Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
It was about time Apple update its 4 - column inch iPhone channel ( and there remain a few of us whose pocket-sized hands and pocket will appreciate this more portable aim ) , and this is a sensitive refresh of a much - loved product . We ’d leave about just how nice it is to hold and use a petite 4 in smartphone , and just how well-fixed it is to handle one - handed . The SE is as fast as an iPhone 6s thanks to the A9 chipset and as portable as an iPhone 5s , so if you ’re in the grocery store for a fresh 4 in smartphone then this is a very good choice . While the want of 3D Touch , a barometer , 2nd - gen Touch ID or a 128 GB storage selection are all irritants , that ’s a compounding that will be enough to convert a lot of Apple rooter . Essentially , it ’s full … for those that need it .
Apple announced theiPhone SEat anevent in March 2016alongside the 9.7 in iPad Pro , and start out selling it weeks later in April 2016 . The iPhone SE was n’t a flagship phone even when it launched , though – it was a replacement for the honest-to-god iPhone 5s , the previous 4 in iPhone , and an option to the larger and more expensive 4.7 in and 5.5 in iPhones which had proved extremely popular , but which some user find too vainglorious .
Apple markets the iPhone SE as an iPhone 6s in an iPhone 5s shell , but is this exact ? And is there a topographic point for the iPhone SE now the iPhone 7 , 8 and X have launched?Mobile Funprovided us with a recap sample of the iPhone SE , so let ’s find out .
iPhone history
This iPhone has been exchange with a new example . get links below to our review of all iPhone model , including the former generation.iPhone 16is expected to set up in September 2024 ( seewhen is the salutary time to grease one’s palms a new iPhone ) , whileiPhone SE ( 4th generation)andiPhone 17are likely to appear in 2025 . line up out aboutApple ’s September event detailsandhow to watch the Apple September event live flow ; or for other Apple product , study more about all thenew Apple products amount this yearandwhen is the next Apple event . You might also like ouriPhone purchasing guide , best iPhone dealsandcomparison of every iPhone that is available to grease one’s palms today .
Design and build
In terms of pattern , the iPhone SE is essentially an iPhone 5s in a unexampled loge – but that is n’t necessarily a unfit thing .
The iPhone SE is craft from the same bead - blasted aluminium as the 5s , providing drug user with a smooth finishing that does n’t show fingerprints ( although it is n’t the strengthened Series 7000 aluminium present in theiPhone 6sand iPhone 7 ) . The blocky , highly strung and slightly industrial design of the iPhone 5s , in our judgment , at least , was before of its time and looks as good today as it did when it was unveil back in September 2013 .
It ’s the small details of the iPhone SE conception that make it what it is , from the matt - chamfer sharpness to the untainted brand logotype on the prat of the smartphone .
Above : the iPhone 5s ( allow ) and the iPhone SE . video credit : Jason Snell
Many smartphone producer are shying away from pointed edges , employing curved edges and even curved display in some cases , as this provides user with something that ’s more comfortable to hold , especially with a orotund display . However due to the small dimensions of the iPhone SE – 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm , to be exact – along with the pointed edges provide us with supernumerary grip , with no real vexation about the iPhone err from our hand , as curved smartphones like the iPhone 7 are prone to do .
It ’s also lightweight at only 113 g , crap it 25 g clean than Apple ’s 138 g flagship iPhone 7 . fundamentally , if you ’re appear for a low and lightweight smartphone , the iPhone SE looks to be a good selection .
If you do adjudicate to grab yourself an iPhone SE , you ’ll have a choice of colours to prefer from . Along with the fairly standard Silver , Space Grey and Gold you ’ll also find a Rose Gold colour selection , Apple ’s latest ‘ flavour ’ that made its debut on the iPhone sextuplet and Apple Watch back in September 2015 , before also making its mode to the iPad range .
