The recent launch of iPhone SE costing $399 with improved features and a powerful chip and good performance begs the question—get value for money or go for the high-end versions like the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR, which cost $699 and $599 respectively?
Here we bring you a roundup of specs to help you make the decision if you are considering buying an iPhone.
Apple iPhone 11
The high-end smartphone of Apple has excellent cameras, a super-enhanced battery life, and robust hardware and software support. It comes with a 1792 x 828 pixels display at 326ppi, a 1400:1 contrast ratio, and 625-nit peak brightness. It has the standard Face ID technology embedded in the phone for biometric authentication. It comes with a durable shatter-proof glass and is dust and liquid-proof (can withstand a depth of 2 metres for 20 minutes).
iPhone XR
It is touted as the ‘affordable iPhone’. It is similar to the iPhone 8 in design without the home button. The iPhone XR comes with a 6.1-inch all-screen LCD with thick bezels.
iPhone SE
Apple launched the new iPhone SE- a lower-cost iPhone priced at $399, last week. It seems the pandemic also cannot stop Apple from striding onward with its commitments.
The device is backed by 64GB of storage and features the same basic shape and look of the iPhone 8, which has been discontinued for now. The phone has a 4.7-inch screen, large bezels on the top and bottom, and a home button with active Touch ID.
Display Comparison
The iPhone 11 has a 6.1-inch liquid retina HD display.
The iPhone SE, is slightly old-fashioned with a 4.7-inch display and a home button underneath.
iPhone XR
The iPhone XR comes with a 6.1-inch all-screen LCD with thick bezels.
All three phones have LCDs with a 326 ppi resolution, a 1,400:1 typical contrast ratio.
Storage
The iPhone SE and the iPhone 11 both come with Apple’s latest A13 Bionic chip, and 64/128/256GB of storage. The iPhone XR has the older, A12 Bionic chip, and also comes with 64GB, 128GB and 256 GB of storage.
Camera
The iPhone 11’s best feature by far is its camera. There is a 12MP wide camera with a 26mm lens. It’s paired with a 12MP ultra wide-angle camera that has a 120-degree field of view. It comes with a Night Mode.
The iPhone XR does not have a dual-camera and telephoto technology. It is configured with a 7MP TrueDepth front camera and a 12MP single camera at the back. It comes with Portrait mode and advanced Bokeh effect, Depth Control, and Portrait Lighting.
The iPhone SE has a single 12-megapixel camera lens at the back with a flash. The A-13 bionic chip enables it to give Smart HDR photos— that allow various multiple shots in a single photo. But no TrueDepth camera for selfies.
All three phones can take 4K video at 60fps.
Battery life
Difficult to give accurate figures as Apple gives comparative specs. It says the iPhone SE’s battery lasts “about the same as iPhone 8.” The iPhone XR generally “lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than iPhone 8 Plus” and the iPhone 11 lasts “up to 1 hour longer than iPhone XR.”
As is the case with the cameras, talking about battery life is hard without testing the iPhone SE. This is because Apple’s battery specs for different iPhone models aren’t exactly standardized.
For example, the company says the iPhone SE’s battery lasts “about the same as iPhone 8.” The iPhone XR generally “lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than iPhone 8 Plus” and the iPhone 11 lasts “up to 1 hour longer than iPhone XR.”
Biometrics
iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 have face recognition systems.
iPhone SE has Biometric authentication is second-generation Touch ID fingerprint sensor
Price
The price differences are — $399 vs $599 vs $699 for the basic64GB of storage.
If you want to go in for bigger storage capacity, then an iPhone SE with 256GB of memory costs $549. Hence, higher storage and a lower price for iPhone SE compared to the other two.
The prices go up to $1000 nearly for the other two phones as you go higher up the range
Other things to look for are port support, 5G compatibility and headphone jack.
iPhone 11 has no USB c port and is not 5G compatible. iPhone XR all ship with a Lightning to USB cable and 5W USB power adapter but no port C support or 5G support.
The iPhone SE 2020 supports blazing-fast 18-watt USB-C PD charging (zero to 50% in about 25 mins) using a USB-C to lightning cable. No 5G for iPhone S.