iPhone 14 Plus • Unlocked vs iPhone SE (2020) • Unlocked

The iPhone 14 Plus, released in October 2022, and the iPhone SE 2020, launched in April 2020, represent different approaches within Apple's smartphone lineup. While both operate on the iOS ecosystem, they diverge significantly in design, display technology, and overall capabilities. The iPhone 14 Plus offers a larger, more immersive screen and enhanced camera features, whereas the iPhone SE 2020 provides a compact form factor with a traditional home button.

These two devices have distinct release timelines, influencing their expected software support and practical lifespan.

• Release and Updates: The iPhone 14 Plus, being a newer model from late 2022, benefits from a longer period of guaranteed iOS updates compared to the iPhone SE 2020, which was released in early 2020. This means the 14 Plus will receive new features and security patches for an extended duration.
• Physical Durability: The iPhone 14 Plus features a Ceramic Shield front cover, offering enhanced drop performance, and boasts an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, allowing submersion up to 6 meters for 30 minutes. The iPhone SE 2020 has an IP67 rating, protecting against submersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, and uses an older glass technology for its display.
• Repairability: Both models are designed with Apple's ecosystem in mind, and while specific repairability scores vary, the 14 Plus introduced some internal design changes aimed at making certain repairs more straightforward. The SE 2020's design is based on older iPhone models, which can also be serviced by experienced technicians.

The performance capabilities of the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone SE 2020 reflect their respective generations, impacting how smoothly they handle various tasks.

• Processing Power: The iPhone 14 Plus is equipped with a more advanced processor, providing a noticeable boost in speed and efficiency for demanding applications, complex games, and intensive multitasking. The iPhone SE 2020, while still capable, uses an earlier generation processor that handles everyday tasks and most apps smoothly but may show limitations with the most graphically intensive games or future software updates.
• Multitasking and Responsiveness: The iPhone 14 Plus includes more RAM, contributing to smoother transitions between apps and better retention of background processes. This results in a more fluid user experience, especially for users who frequently switch between many applications. The iPhone SE 2020 has less RAM, which might lead to apps reloading more often when multitasking.
• Battery Endurance: A significant difference lies in battery performance. The iPhone 14 Plus is known for its exceptional battery life, often lasting a full day or more even with heavy usage, and for some users, up to two days. The iPhone SE 2020 generally offers shorter battery life, with many users finding it requires a charge before the end of a typical day, particularly with moderate to heavy use.

The visual experience on these two iPhones differs considerably due to their display technologies and physical dimensions.

• Display Technology and Size: The iPhone 14 Plus features a large 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, offering deep blacks, vibrant colors, and excellent contrast. The iPhone SE 2020 has a smaller 4.7-inch Retina HD IPS LCD display, which provides good color accuracy but cannot match the contrast and black levels of an OLED panel.
• Resolution and Brightness: The 14 Plus boasts a higher resolution of 2778x1284 pixels, resulting in a sharper image with 458 pixels per inch (ppi). It also achieves higher typical brightness (800 nits) and significantly higher peak brightness for HDR content (1200 nits), making it more visible in bright outdoor conditions. The SE 2020 has a resolution of 1334x750 pixels (326 ppi) and a maximum brightness of 625 nits, which is sufficient for most indoor use but can be less ideal in direct sunlight.
• Refresh Rate: Both devices feature a standard 60Hz refresh rate, meaning the screen updates 60 times per second. This provides a smooth experience for general use, though it does not offer the ultra-smooth scrolling and responsiveness found on devices with higher refresh rates.

The camera systems on the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone SE 2020 offer different capabilities, particularly in terms of versatility and low-light performance.

• Rear Camera System: The iPhone 14 Plus features a dual-camera setup with an improved 12MP main camera (f/1.5 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization) and a 12MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.4 aperture, 120° field of view). This allows for more photographic flexibility, including wider landscape shots. The iPhone SE 2020 has a single 12MP wide camera (f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization).
• Photography Features: The 14 Plus benefits from Apple's Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, and Smart HDR 4, which enhance image quality, especially in challenging lighting conditions, and includes a dedicated Night mode for significantly better low-light photos. The SE 2020 uses Smart HDR and computational photography from its processor to improve images, but it lacks Night mode and its Portrait mode is limited to detecting human faces.
• Video Recording and Front Camera: Both phones can record 4K video at up to 60 frames per second. The iPhone 14 Plus introduces Action mode for enhanced video stabilization and Cinematic mode for shallow depth-of-field effects in 4K HDR. Its front-facing camera is a 12MP TrueDepth sensor with autofocus and a faster f/1.9 aperture, offering improved selfies and video calls. The iPhone SE 2020 has a 7MP front camera that records 1080p video at 30fps.