REVIEW: iPhone SE 2 (2nd Gen) in 2023 - Still Worth It? - Best Budget iPhone?

Revisited review of the Apple iPhone SE 2 (2020) heading into 2023.

Details:
LET THERE BE LIGHT. AND SHADOW. AND CONTOUR.
We put the brains of iPhone 11 Pro in the body of iPhone SE. A13 Bionic is the fastest chip ever in a smart phone, period. So everything feels fluid, whether you're launching apps, playing the latest games, or exploring new ways to work and play with augmented reality. The advanced camera system with A13 Bionic brings you Portrait mode, which artfully blurs the background to put the focus on your subject - even when you're taking selfies.

More Features.
BUILT FOR IOS 16. AND BEYOND:
iPhone SE is made to run the latest feature and even some that haven't been invented yet. So you can use Dark Mode, Siri Shortcuts, and the new Photos app now. And take advantage of feature and security updates.

BINGE-WORTHY BATTERY LIFE:
The show must go on. So iPhone SE lets you watch up to 13 hours of video on a single charge. When you do need to power up, just set it down on a wireless charger. Or connect to an 18W fast-charge adapter to go from zero to up to 50% in 30 minutes.

DEPTH CONTROL:
A simple slider lets you blur the background as much or as little as you like - before or after you take the photo.

HOME SWEET HOME BUTTON:
Touch ID lets you securely unlock your iPhone and sign in to apps instantly. You can even use it with Apple Pay to grab a coffee, get a yoga app, or shop for sneakers online. All without reaching for your credit card.

PORTRAIT LIGHTING:
Choose from six studio quality effects, then adjust the lighting intensity to show your subject in the best possible light.

As Apple simply puts it: Lots to love. Less to spend. iPhone SE packs Apple’s powerful A13 Bionic chip into their most popular size. Made of durable glass, with an aluminum design and a brilliant 4.7" retina HD display, iPhone SE2 is exactly what you were looking for.

Enjoy the classically sleek design of the iPhone SE 2. Take stunning family photos in portrait mode with either the 12MP main camera or the 7MP front selfie camera. Your pictures and videos will always look impressive on the crisp 4.7'' retina display.

Smartphone · Single SIM · 4G · With Qi Wireless Charging · Fast Charging · iOS · Fingerprint Scanner · Quad-band · NFC Apple Pay

The advanced camera system with A13 Bionic brings you Portrait mode, which artfully blurs the background to put the focus on your subject even when youre taking selfies. A simple slider lets you blur the background as much or as little as you like before or after you take the photo. Portrait Lighting. Choose from six studio quality effects, then adjust the lighting intensity to show your subject in the best possible light. Next generation Smart HDR knows a face when it sees one, and intelligently relights it to capture more natural-looking contours and skin tones. 4K video means youll see four times more detail than in 1080p HD video.

iPhone SE is water resistant to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Its not afraid of a little coffee, tea, or soda either. And dust? No worries. iPhone SE is made to run the latest features and even some that havent been invented yet. So you can use Dark Mode, Siri Shortcuts, and the new Photos app now.

You get incredibly smooth graphics performance for gaming.
Cool with stumbles. Thanks to a durable design and the toughest glass in a smartphone. All in a pocket‑friendly 4.7″ design.

Touch ID is a fast, simple, and secure way to unlock your phone and sign in to apps. You can even use it with Apple Pay to do things like shop online or grab groceries at the store — all without reaching for your card.

iPhone helps put you in control of your personal information. For example, when you’re browsing, Safari intelligently helps block trackers from profiling you and shows you which ones have been blocked in your Privacy Report. And the list goes on.

Discover all-new ways to make your iPhone even more you. Customize your Lock Screen. Layer a photo to make it pop. Track your activity rings. And get real-time updates — from live sports scores to the status of your coffee order — at a glance.

Colors:
Black
White
(PRODUCT) RED

Capacity:
64GB
128GB
256GB

Display
Retina HD display
4.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology
True Tone display
Wide color display (P3)
Haptic Touch
625 nits max brightness (typical)
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

Chip
A13 Bionic chip
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
4-core GPU
8-core Neural Engine

In the Box
iPhone SE
USB-C to Lightning Cable
Documentation

Sensors
Touch ID fingerprint sensor
Barometer
Three‑axis gyro
Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Built-in GPS/GNSS
Digital compass
Wi‑Fi
Cellular
iBeacon microlocation

[needjuiceinmywrld]

Got my buddy one of these for $50 bucks to replace his dying budget android. It was slightly cracked and poor battery health but still a steal at 50 bucks. It’s his first iPhone ever and he loves it. His only complaint is it doesn’t last much longer than 4 hours off the charger but it charges back up quickly. Overall still very solid phone especially for the price you can find them at now a days

[RBR-loei]

I still get security updates for my iPhone SE (2016)!

[chancebrennan]

Who else is watching this on the iPhone SE 2020 😂😂

[BLVCKSEA]

i just bought a refurbished one for 100 bucks..still waiting on it to come in....the last Iphone i had was the 7+ and that thing worked just fine for me...

[wjckc]

I bought one of these new on Boost Mobile a few weeks ago. It's my first experience with iOS so I didn't want to spend a lot in case I didn't like it. Like it? I love it! Being new to iOS brings back memories of when phones were still fun. I am a bit amazed at how fast and capable it is for having such low specs. The battery life could better but is in no way a deal-breaker. I can txt substantially faster on it than any phone since Blackberry with physical keyboards. I'm not going to hammer out a whole review but there is so much to love about iOS, even on this older phone. I guess I'm a new iPhone convert.

[ethanlculver]

Got this for grandma as her first smart phone so hoping it’s good for her and that she likes it

[NativeAmericanSwag]

Thank you! You just now helped me to buy two for me and my mother!!!

[boomboombaby]

My brother hates big phone and always buys these phones, I gave him my iPhone 12 Pro Max when I bought the 14 pro max and he sold it and kept using his se .

[kevinhullinger]

Good review thank you. My iPhone 6s finally needs replaced.

[Shadowffect]

I just bought this phone for my Gunei Pig so he can watch Pepa Pig

[crazyfun]

Got this phone when it was first released in 2020 and it's an excellent value phone. Yeah it has an outdated design and smaller battery, but otherwise you get a lot for your money even in late 2023. Especially if you find one for $100 unlocked. I know I love Touch ID and the speakers on the SE2 are great. Plus it will be supported until at least 2025 and likely 2026. There's a reason I have kept coming back to it. My only complaint is of course battery life but a good battery case fixes that issue.

[chicagocousins]

I got mine last year for zero dollars free not a bad phone at all good fit in the pocket but I’m tired of the small screen n the camera is ehhh I have to go back to big screen androids again like a pixel or the galaxy

[-Crustyboi-]

Not bad for $150 (as of now). I might end up getting one for the meantime since my other phone's plan is off and I owe alot. Then my phone service locked the sim so it doesn't work when I take it out and change it. Long as its unlocked.

[alejandrosuarez]

Wondering if it’s compatible with Apple CarPlay

[Battle]

you either need to speak up in your recording or adjust recording volume
it's very hard to hear your video on laptop speakers

[othinus]

These still go for 400$(on SALE!?) here in the Philippines... iPhones are a BAD investment in my country.

[Rorensuwl]

I might buy this for 200 euros refurbished