iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: What should you buy?

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: What should you lot buy?

(Paradigm credit: Tom'due south Guide)

Update: The iPhone XR has officially been discontinued past Apple, but you lot can yet observe it through various carriers and retailers for every bit low as $249. Also go along in mind that a new iPhone SE 3 with 5G is expected around March.

An iPhone SE vs iPhone XR comparison should help you pick the best iPhone for you if you're on a budget. With the iPhone SE and the iPhone XR, Apple currently makes two of the best phones under $500. So which iPhone is right for you?

The good news is that both of these phones will run Apple's new iOS 15 software this fall, but at that place'south some major differences between these ii handsets. The cheaper and newer iPhone SE exceeds the iPhone XR in some ways. The iPhone SE 2020 packs a faster processor, and it offers more than max storage. Just the iPhone XR strikes back with a much larger screen, Face ID and a beefier battery.

Yeah, the new $699 iPhone xiii mini and $799 iPhone 13 offer better cameras, 5G, even faster performance and smaller notches, but they're on the pricier side.

Now that the iPhone XR is discontinued, we recommend the $499 iPhone 11 over the iPhone XR, but here's how the iPhone XR and iPhone SE stack up if yous're deciding between the two phones.

iPhone SE review: The all-time inexpensive phone yet
Apple's big-screen bargain: iPhone XR review
Read our iPhone xi vs. iPhone XR face-off

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: Specs

	iPhone SE (2020)	iPhone XR
Price	$399/£419	$499/£499
Colors	Black, white, cherry	Yellow, white, coral, black, bluish, red
Display	4.vii inches (1334 x 750)	vi.ane inches (1792 ten 828)
CPU	A13 Bionic	A12 Bionic
Storage	64GB, 128GB, 256GB	64GB, 128GB
Rear photographic camera	12MP (f/1.viii)	12MP (f/1.eight)
Front end camera	7MP (f/2.ii)	7MP (f/two.2)
Video recording	4K video upwards to 60 fps	4K video up to 60 fps
Security	Touch on ID	Face ID
Water resistance	IP67	IP67
Battery life	9 hours 18 mins	11 hours 26 mins
Wireless charging	Yeah (Qi)	Yep (Qi)
Fast charging	Yes (via optional 18W adapter)	Aye (via optional 18W adapter)
Size	v.45 x ii.65 x 0.29 inches	5.94 x 2.98 x 0.33 inches
Weight	v.22 ounces	vi.84 ounches

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: Price and storage options

iPhone SE 2020 — iPhone SE (2020) (Image credit: Tom'southward Guide)

The iPhone SE starts at $399/£419 with 64GB of storage. You tin upgrade to 128GB of storage for $449/£469 and to 256GB for $549/£569. Cheque out our iPhone SE deals folio for the latest sales and discounts.

The iPhone XR initially cost $499 / £499 to beginning for the 64GB model. A 128GB model was bachelor for $549/£579. Unfortunately, you can't get 256GB of storage on the iPhone XR as you can on the iPhone SE.

At present that Apple has stopped making the iPhone XR, you lot can find it for less than $300 and as low as $249. By and large speaking, nosotros suggest that people spend more than to go the newer iPhone xi, which now costs $499.

Winner: iPhone XR

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: Design

One of the biggest differences between the iPhone SE and iPhone XR is their sheer size. With its 4.vii-inch display, the iPhone SE is all about having a compact design that's easy to use with one hand, while the iPhone XR delivers a much bigger 6.1-inch screen.

The iPhone SE measures 5.45 x ii.65 10 0.29 inches and weighs five.22 ounces compared to five.94 x 2.98 10 0.33 inches and 6.84 ounces for the iPhone XR. So you lot'll definitely notice the difference in size and heft in your hands and in your pocket.

The iPhone XR has a more mod expect overall, because it has narrower bezels than the iPhone SE and uses Confront ID for unlocking the device. The iPhone XR is closer to a full-screen pattern. The iPhone SE has a Affect ID/domicile push underneath its display.

Both the iPhone SE and iPhone XR take drinking glass backs and aluminum bands around the sides. They're likewise both IP67 water resistant, and so they tin become splashed or fifty-fifty submerged for up to thirty minutes.

If you prefer more color options, the iPhone XR is the way to go. The iPhone XR is bachelor in six colors, including yellowish, white, coral, black, blue and crimson. Apple keeps it simple for the iPhone SE with but blackness, white and carmine.

Winner: iPhone XR

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: Display

There are a number of benefits to the iPhone XR's larger 6.1-inch LCD versus the 4.7-inch panel on the iPhone SE, including a more than immersive experience when watching videos and playing games. Plus, a bigger screen tin be easier on your eyes when surfing the web or viewing documents, and it's easier to type on a half dozen.i-inch display.

Notwithstanding, in terms of resolution, the iPhone SE's 1334 ten 750-pixel display has the aforementioned 326 pixels per inch every bit the iPhone XR's screen, which has a resolution of 1792 x 828.

