Apple’s budget iPhone delivers a satisfying and slick smartphone experience at an attractive price

Excellent build quality; Colourful; detailed screen; Musical sound

Camera not great in low light; Battery life could be better

While it may lack the design clout of more recent iPhones and is missing creature comforts such as an OLED display and Face ID, the iPhone SE 2020 is world-class in almost every other regard, and the fact that it can be purchased for £400 is nothing less than amazing.

A couple of years ago the Apple iPhone X restored my joy in smartphones and a lot of that had to do with the small size and extremely responsive performance of the phone. I went through the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR before choosing to stick with the iPhone XS and then moved onto the iPhone 11 Pro.

High end processor; Low price; Small size for the masses; Solid battery life; Wireless charging; Capable rear and front cameras; Touch ID front sensor; $50 charge for reasonable internal storage

Large top bezel

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

For a phone that is so affordable this really does deliver - and should give you a phone that will last you for the next 3-4 years without the need to upgrade.

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 2020 Apple iPhone SE is a petite powerhouse with no-compromise performance for hundreds of dollars less than other recent iPhones.

Affordable; Fast performance; Small; one-hand-friendly form factor

No camera night mode

Anyone who calls the iPhone SE a spare parts store is not wrong. Dressed in the iPhone 8 garb, looking through the glasses of the iPhone XR and doing its work with the heart of the iPhone 11, Apple has rummaged deep in its toolbox and created a powerful iPhone mix that combines not the best, but the...

Powerful processor; Home Button; Bokeh effects for both cameras; Low price

Aged LCD display; Average Portrait Mode; Poor audio; No expandable storage

Building a $400 phone is an exercise in compromise, and the iPhone SE certainly has its share. Despite that, Apple's smallest, cheapest smartphone offers tremendous performance for the price.

Incredible value; Flagship-level performance; Surprisingly good camera; A13 chipset gives iOS room to grow

Dated design; Battery life is only OK; Camera doesn't have a Night mode

This clearly isn’t Apple’s absolute best iPhone, but it’s the best choice for many millions of users. It is Apple's least interesting iPhone in years, and simultaneously, perhaps, the most important.

Starts at just $399; The A13 is faster than any other mobile processor; Great photos and video in good light

No telephoto or ultrawide camera; Battery life is just okay; No Night Mode or Deep Fusion

Back in the spring of 2016 — March 31, to be specific — the original iPhone SE launched. It was a callback to the four-inch iPhone many of us loved but couldn't upgrade to for more than two years.