Apple’s head of marketing in 2016 told a Fortune Magazine reporter SE means Special Edition. When you hear the words “special edition,” you think of something ultra-high-end, something extraordinary. Well, for Apple, this phone was indeed extra from its regular product offerings. If you’re in need of a new phone but money is tight, Apple’s value proposition is this model, the iPhone SE (2020). Priced at $450, the phone has most of the features of a high-end model. Now, that $450 price point is for the middle-tier 128 GB model. If your budget allows for it, it’s a great choice to start there instead of the $400 level for only 64 GB of storage. If you choose the 64 GB option, you’ll be dumping pictures and videos every time you need to update the operating system. Located on the right side of the phone are the power button and SIM tray. The alert slider and volume rocker are on the left. On the bottom is where you’ll find the stereo speakers, lightning port, and microphone. Next to that camera is the speaker grill. There is no Night Mode on the iPhone SE (2020), but when you want to take pictures in dimly lit spaces, you’ll find that the camera is a capable shooter. Nighttime photos have solid colors and contrast. One noticeable difference with the iPhone SE (2020) versus the more expensive iPhones that have Night Mode is the graininess in the photos when they are enlarged a great deal. For what you’re paying for the phone, these pictures are more than adequate for the average user. Apple says this battery will last as long as the iPhone 8. Our testing proved that the iPhone SE (2020) will last you through a workday. After 12 hours, six of which were screen-on time and very little talk time, it was still going strong with 25% left. If you’re a heavy voice caller, you may need a backup battery. If the battery gets low, the iPhone SE (2020) supports fast charging over a wire, just not the wire or brick the phone comes with. If you want rapid charging, you’ll have to spring for a charger, rated at 18 watts or greater. With an 18-watt charger, Apple claims you can get to 50% in 30 minutes. The phone also supports wireless Qi charging but not rapid charging. This Retina HD display is basically a bit better than 720p on paper, so you won’t be disappointed. On Netflix or any other streaming platform, videos look great and the sound is more than loud enough for the kind of close-proximity viewing you’ll be doing with the screen of this size. And go on and smash that notification bell to get updates whenever we put out a new video.
