Apple iPhone SE vs Apple iPhone 12 Specs Comparison

Compare mobile phone specifications of up to three devices at once. Our specs comparison tool helps you find and compare the perfect phone for your needs.

8.8
Apple iPhone SE
9.0
Apple iPhone 12
Apple iPhone SE Apple iPhone 12
Released · Mar 31, 2016
Released · Oct 23, 2020
4.0-inch · 1136 x 640 px
6.1-inch · 2532 x 1170 px
12 MP Main · 1.2 MP Selfie
12 MP Main · 12 MP Selfie
2GB · 128GB
4GB · 64GB
1624 mAh
2815 mAh
Check prices Check prices

Display

Size
4.0-inch 6.1-inch
Resolution
1136 x 640 px, 326 PPI 2532 x 1170 px, 19.5:9 ratio, 457 PPI
Technology
IPS LCD OLED
Refresh rate
60Hz
Screen-to-body
60.82 % 87.24 %
Peak brightness
500 cd/m2 (nit) 1200 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor HDR support, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass (Ceramic Shield), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A9 APL0898 Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)
Processor
Dual-core, 1840 MHz, Twister, 64-bit Hexa-core, 3100 MHz, 64-bit
GPU
PowerVR GT7600 Yes
RAM
2GB 4GB (LPDDR4)
Internal storage
128GB, not expandable 64GB (NVMe), not expandable
OS
iOS (14.x, 13.x, 12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x) iOS (16.x, 15.x, 14.x)
Device type
Smartphone Smartphone

Battery

Capacity
1624 mAh 2815 mAh
Type
Li - Ion, Not user replaceable Li - Ion, Not user replaceable
Charging
USB Power Delivery, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe wireless charging
Max charge speed
Wireless: 15.0W
PhoneArena Battery Tests
Battery Life Estimate
Untested
Browsing
Untested
Video
Untested
Gaming
Untested
Battery Life Estimate
4h 59min
Browsing
12h 33min
Video
6h 38min
Gaming
6h 46min

Camera

Rear
Single camera Dual camera
Main camera
12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Specifications:
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal length: 29 mm
Sensor size: 1/3"
Pixel size: 1.22 μm
12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF)
Specifications:
Aperture size: F1.6
Focal length: 26 mm
Second camera
12 MP (Ultra-wide, Sapphire crystal lens cover)
Specifications:
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 13 mm
Flash
Dual LED LED
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (120 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps)
Features:
Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording, EIS, Video calling, Video sharing
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps)
Features:
OIS, HDR, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording
Front
1.2 MP (HDR), Video capture: 1280x720 (HD) 12 MP (EIS, HDR, Slow-motion videos), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

Design

Dimensions
4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 inches
(123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm)
5.78 x 2.81 x 0.29 inches
(146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm)
thickness with camera 0.35 inches (8.88 mm)
Weight
3.99 oz(113.0 g) 5.78 oz(164.0 g)
Materials
Back: Aluminum
Frame: Aluminum
Back: Glass
Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics
Fingerprint (touch) 3D Face unlock
Keys
Left: Volume control, Other Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Gold, Silver, Rose gold, Space gray Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple

Cellular

5G
Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79, n260, n261, Sub-6, mmWave
4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 29(700 d) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD)
Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+) Bands 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 42(3500), 46, 48(3600)
3G
Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)
Data Speed
LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSPA, HSUPA, UMTS LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s
Dual SIM
Yes
SIM type
Nano SIM Nano SIM, eSIM
HD Voice
Yes Yes
VoLTE
Yes Yes

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack No 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features
Album art cover, Background playback Dolby Atmos
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation, Video recording Noise cancellation

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.2 5.0
Wi-Fi
802.11 b,g,n,ac,dual-band
Hotspot
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Lightning, Features: Charging, Mass storage device Lightning, Features: Charging, Headphones port
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T4 M3/T4
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer
Other
NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling), Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling)

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Mar 21, 2016
FCC ID value: BCG-E3042A
Measured SAR
Head: 1.16 W/kg
Body: 1.17 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.17 W/kg

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 499 $ 829
In The Box
USB-C to Lightning Cable, Documentation

Availability

Officially announced
Mar 21, 2016 Oct 13, 2020

Alternative variants

with 16 GB storage
Internal storage 16GB
MSRP $ 399
with 128GB storage
Internal storage 128GB
MSRP $ 879
with 32 GB storage
Internal storage 32GB
MSRP $ 399
with 256GB storage
Internal storage 256GB
MSRP $ 979
with 64 GB storage
Internal storage 64GB
MSRP $ 499
for Europe
4G (FDD) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT)
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless