Apple iPhone SE (2020) vs Apple iPhone 5s

Compare recorded specifications, size and practical differences.

+ Add a third phone

Key differences

Calculated from recorded specifications using minimum difference thresholds. These are differences, not an overall ranking. For three phones, numeric highlights compare the two extremes.

  • Weight

    iPhone 5s: 36 g lighter

    iPhone SE (2020):
    148 g
    iPhone 5s:
    112 g
  • Width

    iPhone 5s: 8.7 mm narrower

    iPhone SE (2020):
    67.3 mm
    iPhone 5s:
    58.6 mm
  • Screen diagonal

    iPhone 5s: 0.7 in smaller diagonal

    iPhone SE (2020):
    4.7 in
    iPhone 5s:
    4 in
  • Height

    iPhone 5s: 14.6 mm shorter

    iPhone SE (2020):
    138.4 mm
    iPhone 5s:
    123.8 mm
  • Release year

    iPhone SE (2020):
    2020
    iPhone 5s:
    2013

Physical size

Relative size, not calibrated actual size. Front and side outlines share one scale and a bottom baseline. Generic outlines use recorded body dimensions, excluding camera bumps.

  1. 1. iPhone SE (2020)

    Height:
    138.4 mm +14.6 mm versus iPhone 5s
    Width:
    67.3 mm +8.7 mm versus iPhone 5s
    Depth:
    7.3 mm
  2. 2. iPhone 5s

    Height:
    123.8 mm
    Width:
    58.6 mm
    Depth:
    7.6 mm

Weight

Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

  1. 1. iPhone SE (2020)

    148 g

    +36 g versus iPhone 5s

  2. 2. iPhone 5s

    112 g

Screen size

Approximate rectangular screens calculated from recorded diagonal and aspect ratio at one relative scale. Rounded corners and cutouts are not subtracted. These are not phone outlines or calibrated actual sizes.

  1. 1. iPhone SE (2020)

    Screen diagonal:
    4.7 in
    Aspect ratio (height:width):
    16:9
    Approximate rectangular screen area:
    60.9 cm²
  2. 2. iPhone 5s

    Screen diagonal:
    4 in
    Aspect ratio (height:width):
    16:9
    Approximate rectangular screen area:
    44.1 cm²

iPhone SE (2020) has approximately 38.1% more rectangular screen area than iPhone 5s.

Memory variants

Each row compares the same storage capacity. Cells show recorded RAM alternatives, not combined maxima. Not recorded does not mean unavailable in every market.

Recorded RAM for iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 5s, compared at the same storage capacity.
StorageiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 5s
64 GB 3 GB RAM Unknown
128 GB 3 GB RAM Unknown
256 GB 3 GB RAM Unknown
iPhone 5s: Original memory entry

16/32/64 GB · 1 GB RAM DDR3

Practical features

Explicit Yes and No values are shown directly. Qualified or regional records retain their details. Unknown means the record is missing.

1. iPhone SE (2020)

NFC:
Yes
Headphone jack:
No
Memory card support:
No

2. iPhone 5s

NFC:
Unknown
Headphone jack:
Yes
Memory card support:
No

Battery capacity

Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.

Recorded battery capacity

Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

  1. 1. iPhone SE (2020)

    1821 mAh

    +261 mAh versus iPhone 5s

  2. 2. iPhone 5s

    1560 mAh

Specifications

Open a section for more detail. On narrow screens, swipe sideways or use Left/Right arrow keys while the table is focused. Unknown means missing data, not No. Recorded zero values are shown as recorded.

1. iPhone SE (2020)2. iPhone 5s

Everyday essentials
Everyday essentials — specifications for iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 5s.
SpecificationiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 5s
Dimensions (HxWxD)
  • 138.4 Х 67.3 Х 7.3 mm
  • 123.8 Х 58.6 Х 7.6 mm
Weight
  • 148 g
  • 112 g
Technology
  • Retina IPS LCD
  • LED-backlit IPS LCD
Screen size
  • 4.7" inc
  • 4" inch
Screen resolution
  • 750 x 1334 px
  • 640 x 1136 px
Internal memory Recorded storage / RAM variants. Entries are alternatives, not a combined maximum. Ambiguous formats stay as recorded.
  • 64GB 3GB RAM
  • 128GB 3GB RAM
  • 256GB 3GB RAM
  • 16/32/64 GB
  • 1 GB RAM DDR3
Memory card support
  • No
  • No
Battery Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.
  • 1821 mAh
  • Non-removable Li-Ion
  • 1560 mAh
  • Non-removable Li-Po
Operating system OS
  • iOS 13
  • iOS 7
  • upgradable to iOS 12.1.3
Chipset
  • - Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+)
  • Apple A7 (28 nm)
NFC
  • Yes
Unknown
Headphone jack
  • No
  • Yes
Display
Display — specifications for iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 5s.
SpecificationiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 5s
Touchscreen
  • capacitive touchscreen
  • capacitive touchscreen
Display colors
  • 16M
  • 16M
Screen area
  • 60.9 cm2
  • 44.1 cm2
Screen format
  • 16:9 (height:width)
  • 16:9 (height:width)
Screen to body ratio
  • 65.4%
  • 60.8%
PPI /points per inch/ Unknown
  • 326 PPI
Screen protection
  • Ion-strengthened glass
  • oleophobic coating
  • Corning Gorilla Glass
  • oleophobic coating
Camera and Video

Scores marked * are historical catalogue entries. Test conditions are unspecified; no new testing is implied.

