Apple overnight announced the new iPhone SE, a new entry-level iPhone that shares a lot of its internals with the iPhone 11. Starting at $749, the 2020 take on the iPhone SE is the cheapest Apple handset we've seen for quite some time. For comparison, the original iPhone SE - which riffed on the iPhone 5s design - started at $679 locally when it launched in 2016.
The new iPhone SE replaces the iPhone 8 in Apple's device family, making it the starting point for anyone after an iPhone. After that, you've got 2018's iPhone XR at $1,049, and last year's iPhone 11 at $1,199. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have both been discontinued.
iPhone SE pre-orders begin at 10pm (AEST) on April 17, ahead of a April 24 release date. You'll be able to get in a choice of White, Black, or Red. Full pricing is as follows:
- iPhone SE 64GB: $749
- iPhone SE 128GB: $829
- iPhone SE 256GB: $999
We're expecting to see the new iPhone SE available through the standard range of retailers, and through Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone. We'll have more detail as soon as they're available.
In terms of the phone itself, the iPhone SE is ostensibly a cross between the design of an iPhone 8, the hardware of an iPhone 11, and the camera of an iPhone XR. This means a 4.7-inch Retina Display with a Touch ID fingerprint reader, an A13 processor, and a similar camera setup to the iPhone XR with a single 12MP lens. Despite only having a single lens, the new iPhone SE still features portrait mode and Apple's studio lightning options.
The A13 processor should however provide the iPhone SE with some camera quality improvements over the iPhone XR, thanks to its more advanced computational photography features. Night mode is absent, however.
Other key specifications include IP67 water-resistance, eSIM support, WiFi 6 connectivity, and wireless charging.
Alex Choros
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