Is an iphone se better than an iphone 8

The internal storage refers to the built-in storage space available in a device for system data, apps, and user-generated data. With a large amount of internal storage, you can save more files and apps on your device.

Random-access memory (RAM) is a form of volatile memory used to store working data and machine code currently in use. It is a quick-access, temporary virtual storage that can be read and changed in any order, thus enabling fast data processing.

AnTuTu is one of the most important benchmarks for Android devices. The score reflects the overall performance of a device by summing up results of individual tests that various parameters, such as RAM speed, CPU performance, 2D & 3D graphics performance.

Wild Life is a cross-platform benchmark developed by 3DMark that tests the graphical performance of a device (using the Vulkan API on Android/Windows and the Metal API on iOS). Source: 3DMark.

Wild Life is a cross-platform benchmark developed by 3DMark that tests the graphical performance of a device (using the Vulkan API on Android/Windows and the Metal API on iOS). The Unlimited version runs off-screen so that factors such as display resolution don’t affect the score. Source: 3DMark.

Wild Life is a cross-platform benchmark developed by 3DMark that tests the graphical performance of a device (using the Vulkan API on Android/Windows and the Metal API on iOS). The Extreme version is much more graphically-demanding than the standard Wild Life benchmark. Source: 3DMark.

Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's multi-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2023)

Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's single-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2023)

The CPU speed indicates how many processing cycles per second can be executed by a CPU, considering all of its cores (processing units). It is calculated by adding the clock rates of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors employing different microarchitectures, of each group of cores.

Though it shares many key specs, the new iPhone SE still has a few upgrades that make it better than the iPhone 8. That includes an A13 Bionic processor, dual-SIM capabilities and a handful of camera upgrades. (Neither phone has a headphone jack, in case you're wondering.) If you're looking for an affordable new iPhone from a reliable retailer with up-to-date support, the iPhone SE is your best bet.

iPhone SE 2020.

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iPhone 8

Goodbye and thanks for all the fish

If you already have a well-functioning iPhone 8, there's no reason to update to a new iPhone SE if you can help it. But if you're tempted to buy a new one, don't. In addition to the iPhone SE 2020 upgrades you'll be missing out on (which I listed above), there's the likelihood that software updates from Apple and customer support from wherever you purchase your iPhone 8 may not be as robust on a 3-year-old device than on a new one. Though it's difficult to place a tangible monetary value on things like reliable iOS updates, a robust return policy and a possibly higher trade-in value, it's worth paying a bit more for those features. (Speaking of trade-ins, Apple is offering $170 off the iPhone SE if you turn in your iPhone 8.)

Read our Apple iPhone 8 review.

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If you need more reasons, though, let's walk through both models and explain why the iPhone SE is the smarter buy.

Design: Both iPhones are nearly identical, but...

Unlike the iPhone SE and the iPhone 11, which look different even at a glance, the iPhone SE and the iPhone 8 look relatively the same. Both have 4.7-inch Retina HD displays (a branding term that Apple uses to differentiate its display technology) with the same resolution and pixel density. They also have a physical home button that houses a fingerprint reader for unlocking the phone and authorizing digital payments. Both are rated IP67 for water protection too. 

But there are two minor differences about the phones. One is that the iPhone 8 still has 3D Touch. The feature debuted in 2015 in the iPhone 6S, allowing you to access additional menu options and commands by hard-pressing your finger against the screen. Apple began to phase out the feature in 2018 with the iPhone XR and it's now absent from new iPhones. Instead, the company replaced 3D Touch with Haptic Touch. Haptic Touch is on the iPhone SE and works relatively the same way, except instead of having to press down harder on the screen, you'll need to merely long-press on the item.

Second, the iPhone 8 comes in black, white and gold -- but inventory is limited depending on the retailer so you may find even fewer options. The iPhone SE, meanwhile, is available now and comes in black, white and red.

Camera: iPhone SE has some hidden extras

The iPhone SE and iPhone 8 both have a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 7-megapixel front-facing shooter, with the same apertures on each (f/1.8 and f/2.2, respectively). On the surface, it looks as if there's no difference between the two phones' cameras, but Apple added some useful camera upgrades under the hood. These include:

• Portrait Mode and Depth Control for taking and adjusting bokeh photos
  
• Smart HDR, to improve highlights and shadows
• Red-eye correction
• Quicktake, which lets you quickly record video without tapping out of Photo mode
• Video improvements: Extended dynamic range for 30fps; 3x digital zoom (the iPhone 8 has 2x); cinematic video stabilization for 4K video (the iPhone 8 has it only up to 1080p) and stereo recording
• Front-facing camera: Portrait mode and cinematic video stabilization up to 1080p (the iPhone 8 has none)

Altogether, iPhone SE captures better quality photos and video than the iPhone 8, and at times takes photos equally comparable to the iPhone 11. For more on camera quality, be sure to read CNET's iPhone SE review.

Processor, battery, dual-SIM and memory

The iPhone SE is equipped with Apple's latest proprietary A13 Bionic chip, the same one that's inside the iPhone 11 flagship. When we ran processing performance speeds on 3DMark and Geekbench 5, the iPhone SE clocked in similar results with the iPhone 11, which is to say that the iPhone SE also performed comparably -- and at times better than -- the Galaxy S20, Pixel 4 and the OnePlus 8 Pro. And compared to the iPhone 8, the iPhone SE's result for 3DMark's Ice Storm Unlimited test was miles above the iPhone 8's (97,415 compared to the iPhone 8's 62,206 score).

Apple never discloses its iPhones' battery capacities, so when it announced the iPhone SE, all it said was that it was the same as the iPhone 8. It also listed identical wireless video and audio playback hours (13 hours and 40 hours, respectively) for both phones. However, when we ran our battery tests for video playback on Airplane mode, the iPhone SE lasted longer than the iPhone 8 by nearly two hours. (To be more specific, the iPhone SE lasted about 15.5 hours, while the iPhone 8 lasted 13.5 hours.)

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