Apple iPhone SE (2020) vs iPhone 12

58 out of 100

71 out of 100

Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Here we compared two smartphones: the 4.7-inch Apple iPhone SE (2020) (with Apple A13 Bionic) that was released on April 15, 2020, against the Apple iPhone 12, which is powered by Apple A14 Bionic and came out 6 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Fingerprint scanner
Weighs 16 grams less

Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 12

Has a 1.4 inches larger screen size
Thinner bezels – 20.6% more screen real estate
Comes with 994 mAh larger battery capacity: 2815 vs 1821 mAh
Shows 36% longer battery life (32:27 vs 23:55 hours)
60% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1061K versus 665K)
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
41% higher pixel density (460 vs 326 PPI)
Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
Has an ultra-wide angle camera lens
Has 33% more RAM: 4GB versus 3GB
OLED display (versus competitor''s IPS LCD)
The front-facing camera can record video at 4K

Review

Evaluation of Apple iPhone SE (2020) and iPhone 12 crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	IPS LCD	OLED
Size	4.7 inches	6.1 inches
Resolution	750 x 1334 pixels	1170 x 2532 pixels
Aspect ratio	16:9	19.5:9
PPI	326 ppi	460 ppi
Refresh rate	60 Hz	60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	625 nits	625 nits
HDR support	Yes, Dolby Vision	Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen protection	Tempered glass	Ceramic Shield
Screen-to-body ratio	65.4%	86%
Display features	- DCI-P3	- DCI-P3

RGB color space	99.9%	99.4%
PWM	Not detected	226 Hz
Response time	29 ms	16 ms
Contrast	2457:1	∞ Infinity

Height	138.4 mm (5.45 inches)	146.7 mm (5.78 inches)
Width	67.3 mm (2.65 inches)	71.5 mm (2.81 inches)
Thickness	7.3 mm (0.29 inches)	7.4 mm (0.29 inches)
Weight	148 g (5.22 oz)	164 g (5.78 oz)
Waterproof	IP67	IP68
Rear material	Glass	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	White, Black, Red	White, Black, Blue, Green, Red
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-button	No

Chipset	Apple A13 Bionic	Apple A14 Bionic
Max clock	2650 MHz	3100 MHz
CPU cores	6 (2 + 4)	6 (2 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.6 GHz: Thunder - 2 cores at 2.65 GHz: Lightning	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Icestorm - 2 cores at 3.1 GHz: Firestorm
Lithography process	7 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Apple A13 GPU	Apple A14 GPU
GPU shading units	256	256
GPU clock	1230 MHz	1278 MHz
FLOPS	~629.8 GFLOPS	~654.3 GFLOPS

CPU	129399	221376
GPU	223288	336882
Memory	107740	136582
UX	204233	363783
Total score	665085	1061696

Max surface temperature	44.3 °C	41.2 °C
Stability	68%	77%
Graphics test	41 FPS	45 FPS
Graphics score	6878	7603

Storage size	64, 128, 256 GB	64, 128, 256 GB
Storage type	NVMe	NVMe
Memory card	No	No

Operating system	iOS 13 (Can be upgraded to iOS 17)	iOS 14.1 (Can be upgraded to iOS 17)
OS size	8.4 GB	7 GB

Capacity	1821 mAh	2815 mAh
Max charge power	18 W	18 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes, Qi (7.5 W)	Yes (7.5 W)
Reverse charging	No	No
Fast charging	Yes (55% in 60 min)	Yes (58% in 30 min)
Full charging time	2:32 hr	1:30 hr

Web browsing	09:36 hr	11:23 hr
Watching video	07:32 hr	12:11 hr
Gaming	03:06 hr	05:05 hr
Standby	86 hr	119 hr

RAM
RAM size	3 GB	4 GB
Memory type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR4X
Channels	2	2

Main camera
Matrix	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	4032 x 3024	4032 x 3024
Zoom	Digital	Digital
Flash	Quad LED	Quad LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	No	No
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	240 FPS (1080p)	240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	-	120°
Lenses	1 (12 MP)	2 (12 MP + 12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 28 mm - Pixel size: 1.22 micron - Sensor: 1/3", Apple iSight Camera (CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.6 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/3.4", Sony IMX372 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Ultra-wide lens	-	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 13 mm - Sensor: 1/3.6" (CMOS)
Camera features	- Bokeh mode	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode
Samples	Photo samples of Apple iPhone SE (2020) from DxOMark	Photo samples of Apple iPhone 12 from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	7 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	3088 x 2320	4032 x 3024
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	32 mm	23 mm
Pixel size	1 microns	-
Sensor type	CMOS	BSI CMOS
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5	5
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	No	No
USB version	2	-
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	1	1
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	-
eSIM support *	Yes	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	16	18
5G support	No	Yes

Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	No	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Category	Mid-range	Flagship
Announced	April 2020	October 2020
Release date	April 2020	October 2020
SAR (head)	0.98 W/kg	0.99 W/kg
SAR (body)	0.99 W/kg	0.99 W/kg
Sensors	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor
Bundled charger	Yes, 5 W	-

Apple iPhone SE (2020) vs iPhone 12

Apple iPhone SE (2020) vs iPhone 12

Key differences

Review

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Display

Design and build

Performance

Benchmarks

Memory

Software

Battery

Camera

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Conclusion