Apple iPhone SE review
The Apple iPhone SE retail package
The iPhone SE
The Apple iPhone SE
Handling the iPhone SE
A peek above the screen • The Touch ID 1.0 at the bottom
The right side • The nano-SIM bed • The left side • The silencer
The top side • The lock key • The bottom • The Lightning port is flanked by two grilles
Introduction
Apple didn't come up with a new design for the smaller iPhone SE. Instead, they've reused the old iPhone 5s with new internals. It's an odd move, which we witness for the first time - it's like reusing the same looks of a phone model third generation in a row. And that from the company, that practically invented the two-year phone redesign cycle.
One way to interpret this move is to conclude Apple is taking the easy road and is merely recycling an existing chassis design to produce a lower-cost iPhone without hurting margins. Another possible interpretation is that they are reviving the iconic iPhone 5/5s design in an attempt to cater to a group of users who not only want a cheaper iPhone but would also prefer the smaller form factor. After all, a third of Apple users are still using older 4-inch smartphones.
The jury is still out on which one of these two might be the reasoning for this model, but whichever it is, we're not here to judge. This task would be up to Apple customers. Our job is only to evaluate how good the latest iPhone is and we intend to do just that.
But first thing's first - here's a refresher on the specs. The iPhone SE has the 4" Retina display of the iPhone 5s, its first-gen Touch ID sensor, an identical chassis, but on the inside, it comes with the new Apple A9 chip with 2GB of RAM, the new 12MP main snapper, and a slightly bigger battery.
Key features
- 4" 16M-color LED-backlit IPS LCD of 640 x 1136px resolution, 326ppi
- Apple iOS 9
- Dual-core 1.8 GHz Twister 64-bit CPU, PowerVR GT7600 GPU, 2GB of RAM, Apple A9 SoC
- 12MP F/2.2 camera with True tone LED flash, phase detection auto focus, 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps, @60fps and @120fps video recording, 720p video recording @120fps and 240fps
- 1.2MP F/2.4 front-facing camera, HDR mode, 720p@30fps video
- Comes in 16 and 64 GB of built-in storage
- First-gen Touch ID fingerprint sensor
- 4G LTE Cat.4 (150Mbps); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.2; Lightning port; GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS; NFC (Apple Pay only)
- 1,624 mAh battery, Power saving mode
Main disadvantages
- No 3D Touch
- No microSD slot
- Lacks optical image stabilization
- NFC functionality limited to Apple Pay
- No wireless charging, an infrared port, or FM radio
- No enhanced resistance to liquids or dust
- No user-replaceable battery
Apple's restrictions have been around for years, so they shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone - you can't have expandable memory, fast or wireless charging, FM radio, swappable batteries, among others. The new 3D Touch tech isn't present either for obvious reasons though you can still capture Live Photos.
The iPhone SE has this nice nostalgic feeling of the good old iPhones when they were always shaking the market, and its compact size and powerful hardware will be appreciated by many. It will hardly attract any new users to Apple's platform, but will allow those who are stuck in the past to level up.
Unboxing the iPhone SE
Just as we expected, the iPhone SE comes in a rather compact box accompanied by a Lightning cable, a 1A A/C plug, and a well-packed pair of EarPods.
The Apple iPhone SE retail package
Apple iPhone SE 360-degree spin
The iPhone SE spreads at 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm, which is the same footprint the iPhone 5s had. It is very light at 113g, just 1g over the iPhone 5s. If we are to compare it with the new 4.7" iPhone 6s, the SE edition is 1.5cm shorter and 1cm narrower.
Design and build quality
The Apple's iPhone SE design is on the catwalk for a third time in a row, and there are no surprises here. After the dawn of the glass iPhones, the new metal chassis introduced by the iPhone 5 quickly became a fan-favorite. It was in fact so popular that in the aftermath of the iPhone 6 premiere the new exterior was considered as a disappointment because of the departure from the old looks.
The iPhone SE
Sure, Apple could have shrunk the iPhone 6 chassis for the iPhone SE instead, but we suspect they've intentionally decided to keep the iconic chassis. Plus, nobody can't argue it was easier for development and production - faster, and, of course, cheaper.
