The new iPhone SE is here: 4.7-inch display, Touch ID, and iPhone 11 power for $399

Years of speculation, rumors, and reports have all led up to this moment. Today, Apple has officially announced the all-new 2020 iPhone SE as a replacement for the popular iPhone 8, which launched back in 2017.

A 4.7-inch display and a Touch ID home button

The new budget iPhone looks quite a lot like the smartphone it replaces, so much so that most people will barely be able to notice the difference. Apple has retained the 4.7-inch LCD display used on iPhone 6 to iPhone 8 devices, removed the 3D Touch layer, added support for HDR10 content and Dolby Vision, and paired it with the same bezels.

Housed within the top one is a 7-megapixel selfie camera. There is also an in-ear speaker that doubles as a stereo speaker when used alongside the bottom-firing equivalent, which itself sits next to the Lightning port.

The bottom bezel, on the other hand, is once again home to Apple’s much-loved Touch ID home button. Unfortunately, this means that the 2020 iPhone SE doesn’t support Face ID like other recent iPhones.

The new iPhone SE is here: 4.7-inch display, Touch ID, and iPhone 11 power for $399

Turning the smartphone over reveals a glass panel complete with a glossy finish and a centered Apple logo. The latter is perhaps the biggest external difference when compared to the iPhone 8, which instead has an Apple logo further up the panel.

One other important feature is the 12-megapixel rear camera. Thanks to an upgraded image signal processor and the Neural Engine of the upgraded chipset, Apple says this is its best single-camera system ever. It now supports Portrait Mode, Smart HDR for photos, extended dynamic range for videos, and stereo sound recording too.

Extra things worth nothing about the external package include a silence switch paired with separate volume buttons on the left side and a power button on the right. There is no headphone jack.

The iPhone 11 Pro chipset and iOS 13 pre-installed

What really makes the new iPhone SE stand out from the crowd is the chipset. Despite being positioned as a budget option for Apple customers, the smartphone actually uses the flagship A13 Bionic featured inside the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.

That instantly makes the 2020 iPhone SE one of the fastest smartphones on the market. The setup is combined with 64GB of internal storage as standard, although 128GB and 256GB variants are available for those willing to spend more.

The iPhone SE ships with a 5W charger in the box but does support 18W fast charging, which requires a separate power brick, and wireless charging, which requires a separate wireless charging pad.

In regards to software, Apple has pre-installed iOS 13 on the smartphone. As a result, it supports Dark Mode, Apple’s wide range of services and Express Transit with Apple Pay, allowing users to pay for rides without needing to validate the payment through Touch ID.

Apple iPhone SE (2020) announcement, release date, price

The 2020 Apple iPhone SE will be available to pre-order across the globe on Friday, April 17 via the Apple website. It retails at $399 in the standard 64GB configuration and can be picked up in White, Black, and Product (RED)

The aforementioned 128GB version costs $449 while the range-topping 256GB variant can be acquired for $549. Both of these are available in the same three colors.

Shipments for Apple’s new iPhone SE begin next Friday, April 24.