Which 2020 iPhone SE Storage Capacity Should You Buy — 64GB, 128GB or 256GB?

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 16 Apr 2020

2020 iPhone SE Which Storage Variant to Buy?

The 2020 iPhone SE offers a lot of bang for the buck. Apple has ensured that the device is a major step up from its predecessor in every way and packs some solid internals. The good thing is that this time around, Apple has not skimped not he storage as well and offers the 2020 iPhone SE with 64GB base storage. Additionally, the device is available in two more storage variants of 128GB and 256GB. If you are confused as to which storage variant of the iPhone SE you should buy, read this guide.

Picking the right storage variant is important because you definitely don’t want to spend extra money on storage space you are never going to use. Similarly, you also don’t want to cheap out on it as in the long term, it will come to bite you back. This becomes even more important if you are on a tight budget. It might feel tempting to save some moolah and go for the base 64GB variant of the 2020 iPhone SE. However, if you plan to use the device for a few years and are a heavy user, you might want to reconsider your decision.

General Storage Guidelines

If you’re the kind of person who likes to keep their entire music library offline on their iPhones or you download a lot of movies or apps, it’s best if you don’t skimp on your storage. If you like to keep your entire photo library available offline on the device, it’s best if you go for the largest possible storage capacity.

On the other hand, if you use music streaming services, stream movies and TV shows exclusively and you back up all photos and videos to iCloud Photo Library, you might just get away with the lowest storage tier. But even then, you should be prepared when you hit the wall. You’ll need to delete apps and back up photos actively to make sure there’s enough storage space available.

Which 2020 iPhone SE Storage Capacity Should You Buy?

2020 iPhone SE – Capacity and Pricing

First, below is a quick rundown of the pricing of the 2020 iPhone SE for different storage tiers.
  • 64GB – $399
  • 128GB – $449
  • 256GB – $549

Who Should Buy the 64GB 2020 iPhone SE?

If you do not use your smartphone heavily and only use it for basic texting and calling purposes, the base 64GB storage variant of the 2020 iPhone SE is going to be enough for you. This is based on the estimate that you usually keep around ~100 apps installed on your device, keep a few hundred photos, and a few videos. Remember that unlike Android smartphones, iPhones store photos and videos in HEIF and HEVC formats which take up significantly lesser space than regular JPEG and video files. Plus, there are plenty of space-saving features in iOS 13 that can be used to automatically free up internal storage.

If you are fine with having around 10-11GB of free internal space after a few months or a year or two of use on your 2020 iPhone SE, go ahead and buy the 64GB version. The money saved can be spent on AppleCare+, case, and other accessories for the device.

Before you pull the trigger though: ask yourself how long do you plan to keep using your 2020 iPhone SE and look at the storage space free on your current device. If you estimate that you are going to be left with around 10-15GB of free storage space on your 2020 iPhone SE right at the end of day one, you should consider buying the 128GB variant. Thankfully, Apple is only charging an additional $50 premium on the 128GB variant of the 2020 iPhone SE so the upgrade won’t sting your wallet as much.

Apple iPhone SE 2020 Black White Colors

Who Should Buy the 128GB 2020 iPhone SE?

If you plan to use your 2020 iPhone SE for at least 3-4 years, I will strongly recommend you to buy the 128GB variant. This is because over time you will end up accumulating a lot of unused files, photos, apps, and videos which will take up precious storage space on your device. Plus, over time your storage requirements are only going to increase with iOS, apps, and games themselves getting heavier.

What seals the deal for the 128GB iPhone SE is that you are only paying a $50 premium for it over the 64GB variant. Even if you have to delay your iPhone SE’s purchase by a few weeks to buy the 128GB variant instead of the 64GB one, do it and you will only have yourself to thank in the long run.

Who Should Buy the 256GB 2020 iPhone SE?

Unless you are someone who likes to carry around their entire library of FLAC music or have tons of Netflix content downloaded for offline viewing, there really is no need for you to buy the 256GB iPhone SE. While the jump from 64GB to 128GB storage is priced at $50 premium, the jump to 256GB storage has a $100 premium to it. This means the second-generation iPhone SE with 256GB storage will cost you $549. That’s definitely a lot of money and one can get the iPhone XR for that much money which is why splurging so much money on the 256GB iPhone SE little sense.

If you are really interested in buying the 256GB variant of the 2020 iPhone SE, well you already know you have a use case for it which is why you are looking at buying it in the first place.


Buy iPhone SE

Which 2020 iPhone SE storage variant do you plan to buy? Drop a comment and let us know about it!