At its cheapest, the latest iPhone is only $399 for a 64GB model—half the price of the iPhone 11 when it was introduced. Apple's newest product is the latest iteration of the iPhone SE, which was first introduced in 2016.
Bringing back a design that's reminiscent of the iPhone 8, the iPhone SE, despite its price, is a power-packed phone: it has an A13 Bionic chip and comes with WiFi 5 and Express Cards, making it as fast as the iPhone 11 and a tad better than the iPhone XR. The iPhone SE also has a solid single-lens 12MP wide camera (The same as the XR), a 7MP FaceTime HD Camera (a notch lower than the phones that immediately preceded it), and 4.7-inch Retina display, and it's dust- and water-resistant with an IP67.
With its bezel and button, however, the affordable newcomer also brings back the TouchID and skips over the more recent FaceID tech. It's a minor detail, but one that may have a significant impact amid today's mask-wearing pandemic.
The iPhone SE, a line first introduced in 2016 as an upgraded version of the 5S, will come out with black, white, and red versions. It will also launch 128GB and 256GB models.
“The first iPhone SE was a hit with many customers who loved its unique combination of small size, high-end performance and affordable price; the new second-generation iPhone SE builds on that great idea and improves on it in every way—including our best-ever single-camera system for great photos and videos—while still being very affordable,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, in a press release.
The iPhone SE is available for pre-order on apple.com and the Apple Store app beginning at 5 a.m. PDT on Friday, April 17.