Camera and Video — specifications for iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 5s.
SpecificationiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 5s
Rear camera, main
  • 12 MP
  • Single
  • 8 MP
  • Single
Camera specs
  • -12 MP
  • f/1.8 (wide)
  • PDAF
  • OIS
  • 8 MP
  • f/2.2
  • 29mm (standard)
  • 1/3''
  • 1.5µm
  • AF
Functions
  • HDR
  • panorama
  • Face detection
  • HDR
  • FaceTime over Wi-Fi or Cellular
Video
  • 1080p@30fps; gyro-EIS
  • 720p@30fps
Front camera, selfie
  • 7 MP
  • Single
  • 1.2 MP
  • Single
Specifications
  • 7 MP
  • f/2.2
  • 1.2 MP
  • f/2.4
  • 31mm (standard)
DxOMark Main Score *
  • 101
  • 68
DxOMark Photo *
  • 85
  • 69
DxOMark Video *
  • 83
  • 66
DxOMark Selfie Score *
  • 84
Unknown
Performance

Scores marked * are historical catalogue entries. Test conditions are unspecified; no new testing is implied.

Performance — specifications for iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 5s.
SpecificationiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 5s
Processor CPU
  • - Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder)
  • Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based)
Graphics processor GPU
  • - Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
  • PowerVR G6430 (quad-core graphics)
Antutu 7 score * Unknown
  • 61322
Antutu 8 score *
  • 465664
Unknown
GeekBench 5 Single Core *
  • 1326
Unknown
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core *
  • 2653
Unknown
General specs
General specs — specifications for iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 5s.
SpecificationiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 5s
Release date
  • 2020
  • April 15
  • 2013
  • September
Colors
  • Black
  • White
  • Red
  • Space Gray
  • White/Silver
  • Gold
Historical recorded price Legacy catalogue value; date unknown. Not a current offer.
  • 480 EUR
  • 330 EUR
Battery life
  • Music play - Up to 40 h
  • Stand by time- Up to 250 h (2G) / Up to 250 h (3G) Talking time- Up to 10 h (2G) / Up to 10 h (3G) Music play - Up to 40 h
Body build
  • Glass front
  • glass back
  • aluminum frame
  • Front glass
  • aluminum body
Communication and Connectivity
Communication and Connectivity — specifications for iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 5s.
SpecificationiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 5s
SIM card
  • Nano-SIM and/or eSIM
  • Nano-SIM
Network
  • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 / 1900 -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO -4G - LTE band 1(2100)
  • 2(1900)
  • 3(1800)
  • 4(1700/2100)
  • 5(850)
  • 7(2600)
  • 8(900)
  • 11(1500)
  • 12(700)
  • 13(700)
  • 17(700)
  • 18(800)
  • 19(800)
  • 20(800)
  • 21(1500)
  • 25(1900)
  • 26(850)
  • 28(700)
  • 29(700)
  • 30(2300)
  • 32(1500)
  • 34(2000)
  • 38(2600)
  • 39(1900)
  • 40(2300)
  • 41(2500)
  • 42(3500)
  • 46(5200)
  • 48
  • 66(1700/2100) - A2296
  • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all models CDMA 800 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - A1533 (CDMA)
  • A1453 -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - A1533 (GSM)
  • A1453 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO - A1533 (CDMA)
  • A1453 HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - A1457
  • A1530 -4G - LTE band 1(2100)
  • 2(1900)
  • 3(1800)
  • 4(1700/2100)
  • 5(850)
  • 8(900)
  • 13(700)
  • 17(700)
  • 19(800)
  • 20(800)
  • 25(1900) - A1533 GSM
  • A1533 CDMA LTE band 1(2100)
  • 18(800)
  • 25(1900)
  • 26(850) - A1453 LTE band 1(2100)
  • 7(2600)
  • 20(800) - A1457 LTE band 1(2100)
  • 38(2600)
  • 39(1900)
  • 40(2300) - A1530
Speed
  • HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps
  • LTE-A (5CA) Cat16 1024/150 Mbps
  • EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
  • HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps
  • LTE Cat3 100/50 Mbps
  • EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
GPRS
  • Yes
  • Yes
Edge
  • Yes
  • Yes
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
  • dual-band
  • hotspot
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
  • dual-band
  • hotspot
GPS
  • Yes
  • with A-GPS
  • GLONASS
  • Yes
  • with A-GPS
  • GLONASS
USB
  • 2.0
  • proprietary reversible connector
  • 2.0
  • proprietary reversible connector
Bluetooth
  • 5.0
  • A2DP
  • LE
  • 4.0
  • A2DP
Harmful irradiation
  • SAR - 1.17 W/kg (head) 1.16 W/kg (body) SAR EU - 0.98 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body)
  • SAR - 1.12 W/kg (head) 1.18 W/kg (body) SAR EU - 1.00 W/kg (head) 0.80 W/kg (body)
Music and Audio
Music and Audio — specifications for iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 5s.
SpecificationiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 5s
Radio
  • No
  • No
Others
  • - Wide color gamut -True-tone -625 nits max brightness (advertised)
  • 16-bit/44.1kHz audio -Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
Other features
Other features — specifications for iPhone SE (2020), iPhone 5s.
SpecificationiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 5s
Dop
  • - Sensors - Fingerprint (front-mounted)
  • accelerometer
  • proximity
  • gyro
  • compass
  • barometer - Siri natural language commands and dictation - Fast charging 18W
  • 50% in 30 min -Qi wireless charging - IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins) -Apple Pay (Visa
  • MasterCard
  • AMEX certified) - Versions: A2296 (Global market) A2275 (USA
  • Canada
  • Puerto Rico
  • U.S. Virgin Islands) A2298 (China)
  • Sensors Fingerprint (front-mounted)
  • accelerometer
  • gyro
  • proximity
  • compass - Siri natural language commands and dictation - Supported LTE Networks