The new iPhone SE 2 packs great hardware. It ships with the same processor as the iPhone 11, but the real downgrade from iPhone 11 to iPhone SE 2 is Camera specs and the 4.7-inch screen (of course).
While the single-camera setup is the clear differentiation between iPhone 11 and iPhone SE 2, there are differences in software features of the Camera app as well.
iPhone SE 2 doesn’t have the ‘Night Mode’ feature like the rest iPhone devices powered by the A13 Bionic chip does. Despite being a software-only feature, Apple has kept iPhone SE 2 deprived of the ‘Night Mode’ feature which enables great low light photography on iPhone 11 and 11 Pro devices.
As for the Ultra Wide camera, iPhone SE 2 only has one camera on the rear and it’s not the ultra wide camera which you may have seen on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro devices.
iPhone SE 2 vs iPhone 11 Camera Features Comparison
Below is a side-by-side comparison of all camera features of iPhone SE 2 and iPhone 11.
Photography features
| iPhone SE 2 | iPhone 11 |
|---|---|
| 👎 12MP Wide camera | Dual 12MP Ultra Wide and Wide cameras |
| ✅ ƒ/1.8 aperture | ƒ/1.8 aperture |
| ✅ Digital zoom up to 5x | Digital zoom up to 5x |
| ✅ Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control | Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control |
| ✅ Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High-Key Mono) | Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High-Key Mono) |
| ✅ Optical image stabilisation | Optical image stabilisation |
| ✅ Six‑element lens | Six‑element lens |
| 👎 LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync | Brighter True Tone flash with Slow Sync |
| ✅ Panorama (up to 63MP) | Panorama (up to 63MP) |
| Sapphire crystal lens cover | Sapphire crystal lens cover |
| 👎 Autofocus with Focus Pixels | 100% Focus Pixels (Wide) |
| ❌ Not supported | Night mode |
| ❌ Not supported | Auto Adjustments |
| ✅ Next-generation Smart HDR for photos | Next-generation Smart HDR for photos |
| ✅ Wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos | Wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos |
| ✅ Advanced red-eye correction | Advanced red‑eye correction |
| ✅ Auto image stabilisation | Auto image stabilisation |
| ✅ Burst mode | Burst mode |
| ✅ Photo geotagging | Photo geotagging |
| ✅ Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG | Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG |
Video Recording Features
| iPhone SE 2 | iPhone 11 |
|---|---|
| ✅ 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps | 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps |
| ✅ 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps | 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps |
| ✅ 720p HD video recording at 30 fps | 720p HD video recording at 30 fps |
| 👎 Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps | Extended dynamic range for video up to 60 fps |
| ✅ Optical image stabilisation for video | Optical image stabilisation for video |
| ✅ Digital zoom up to 3x | Digital zoom up to 3x |
| ❌ Note Supported | Audio zoom |
| 👎 LED True Tone flash | Brighter True Tone flash |
| 👎 QuickTake video | QuickTake video with subject tracking |
| ✅ Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps | Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps |
| ✅ Time-lapse video with stabilisation | Time-lapse video with stabilisation |
| ✅ Cinematic video stabilisation (4K, 1080p and 720p) | Cinematic video stabilisation (4K, 1080p and 720p) |
| ✅ Continuous autofocus video | Continuous autofocus video |
| ✅ Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video | Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video |
| ✅ Playback zoom | Playback zoom |
| ✅ Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 | Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 |
| ✅ Stereo recording | Stereo recording |
Third-party ‘Night Mode’ app for iPhone SE 2
The iPhone SE 2 doesn’t have ‘Night Mode’ built-in, but you can still take pictures in low light on your shiny new iPhone just as good as iPhone 11.
Download and install the ‘NeuralCam Pro NightMode Camera’ app from the App Store to get ‘Night Mode’ capability on your iPhone SE 2.
Despite missing out on some of the camera features of iPhone 11, the new iPhone SE 2 is still a great buy at $399. Specially the video recording features such as 4K at 60 FPS are great for a device of this price.
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