Apple iPhone SE (2020) vs iPhone 8
Here we compared two smartphones: the 4.7-inch Apple iPhone SE (2020) (with Apple A13 Bionic) that was released on April 15, 2020, against the Apple iPhone 8, which is powered by Apple A11 Bionic and came out 31 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone SE (2020)
- 57% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (563K versus 357K)
- Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
- Compatible with Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
- Has 50% more RAM: 3GB versus 2GB
- The phone is 2-years and 7-months newer
- More energy-efficient CPU – Apple A13 Bionic
- 45% faster in single-core GeekBench 5 test: 1351 and 933 points
- Ready for eSIM technology
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Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Performance
CPU/GPU performance in apps and games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview score
Final comparison evaluation
Value for money
You can enter your local price of these phones (in USD or any other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Size | 4.7 inches | 4.7 inches |
| Resolution | 750 x 1334 pixels | 750 x 1334 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| PPI | 326 ppi | 326 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 625 nits | 625 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, Dolby Vision | No |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 65.4% | 65.4% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 | - |
| RGB color space | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| PWM | Not detected | Not detected |
| Response time | 29 ms | 22 ms |
| Contrast | 2457:1 | 1373:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 138.4 mm (5.45 inches) | 138.4 mm (5.45 inches) |
| Width | 67.3 mm (2.65 inches) | 67.3 mm (2.65 inches) |
| Thickness | 7.3 mm (0.29 inches) | 7.3 mm (0.29 inches) |
| Weight | 148 g (5.22 oz) | 148 g (5.22 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP67 | IP67 |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | White, Black, Red | Silver, Gold, Gray |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in home button | Yes, in home button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Apple A13 Bionic | Apple A11 Bionic |
| Max clock | 2650 MHz | 2100 MHz |
| CPU cores | 6 (2 + 4) | 6 (2 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 1.6 GHz: Thunder - 2 cores at 2.66 GHz: Lightning |
- 4 cores at 1.42 GHz: Mistral - 2 cores at 2.39 GHz: Monsoon |
| Lithography process | 7 nanometers | 10 nanometers |
| Graphics | Apple A13 Bionic GPU | Apple GPU |
| FLOPS | ~736 GFLOPS | ~325 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 140999 | 121523 |
| GPU | 221156 | 110958 |
| Memory | 86770 | 44570 |
| UX | 113507 | 80000 |
| Total score | 563123 | 357923 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | 44.3 °C | 45.4 °C |
| Stability | 68% | 62% |
| Graphics test | 41 FPS | 18 FPS |
| Graphics score | 6917 | 3162 |
Memory
| RAM size | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4 | LPDDR4 |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 64, 128, 256 GB | 64, 256 GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | NVMe |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | iOS 13 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.2) | iOS 11 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.1.1) |
| OS size | 8.4 GB | 6 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 1821 mAh | 1821 mAh |
| Charge power | 18 W | 15 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes, Qi (7.5 W) | Yes, Qi (7.5 W) |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (55% in 60 min) | Yes (50% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:32 hr | 1:15 hr |
| Web browsing | 09:36 hr | 08:04 hr |
| Watching video | 07:32 hr | 08:37 hr |
| Gaming | 03:09 hr | 03:56 hr |
| Standby | 86 hr | 82 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | Quad LED | Quad LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 240 FPS (1080p) | 240 FPS (1080p) |
| Lenses | 1 (12 MP) | 1 (12 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 28 mm - Pixel size: 1.22 micron - Sensor: 1/3", Apple iSight Camera (CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization |
- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 28 mm - Pixel size: 1.22 micron - Sensor: 1/3", Apple iSight Camera (BSI CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
| Samples | Photo samples of Apple iPhone SE (2020) from DxOMark | Photo samples of Apple iPhone 8 from DxOMark |
| Megapixels | 7 megapixels | 7 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3088 x 2320 | 3088 x 2320 |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 32 mm | 32 mm |
| Pixel size | 1 microns | 1 microns |
| Sensor type | CMOS | BSI CMOS |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
DxOMark camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic camera score
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | LE, A2DP | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | No | No |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 1 | 1 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | Yes | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 16 | 16 |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Flagship |
| Announced | April 2020 | September 2017 |
| Release date | April 2020 | September 2017 |
| SAR (head) | 0.98 W/kg | 1.35 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 0.99 W/kg | 1.36 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
After analyzing all the data, we think that the Apple iPhone SE (2020) is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 923
