Overview – Old Meets New
Well, we say all this is a surprise, but… yeah, it isn’t really. The original 2016 iPhone SE was based around the case and form factor of the iPhone 5S and used the same screen (albeit alongside some upgraded parts as used in newer iPhones).
So it’s not surprising that the new iPhone SE- clearly intended to fill a similar niche- follows much the same route. That is, reusing components from an existing and slightly older design (in this case the iPhone 8), augmented with some newer parts (you won’t get WiFi-6/802.11ax or gigabit LTE on an iPhone 8).
Regardless, it’s the parts that are interchangeable with the iPhone 8 that we’re interested in, so let’s get on with it.
What You Can Swap…
The following parts from the 2020 iPhone SE can be swapped with those from the iPhone 8:-
- Display assembly (including screen, proximity sensor and microphone)
- Cameras – It appears that the main camera from an iPhone 8 works okay in the SE, and it’s most likely the same part
- SIM tray
- Taptic engine
Home buttons still can’t be exchanged, but since it’s already been impossible to swap home buttons between otherwise identical iPhones of the same model for several years, we don’t think that will surprise anyone.
…and What You Can’t
Battery
Batteries aren’t compatible- the battery itself appears identical to that of the iPhone 8, but the connctor isn’t. (That connector is the same as the iPhone 11 battery’s, but the SE won’t turn on if you plug the 11’s battery in). And you’ll still get a “genuine battery” warning if you swap the (genuine!) batteries in two brand-new iPhone SEs.
At least the fact that the battery is based on pre-existing parts means that compatibles arrived on the market much quicker than they would have otherwise.
Screen Compatibility
Compatible… But Not Identical
This is the biggie. Screen replacements are the bread and butter of any smartphone repair business, so compatibility is always a help.
It should be noted that the iPhone 8 and SE 2020 screens are compatible, but not identical. The reason for this is that the SE screen lacks 3D Touch support, since the SE itself doesn’t include that facility.
You can put an iPhone 8 screen inside an SE 2020 and it’ll work fine; the 3D Touch will just be ignored. However, if you fit an SE screen inside an iPhone 8, it’ll still work, but you won’t get 3D Touch support.
How To Tell Them Apart
There are two main differences you can use to tell the iPhone 8 and SE 2020 screens apart. Both relate to the iPhone 8 screen’s 3D Touch support and its removal on the SE.
The most obvious- and useful- way to differentiate them is that the 8 has a silvery, reflective IC at the top left whereas the SE screen has an obvious gap in the same position. This IC supports 3D Touch on the iPhone 8 and isn’t needed on the SE.
The other main difference shows up when you remove the backlight. You’ll see that the iPhone 8 backlight has a gridlike pattern on the front which is missing from the plain black front of the SE backlight. Again, this supports 3D Touch on the iPhone 8.
Camera Compatibility
All the evidence suggests that the second-generation iPhone SE’s camera uses exactly the same hardware as the one in the iPhone 8. Yet it clearly delivers better results.
The secret appears to be significant improvements to the image processing circuitry that supports the camera. In particular, it has significantly better HDR processing, giving better exposure latitude and reducing problems like clipped/blown highlights.
The system as a whole (existing camera and improved processing) still doesn’t give results as good as you’d get from the iPhone 11, but it’s definitely a step up from the 8 despite the basic hardware being identical.
iPhone 8 vs. iPhone SE 2020 screen (first photo) and backlights. In each case, the 8 is on the left, the SE on the right.
Note the 3D Touch IC at the top left of the iPhone 8 screen and corresponding gap on the SE, and the grid-like pattern on the 8’s backlight which doesn’t appear on the SE’s.
General Repairability Issues
Other than parts compatibility, what are the other issues that affect the SE’s repairability?
What’s good?
- The aforementioned reusability/interchangeability of many components with those from the iPhone 8 (most significantly the display itself!)
- The modular design of many components, making them independently replaceable, and the general ease of replacement of the screen and battery (the two most important parts from a repair point of view)
…and what’s bad?
On the downside, the IP67 seals can make repair more complicated… but then, they also reduce the risk of hard-to-fix liquid damage.
The general consensus appears to be that the iPhone SE is somewhat middling in terms of repairability; not great, but you wouldn’t ever expect an iPhone to be outstanding on that count- this is still Apple we’re talking about after all!
