In early 2020, Apple introduced the second-generation iPhone SE. The device shared the same design as the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch display and a Touch ID home button, but it has a faster A13 Bionic chip and an extra GB of RAM. Most importantly, the second-generation iPhone SE started at just $399 in the United States, and while it has now been replaced by the third-generation iPhone SE, it may still be found for heavily discounted prices.
With the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus now discontinued, the lower end of Apple's smartphone lineup now includes the new iPhone SE and the iPhone 11, but it is still possible to get the older iPhone XR from some third party retailers, released in October 2018. Thinking about upgrading? Read our comparison of the devices below.
Differences
Smaller vs. Larger Display
The new iPhone SE has a 4.7-inch display, while the iPhone XR has a 6.1-inch display.
Both displays are LCDs with 326 pixels per inch, True Tone, 625 nits max brightness, a 1400:1 contrast ratio, and support for the P3 wide color gamut.
A13 Bionic vs. A12 Bionic
The iPhone SE is powered by the A13 Bionic, which is the same chip inside the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. By comparison, the iPhone XR is equipped with the previous-generation A12 Bionic chip.
Apple advertises the A13 chip as up to 20 percent faster and up to 30 percent more power efficient than the A12 chip.
Bezels vs. Notch
The new iPhone SE has the same design as the iPhone 8, with thicker bezels above and below the display for the front camera and Touch ID home button. By comparison, the iPhone XR drops the home button and instead has a nearly edge to edge display with a notch at the top for the front camera and Face ID sensors.
Touch ID vs. Face ID
The iPhone SE has a Touch ID home button for fingerprint authentication, while the iPhone XR uses Apple's more advanced Face ID system for facial authentication.
Face ID debuted on the iPhone X in 2017. At the time, Apple said the probability that a random person could unlock someone else's iPhone X was approximately one in 1,000,000, versus one in 50,000 for Touch ID. However, both forms of authentication are quite safe, so it really comes down to personal preference.
Face ID does not work well with masks, while Touch ID does not work well with wet or sweaty fingers, so neither system is perfect.
Since the new iPhone SE lacks Face ID, it does not support Animoji or Memoji.
Rear Camera
While both the new iPhone SE and the iPhone XR are equipped with a single 12-megapixel wide-angle rear camera with an f/1.8 aperture, the iPhone XR has a newer sensor with 1.4µm pixels and larger Focus Pixels, whereas the iPhone SE has the same sensor as the iPhone 8. However, the new iPhone SE benefits from the A13 chip's improved image signal processor, so the gap between the cameras is likely minimal.
Battery Life
As a physically larger device, the iPhone XR has longer battery life than the new iPhone SE.
Apple says the new iPhone SE can last up to 13 hours for non-streaming video playback and up to 40 hours for audio playback, which is about the same as the iPhone 8. By comparison, Apple says the iPhone XR lasts up to 16 hours for non-streamed video playback and up to 65 hours for audio playback.
Wi-Fi
The new iPhone SE supports Wi-Fi 6, aka 802.11ax, while the iPhone XR supports Wi-Fi 5 or 802.11ac.
Wi-Fi 6 delivers faster speeds, greater network capacity, improved power efficiency, lower latency, and connectivity improvements in areas with several Wi-Fi devices. Wi-Fi 6 devices are also required to support WPA3, the latest Wi-Fi security protocol with improved cryptographic strength.
LTE
The new iPhone SE supports Gigabit-class LTE, potentially allowing for slightly faster LTE speeds compared to the iPhone XR.
Thickness and Weight
The new iPhone SE is 7.3mm thick and weighs 0.3 pounds, while the iPhone XR is slightly thicker and heavier at 8.3mm and 0.4 pounds.
Pricing
The new iPhone SE starts at $399, while the iPhone XR starts at $599, both with 64GB of storage. Both devices are also available with 128GB of storage, but only the iPhone SE has a 256GB option.
For perspective, the iPhone SE with 256GB of storage for $549 is still cheaper than the iPhone XR with 64GB of storage for $599.
Colors
Both the new iPhone SE and iPhone XR come in Black, White, and (RED), and the iPhone XR is also available in Blue, Coral, and Yellow.
Similarities
- Glass and aluminum design
- Wireless charging
- Fast charging with USB-C: up to 50% battery life in 30 minutes
- IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- 4K video recording at up to 60 FPS
- Lightning connector
- No headphone jack
- Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
- Bluetooth 5.0
- VoLTE
- Dolby Vision and HDR10 support
- EarPods with Lightning connector in box
Tech Specs Compared
iPhone SE
- 4.7-inch LCD display
- 1334×750 resolution and 326 PPI
- True Tone display
- Single 12-megapixel rear camera (wide lens)
- Single 7-megapixel front camera
- Portrait Mode with Depth Control: humans only
- Six Portrait Lighting effects
- Next-gen Smart HDR
- A13 Bionic chip with third-gen Neural Engine
- Touch ID
- Haptic Touch
- Lightning connector
- Fast charging capable: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
- Qi-based wireless charging
- IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- 64/128/256GB
- Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM)
- Gigabit-class LTE
- VoLTE
- 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 3GB RAM
- Similar battery life as iPhone 8
iPhone XR
- 6.1-inch LCD display
- 1792×828 resolution and 326 PPI
- True Tone display
- Single 12-megapixel rear camera (wide lens)
- Single 7-megapixel front camera
- Portrait Mode with Depth Control: humans only
- Three Portrait Lighting effects
- Smart HDR
- A12 Bionic chip with second-gen Neural Engine
- Face ID
- Haptic Touch
- Lightning connector
- Fast charging capable: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
- Qi-based wireless charging
- IP67-rated water resistance to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes
- 64/128GB (256GB discontinued)
- Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM)
- LTE Advanced
- VoLTE
- 802.11ac Wi‑Fi 5
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 3GB RAM
- 1.5 hours longer battery life than iPhone 8 Plus
Bottom Line
If price is the key factor in your upgrade decision, then the third-generation iPhone SE is a very compelling device considering that it has the same A13 Bionic chip as the iPhone 11 Pro.
If you are upgrading from an older device like an iPhone 6 or iPhone 7, you will already be familiar with the home button experience on the new iPhone SE, whereas Face ID and gestures on the iPhone X and newer take some time to get used to. And with a 4.7-inch display, the new iPhone SE is also the same size as the iPhone 6, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8.
The iPhone SE might also receive at least one additional year of iOS updates compared to the iPhone XR given its newer A13 Bionic chip.
Two reasons to choose the iPhone XR over the new iPhone SE would be its larger 6.1-inch display and its modern design with slim bezels, a notch, and Face ID. The new iPhone SE could quite possibly end up being the last iPhone that Apple sells with a home button, so those who choose the new iPhone SE will be settling for an older design.
