Apple’s new iPhone SE goes back to basics: it’s smaller, cheaper and the home button has returned
- At US$399, the new iPhone SE is Apple’s cheapest in years. It has an older design and a single-lens main camera
- The much missed home button has returned, and the chip is the same as in the iPhone 11
Apple has announced a new iPhone and it addresses three of the most vocal complaints from iPhone users over the past few years: that phones are getting too big; too expensive; and they miss the home button.
The new iPhone SE is much smaller, with just a 4.7-inch screen; it starts at US$399; and the iconic circular home button is back.
Despite the retro design, the iPhone SE packs plenty of punch, using the same A13 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone 11 series. In benchmarks, this chip tops both Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 and Huawei’s Kirin 990, making it the most powerful mobile processor on the market.
Another notable omission is the multi lens camera system that is now standard everywhere. The iPhone SE sticks to a single 12 megapixel main camera and a seven megapixel selfie camera.
Apple reps say the main camera is “all new”, although it looks very similar to the iPhone 11’s main camera.
