the much-awaited Apple iPhone SE (2nd Gen), or the iPhone 9, what ever you might want to call it, has finally been launched. With the smartphone market bearing one of the heaviest brunts of the Covid-19 pandemic, Apple is counting on the ‘cheaper’ iPhone SE (2nd Gen) to rake in some favours. Priced at , the iPhone SE (2nd Gen)comes with a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, a TouchID sensor and Apple’s A13 Bionic chip under the hood. This is the same chip that powers the iPhone 11 series so you can expect enough power in the iPhone SE 2. The phone comes in three storage variants – 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. The iPhone SE (2nd Gen) features an aerospace-grade aluminum and durable glass design with an all-black front, and comes in three colours Black, (PRODUCT)RED and White. It is water- and dust-resistant with an IP67 rating for water resistance up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. It has one camera on the rear (a 12MP) and a selfie camera on the front. On the rear the 12-megapixel camera with f/1.8 aperture is a wide camera and uses the image signal processor and Neural Engine of A13 Bionic to unlock even more benefits of computational photography, including Portrait mode, all six Portrait Lighting effects and Depth Control. This is the same camera the iPhone XR has. For selfies, it has a 7MP camera on the front with 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps. The rear camera supports high-quality video capture at 4K up to 60fps, and extended dynamic range comes to iPhone SE for more highlight details up to 30fps. The iPhone SE (2nd Gen) follows the same design language we saw on the iPhone 8 series and a compact form factor that might score some brownie points for the device amid a sea of bulkier phones. Of course, there is the nostalgia factor. iPhone SE (2nd Gen) also features the familiar Home button designed with sapphire crystal to be durable and to protect the sensor, and a steel ring to detect a user’s fingerprint for Touch ID. For most markets, the Apple iPhone is one of those aspirational devices that a lot of people want to get their hands on. A cheaper option amongst iPhones has been gladly embraced globally, look at the sales figures for the iPhone XR after the prices were slashed further last year. Similarly, one can expect the iPhone SE (2nd Gen) to do well across markets. Price and availability iPhone SE (2nd Gen) will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in black, white and (PRODUCT)RED starting at Rs 42,500. The India prices might be a little more than what the dollar coversions show because of GST and other added costs. However, even at this price point, the iPhone SE (2nd Gen) is the cheapest iPhone available right now, cheaper than then iPhone XR. iPhone SE (2nd Gen) will be available through Apple Authorised Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary). In the US, the iPhone SE (2nd Gen) is priced starting at $399 (Rs 30,549 approx).
