smartphone
Form factor	Slate
Dimensions	H: 138.4 mm (5.45 in) [4] W: 67.3 mm (2.65 in) [4] D: 7.3 mm (0.29 in) [4]
Weight	148 g (5.2 oz) [4]
Operating system	Original: iOS 13.4 [5] Current: iOS 17.5.1 , released May 20, 2024 [6]
System-on-chip	A13 Bionic [4] [7]
CPU	Hexa-core (2× high-power Lightning cores at 2.66 GHz, [7] and 4× low-power Thunder cores at 1.82 GHz [7] )
GPU	Apple-designed quad-core [8]
Modem	Dual SIM ( nano-SIM and eSIM ), Gigabit-class LTE with 2x2 MIMO and LAA [4]
Memory	3 GB of LPDDR4X RAM [9]
Storage	64, 128, or 256 GB [4] (256 GB model discontinued since September 14, 2021 ( 2021-09-14 ) ) NVMe
SIM	Nano-SIM and eSIM
Battery	3.82 V 6.96 W⋅h (1821 mAh ) Built-in rechargeable non-removable Lithium-ion battery [9]
Charging	Lightning connector (fast-charge capable up to 18W), [4] or Qi wireless charging [4]
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 [4]
Sound	Stereo speakers
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
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
Date 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
Other	FaceTime audio- or video-calling
Hearing aid compatibility	M3, T4 [10]
SAR	No data available