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

Despite the general approval of Apple’s price tag for $ 399 for the new iPhone SEthere was a lot Speculation about the camera hardware. The rear view camera has the same specs as the iPhone 8 from 2017, but some suspected it could have the iPhone XR sensor from 2018.

It took one iFixIt teardown of the new iPhone to show that the SE actually packaged the same lens and sensor as the iPhone 8. This means that all improvements in image quality, as well as the addition of features such as portrait mode, are exclusive to the A13 Bionic chip. This processor is the same as the iPhone 11 for $ 699.

Since both phones have the same processor, I naturally wanted to compare photos and videos. So far, the iPhone 11 phones have not only the best cameras on every iPhone, but also one of the best all-round camera systems on every phone.

The iPhone SE has a lot to offer, but as you’ll see, its more expensive Apple siblings can go from head to toe. This comparison shows that the number of megapixels or the number of cameras is not taken into account when photographing and recording videos. Instead, it’s all about the processor.

iPhone SE vs. 11: SmartHDR makes photos look fantastic

The combination of the A13 Bionic chip and iOS 13 takes the camera hardware of the iPhone 8 to the next level of SE. The rear camera of the iPhone SE has a 28mm 1: 1.8 lens, while the iPhone 11 has two rear cameras: a main camera with a 26mm 1: 1.8 lens and an ultra wide angle camera with a 13 -mm-1: 2.4 lens.

Since the 11 has an ultra wide-angle camera and the SE doesn’t, there is not much to compare. But here are a few of my favorite photos that I took with the Ultrawide camera anyway

When I focused on the main cameras of each camera, I noticed that photos were hard to distinguish in good light. Look at the pictures of a tree I took in my garden below and you won’t be able to tell much difference. The iPhone SE photo is a little more framed than the iPhone 11. But in any other way (even if I zoomed in 100% on a large monitor) I couldn’t see any other differences.

Look at the photos I took of some wooden slats. Apart from the framing, there is hardly any difference. When zoomed in, the details of each photo were good. Both had a little noise in the shadow of the slats.

The reason why photos look so similar in good light is whether they’re on an iPhone 11, 11 per or the new SE, the latest version of SmartHDR, is used to process and optimize details and textures. In addition, the dynamic range is shifted as much as possible without the image falling apart.

Here we see some differences between the two phones. The photo below of a tree shows the strength of SmartHDR processing. This scene has light extremes with dark shadows under the tree and bright lights in the clouds.

Look closely at the iPhone 11 photo and you can see that the shadows are more detailed and not as dark as the iPhone SE. In the sky through the branches, you can see that both photos have blown out highlights, but the iPhone 11 less. Although this is a small detail, it is proof that the iPhone 11’s main camera handles a wider dynamic range better than the iPhone SE.

Portrait mode: 1 camera against 2

Both phones have portrait mode and get great results. The 11 can take photos of people and pets in portrait mode, while the iPhone SE can only take people. This is a big disadvantage if you are an animal lover. With the photos in portrait mode below you can see that they look very similar. The portrait of the iPhone 11 captures further details. For example, look at the hair on John’s forehead. In addition, the drop across the shoulders from blurred to blurred areas appears more natural on the iPhone 11, possibly due to the fact that both rear lenses are used to achieve the effect.

Deep fusion processing for medium to low light

When we get into medium and low light environments, the differences between the two phones are even bigger. This is because the iPhone 11 has Deep Fusion processing that improves image quality and detail and minimizes noise. Deep Fusion is missing from the iPhone SE.

The photos below show my bike trainer, which was taken indoors with medium lighting. In addition to the narrower frame on the iPhone SE photo, there is a remarkable difference in terms of image quality. The photo of the 11 has a pinch of more detail, like around the wall outlet.

In addition, the lower right corner of the iPhone SE photo suffers from noise in the shadows. I would say that for indoor and medium light photos, the 11 has the advantage of being used Deep fusion processing.

Night mode vs. no night mode

The night mode, which is on the iPhone 11 but not on the SE, is another significant difference between the two phones. In night mode, an adaptive bracketing series is used to take a series of pictures at different shutter speeds. It combines them into a single photo that is lighter, less noise and improved details. As with the iPhone 11’s ultra-wide-angle camera, your own preferences determine whether night mode is a deal-breaker. But let’s see what it can do.

Below are photos of a tree in my back yard taken in extreme darkness. The night mode of the iPhone 11 looks better in every way.

But that was a pretty extreme way to test the phones. Below is a slightly brighter low-light scene of a book, an eye drop bottle, and my computer. It was dark enough to trigger night mode on the iPhone 11.

As you can see, if you look closely at the bottle with the eye drops, the photo of the iPhone 11 is sharper, has better details and better color accuracy. Finally, compare the names of the authors on the spine. The text in the SE photo looks softer and the spine has a slightly different color.

The video of the rear view camera is almost identical

As with photos in good light, it is difficult to recognize video recordings between the main cameras on the back of both phones. Both phones can record up to 4K, 60 fps and have an expanded dynamic range (also known as “HDR”, but for video). However, the 11 offers an expanded dynamic range of up to 4K 60fps, while the iPhone SE only supports up to 4K 30fps.

Check out the video below that includes footage taken from both the iPhone 11 and SE.

Currently running:
Look at that:

iPhone SE (2020) vs. iPhone 11: We compare cameras with …

10:50

As you can see from 4K and 60 frames per second in the footage, both videos look similar. If you take a closer look, the speaker on the shelf behind me looks more contrast in the iPhone 11 video. The lamp over my shoulder in the iPhone 11 video is also not blown out, as is the case in the iPhone SE video. This is due to the expanded dynamic range of the iPhone 11 at 4K 60fps.

You can find more videos recorded with iPhone SE in the following video.

Front camera: more detailed selfies and slowfie videos

However, videos taken with the front-facing cameras show a greater difference in quality. The iPhone 11 has a wider front camera and can record 4K and slow motion videos. The iPhone SE can only record 1,080p videos and no “slofies”. Both can take portrait photos, but the iPhone 11 captures a lot more detail (for example, in my hair and skin). Some people may not miss seeing all these details on their skin.

Regarding the video from the front-facing cameras, you can really see the difference in resolution and hear the audio. Videos from iPhone 11 sound better and are clearer than from iPhone SE. Check out the video included with this article to view videos taken with the front-facing cameras.

After this camera comparison, it’s obvious that the iPhone 11 has a better and more versatile camera system. However, in many situations, the iPhone SE has been able to take pictures that are comparable and brilliant, even though they are hundreds of dollars cheaper than the iPhone 11.