Apple trench the 3.5 mm jack on the iPhone 7 to make its flagship smartphone thinner than ever , which is of course bad news for those of us with expensive wire headphones ( although there are some goodLightning headphonesandBluetooth headphoneson the market ) . Thankfully the 3.5 mm jack is present on the iPhone SE at the bottom of the gimmick , posit alongside the Lightning port and speaker grilles .
The lock button is in the same place as the iPhone 5s , at the top of the machine ; that may take some getting used to , as many manufacturers now place the power push on the correct - handwriting side of smartphones ( admit Apple itself , on the larger iPhone framework ) . We plant ourselves ab initio reaching to the right field to lock it , but it ’s something you get used to reasonably quickly . And the circular ( as opposed to the contraceptive pill contour with the iPhone 6 and newfangled ) volume buttons and soundless modal value on/off switch are in the same place , on the left - hand side of the iPhone SE .
While we have intercourse familiarity , we ’re a tad let down that the home plate button put up the same first - generation Touch ID sensor as the iPhone 5s did , despite the iPhone hexad and 7 cargo ships with a much faster and more accurate 2d - genesis fingermark sensor .
Of course , the grownup ( or should we say pocket-size ? ) feature of the iPhone SE is its small 4 in display , allowing the smartphone to be used well with one hand . Many users were n’t comfortable with the 4.7 in and 5.5 in iPhone 6s and 6s Plus , and some even held back on upgrading because they could n’t , for whatever reason , get on with a large display . We lean to use larger iPhones , so the experience of going from an iPhone 7 Plus to an iPhone SE was unknown – but in a respectable direction .
We ’d forget just how comfortable it is to hold a phone so diminished . We ’d forgotten how easy it was to text and use one - handed . We forgot about the magic of a small - screen smartphone .
for sure , there are downside to deliver a smaller presentation : text fill up more of the screen , less information is displayed at once , pictures are a petty hard to see and , in our opinion , a lot of games are n’t as enjoyable . But there ’s something about the 4 in smartphone that make it a joy to expend . It could be the reachability , as we ’re well able to reach every clit using our pollex , or it could just be that a smaller smartphone feels more secure and well-heeled in the handwriting . Whatever it is , we ’re a fan of it .
study next : iPhone SE vs iPhone 5s
Display
allow ’s sing a little bit more about that 4 in showing that so many Apple exploiter were craving prior to the iPhone SE announcement . The iPhone SE feature a 4 in IPS LCD presentation which Apple markets as being a ‘ Retina exhibit ’ . For those unsure of what a Retina display is , Apple coin the term to bear on to devices that have a resolution and pixel density of around 300ppi ( pixels per in ) or high , as the pixel density is so high that the substance abuser is unable to pluck out individual pixels at a normal viewing distance . It ’s not to be confuse with Retina HD either – we explain thedefinitions of Retina and Retina HD here .
This is indeed honest of the iPhone SE – the 4 in iPhone boasts a evenhandedly low-toned - solution ( when compared to Android smartphones , anyway ) of 640×1136 , but because of the small dimension of the display it equates to a hefty pixel tightness of 326ppi , the same as Apple ’s iPhone 7 .
While all that sounds fairly telling , what users can see and go through with their middle is what is most significant . The iPhone SE showing is surprisingly crisp , but this is most apparent when look at school text . Why ? The in high spirits pixel density display provides smooth curve and sharpness of text that can touch printed text , and this makes reading everything from text messages to eBooks on the modest display a well-fixed ( and enjoyable ) experience .
However , since iOS 10 , we ’ve ascertain the software to not be fully optimise for the small 4 in screen . With the latest iPhones have larger display , it feels that Apple has simply shrunk down the interface , making basic operations very hard on the small 4 in iPhone – unless of course , you have very modest hands !
The same can be said with high - tone photos – as long as the image you ’re bet at is relatively mellow - resolve , you’re able to pick out tiny details in the photo that may not be visible on other , low - resolution smartphones . colors are vivid and vibrant too , although we would n’t bear in mind seeing Apple employ a Super AMOLED exhibit on one of its smartphones in time to come to allow for the extra ‘ wow ’ agent that many Android rivals have .
