“The new iPhone SE could be released this month, as US tech retailer Target began returning its leftover iPhone SE stock to Apple at the beginning of the month,” Alan Lu, Rene Millman, and Lee Bell write for IT PRO. “A source at one Target store said they had not received any new iPhone SE stock since before the iPhone 7 was announced last September… However, high-profile Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t think it’s likely the updated iPhone SE will be launched at the rumoured event at the end of the month, even though the first-generation device was announced almost exactly a year ago in March 2016.”
“The Touch ID fingerprint scanner built into the home button isn’t the second-generation version built into the iPhone 6s, so it’s not quite as lightning fast. The difference is barely noticeable, though unless you’re incredibly impatient. The addition of NFC, not present in older 5-series iPhones, means the SE can be used for Apple Pay ‘contactless’ in-store payments,” Lu, Millman, and Bell write. “We missed the useful pressure-sensitive screen of the 6s a lot, although its absence from the SE isn’t surprising – it would almost certainly have added to the cost and possibly increased the bulk of the phone too. Hopefully, we’ll see 3D Touch in Apple’s next 4in iPhone.”
“Although [APple’s A9 is] ‘only’ a dual core CPU, it easily held its own against the quad-core and eight core chips found in flagship Android and Windows Mobile phones. It makes the iPhone SE one of the fastest phones available, so running the latest apps shouldn’t be a problem for some time to come,” Lu, Millman, and Bell write. “The iPhone SE is great, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Here’s hoping this resurrection of the sensibly-sized iPhone isn’t a one-off – we’re already looking forward to the iPhone SE 2.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take:
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Slate reviews Apple’s iPhone SE: ‘Simple, functional, and iconic – love it’ – May 31, 2016
AnandTech reviews Apple’s 4-inch iPhone SE – May 16, 2016
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Daring Fireball’s Gruber reviews iPhone SE: ‘Feels the best in hand’ – April 1, 2016
Macworld reviews iPhone SE: ‘It’s a pocket-size powerhouse’ – March 31, 2016
TIME reviews Apple’s iPhone SE: ‘The perfect smaller smartphone’ – March 30, 2016
Mossberg: Understanding Apple’s iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro – March 30, 2016
Wired reviews Apple’s iPhone SE: You’ll use it differently – March 29, 2016
USA Today’s Baig: Apple’s iPhone SE is like a cute, adorable baby – March 24, 2016
The Daily Mail reviews Apple’s iPhone SE: The ‘perfect first time iPhone’ – March 24, 2016
WSJ reviews Apple’s iPhone SE: ‘Smaller gets smarter with better battery life to boot’ – March 24, 2016
Apple tries to stimulate growth with the powerful 4‑inch iPhone SE – March 23, 2016
Why the tiny 4-inch iPhone SE will be a gigantic hit for Apple – March 22, 2016
Apple just put a Mac mini in your pocket (with keyboard and screen) – March 22, 2016
Apple’s got millions of reasons to make the smaller iPhone SE – March 22, 2016
The new iPhone SE finally makes a small phone feel powerful – March 21, 2016
Apple unveils iPhone SE, the most powerful phone with a four-inch display – March 21, 2016
I managed to get a second hand iPhone 6 Plus to see if I like the bigger screen. I love it, but when I go to my four inch iPod 6 screen instead of disliking the small screen it makes me fall in love with it all over again. It feels so cute.
I can’t believe a device that size does so much and is that capable.
Had they released SE together with 6s, that would have been my choice (to upgrade my old 5s). By the time it came, my 6s was six months old and I felt it wouldn’t be worthwhile swapping.
If SE does receive a successor this spring (or summer), It will be a very likely candidate to replace my 6s, especially if it gains 3d touch (along with the other usual hardware upgrades).
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the prevailing trend among cellphone makers was to make phones smaller and smaller.
Starting from the old brick:
and progressing all the way to
There is a large audience out there for smaller phones. It is good that Apple decided not to ignore it.