On a positive note - keeping the flat sides is a tremendous boost to the grip and overall handling, both of which were compromised by the rounded edges of the iPhone 6 generation. The iPhone SE still feels great in hand as it was three years ago, premium as ever.
There are some cons, though - keeping the old design meant sticking to the first-gen Touch ID and older model of the FaceTime camera (1.2MP) and there is also the issue with the sizable screen bezels, which make the phone look outdated by today's standards.
There is one other thing worth mentioning - the iPhone 6s came with unannounced water protection, which allowed it to survive between 10 and 40 minutes submerged in water. On the contrary, the iPhone SE will die instantly when subjected to water as proven by a lot of online videos.
Still, let's take a closer quick close look for the unfamiliar with the iPhone 5 lineup.
The iPhone SE front is covered by an ion-strengthened glass (it's a custom version of the Gorilla Glass protection), complemented by an oleophobic coating to keep the fingerprints away. The frame is all metal as is most of the rear side.
The Apple iPhone SE
Handling is great, as we said, but if you are coming from an iPhone 6/6s or an Android smartphone, you may miss the side-mounted power/lock key.
Handling the iPhone SE
Controls
The front of the iPhone SE is mostly occupied by the 4" Retina display. On top we find the earpiece, the FaceTime camera, and a couple of sensors. On the bottom is the Home key/Touch ID sensor, with a steel ring painted in the accent color.
A peek above the screen • The Touch ID 1.0 at the bottom
The ejectable nano-SIM tray sits alone on the right. The left side houses the metal volume keys and the silencer.
The right side • The nano-SIM bed • The left side • The silencer
On top of the iPhone, SE is the power/lock key, also made of metal. The audio jack, the loudspeaker grille, the primary microphone (also behind a grille), and the Lightning port are at the bottom.
The top side • The lock key • The bottom • The Lightning port is flanked by two grilles
The iPhone SE rear side is familiar - the 12MP camera is here (no hump, yay), the dual-LED flash is around with the second mic, and there is the Apple logo, of course. The 12MP snapper is the same as on the iPhone 6s, enabled with 4K video recording. Due to the phone's larger thickness, there is no camera hump unlike the iPhone 6s.
The 4" Retina display returns unchanged
There is a lot that can be said about the old 4" Retina display, and the opinions will be polarized. The naysayers will nag incessantly about the super small display, the big bezels, the low screen resolution while the opposite camp will praise the great colors and sunlight legibility, as well as the high brightness.
We'll keep it simple. The display uses a 4" IPS panel of 640 x 1136 pixels, which is 326ppi density - the very definition of a Retina display.
The iPhone SE rendition of blacks is brighter than we would prefer, but on the other end of the spectrum, the 600 nits worth of brightness level is quite appreciable. The resulting contrast of 1:804 is not as noteworthy mainly due to the poor black levels.
As a comparison, the 4.7" iPhone 6s screen has the same 326ppi but is a less bright screen with higher contrast.
Regarding color rendering, the iPhone SE scored excellently with an Average DeltaE of 2.3, which means an almost perfectly calibrated screen. The maximum deviation of 5.2 is in the whites which come out slightly bluish but it's not something you would notice without an external reference point.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.36 | 536 | 1481 | |
| 0.77 | 618 | 804 | |
| 0.51 | 628 | 1227 | |
| 0.49 | 475 | 975 | |
| 0.00 | 340 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 391 | ∞ | |
| 0.00 | 313 | ∞ | |
| 0.17 | 306 | 1855 | |
As far as sunlight legibility goes, the iPhone SE is an excellent performer outside with excellent contrast under bright sunlight, which puts it towards the top of our chart.
Sunlight contrast ratio
Battery life
The battery inside the iPhone SE is slightly bigger than the one inside the iPhone 5s. The iPhone 5s has a 1,560mAh battery, whereas a 1,624mAh unit powers the iPhone Special Edition.
Apple iOS 9 introduced a Low-Power mode, which you will be prompted to turn on once the charge drops below 20%.
The iPhone SE posted very balanced score across all of our tests - it can do about 12 hours of 3G calls, 13 hours of web browsing, or 14 hours of video playback on a single charge.
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