Pegging it as the most affordable iPhone to feature Apple’s fastest A13 bionic chip, the tech giant announced the launch of a new and cheaper iPhone model called the iPhone SE on April 15.

Technically this is the second-generation of the device, as it goes with the same nomenclature of the original iPhone SE that was launched in 2016. This is a first time that Apple has launched a phone without a glitzy live event, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Design

Under the hood, the iPhone SE packs numerous internal components similar to that of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. But the outside shell looks identical to the 2017 iPhone 8, which will now be discontinued. The device has been built using aerospace-grade aluminum and durable glass design.

Under the hood

The device is water and dust-resistant with an IP67 rating for water resistance up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. The iPhone SE uses haptic touch for quick action like animating Live Photos, previewing messages and even, rearranging apps. The new compact iPhone SE sports a 4.7-inch Retina HD display that has been paired with wireless charging feature and Touch ID. That’s right, iPhone SE features the good ole home button, remember that steel ring that was used to detect a user’s fingerprint for Touch ID.

Single camera setup

On the back panel, the device feature a single-camera setup with a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture Wide camera that uses computational photography to include Portrait mode. The iPhone SE adds support for recording 4K video at a smoother rate of 60 frames per second.

Price and availability

The iPhone SE will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB variants in three colours that is black, white and (PRODUCT) red starting at Rs 42,500 (for the 64GB storage variant). The price of the other variants in India and availability have not been revealed. Apple TV+ will be available on the Apple TV app and iPhone SE users can avail one-year free subscription.

The US pricing of the iPhone SE starts at $399 for the 64GB model, $499 for 128GB model, going up to $549 for the 256GB model. Pre-orders begin from 5pm PDT on April 17 and the device will go on sale from April 24, 2020.

First Published:Apr 15, 2020 9:32 PM IST