Apple announced the second-generation iPhone SE, the successor to the first-generation that was announced back in 2016, a powerful new iPhone featuring a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, paired with Touch ID for industry-leading security.

iPhone SE comes in a compact design, reinvented from the inside out, and is the most affordable iPhone. The new iPhone SE is powered by the Apple-designed A13 Bionic, the same chip of the iPhone 11, to handle the most demanding tasks. iPhone SE also features the best single-camera system ever in an iPhone, which unlocks the benefits of computational photography including Portrait mode, and is designed to withstand the elements with dust and water resistance.

“The first iPhone SE was a hit with many customers who loved its unique combination of small size, high-end performance, and affordable price; the new second-generation iPhone SE builds on that great idea and improves on it in every way — including our best-ever single-camera system for great photos and videos — while still being very affordable,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

“iPhone SE features the industry-leading performance of A13 Bionic that enables great battery life, takes stunning Portrait mode and Smart HDR photos shoots amazing videos with stereo audio, is great for games and super fast web surfing, and is built with the same industry-leading security features our customers expect. We can’t wait to get iPhone SE into customers’ hands.”

Physically, the iPhone SE is very similar to the iPhone 8’s design. It utilizes a glass and aluminum design and features an IP67 rating, so it is water-resistant to a depth of a meter for up to 30 minutes. The iPhone SE is 138.4mm tall, 67.3mm wide and has a depth of 7.3mm. The phone weighs 148 grams.

The True Tone 4.7″ display is LCD and features IPS technology. The resolution is 1334 x 750 pixels at 326 ppi. During typical use, the contrast ratio is 1400:1. The phone can display wide color (P3) and has a maximum brightness of 625 nits.

“Introduced with iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, A13 Bionic is the fastest chip ever in a smartphone and provides unparalleled performance for every task iPhone SE handles,” Apple says. “Perfect for photography, gaming and augmented reality experiences, A13 Bionic makes every action feel fluid.”

The iPhone SE features the best single-camera system ever in an iPhone with a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture Wide camera and uses the image signal processor and Neural Engine of A13 Bionic to unlock even more benefits of computational photography, including Portrait Mode, all six Portrait Lighting effects, and Depth Control (Night Mode is notably absent).

Using machine learning and monocular depth estimation, iPhone SE also takes stunning Portraits with the front camera. Next-generation Smart HDR comes to iPhone SE, intelligently re-lighting recognized subjects in a frame for more natural-looking images with stunning highlight and shadow details.

For video recording, Apple’s latest iPhone SE model can record 4K video at 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, plus Full HD video 30 fps or 60 fps. The phone can also record with an extended dynamic range for video at up to 30 fps and includes optical image stabilization during recording. Full HD video can be recorded at 120 fps or 240 fps. Users can also record QuickTake video and the phone includes the stereo recording. If you want to capture time-lapse videos, the iPhone SE can do this as well, including with stabilization. The recording is captured in HEVC and H.264 formats.

The front camera is vastly improved in the 2nd generation iPhone SE. The megapixel count is up to 7MP from 1.2MP and the aperture is slightly faster at f/2.2 compared to f/2.4. The front camera includes Retina Flash, Auto HDR and can capture Portrait mode images with the same six effects as the rear camera. Further, you can record 1080p video at up to 30 fps using the front-facing camera.

The new iPhone SE is available in black, white, and red in 64GB, 128B, and 256GB capacities starting at $399. It’s available for pre-order starting today and will hit store shelves on April 24th.
More info on Apple’s website.