Apple's new iPhone SE is as fast as the 11 Pro, but way more affordable

It’s been rumored for a while, but today Apple takes the wraps off its second-generation iPhone SE.

Reinvented from the inside out and packaged in a compact design, Apple’s most affordable iPhone comes with a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, paired with Touch ID security in the familiar Home button.

The new iPhone SE is powered by the Apple-designed A13 Bionic chip -- first introduced with iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro -- and Apple says the device offers the best single-camera system ever in an iPhone. The 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture Wide camera uses the image signal processor and Neural Engine of A13 Bionic to offer computational photography features such as Portrait mode, all six Portrait Lighting effects, and Depth Control.

The new device is water- and dust-resistant with an IP67 rating for water resistance up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. 

"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. "iPhone SE features the industry-leading performance of A13 Bionic that enables great battery life, takes stunning Portrait mode and Smart HDR photos, shoots amazing videos with stereo audio, is great for games and super fast web surfing, and is built with the same industry-leading security features our customers expect. We can’t wait to get iPhone SE into customers’ hands."

iPhone SE is available in three colors -- black, white and (PRODUCT)RED. It will be available for pre-order beginning this Friday, April 17, starting at $399.