iPhone SE 2020 Teardown
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 13 Steps
SE—Super Enigmatic? Slightly Extra? The name’s a mystery, but what’s not: this 2020 iPhone SE delivers plenty of surprises stuffed inside a classic shell. It’s a throwback look with some modern muscle, priced to intrigue. Ready to see what makes it tick? We’ve already cracked it open so you can enjoy the teardown journey, mystery included. Want to deck out your phone with some gutsy style? Grab the SE teardown wallpapers. Hungry for more gadget adventures? You know where to find us: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the latest hardware shenanigans and tech scoops. To keep the updates coming, sign up for our newsletter.
Step 1
- Meet the sequel to the beloved budget-friendly iPhone! It’s been dubbed a "parts bin" phone, and honestly, we’re hoping that’s spot on. The specs definitely back it up:
- A13 Bionic chip with a third-generation Neural Engine—straight from the iPhone 11 / Pro / Max lineup.
- 4.7” Retina HD display boasting 1334 × 750 resolution (326 ppi), True Tone, and a wide color gamut (P3) — just like the iPhone 8.
- 12 MP wide-angle rear camera at ƒ/1.8, plus a 7 MP ƒ/2.2 front camera—rumored to be borrowed from either the iPhone 8 or XR.
- Gigabit-class LTE with 2x2 MIMO and 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 with 2x2 MIMO, along with Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC—features found on the iPhone 11.
- Home button with the 2nd-generation Touch ID sensor—making a comeback from the iPhone 8.
- IP67 dust and water resistance rating—not tied to any specific iPhone but definitely a sweet bonus at this price.
Step 2
The latest SE takes the crown in the size showdown, but when it comes to rocking that headphone jack, the 2016 SE is the undisputed champion!
- Size really does matter, but let's have a little fun measuring our iPhones! Today, we're pitting the SE 2016 against the SE 2020 in an unexpected showdown.
- Some folks are calling this phone an iPhone 8 (in sleek black) packed with the guts of an iPhone 11 (in stylish green). We’ll put that to the test!
- The new SE might be just a smidge smaller than the 11 Pro, but the weight difference is a game changer—the SE is a featherweight, clocking in 21% lighter than the 11 Pro.
Step 3
We were expecting to see some funky new antenna tweaks to boost gigabit LTE (MIMO) and Wi-Fi 6 awesomeness. On the iPhone XS, those fresh frame breaks really popped compared to the X. But with the SE and 8, the changes are more on the down-low—nothing flashy here!
- Before diving into the teardown, we like to give the device a quick once-over to make sure everything’s in order. (Luckily, this check won’t cost us $700 this time.)
- Next up, we’ll roll it over to the teardown station, but first it gets an X-ray scan—thanks to our smart pals at Creative Electron—along with its predecessors: the original SE (left) and iPhone 8 (center).
- If you spot any big internal changes compared to the iPhone 8, you’ve got sharper eyes than we do. Besides some minor antenna tweaks and a few chips relocated on the logic board, Apple’s been pretty sneaky so far.
Step 4
Swappable parts that play well with different models are a game-changer for DIYers—especially now that official repair options aren’t always a sure thing.
- New iPhone, same unlocking ritual. Pentalobes? Gone. Heat? Applied. iSclack? Doing its thing.
- Opening just one iPhone feels a bit routine, so why not double the fun? Let’s keep the iPhone 8 comparison rolling and check out how alike these two really are.
- If their similarities run deeper than skin, you might even swap parts between the iPhone SE and iPhone 8. With both devices open, they’re practically twins.
Tools Used
Step 5
Fewer parts to track down and more affordable replacements? That's a win for everyone involved!
- Our tests show that the Taptic Engine and main speaker can easily swap between the 8 and SE models! How cool is that?
- Now, let's chat batteries! The capacity is identical to the iPhone 8, sitting pretty at 6.96 Wh. That's a bump up from the original SE's 6.21 Wh, but it's still a lot smaller compared to the iPhone 11's hefty 11.91 Wh.
- When Apple decided to retire 3D Touch in the iPhone 11 Pro series, they managed to make the displays a smidge thinner while beefing up the batteries a bit. The new SE also skips out on 3D Touch, but guess what? The batteries are the same size as before. What gives?
- Unfortunately, despite the size and capacity matching up, the connector took a little trip to the future — which means you can't swap batteries between models. Bummer, right? But don’t worry, there are still plenty of other components that play nice together!
- So, what’s the deal? Probably to save some bucks and hit that sweet $399 price tag.
- Alternative thought: Maybe Apple just wants us to forget about 3D Touch entirely. But we remember, loud and clear!
