When it’s time to upgrade your iPhone, there are probably a couple of important things at the top of your list of priorities. You want to make sure your phone has good battery life, a decent camera, and high performance. But you probably don’t want to break the bank, either. If that’s the case, then you won’t want to overlook the 2nd generation iPhone SE.
Keep reading for a deep dive on iPhone SE 2020, and decide for yourself whether the camera holds up against other iPhone models.
The iPhone SE 2020 camera quality
The iPhone SE 2020 may be one of the most affordable models available, but its camera is anything but cheap! In fact, the camera on this iPhone holds up well even against the most recent lineup.
iPhone SE camera specs
The rear camera on iPhone SE only has a single wide-angle lens. But that one lens is doing a lot of heavy lifting for you. Here are some of the specs it’s working with:
- 12MP ƒ/1.8 aperture
- Digital zoom up to 5x
- Portrait mode with Depth Control
- Portrait Lighting with six effects
- Optical image stabilization
- True Tone flash with Slow Sync
- Next-generation Smart HDR
iPhone SE front camera specifications
Although iPhone SE doesn’t utilize Face ID, the front camera benefited from some nice upgrades. This is how that camera stacks up:
- 7MP ƒ/2.2 aperture
- Portrait mode with Depth Control
- Portrait Lighting with six effects
- 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps or 30 fps
- Retina Flash
- Auto HDR
Photo quality
The camera on iPhone SE is comparable to the wide-angle camera on any of the iPhone 11 models. When you have plenty of light, the iPhone SE camera can capture crystal-clear images with vivid colors and sharp details.
Unfortunately, the 2nd-generation iPhone SE only does okay in dark conditions. Although its camera specs are the same as some higher-end models, iPhone SE lacks some of the other features that help boost the picture quality without the best lighting conditions, such as Night mode.
All that being said, at the price point of iPhone SE, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a camera that shoots better.
Video quality
The 2nd-generation iPhone SE has some improved video features over its predecessor. But there also isn’t a lot that makes it stand out from any of the other current iPhones. Here are the video specs of iPhone SE:
- Up to 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
- Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
- Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps
- Optical image stabilization for video
- Digital zoom up to 3x
- LED True Tone flash
- QuickTake video
- Time‑lapse video with stabilization
iPhone SE 2020 camera features
The camera features are what make iPhone SE 2020 such a notable phone. While it only has a wide-angle lens, the camera is still equipped with most of the features from the higher-end models.
Portrait mode
One of the more impressive features of any iPhone camera is Portrait mode. With this setting, your subject is kept in focus while the background is blurred.
To achieve this effect, iPhones typically use multiple lenses to separate the subject in the foreground from the background. Because iPhone SE only has one lens, it heavily relies on software to make this work. But you probably wouldn’t notice any difference in the quality of your photos unless you were to compare them side-by-side with a picture taken with an iPhone that has multiple lenses.
Zoom
This is another feature that’s affected by only having one lens. And because its single lens is a fixed lens, iPhone SE only has a digital zoom. That means the camera is just scaling your picture up so that it appears to be zoomed in. So the more zoomed-in you are, the more likely it is that your photo will appear grainy.
HDR
High dynamic range (HDR) is a feature that makes pictures appear more vibrant and higher-contrast. iPhone SE comes with Next-generation Smart HDR — the same feature that’s included in the iPhone 11 lineup. And although this isn’t the latest of Apple’s HDR technology, it’s still pretty impressive for a budget-friendly phone.
Does iPhone SE have Night mode?
Sadly, iPhone SE doesn’t have Night mode, a much-beloved feature that is included in other current iPhones and allows pictures to be captured in low-light conditions and brightened up to an impressive degree.
Does iPhone SE have Deep Fusion?
Deep Fusion was a feature first introduced on iPhone 11 to help improve image quality and decrease some of the noise (or grain) in photos. But unfortunately, this is another feature missing from the 2nd-generation iPhone SE.
Despite a few minor drawbacks, the camera on iPhone SE can hold its own against some other more expensive iPhones. It will still capture amazing pictures if you know how to play to its strengths. Even if you’re on a budget, with the 2nd-generation iPhone SE, you’ll never have to settle for photography that’s second-best. But if you’re still undecided, check out the iPhone SE vs XR comparison to see how it fares against an older model.
