Connecting Communities, One Page at a Time.

iPhone SE vs. iPhone 11: Comparing cameras from both phones

We test how the $399 iPhone SE and its single rear camera compares against the $699 iPhone 11 and its dual rear cameras. It’s not as straightforward as it seems.

EPN Desk 04 May 2020 05:20

The iPhone SE and iPhone 11 have different camera hardware but both are powered by the A13 Bionic processor, making photos and videos sometimes quite similar.

Despite the overall approval of Apple’s $399 price tag for its new iPhone SE, there was a lot of speculation about the camera hardware and how it compares to the iPhone 11. Its rear camera has the same specs as those of the iPhone 8 from 2017, but some theorized that it might have the sensor from 2018’s iPhone XR.

It took an iFixIt teardown of the new iPhone to show that the SE was actually packing the same lens and sensor as the iPhone 8. That means all the improvements to image quality as well as the addition of features like Portrait Mode, came purely from the A13 Bionic chip. This processor is the same one found in the $699 iPhone 11.

Since both phones have the same processor, naturally I wanted to compare photos and videos. To date, the iPhone 11 phones have not only the best cameras on any iPhone, but one of the best all-around camera systems on any phone.

The iPhone SE has a lot to live up to, but as you will see, it can go toe-to-toe with its pricier Apple siblings. This comparison shows that when it comes to photography and recording videos, the real consideration isn’t the number of megapixels or number of cameras. Instead, it’s all about the processor.