Perhaps the only writer among Team TechQuila who was wildly excited for the iPhone SE 2020 in the weeks leading up to its launch was yours truly. If early leaks were anything to go by the SE 2020 was purported to use the iPhone 11’s camera hardware and processing. Considering that the phone was confirmed to have an A13 Bionic SoC that would enable great post-processing, I was gullible enough to believe that it would happen. Vodoo mama juju, what a blunder that was. Here’s why you SHOULDN’T buy the iPhone SE in India.
The Camera
The use of the iPhone 8’s primary sensor is essentially Toby making a return to Dunder Mifflin. Not the most endearing employee, and definitely not someone you’d like to see return. Annoying as the omission of the iPhone 11’s camera sensor is, the post-processing thanks to the A13 Bionic does alleviate some of the concerns people had with the iPhone 8’s primary sensor. Dynamic range looks great and shots in broad daylight are as great as ever. But, no amount of software prowess can seem to save this phone’s low-light prowess. Here’s why I miss the iPhone 11’s sensor – the lack of the iPhone’s great night mode on the SE 2020 makes it more BATTER than COOKIE. Some people like consuming uncooked batter while I prefer a more well-rounded cookie no thank you.
Battery Life
That’s right. Run like the wind. The iPhone SE’s battery is nothing to write back to the Council Of Ricks about. In our country where almost every professional user touts dual-SIMs, the seemingly decent battery life that international users seem to get will be quite deplorable when it makes its way over to the Coromandel coast. I had my fingers crossed that the A13’s rather low power consumption, when put together with the 720p display, would work some sort of miracle – well major hoo-hah for me because it didn’t.
The Pricing
Not every Indian is as generous as Captain Tribbiani with their savings – especially the buyer that prefers OnePlus smartphones. The iPhone SE 2020 starts at 42500 INR in India that makes it considerably less value for money that it is in the USA. Sure, the A13 Bionic is by far the most powerful SoC you can get at the price point, but no power user will really be able to appreciate it considering the phone may lose juice half-way through a normal work day. Here’s where the basics matter and Apple’s latest offering offers too little a little too late in the highly competitive flagship killer market. I’d just buy the OnePlus 7T and call it a day!
The Verdict
The iPhone SE 2020 suffers from a case of identity theft. And like Dwight says, its no joke. Whilst borrowing its parts from the iPhone 8 *cue cheesy “Revenge Of The Fallen” reference*, the SE loses its very essence – there’s absolutely nothing that makes it unique. If you recall, the previous generation of the SE packed the camera of then flagship iPhone 6S and was capable of shooting stellar 4K video (which was unheard of for a 350$ phone in 2016). That along with it’s no-nonsense performance and comparatively better battery life (when compared with the 6S) made it an attractive option. However, this recipe hasn’t really evolved with the average consumer’s growing list of needs making the iPhone SE 2020 rather irrelevant in the Indian landscape.
With higher RAM and twice the size of storage, OnePlus 8 at almost same price is a clear winner in India!