3D Touch is one of the flagship feature of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus , allowing the display to measure the amount of force exerted instead of only read touch comment . developer are incorporate ‘ peep and soda pop ’ integration into their apps and summate crosscut to the home silver screen image , provide drug user with wholly new ways to interact with their apps . With such an emphasis on 3D Touch , we were hoping the feature would make an appearance on the iPhone SE – but we were wrong .
Read more : ripe 3D Touch bakshish & shortcuts
There is no 3D Touch integration and while this probably is n’t a deal breaker for most , it could mean that the iPhone SE may get ‘ leave behind ’ preferably rather than later . We ’re not talking about iOS update as the SE will be supported for years to come – we ’re talking more about in terms of features useable to them . In the same way that iPhone 5 ( and earlier ) users ca n’t use Touch ID as a form of identification in apps , iPhone SE users may not be able to do actions that improve the overall app / iOS experience .
Interestingly , thanks to an iFixit teardown , it was unwrap that the iPhone SE features the same front board as was used with the iPhone 5s . This means that both the display and front confront television camera are the exact same as Apple ’s 2013 flagship and while this is n’t of necessity a defective thing , it explains the want of 3D Touch integrating .
Performance and benchmarking
Apple fans called for another 4 in iPhone because the iPhone 5s just is n’t up to scratch anymore , so it was significant for Apple to ensure that the 4 in iPhone SE was powerful enough to compete with other flagship smartphones on the market . The company seems to have succeeded , as inside the iPhone SE you ’ll find Apple ’s A9 chipset paired with an M9 movement co - processor and 2 GB of RAM – precisely what ’s observe in Apple ’s 2016 flagship iPhone 6s and 6s Plus .
This way , generally utter , that the iPhone SE should provide similar performance levels to its boastful and more expensive brother , the iPhone 6s . In fact , due to the small resolving power of the 4 in display , it may even execute slightly good than the flagship Apple smartphone – in theory , anyway . But before we talk about benchmarking scores , let ’s first spill the beans about what the iPhone SE is actually like to use in terms of functioning .
The iPhone SE is rapid , there is no doubt about that . Swiping between app carte du jour and curtain raising apps is almost instant , and the SE does n’t even stutter when opening the Camera – an orbit that notoriously slow down smartphones . Even though we mentioned above that the 4 in video display of the iPhone SE does n’t provide the best gaming experience potential , that ’s down to screen size and not performance . We ’ve play a series of games on the iPhone SE from relatively dim-witted platformers likeCrossy Roadto more might - acute games likeGeometry Wars 3 : Dimensionsand futuristic racerAG Drivewith no sign of stave or unresponsiveness .
In fact , we even went out of our style to prove and get the iPhone SE to diminish over and stammer / lag by doing things like exchange app while load a world power - intensive plot , or constantly opening and closing an app ( we know , technical right ? ) . All our exploit were otiose , though , as the iPhone SE express joy at our poor efforts and did n’t even break a perspiration , responding to every single tap . So it ’s fair to say that the iPhone SE can fit the iPhone 6s carrying into action in general , but it ’s prison term to talk specifics .
We run three freestanding tests – Geekbench , GFXBench and AnTuTu – to test the functioning of the iPhone SE , and to check that there were no anomalies in the results , we run each test three times and took the average mark of each .
In Geekbench 3 , our first benchmark test , the iPhone SE scored 2254 in the single - pith trial and 4459 in the multi - core mental testing , which actually puzzle our iPhone 6s Geekbench results , ( although not by much ) by scoring 2511 and 4404 severally . This place the iPhone SE in personal credit line with the likes of the Galaxy S6 ( 4438 ) and Moto X Force ( 4455 ) , two smartphones with similar pricing , suggesting that the iPhone SE performance is just right for its price tag . It also suggests that the iPhone 6s is underperforming base on its price , but that ’s another story altogether .
