Apple iPhone SE (2020) review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The iPhone SE (2020) is the last of the classic-form iPhones: a 4.7-inch LCD, a physical Home button, and the A13 Bionic — flagship silicon in a $399 body that debuted the budget-pro philosophy Apple reprised in 2022. Our everyday score of 57/100 is remarkable for the format; the battery score of 0/100 is the equally classic cost. It remains the cheapest entry into iOS in the catalog.

Display and design

The 4.7-inch LCD at 625 nits is bright and small — the 20/100 screen score records the resolution and the bezels of a design that traces to 2017. At 148 g with IP67, it is the one-hand phone for people who never asked for a screen larger than their thumb reach. The Home button still works; the argument about it has ended.

Performance

The A13 Bionic was 2019's flagship chip placed in a 2020 mid-ranger, and it is why these phones still function well today: everyday 57/100, gaming 24/100 — more than the body asks of it. The software window has effectively closed, which is the honest limit of the platform now.

Camera

A single 12 MP sensor with OIS and 4K60 — the bare minimum hardware carried by excellent computational processing. The 14/100 score reads the sensor's limits in low light; in daylight the output embarrasses newer budget phones.

Battery and charging

The 1,821 mAh cell scores 0/100 — the smallest battery in the catalog, with 18 W charging. Realistically a charge-most-nights phone for everyone. This is the trade the format has always asked buyers to accept, and at this price it remains an honest one.

Verdict

Used pricing is the floor of the iOS world: 3/64 units around $65 (three listings), 3/128 around $80 (three) — a functional iPhone for the price of a meal out. As a first phone, a music-device shell, or a deliberate minimum buy it is coherent; the closed software window is the main caveat. The SE (2022) is the same idea with a newer chip and a little more runway; the 12 mini adds an OLED and a modern design for modestly more.