2020 Apple iPhone SE 2nd Gen vs iPhone 11 vs XR Philippines Price and Specs Comparison: Which One Should You Buy?

Now that Apple has officially announced the 2nd Generation Apple iPhone SE, I'm sure that many of you are wondering how this new model compares to other fairly affordable iPhone models that are currently available here in the Philippines.

In the Cupertino company's handset line-up for the first half of 2020, the three most "budget-friendly" models are the Apple iPhone SE 2nd Gen, Apple iPhone 11, and Apple iPhone XR, which are shown in that order in the image below. If your budget for a new iPhone is below PHP 50,000, these are the ones that you should be looking at.

To make it easier for you to choose between these models, I made this table which shows the key technical specifications as well as the current local prices of these iPhones side by side.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specifications Table
	Apple iPhone SE 2nd Generation	Apple iPhone 11	Apple iPhone XR
Dimensions	138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm	150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm	150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm
Weight	148 grams	194 grams	194 grams
Display	4.7 inches, 750 x 1334 pixels, 326 ppi, 16:9, Retina HD, IPS	6.1 inches, 828 x 1792 pixels, 326 ppi, 19.5:9, Liquid Retina HD, IPS	6.1 inches, 828 x 1792 pixels, 326 ppi, 19.5:9, Liquid Retina HD, IPS
Screen to Body Ratio	65.4%	79%	79%
Screen Protection	Ion-Strengthened Glass with Oleophobic Coating	Scratch-Resistant Glass with Oleophobic Coating	Scratch-Resistant Glass with Oleophobic Coating
Front Selfie Camera	FaceTime HD 7 MegaPixels f/2.2	TrueDepth 12 MegaPixels f/2.2 HDR	TrueDepth 7 MegaPixels f/2.2 HDR
Rear Camera	Single 12 MegaPixels, f/1.8 Aperture, 26mm, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS	Dual 12 MegaPixels, f/1.8 Aperture, 26mm, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm Ultra-Wide Quad LED Dual Tone Flash, HDR	Single 12 MegaPixels, f/1.8 Aperture, 26mm, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS Quad LED Dual Tone Flash, HDR
Video Recorder	Front - FullHD 1080p 30fps, Gyro EIS Back - 4K 2160p 24/30/60fps, 1080p 30/60/120/240fps, HDR, OIS, Stereo Sound	Front - 4K 2160p 24/30/60fps, FullHD 1080p 30/60/120fps, Gyro-EIS Back - 4K 2160p 24/30/60fps, FullHD 1080p 30/60/120/240fps, HDR, OIS, Stereo Sound	Front - FullHD 1080p 30/60, Gyro-EIS Back - 4K 2160p 24/30/60fps, FullHD 1080p 30/60/120/240fps, HDR, OIS, Stereo Sound
Current Operating System	iOS 13	iOS 13	iOS 13
Chipset	7nm+ Apple A13 Bionic	7nm+ Apple A13 Bionic	7nm Apple A12 Bionic
GPU	Quad Core Apple GPU	Quad Core Apple GPU	Quad Core Apple GPU
RAM	3GB	4GB	3GB
ROM NVMe	64GB, 128GB, 256GB	64GB, 128GB, 256GB	64GB, 128GB
microSD Card Slot	None	None	None
Battery	Non-Removable Li-Ion 1,821 mAh Battery	Non-Removable Li-Ion 3,110 mAh Battery	Non-Removable Li-Ion 2,942 mAh battery
Charging Port	Lightning Port	Lightning Port	Lightning Port
WiFi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0	5.0
4G LTE	Yes, 4G LTE-A	Yes, 4G LTE-A	Yes, 4G LTE-A
Dual SIM Capability	nano + eSim	nano + eSim	nano + eSim
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fingerprint Scanner	Yes, Home Button	None	None
Facial Recognition	Yes, Face ID	Yes, Face ID	Yes, Face ID
Protection Against The Elements	IP67 Water (1 Meter, 30 Minutes) and Dust Resistant	IP68 Water (2 Meters, 30 Minutes) and Dust Resistant	IP67 Water (1 Meter, 30 Minutes) and Dust Resistant
Colors	Black, White, Red	Black, Red, White, Green, Yellow, Purple	Coral White, Black, Red, Yellow, Blue
Build	Aluminum, Glass	Aluminum, Glass	Aluminum, Glass
Availability	April 24, 2020 in Key Markets	Philippines - October 25, 2020	Philippines - November 2018
Price as of April 24, 2020	Official Retail Prices via Apple Online Store PH 64GB - PHP 26,490 128GB - PHP 30,490 256GB - PHP 36,490	Official Retail Prices via Apple Online Store PH 64GB - PHP 47,990 128GB - PHP 50,990 256GB - PHP 56,990	Official Retail Prices via Apple Online Store PH 64GB - PHP 40,990 128GB - PHP 43,990

Now, let me give you my quick product description for these three models.

Selling for as low as PHP 26,490, the 2020 Apple iPhone SE 2nd Gen looks identical to the Apple iPhone 8 from 2017 as it shares the exact same pocket-friendly footprint and IP67 certified water-resistant glass-metal-glass-sandwich build. What makes this new release special, however, is that it is powered by the 7nm+ Apple iPhone 13 Bionic chipset - that's also inside Apple iPhone 11 - giving it powerful performance when gaming and running resource-intensive applications as well as computational imaging prowess on its single rear camera to deliver better colors, highlights, and shadows in various lighting conditions.

Apple iPhone 11 is the most expensive model in this trio as its SRP ranges from PHP 47,990 all way to PHP 56,990 on Apple's official website in the Philippines. It is also the most feature-packed of the bunch, having a larger display compared to the iPhone SE 2020 and more powerful internal hardware plus better imaging capabilities than the iPhone XR. In terms of design identity, the iPhone has the same look as the iPhone XR but its distinguishing characteristic is its Dual Rear camera module, which incorporates a wide-angle shooter that's also capable of shooting videos with auto-HDR like the main camera as well as the front shooter.

Finally, Apple iPhone XR is the oldest model of the three as it released way back in 2018 and it's right smack in the middle in terms of pricing. Compared to the iPhone SE 2020, I'd say that this one has a more updated look and also a larger screen that provides better viewing experience but it has an older and less powerful processor. Design-wise, it's closer to the Apple iPhone 11 having the same notched Liquid Retina HD display and dimensions albeit lacking a secondary wide-angle shooter at the back.

For those who have been messaging and asking me which of these affordable 2020 Apple iPhone models they should buy, here are my thoughts.

If your budget is more or less just PHP 30,000, obviously, Apple iPhone SE 2nd Generation is your only option. My recommended variant for this is the 128GB version since it costs only PHP 4,000 more than the base model and you already get double the storage space. However, if you are really cash-strapped and you want to save as much money as possible while still enjoying the benefits of that new processor, then go ahead and just pick the 64GB version -- just remember to transfer files regularly or upload them to the cloud before deleting.

The price difference between the 2020 Apple iPhone SE 2nd Gen and iPhone XR is PHP 14,500 while going from the XR to iPhone 11 is just PHP 7,000 Given this, I think that if you are currently leaning more towards iPhone XR than iPhone SE 2020, I would suggest that you just stretch your budget a bit more and go straight to the more powerful and feature-rich Apple iPhone 11. In the long run, I believe you will appreciate making that decision.

Oh, and just to add before I wrap this up, I know that the small form factor of the Apple iPhone SE 2nd Gen is an enticing selling point for many users, especially ladies who need a small handset that can easily fit in their expensive purses and pouches. If that's important to you, then you know the iPhone model that I would recommend that you check out.