In AnTuTu , a world-wide performance benchmark test , the iPhone SE scored 123,981 , which by itself mean absolutely nothing . For character , it ’s not quite as good as the iPhone 6s which scored 134,067 , but it is almost double the score of the last 4 in iPhone , the iPhone 5s . The iPhone 5s finagle only 64,901 which , according to AnTuTu at least , suggests that the iPhone SE render double the performance of its quondam sibling . It ’s still not enough to beat the Galaxy S7 in this respect , though , as the flagship Samsung smartphone scored 129,077 in our baby site PC Advisor ’s test .
However , it ’s in the graphic section that the iPhone SE really glint , and the GFXBench results verbalise for themselves . We run two in writing - intense benchmarks in GFXBench ( Manhattan and T - Rex ) and evaluate the frame rate of each , and the iPhone SE hit an telling middling grade of 58fps and 60fps respectively .
How does this equate to the competition ? improbably , the iPhone SE nonplus almost all competition , admit the Samsung Galaxy S7 . countenance ’s take a flavor at T - Rex ; the iPhone SE grade 60fps ( matching the iPhone 6s score ) , flummox the 53fps grudge of the Galaxy S7 and Xperia Z5 Premium . It ’s the same history in Manhattan too , with the SE hitting 58fps compare to the 52fps offering of the iPhone SE , and 27fps offer from the Galaxy S7 . While the result seem too good to be unfeigned , there is a simple explanation for the results .
GFXBench measures the in writing power of your smartphone , but it does n’t take into retainer the closure – something that vary from smartphone to smartphone and is very of import for graphics benchmarks . Why ? Essentially , smartphones with a small resolution like the iPhone SE with a adequate central processing unit will perform better than those with a larger resolution and in high spirits - terminal central processor as the processor and GPU have to power few pixels on - screen .
This means that even though the iPhone SE outperforms the Galaxy S7 in benchmark tests , this is due to the fact that the iPhone SE have a sub - full HD display ( 640×1136 ) while the Samsung flagship features a QHD ( Quad HD ) display , blow an eye - irrigate resolution of 1440×2560 . Of of course , this only issue when directly compare smartphones , and does n’t mean that the iPhone SE underperforms in any fashion – in fact , the combination of a down in the mouth - res exhibit and comely central processor put to work somewhat well if you ’re not too fussed about high - resolution gaming .
Curious about how the iPhone SE compares to the rest of the iPhone family ? We ’ve benchmarked every iPhone usable to purchase from Apple to see just how unlike each generation is , and presented it in the form of an interactional graph below :
take next : iPhone SE vs iPhone 6s
Camera and photography
The iPhone SE features a 12Mp rear facing camera which , contrary to popular belief , is n’t identical to the tv camera used in the iPhone 6s . While the two cameras are n’t the same , the iPhone SE does have the same 12Mp detector and profligate icon sign C.P.U. as the flagship iPhone , providing SE users with higher resolution picture . This is especially true of panoramas , parachute up to a maximum of 63Mp equate to 28Mp photos potential with the iPhone 5s . It also bring home the bacon quicker capture times , which is what we ’ve regain in our tests – photos were taken almost instantly in our experience .
The iPhone SE also feature springy Photo support ; when Live Photos is enable in the Camera app , you ’ll beguile a small video clipping from before and after the photo was taken which can be played back at any meter with audio recording . It offer exploiter with a snapshot of a moment or retentivity and is a slap-up feature of speech to have when you ’re feeling a little nostalgic .
iPhone photography is a wide-ranging beast at the best of times – Apple ’s smartphone tv camera are notoriously not bad in well - lit situations but tend to fail as the environment becomes darker . The iPhone SE takes great photos in broad day , boasting detailed images with vibrant color , however in dark-skinned situations the pic quickly become noisy , colours are n’t as vivacious and the figure are more or less disappointing when compared to the rivalry . Take the below image as an example – it was take in large-minded daytime and boasts great detail , sharpness and color procreation .
