Last night, Apple released the brand new iPhone SE.
We’d already posted our predictions for the phone weeks back. We are pleased to say that right from the name of the phone to its features, we got everything right.
Well, almost everything.
The only thing we got wrong was the design of the new phone. We were pretty sure the iPhone SE would look like 6 or 6s; instead it looks just like the iPhone 5s!
Available in four colors — Silver, Space Gray, Gold and Rose Gold — the iPhone SE packs the latest and the best from Apple, although in an older frame. But don’t go by the looks of the phone just yet. With the exception of the display, every other aspect of the iPhone has been given an upgrade.
The latest 64-bit A9 chip, coupled with the M9 motion coprocessor, make the iPhone SE just as powerful as the 6s or 6s Plus!
According to Apple, the iPhone SE is 3x faster than the 5s.
A lot of you were concerned that Apple might compromise on camera quality. You have not a thing to worry about!
The iPhone SE has a 12 MP rear-facing iSight camera with advanced pixel technology, a 5 MP front-facing camera with Retina flash, Live Photos, and the ability to shoot 4K video. Apple has gone all out to make sure that the camera on SE is as good as that on any other iPhone.
The usual state-of-the-art network options are also available: 802.11 ac Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Calling, Bluetooth 4.2, improved cellular connectivity with faster LTE and even Voice Over LTE. Again, in all of these specs, the iPhone SE performs neck to neck with the 6s.
Where the bigger iPhones offer more is the availability of 3D Touch — a feature missing from iPhone SE. But that’s only natural considering that the SE is meant to be a budget phone.
With regards to design, the aluminum unibody, the flat sides, the chamfered edges of iPhone 5s and the matte edges all come together to make the iPhone SE the most ergonomic iPhone currently in the market. It’ll fit snugly into your pocket as well as your hands and give you the reachability and flexibility of one-handed use.
When can we expect to get our hands on the iPhone SE? The iPhone will be available in 110 countries by the end of May. We’re pretty sure that India will be on that list. In fact, it just might arrive in the subcontinent sooner than that; by April, if our sources are to be believed. So it’s not going to be all that long a wait at all. Aren’t we thrilled!
As for the pricing, for a model that’s being touted as the budget phone, the iPhone SE comes with a high-ish price tag. The cheapest model will be the 16 GB version, which is priced at INR 39,000.
It’s really disappointing that Apple still insists on continuing with the 16GB model. Like we’ve said time and again, even the most moderate users find it hard to get by with so little storage. We’d strongly recommend against buying that model.
In conclusion, we’re happy that Apple has stuck with the 4-inch model. We feel that it’s still the best size for a user who doesn’t need to watch long hours of videos or play too many games on his/her iPhone.
At the same time, we’re a bit let down by 16 GB base model (they should have retired that years ago) and that the phone looks more like the bulky 5s rather than the swanky 6s. However, the sheer amount of power the phone packs more than makes up for these drawbacks.
But what about the two special features of iPhone — 3D Touch and Apple Pay? Well, the iPhone SE doesn’t have 3D Touch, but it does feature Apple Pay. And we’ve decided not to be over-fussy. All things considered, iPhone SE is a solid phone, even with the steeper-than-expected price. All in all, we feel that we’re getting a pretty good deal.
We just can’t wait for it to come to the Indian shores! Can you!?