“Well, it’s a small iPhone,” Dieter Bohn reports for The Verge.
“That’s what I can tell you about the new iPhone SE, which essentially takes the powerful processor from the iPhone 6S and puts it into a 4-inch design. Apart from the new rose gold color, it’s almost completely indistinguishable from the iPhone 5 or (now-discontinued) 5S,” Bohn reports. “Same chamfers, same screen, same bezels. If there’s any surprise, it’s that Apple didn’t skimp on anything here (except, of course, the storage). The camera is the same 12-megapixel shooter you’d get on an iPhone 6S, except here it’s even better because it doesn’t stick out at all.”
“Usually, getting a small phone has meant getting a phone that skimps on power or on the camera (or, most likely, both),” Bohn reports. “That’s absolutely not the case with the iPhone SE. It feels every bit as fast and modern as an iPhone 6S,”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Except for 3D touch, users couldn’t ask for more.
One thing I miss in that size is the curved back that we had through the iPhone 3. It fit so well in a front pocket with out any hard edge showing and your hand slipped right over it when reaching into a pocket. I understand the engineering reasons for the more boxy shape but I would hope that as components become more compact, Apple will consider returning to the curvier back. (If they can make a 6 thin with curved edges, they could make it thicker, with smooth edges.)
I’ve been using a 6 plus for a year and a half and while the thin design is sexy (more or less) it is not as comfortable to hold as the first three major versions of the iPhone.
The whole internet would explode with bitching about how the iPhone with a curved back doesn’t set flat on the table. People never stopped complaining about the iPhone 3G/3GS because of this.
Yes, every shape has its own advantages and disadvantages.
I found the flat edges of iPhone 4 and 5 really nice for gripping and using the phone like a camera.
I don’t remember people complaining a lot about the 6/6S and the camera sticking out. That doesn’t sit flat.
MDN: How about 128GB…?
Otherwise, a Classic !
Serious. With only 64mb, I might as well keep using my 5S. Give me 128mb and I’m there the first day.
When the 5 came out it was the largest and most powerful iPhone ever. When the 5s came out, it was the largest most powerful and 64bit (read that “only”) phone ever.
Size does not dictate performance. The iPhone SE is not a small phone that belies its performance. It is a continuation of Apple’s excellence in producing world class products in a form factor that’s built for comfort and convenience on the run. It’s a single handed device that is on par with it’s larger siblings. It’s all things we could ask for.
With a few exceptions for it’s price point.
They will sell many tens of millions of them.
In India alone!
I teach in a public high school in the US an fully expect this to become the iPhone that parents supply their always-connected children with.
Woohoo!
other than the big four carriers , what other companies can i use this phone with in the US?
I know you can use the AT&T version with Consumer Cellular for about $15 a month. Buy one unlocked interest free from Apple for $17 a month over two years and you’ve got a $32 a month current iPhone including AppleCare Plus coverage.
The big news about iPhone SE is that it starts at $399US
Absolutely sold. Missing 3D Touch is a non issue as I’ve never seen it used effectively on my wife’s 6s plus. My only concern is the lack of a 128K version. But with all my music in the cloud I’ve never come close to using half that on my 6. And I always thought the chamfered edge design of the 5/5s was beautifully executed. It’s a personal preference but I just like its architecture better than the 6/6s. That, and the damn camera lens doesn’t stick out. I am the target market for this device.
Agreed. Funny that what was wanted was an updated iPhone 5 and that’s what we’re getting. The 3D Touch won’t be missed. But it doesn’t have the updated Touch ID. But neither does the first iPad Pro and it’s not missed there.
It’s a great design. Hopefully the matte chamfered edges will be less likely to get dinged up as the 5.
Bonus. The SE will fit in the center console cradle of my BMW, which I bought in early 2014 when I still had a 5. I was slightly bummed when the 6 came out and no longer fit my expensive BMW iPhone cradle. But now it lives again!
The iPhone has always been the most powerful 4″ phone. Gotta love these opportunistic headlines!
I can remember after several iPhone “S” keynotes MDN lamented that the new phone looked exactly like the old one. When people show up on day 1 to buy the latest iPhone, they want everyone to know it’s the latest. Why did Apple literally use the 5S case? Most people thought we would get a small phone influenced by the 6’s styling, or maybe looking like an iPod touch.
Buy this in silver/white and it looks exactly like the 5 – introduced 3 and 1/2 years ago. I’m just thinking that the world’s largest, most influential tech company could have come up with something that at least looked new.
OMG if Samsung released this… the iHeads would be all over them in negative fashion. LOL
samsung only knows how to make things bigger
Make things buggier
Awesome. The SE gives me 4K video recording (3840 by 2160) at 30 fps but only 64GB of storage max? I have 64GB now with 13GB available on 4S. If I switch over to the SE will I have a phone with stellar capabilities that are virtually useless to me because of space limitations?
Great news!
My trusty 4S has been great.
But this SE is spectacular for all the features I wanted in a small phone factor at an affordable price.
Ordering on Day 1 … 🙂
So, power button back on top, headphones jack still analogue.
Can’t have them all, MDN…
Just great! Same convenient size as the 5s with yet more punch… My next smartphone, for sure!