This week, Apple revealed its newest phone, the iPhone SE, which will replace the iPhone 8 and will retail for only $400. While the two phones look almost identical, there are some key differences which make the SE a higher-performing phone.
Different Processor Means Faster Performance
The main difference between the iPhone 8 and the iPhone SE is in their processors. The iPhone SE runs on the A13 Bionic processor, the type of chip used in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. The iPhone 8 uses the A11 Bionic processor, which is over two years old. The SE’s newer processor allows for faster performance and extra camera features.
Different Camera Features
Portrait Mode: The iPhone 8 and the iPhone SE have very similar cameras structurally speaking, but the SE supports extra features.Both cameras are single-lens, 12-megapixel cameras with an f/1.8 aperture. They also offer the same clarity, zoom, and image stabilization. New for the iPhone SE is Portrait Mode, a feature that allows users to blur the background behind a photo’s subject for both its front and rear cameras. The contrast between the sharpened subject and blurred background creates a more professional look, mimicking the appearance of a photo taken with an manually adjustable lens. Portrait Mode comes with six lighting effects, imitating the look of studio and natural lighting.
Other Camera Features: The iPhone SE borrows Smart HDR from the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. This feature makes the lighting in photos look more natural than the auto HDR in the iPhone 8. The iPhone SE also touts better audio recording for videos, extended dynamic range for video record and QuickTake, a feature that lets you switch from photo to video mode just by holding down the shutter button.
Different Colors
The iPhone SE comes in black, white, and red. The red phone is part of Apple’s Product Red line, meaning proceeds will go to fighting COVID-19 until September 30th. The proceeds from this line have historically gone toward funding HIV/AIDS programs in sub-Saharan Africa.
Extra Storage
The iPhone SE is available with 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage capacities. The latter is new to the SE.
One Minor Difference in the Displays
Both the IPhone 8 and the SE support True Tone, a feature which adjusts the tone of the screen depending on the environment. Both phones have a 4.6 inch display and the same level of resolution and brightness.
The only difference is that the iPhone SE uses Haptic Touch while the iPhone 8 uses 3D Touch. Haptic Touch means the phone responds to how long you hold down on an item whereas 3D touch is based on the pressure with which you push down.
Dual SIMS
The iPhone SE allows users to have two different phone numbers and data plans for the one device.