Even if you soar upwards into the above picture of St. Pancras , you ’ll be able-bodied to pick out private brick of the construction or pick out features of those walk by . Agreed , it ’s not as great as other flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 but it was never meant to compete with £ 600 + flagship – if anything , it ’s an issue with Apple ’s iPhone 6s . However , when compared to a picture select on an iPhone 5s , the improvement is quite obvious to see :
The colours are more wash out , and the definition is n’t there – not even on the side of the building that is much dead lighted . In fact , in sure places the building looks smooth . The colour are n’t as vibrant as the photo taken by the iPhone SE either , obvious with both the colour of St. Pancras hotel and the sky above it . The iPhone 5S ’s noise reduction is also a portion more obvious here , with the photo looking ‘ smudgy ’ when soar upwards in .
The iPhone SE does n’t do a bad job of accept photograph in ill light environments , but we do think there are smartphones on the market that can do a better problem – although maybe not at the same price of the iPhone SE . As you could see in the above photo , colors are generally more washed out than in a well - lit photo , and the detail has largely disappeared . While you may still make out the various object in the photo , zooming in really showcases the loss of detail . grounds of Apple ’s randomness - removing algorithmic rule is more apparent here too , with the details becoming smudged visit closely – take a look at the below harvest to empathise what we think :
You may have noticed that we have n’t really talked about the front facing camera , and that ’s because it ’s the same 1.2Mp camera featured on old Apple smartphones like the iPhone 5s . There is n’t much to say about it really – it ’s enough to use for the likes of FaceTime and Snapchat , but not much else . To give you an idea of the caliber useable on other Apple devices , the iPhone 6s features a 5Mp camera while the iPhone 7 have a 7mp photographic camera .
Anyway , that ’s enough about photos , now have ’s talk video recording : the iPhone SE features 4 honey oil video transcription capability , and like the iPhone 6s , you’re able to also take 8Mp still while recording . Of of course , if that ’s not your style then you could record 1080p HD at either 30 or 60 physical body per moment , as well as having access to 1080p@120fps and 720p@240fps for slow - molybdenum action at law .
The 1080p@60fps video option ply gorgeous , politic video but due to the high frame pace , it falls flavorless on its grimace in dark environment . It ’d make sense for Apple to pop the question some variety of toggle in the Camera app to quickly change between telecasting mode , but this is n’t available at present and makes changing picture formats a much more long - wind process than take be .
Unlike Apple ’s flagship , there is no ocular image stabilisation for pic or TV but Apple exact it sport “ cinematic TV stabilisation ” – software that ’ll automatically stabilise your photos . While we were initially sceptical about software based stabilization , we were quite impressed by just how stable it was . While the video recording is n’t completely unchanging , it has this beautiful smoothness to it that when combined with the 60fps skeleton charge per unit looks near to gorgeous . Take a feel at the below video , which was recorded with one paw whilst walking down ( and up again ) a flight of stairs :
Battery life
Battery life history is an of import factor of any smartphone , and the iPhone SE does n’t let down – although official battery liveliness test seemingly disagree . The iPhone SE features a 1624mAh battery , which is slenderly bigger than the 1560mAh stamp battery featured in the iPhone 5s , and boasts with a more efficient CPU , suggesting that the iPhone SE would have better barrage fire life . Apple itself claims that the iPhone SE will manage up to 14 hr of 3 G lecture clock time or 13 minute of cyberspace browsing on Wi - Fi and while we found it hard to confirm these claims , we found the iPhone SE battery life history to be generally quite honorable .
We understand that ‘ in force ’ is n’t the best word to use when describing the iPhone SE assault and battery life , so it ’s best to give real - humans example based on our fourth dimension with the smartphone . We , like many other commuter , use our iPhone to hear to music during our dawning commute . When using our iPhone 6s , we usually get to work with around 80 - 85 percentage battery persist however when we used the iPhone SE , we found that it only drain by 8 - 10 per centum . While it ’s not a Brobdingnagian dispute when in use , the iPhone SE in standby lasted an impressively foresighted clock time – we managed to go almost two days straight without charging the smartphone , although our custom was true limited .
