Apple has just officially unveiled a new smartphone -- the iPhone SE -- a new iPhone offering that not only comes with a smaller size, but also with a cheaper price. Indeed, the iPhone SE sports a 4 inch display screen, and is priced at $399 for the 16 gigabyte edition and $499 for the 64 gigabyte edition.
As far as looks go, the iPhone SE basically shares the same design as the iPhone 5s released almost three years ago back in 2013. There is the aforementioned 4 inch display screen, plus the sharper edges of the handset, as well as generally identical dimensions compared to the iPhone 5s. Perhaps the only clear deviation is that the iPhone SE’s edges will come finished in matte. As for color options, the newest smartphone offering from Apple will come in gold, rose gold, silver, and space gray.
Design and aesthetics aside, the iPhone SE clearly distances itself from the iPhone 5s. The device’s 4 inch display screen (Multi Touch, 1,136 by 640 pixel resolution at 326 ppi density) is paired with a 12 megapixel iSight camera with 1.22µ pixels. This is the same camera present in Apple’s current flagship devices, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, and offers the ability to shoot 4K video as well as the ability to both capture and view Live Photos. For those not familiar with Live Photos, it is a GIF-like functionality that allows iOS mobile users to shoot two second long videos before and after an image is captured, producing a moving, video-ish effect to a photo.
As for the hardware specifications, the iPhone SE truly has processing prowess, made possible with the presence of the much powerful A9 chip and M9 motion co-processor. This new iPhone may be small, but it possesses processing speeds similar to the iPhone 6s’. Apple has claimed that the device has reached LTE speeds that are 50 percent faster than previous iPhone models.
Software wise, the iPhone SE comes with Apple Pay (the device is fitted with an NFC chip), the Siri digital assistant, and iOS 9.3, which by the way is already being rolled out. Other features and functionalities include Night Shift mode (which the colors and brightness of the display screen so that iOS users can get better sleep at night), password enforced (TouchID) Notes, mobile app suggestions in Health, and more personalized and expanded News. But alas, the iPhone SE will not feature 3D Touch.
The iPhone SE officially launches in the United States on March 31st of this year at $399 for the 16 gigabyte edition and at $499 for the 64 gigabyte edition. Via Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, pricing starts at $17 a month. By May, the device should land in 100 countries around the world. To know more about other Apple devices, you can browse phones and plans from Apple at Wirefly now.
