Apple’s budget iPhone delivers a satisfying and slick smartphone experience at an attractive price Excellent build quality Colourful, detailed screen Musical sound Camera not great in low light Battery life could be better

While it may lack the design clout of more recent iPhones and is missing creature comforts such as an OLED display and Face ID, the iPhone SE 2020 is world-class in almost every other regard, and the fact that it can be purchased for £400 is nothing less than amazing.

UPDATE : Ever since Apple unveiled the smaller, cheaper iPhone SE all the way back in March 2016, the company has brought out a whole host of new – and admittedly much more expensive – iPhones.

A couple of years ago the Apple iPhone X restored my joy in smartphones and a lot of that had to do with the small size and extremely responsive performance of the phone. I went through the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR before choosing to stick with the iPhone XS and then moved onto the iPhone 11 Pro.

High end processor, Low price, Small size for the masses, Solid battery life, Wireless charging, Capable rear and front cameras, Touch ID front sensor, $50 charge for reasonable internal storage

Large top bezel

Anyone who calls the iPhone SE a spare parts store is not wrong. Dressed in the iPhone 8 garb, looking through the glasses of the iPhone XR and doing its work with the heart of the iPhone 11, Apple has rummaged deep in its toolbox and created a powerful iPhone mix that combines not the best, but the...

Powerful processor, Home Button, Bokeh effects for both cameras, Low price

Aged LCD display, Average Portrait Mode, Poor audio, No expandable storage

A strong case against $1,000 phones

Good battery life, Software updates for years, Camera good in light and great at video

Tired design with big bezels, Small screen compared to every other phone, Noisy low-light photos

Overall, iPhone SE (2020) provides great value for money because you’re getting that latest iPhone internal, great camera all for a fraction of the cost of an iPhone 11.

Compact design, Touch ID works well, Solid battery life, Great camera, A13 Bionic offers great performance, Wireless charging and fast charge support, Cheaper than the iPhone 11 series

Display and design can seem outdated at this point, Not-so-good battery stand-by, The camera has no Night Mode

The iPhone SE 2020 is the best cheap smartphone for most people – its camera, build quality and speed all match more expensive phones. Its smaller screen will also please those who feel left behind by ever-larger devices.

Premium build, Excellent processor, Very impressive camera, Great value, Waterproof

Average battery life, No haptic touch on lock screen, No Night Mode in camera

Apple iPhone SE (2020): The iPhone SE gets an upgrade at last and it’s now as powerful as the iPhone 11

Compact and lightweight, As fast as an iPhone 11, Impressive single camera

Small screen, Only one camera, Poor battery life

This is the phone to get if you just want a iPhone that will last you a few years, but don’t want to pay a lot for it. It might not be the newest model any more but the iPhone SE 2020 offers ‘decent but not top-end’ performance: a good camera, enough power, a great App Store to plunder and a lighter...

Lightweight frame, Low price for iPhone, Powerful chipset

Battery life could be better, Old screen technology, No headphone jack