So why do n’t official bombardment tests plump for our existent - world usage title ? We ’re not quite sure . We prevail two battery life tests on our iPhone SE and according to the termination , the smartphone lasted around four hours before it ran out of charge . In comparison , a adequate Android smartphone can last from anywhere between six and nine hours on a exclusive rush .
We ’re not quite sure why this is happening and it may be down to different methods of assault and battery life benchmarking on iOS and Android , but we resist to stand by the results and claim that the iPhone SE should go most of the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ( if not all day , with normal usage ) without demand a commission .
iSoftware
As of September 2016 , the iPhone SE comes run Apple ’s latest operating system , iOS 10 – if you have buy an older boxed reading of the SE , it might fare with iOS 9 , where you ’ll be entitled to a destitute climb to iOS 10 ( provided you have an internet association ) .
While Apple ’s iOS peregrine operating system is essentially the same across all its devices , there are a number of features singular to a handful of smartphones including the iPhone SE . The biggest package feature of the iPhone SE is ‘ Hey Siri ’ bread and butter , something only available on the late Apple ware let in the iPhone 6s , 6s Plus , 7 , 7 Plus and iPad Pro . What is it ? iPhone SE users can teach Siri to recognise their voice , and from that point in time can trip Siri hands - free just by enounce “ Hey Siri ” . Siri , for those incognizant , is Apple ’s virtual helper that can deal a variety of requests , from making call to find out the meaning of obscure words like ‘ crotchety ’ .
Along with Hey Siri , iOS 9 also introduced a contextually intelligent , predictive help that Apple refers to as ‘ Proactive ’ – this feature is useable on iOS 10 too . No , this does n’t mean that Siri will commence have human conversation about your day – instead , you ’ll be put up a series of crosscut to various contact and apps depending on your habit . Say , for lesson , you call your other half every twenty-four hour period after workplace at 5:30pm . Proactive will learn this habit over time and at around 5:30 , it ’ll provide a one - tap shortcut to call your married person . It ’s the same with apps , and it ’ll even offer up a Music app shortcut on the lock chamber screen whenever headphones are stop up in . As with Apple ’s excogitation doctrine , it ’s the little affair about Io 9 and 10 that make it what it is .
However , as noted in our show segment , we found the late iOS 10 software to be not to the full optimize for a small-scale 4 in screen – where certain things are very hard to sink in on and it ’s obvious that the problem would n’t exist on a with child screen . A choice good example is using music apps , where the seek bar and controls are extremely hard to press , unless you have very small fingers .
Specs
proportion
123.8×58.6×7.6 mm
Weight
113 gigabyte
Screen size
4 in
central processing unit
Apple A9 chip , M9 motion co - central processing unit
Operating System
Apple iOS 10
Storage
32/128 GB
rearward photographic camera
12Mp , f/2.2 , 29 mm , phase angle detection autofocus , dual - LED flash , 1/3″ sensor size , 1.22 µm pixel sizing
Video : 60fps
Front camera
1.2 MP , f/2.4 , 31 mm , face detection , HDR
Video : 720p HD
Battery
Non - removable 1624mAh battery
Touch ID
First propagation speck ID
Pricing and availability
So , how much will you have to spend to get yourself an iPhone SE , and is it worth the money ?
Unlike with other model of the iPhone , the iPhone SE is only available in two pas seul ; while it used to offer one with 16 GB of computer memory and one with 64 GB of storage , a late update to the production line now provides users with 32- and 128 GB of storage at no extra cost . The little variance will fix you back £ 349 while the 128 GB variant will set you back £ 100 more at £ 449 – these can be purchased via theApple Storedirectly , or through other retailers likeJohn Lewis .
