The iPhone SE is an accomplishment – a sub £500 iPhone with a superior brain. It’s incredibly compelling if you’ve been stuck with an iPhone 8 or anything earlier and don’t wish to pay an arm and a leg. We can forgive the camera downfalls, yet we can’t ignore rival smartphone manufacturers like Oppo and Realme offering silly camera specs at similar prices. The lack of FaceID is no problem either. The mediocre screen is a surmountable. None of this gets in the way of function. The one issue is the battery – it just doesn’t provide enough juice and it certainly won’t get better over time. It’s workable if you’re always in the office or at home (so all of you, for now) and are never without a charger. But what about those weekends away? And those times when you forget your portable charger? This Apple is missing one big juicy bite.

App store; Smooth operating;

Battery life isn’t great;

This is a fantastic upgrade for those with an iPhone 8 or older, and you will notice big changes, and a lot of familiarities, in the switch. It’s also just a downright excellent buy if you want a phone that’ll perform fast and take excellent pictures for years to come.

At $399/£419 this is an excellent buy; Flagship performance should keep this speedy for years; Great photos in daylight situations; Impressive video capabilities; Offers a strong proposition for those who don’t want big phones;

Battery life is far from excellent; A new design would’ve been welcome;

A top-tier processor and solid camera performance make the iPhone SE undeniably good value, especially when you factor in luxuries like wireless charging and waterproofing. Bad battery life, dated design, and a low resolution display hold the SE back though, so in most cases you can still get a lot more for less by resisting the Apple allure and opting for Android.

If you’ve traditionally been an iPhone person but haven’t got the money for Apple’s more pricey handsets or don’t want to deal with the potential hassle of changing to Android, the iPhone SE is going to be the obvious choice.

The new iPhone SE is an indulgent return to what was but a sobering reminder that even what’s old is new again has limits.

Slick software; Surprisingly good camera; Water resistance and wireless charging;

Small screen; Poor battery life; No headphone jack;

An upgraded classic. With the second generation of the iPhone SE, Apple has visually recreated the iPhone 8. While this has resulted in a - for current standards - relatively compact smartphone with a few high-end features, the screen-to-body ratio is fairly poor. Meanwhile, the low base price is another plus for the iPhone SE 2.

With the iPhone SE, Apple has released an attractive smartphone that shines with a fast processor, a...

bright, color-accurate display; snappy SoC; supports Wi-Fi 6 and a wide range of LTE frequencies; IP67 certification; wireless charging; lightweight and slim; good locating capabilities;

weak power adapter; non-expandable storage; poor screen-to-body ratio; only a single-camera; mediocre call quality; only 12 months of warranty;

App store; Smooth operating;

Battery life isn’t great;

Overall the 2020 iPhone SE is, in every respect, on the money.

Affordable price but flagship specification; Small size has its charms; Decent camera performance; Water-resistant design;

2017 design shows with large top/bottom bezel; Limited battery - and no fast-charger in the box; No Face ID - it's Touch ID only; No Night Mode;

The SE is the little iPhone that could. With a 4in screen and the body of an iPhone 5s, it fits in my pockets better than my iPhone 6s, and it’s easier to use one-handed. But it doesn’t compromise much over its bigger, more expensive siblings.