Apple iPhone XR vs SE (2020)
Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.1-inch Apple iPhone XR (with Apple A12 Bionic) that was released on September 12, 2018, against the Apple iPhone SE (2020), which is powered by Apple A13 Bionic and came out 19 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the gadgets.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone XR
- Has a 1.4 inches larger screen size
- Comes with 1121 mAh larger battery capacity: 2942 vs 1821 mAh
- Shows 38% longer battery life (33:02 vs 23:56 hours)
- Thinner bezels – 13.6% more screen real estate
- Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR4X 2133 MHz
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone SE (2020)
- Compatible with the latest Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
- Fingerprint scanner
- 11% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (566K versus 510K)
- Better grip in hands – the body is 8.4 mm narrower
- The phone is 1-year and 7-months newer
- Weighs 46 grams less
- 20% faster in single-core GeekBench 5 test: 1342 and 1123 points
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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 | 6.1 inches | 4.7 inches |
| Resolution | 828 x 1792 pixels | 750 x 1334 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 16:9 |
| PPI | 326 ppi | 326 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Max rated brightness | 625 nits | 625 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, Dolby Vision | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 79% | 65.4% |
| Display features | - | - DCI-P3 |
| RGB color space | 100% | 99.9% |
| PWM | Not detected | Not detected |
| Response time | 32.8 ms | 29 ms |
| Contrast | 1920:1 | 2457:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 150.9 mm (5.94 inches) | 138.4 mm (5.45 inches) |
| Width | 75.7 mm (2.98 inches) | 67.3 mm (2.65 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.3 mm (0.33 inches) | 7.3 mm (0.29 inches) |
| Weight | 194 g (6.84 oz) | 148 g (5.22 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP67 | IP67 |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | White, Black, Blue, Red, Orange, Yellow | White, Black, Red |
| Fingerprint scanner | No | Yes, in home button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Apple A12 Bionic | Apple A13 Bionic |
| Max. clock | 2490 MHz | 2650 MHz |
| CPU cores | 6 (2 + 4) | 6 (2 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 1.6 GHz: Tempest - 2 cores at 2.49 GHz: Vortex |
- 4 cores at 1.6 GHz: Thunder - 2 cores at 2.66 GHz: Lightning |
| Lithography process | 7 nanometers | 7 nanometers |
| Graphics | Apple A12 Bionic GPU | Apple A13 Bionic GPU |
| GPU clock | 1100 MHz | - |
| FLOPS | ~560 GFLOPS | ~736 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 142301 | 140999 |
| GPU | 188718 | 221156 |
| Memory | 70367 | 86770 |
| UX | 104916 | 113507 |
| Total score | 510352 | 566322 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Stability | 69% | 68% |
| Graphics test | 31 FPS | 41 FPS |
| Graphics score | 5235 | 6924 |
Memory
| RAM size | 3 GB | 3 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4 |
| Memory clock | 2133 MHz | - |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 64, 128, 256 GB | 64, 128, 256 GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | NVMe |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.2) | iOS 13 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.2) |
| OS size | 11.1 GB | 8.4 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 2942 mAh | 1821 mAh |
| Charge power | 15 W | 18 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes, Qi (10 W) | Yes, Qi (7.5 W) |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (50% in 30 min) | Yes (55% in 60 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:43 hr | 2:32 hr |
| Web browsing | 11:16 hr | 09:36 hr |
| Watching video | 12:45 hr | 07:32 hr |
| Gaming | 05:10 hr | 03:09 hr |
| Standby | 123 hr | 86 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: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Apple iSight X (BSI 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 (CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode |
| Samples | - | Photo samples of Apple iPhone SE (2020) from DxOMark |
| Megapixels | 7 megapixels | 7 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3088 x 2316 | 3088 x 2320 |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 32 mm | 32 mm |
| Pixel size | - | 1 microns |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
DxOMark camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic camera score
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | No | No |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - OTG |
- 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 |
| eSIM support* | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 12 | 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 | Flagship | Mid-range |
| Announced | September 2018 | April 2020 |
| Release date | October 2018 | April 2020 |
| SAR (head) | 0.99 W/kg | 0.98 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 0.99 W/kg | 0.99 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor |
- 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
If the display, performance, and connectivity are more important to you, then choose the Apple iPhone SE (2020). But if the battery life is more of a priority – go for the Apple iPhone XR.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 1574