Apple finally made my dream phone: 2020's iPhone SE
I held onto my iPhone 6 for nearly four years, desperately hoping for Apple's rumored budget iPhone to finally come out. I replaced the battery, took to carrying a charging pack everywhere, and accepted that GPS on maps and Bluetooth connectivity were overrated smartphone features (they are not).
I'm a years-long iPhone owner, but a cheap one. I've always bought or accepted hand-me-down iPhones from friends or snagged the cheapest models, like the iPhone 5C. So, when my iPhone 6 died at the end of 2019 and the missing "iPhone 9" still hadn't arrived, I reluctantly bought the cheapest phone available at the Apple Store: an iPhone 8. I shelled out $563 for the 128GB version.
Five months later, the perfect replacement to my iPhone 6 is finally here: the long-awaited iPhone SE, but the 2020 version. Its predecessor with the same name came out four years ago, and today's revamped version is not that sexy or cutting-edge, but it starts at $399. Sold. For the same 128GB-size phone that I bought in December, the price drops to $449. Still sold.
The 2020 iPhone SE offers an updated iPhone 8 with a more robust "inside" and better camera. Us price-conscious iPhone owners finally get portrait mode! It's the same size as the 8 and reverts back to the Touch ID home button to open the phone and for other functions like Apple Pay after that feature was replaced with Face ID for the X and newer handsets. It doesn't have a headphone jack like the fan-favorite iPhone 6 and 6S, but I'm already used to using Bluetooth earbuds.
There's an A13 Bionic chip, just like in the latest iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, which speeds up all phone processes like launching a link from a text message. The 2020 SE chip is 40 percent faster than the slower iPhone 8 A11 chip. What's not to like?
This is the phone I've always wanted. For other Apple bargain hunters out there, look no further. Based on online photos alone, and even without using it, I know this will be my next iPhone purchase. Pre-orders start Friday. I'll be checking out the Apple website then.
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
