The iPhone SE is back! But is the new version any good?

The budget iPhone is back!

APPLE HAS RELEASED an updated version of the iPhone SE that features its A13 Bionic chip, the fastest chip used in a smartphone and also found in the top–of–the–range iPhone 11 Pro, but at a price starting at just $399.

Apple discontinued its previous budget iPhone, also called the iPhone SE, back in September 2018, so the new model fills in a gap at the bottom of the iPhone price range nicely.

In terms of specs and design the new iPhone SE is very similar to the old iPhone 8, so it features a Home button (which means it uses Touch ID, not Face ID) and has a 4.7–inch Retina HD display, 12MP rear–facing camera and a 7MP front–facing camera. The original iPhone 8 only came in 64GB and 128GB sizes, but the new iPhone SE adds a 256GB version as well.

The standout feature, though, is Apple’s A13 Bionic chip, which enables great battery life, takes stunning Portrait mode and Smart HDR photos, shoots amazing videos with stereo audio, and is great for games and fast web surfing.

The iPhone SE comes in three different colors — white, black and (PRODUCT)RED.

“The first iPhone SE was a hit with many customers who loved its unique combination of small size, high–end performance and affordable price. The new second–generation iPhone SE builds on that great idea and improves on it in every way, including our best-ever single-camera system for great photos and videos, while still being very affordable,” says Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.