iPhone SE Teardown: 3D Touch Chip Removed, iPhone 8 Camera Sensor, and More

iFixit has published its full teardown of the new iPhone SE, confirming that the device has many similar or identical components as the iPhone 8, including the display, battery, cameras, Taptic Engine, SIM tray, and more.

The new iPhone SE appears to have the same 12-megapixel rear camera sensor as the iPhone 8, with the benefit of the A13 chip's improved image signal processor, as Rene Ritchie mentioned earlier this month. iFixit also found that the front-facing camera sensor on the new iPhone SE and the iPhone 8 are interchangeable.

ifixit iphone se vs 8 vs xr rear camera sensors

From left to right: iPhone SE, iPhone 8, iPhone XR

While the new iPhone SE and the iPhone 8 have virtually identical display assemblies, Apple has removed the 3D Touch module from the iPhone SE. iFixit even tested the new iPhone SE with an iPhone 8 display and found that 3D Touch still did not work, suggesting that the feature is disabled at the software level on the device.

The teardown also confirms reports that the new iPhone SE has a 1,821 mAh battery capacity, identical to the iPhone 8.

ifixit iphone se teardown 2020
The new iPhone SE has been available to order on Apple.com since April 17 and began arriving to customers on April 24. Pricing starts at $399 for 64GB of storage, with 128GB and 256GB options available for $449 and $549 respectively.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE
Buyer's Guide: iPhone SE (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Sirious Avatar
47 months ago
I miss 3D Touch!
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
47 months ago
Astonishing some people still don't understand why an inexpensive entry level phone has fewer features than a much more expensive high-end phone.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
47 months ago

The 8se seems like a sore thumb. Why didn't Apple continue selling the prior generation at a cheaper price? This strategy of the 8se now seems like the marketing dept overdosed on something.
Just selling the iPhone 8 at $399 would have been lazy. Better to give it the SE treatment and upgrade the SoC to the current A13 (with 3GB of RAM). WiFi 6 is a nice touch.

$6-8/month for an iPhone that’ll be good for 4-6 years. That’s the whole point of making an SE.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
geachy92 Avatar
47 months ago

Didn’t the iPhone 11 Pro got 4hr extra from the XS a12 chip? Why is the SE still the same usage time as the iPhone 8? iPhone 8 had a a11 but no battery usage improvements.
Whilst some gains were made due to efficiency, the majority of the extra battery life for the 11series of iPhones was in physically larger batteries.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hlfway2anywhere Avatar
47 months ago

you only Show your Lack of Expertise in High quantity Production. A bigger battery costs almost nothing in design and production, just a slightly thicker body.

cheaper existing battery, can’t believe you really wrote that, ?
So much wrong about this, but the bigger lack of understanding here is your use of random uppercase letters.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Labyrintho Avatar
47 months ago

They didn't bother to change the camera sensor. They didn't utilise the extra space from removing the 3D Touch sensor.

I know, I know, $399 phone and all (don't forget that sales tax kiddos), but they're not even trying at this point!
They are trying – they are trying to keep it cheap.

That means you don’t retool and redesign unless there are big benefits.

And while it is simple in principle to talk about “just make the battery bigger“, that may well affect not only battery costs (since they have already driven the cost Way down of the existing battery) but other things related to fit in the Design and manufacturing of the phone.

So yes, a bigger battery was entirely feasible and would have been very nice, but it also would’ve increased the cost.

And they cannot forget that that also would make it more of a competitor with their premium phones.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.1.2 With Security Fixes

Thursday November 30, 2023 10:12 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2, small updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating systems that Apple introduced in September. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 come a few weeks after the release of iOS 17.1.1, another bug fix update. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update....
iPhone 16 Mock Header Updated 1

iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup

Thursday November 30, 2023 4:08 pm PST by
The release of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max saw the introduction of an entirely new user-configurable button known as the Action button, and now, MacRumors has seen extensive evidence confirming Apple is planning to include the Action button on the entire iPhone 16 range. Designs and plans for the Action button date back to at least 2021, as the button was intended for release alongside hapt...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...