Both the iPhone SE and iPhone XR screen share several other features, including Truthful Tone for adjusting the color temperature of the brandish on the fly and 625 nits of brightness.

Winner: iPhone XR

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: Cameras

In terms of specs, the iPhone SE and iPhone XR are equals in the camera section, just they're not identical overall. Both phones feature a 12MP master wide camera with an f/one.8 aperture and a 7MP TrueDepth camera upward front with an f/2.two aperture.

In improver, both the iPhone SE and iPhone XR are capable of capturing portraits with both the forepart and rear cameras and let y'all adjust the Depth Control, and then you decide how much of a bokeh effect you want. However, while the iPhone XR is limited to iii Portrait Lighting effects, the iPhone SE ups that to half dozen, including Stage Light, Stage Light Mono and High-Primal Light Mono.

iPhone SE 2020 review — iPhone SE (2020) (Epitome credit: Tom's Guide)

The iPhone SE besides also benefits from the prototype indicate processor that'southward unique to the A13 Bionic chip inside that telephone. For example, you become a Smart HDR feature that'due south smart enough to recognize people and deliver better highlights to faces.

On the video front, the iPhone SE and iPhone XR are both capable of shooting upward to 4K video at 60 fps, but only the iPhone SE has extended dynamic range, which delivers better highlights and shadow details (albeit only up to 30 fps). Remember of information technology as HDR for video.

Just keep in mind that neither the iPhone SE nor iPhone XR feature a Nighttime fashion for taking pictures in low light or a ultra-wide bending lens. Both of those features are reserved for the pricier iPhone eleven and iPhone 12.

Winner: iPhone SE

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: Performance

This round is no competition. The iPhone SE houses Apple's fast A13 Bionic processor, the same chip found inside the iPhone 11 and iPhone xi Pro. And then you should expect faster app load times too as smoother gaming when playing more enervating titles. You lot should also benefit from less latency when using augmented reality apps.

In Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, the iPhone SE scored iii,226 in the multi-core portion of the test, compared to an average of 2,575 for the iPhone XR. The iPhone SE also trounce the iPhone XR on the single-core test, reaching 1,337 vs 1,108 for the iPhone XR.

It's non that the iPhone XR is tedious by any stretch; it should have the operation you need for most tasks. Only the iPhone SE simply delivers more than speed for less money.

Winner: iPhone SE

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: Security and unlocking

In this circular information technology'due south all about Impact ID vs Confront ID. The iPhone SE has a Impact ID sensor for unlocking the phone, authorizing App Shop downloads, using Apple Pay and entering passwords. And the iPhone XR uses Face ID for all of those tasks.

In general, Confront ID is more secure than Touch ID because it uses a 3D model of your face. It'due south also fairly user-friendly, and you don't have to worry near which fingers yous take registered to your device. Information technology but works, even in the night.

There are some benefits of Impact ID, all the same. You tin power on and unlock your device with a single tap, and Touch ID works even if you're wearing a mask, which many people are now doing. But overall Face ID is a picayune more than convenient and secure.

Winner: iPhone XR

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: Battery life and charging

If you believe the leaks and teardowns, the new iPhone SE has a battery chapters of i,821 mAh, compared to two,942 mAh for the iPhone XR. And so the iPhone XR clearly has the larger bombardment.

On our spider web surfing bombardment test, the iPhone XR lasted a much longer 11 hours and 26 minutes, compared to merely 9:18 for the iPhone SE. Handsets that concluding longer than eleven hours make our best phone battery life list.

Both the iPhone XR and iPhone SE support fast wired charging simply neither offering that charger in the box. You'll need pay $19 for an 20W USB-C ability adapter and another $19 for a USB-C to Lightning cable if you lot want to get to l% power in 30 minutes.

If you prefer charging without cords, the iPhone SE and iPhone XR both support the all-time wireless chargers with upwards to 7.5W of ability.

Winner: iPhone XR

iPhone SE vs iPhone XR: Overall winner

Deciding betwixt the iPhone SE and iPhone XR comes down to a few primal factors. If you prefer a smaller phone, the iPhone SE is the best telephone for you. Plus, even though the iPhone SE costs $100 less than the iPhone XR, the former offers more speed and better cameras, thanks to the A13 Bionic chip.

Assuming you can find one on a steep disbelieve, the iPhone XR could be the correct telephone for y'all if you prefer a larger 6.1-inch display and similar the idea of using Face ID to unlock your phone. Information technology also offers longer bombardment life than the new iPhone SE and slimmer bezels.

Some may desire to wait to encounter if Apple releases an iPhone SE 3 with 5G, which is expected to launch in March. If y'all desire a new iPhone for less than $500 now, you can't get wrong with the iPhone XR or iPhone SE, but our coin is actually on the newly discounted iPhone 11.

Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for nigh 20 years. In addition to overseeing the management of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at central industry events and appears regularly on Idiot box to hash out the latest trends. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.