The 2nd and 3rd generation iPhone SEs are both refined products of the iPhone 8, which can be said to be the completed iPhone with Touch ID, according to the times. The 3rd generation iPhone SE, of course, has the most advanced SoC of its generation, the exterior glass material is the same strength as the iPhone 13 series, and it also has a built-in 5G modem.
On the other hand, the mechanical design and functional aspects have been completed and updated to the latest platform, but no updates that significantly change its functionality have been made.
If you want a model with Touch ID that’s easy to buy, the biannual update is important to getting your line up. The important theme of the cutting-edge iPhone announced in the fall is “what can be done”, but the iPhone SE is also a product that knows the “basic form of the iPhone” that Apple thinks.
However, that’s why I decided to compare the 2nd and 3rd generations from a unique perspective on this iPhone. The theme of this column is “How much does the image quality of a photo change just by the difference in SoC?”
On-board camera module follows the 2nd generation
As mentioned above, the material of the exterior glass has been updated, and the coloring is simple but the colors are slightly different, but the basic appearance is exactly the same for the 2nd and 3rd generations.
In other words, it can be said that the price of the terminal can be suppressed because the production efficiency is improved and the development cost is amortized. Meanwhile, is the installed camera module updated?
The answer is no, that is, the 2nd and 3rd generation iPhone SEs use exactly the same camera module. No sensor shift type image stabilization or large sensors have been adopted.
Then, if the hardware of the camera itself is the same, many readers may be wondering how much the image quality will differ depending on the SoC. Apple makes heavy use of the term computational photography to promote image quality improvements each year. In other words, the difference in image quality between the 2nd and 3rd generation of the iPhone SE is the difference in video processing by the SoC.
In conclusion, there was a non-negligible difference in white balance and tone mapping (allocation of light and dark gradation), and when there were multiple subjects with different brightness within the angle of view, the difference in the image was clear.
A strict comparison could find differences in the depth of detail (such as the texture of the cloth) and the appearance of noise when shooting in the dark, but it wasn’t a “big difference” in general. However, painting is very different.
Is the difference in analytical ability the difference in tone map?
The difference between the two is very similar to the difference between the iPhone 11 series and the 13 series, or the iPhone 12 series and the iPhone 13 series. The iPhone 13 has a big change in painting, so the tendency is different from the previous cameras, but there is a similar difference in painting.
The 2nd generation has a contrast between light and dark, and looks crisp and clear locally. However, if you look at the whole picture, you can feel a slightly unnatural tendency. In other words, each part such as the subject, the background, and the middle scene can be seen well, but the whole picture is unbalanced.
When this comes to the 3rd generation, the tone of the whole photo will be matched instead of the crisp and contrasting photo. At first glance, the 2nd generation looks better, but the 3rd generation has fewer scenes that feel unnatural.
▲ Taken with the 3rd generation iPhone SE
▲ Taken with the 2nd generation iPhone SE
For example, soup in a bowl in a food photo. It’s very similar, but the vermilion color of the bowl is so vivid and contrasting that it looks like plastic. Unless done in post-processing, a more natural tone map would be for the 3rd generation.
The effect of smart HDR, which automatically combines multiple exposure pictures with different exposures, is also different. The 3rd generation has a more realistic and plump expression in both the dark and bright areas.
▲ Taken with the 3rd generation iPhone SE
▲ Taken with the 2nd generation iPhone SE
Also, when I shoot a black subject in a dark room, the noise is suppressed better in the 3rd generation. Since the camera module is the same, there is no difference in the strength against camera shake and the absolute amount of information, but it seems that noise is removed appropriately as the generation of noise processing advances.
▲ Taken with the 3rd generation iPhone SE
▲ Taken with the 2nd generation iPhone SE
By doing the noise processing well, it seems that the processing is being actively performed so that the fine details are deeper and more detailed. The difference in white balance is noticeable in the photo of Yae Sakura, but when you look at the petals of the cherry blossoms, each 3rd generation SE is drawn more precisely.
▲ Taken with the 3rd generation iPhone SE
▲ Taken with the 2nd generation iPhone SE
The same tendency can be seen from the photographs of railway tracks. I shot it for the purpose of capturing a scene with a large contrast difference, but while drawing the shade and the sun with a large contrast difference in a limited dynamic range, the stones are firmly accompanied by a three-dimensional effect in the 3rd generation SE photograph. It was drawn with a local contrast.
If you buy a new iPhone 8 or earlier, you will be surprised at the difference in the camera.
However, the above comparison is only a task to confirm whether the image quality is really improved by increasing the generation of SoC. I haven’t shot a model yet, but I was able to confirm that even with the exact same camera hardware, I can enjoy some of the improved elements of the latest iPhone just by the difference in SoC.
Unless you have a specific reason for your 5G modem, if you’re using a second-generation iPhone SE, you can’t think of a reason to buy a new one. However, if you are an iPhone user with Touch ID before iPhone 8, the usability remains the same, and this camera will be a great motivation for replacement.
I also think it’s easier to use than the built-in cameras on many Android devices in that it’s almost automatic and doesn’t look unnatural, but it can take good-looking photos. If you want to use the camera comfortably by leaving it to the terminal instead of mastering it, the 3rd generation iPhone SE is a product that you can choose with confidence.