Step 6
Discover the awesome new features the A13 chip brings to Portrait Mode photos on the iPhone SE in Halide's latest blog post.
- Pop goes the main camera! So, where’s it from? Some rumors say iPhone 8, others point to the XR, and some are convinced it's from somewhere else. That’s a lot of mixed signals, so let’s clear it up with a good old comparison.
- On the left: iPhone SE. In the middle: iPhone 8. On the right: iPhone XR.
- Bonus info: Our testing shows that the iPhone 8 camera fits perfectly in the SE and vice versa, no worries there.
- What’s for sure: The SE’s image sensor is smaller than the one in the XR. We’re probably looking at an iPhone 8 sensor that’s been given a nice boost with the A13 image processor.
Step 7
- If you had to fix a phone all alone and could only grab one tool, what would it be?
- Sometimes when we’re pulling apart iPhones, we run into a board. Like this one right here!
- Actually, make that two boards. The one rocking the speedy A13 chip is the SE’s, although it seems someone installed it upside-down for a bit of fun. Let’s take a closer look at what else is hanging out on this board.
- If your answer was 'Pro Tech Toolkit,' virtual high five—keep that safe distance, though.
Step 8
- Let’s dive into some Silicon Surfing:
- Apple’s A13 Bionic (APL1W85) SoC sits on top of Samsung’s K3UH4H40BM-SGCL—most likely 3 GB of speedy LPDDR4X RAM.
- Avago 8100 is handling those mid and high bands as the PAMiD.
- Intel’s PMB9960 P10PSV is your modem for keeping you connected.
- Skyworks 78223-17 brings the muscle as the power amplifier module.
- Skyworks 78221-17 covers those low bands with its PAMiD.
- Cypress CPD2104B keeps your USB power delivery running smoothly.
- Apple/Cirrus Logic 338S00295/CS35L26 is cranking out the audio as your amplifier.
Step 9
- And the Secondary Elements:
- Toshiba TSB4226LF23417WNA11948 64 GB of flash storage magic
- Apple APL1092 power management wizard
- USI 339S00648 WiFi/Bluetooth buddy
- Broadcom 59358A81UB56 touch controller champ
- Apple/Cirrus Logic 338S00295/CS35L26 Audio Amplifier superstar
- Apple/Cirrus Logic 338S00248/CS42L75 Audio Codec maestro
- Texas Instruments SN2501 USB Charge Controller sidekick
Step 10
- And here’s the lineup:
- STMicroelectronics ST33G1M2 32-Bit ARM Secure MCU
- Intel PMB6840 Power Management
- Intel PMB5765 RF Transceiver
- Qorvo F706ZXL Envelope Tracker
- Texas Instruments TPS65730 Display Power Management
- Power Integrations LXA01S
- NXP Semiconductor NXP1612A1 (Probably a Display Driver)
Step 11
- Let’s talk about that display without 3D Touch. We were expecting to notice a small difference in thickness, but honestly, it’s hard to tell at first glance. The iPhone 8 display (left) looks almost identical to the SE’s (right). Are they secretly twins?
- Hold up! On 3D Touch screens, there’s usually a chip at the back that powers the parallel plate capacitors (we saw this in our 6S teardown). But the iPhone SE display (right in this photo) doesn’t have that chip—just an empty space where the chip should be.
- And what about that layer of capacitors? We started peeling away at the display to find out...
- Yep, no 3D Touch here.
- On the bright side, these displays are actually interchangeable, which is kind of impressive given the difference in hardware. The iPhone 8 display works perfectly on the SE, and the other way around too.
- But before you start thinking about adding 3D Touch to your new iPhone SE, we gave it a shot, and... well, it’s a no-go.
Step 12
- A fresh inside-out look at the new SE, breaking it down step by step.
Step 13
- Stepping back into 2017 feels like slipping on your favorite vintage sneakers—the nostalgia is undeniable!
- Curious about which parts play nice with the iPhone 8? Our blog post has the full breakdown, so check it out for the details.
- Apple definitely mixed and matched with the SE, borrowing bits from older models. Good news for repairs: parts are easier to track down, plus re-using existing production lines means less waste. Win-win.
- Apple went ahead and popped the latest A13 Bionic chip into this phone, so it’s set for a long run—no speed bumps ahead.
- Before we wrap up, here’s a quick shoutout to the winner of our iPhone SE 2020 giveaway. Drumroll... congrats, Elliott Kinsey!
- We’ll make sure to ship out that extra iPhone we ordered—not the one we took apart for this guide. Promise!
