The latest release from Apple is the iPhone SE, a cheaper version of the iPhone 6s but in the form of the iPhone 5s. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this particular release and it’s being received with mixed reviews. As usual when buying a new phone, the choice is a personal one…you either go with the flow and like to be on trend with the latest model because you feel you might be missing out on something (nothing wrong with that!) or you go for a particular spec or design that suit your needs and lifestyle.
When Apple announces the release of a new iPhone, the whole world waits with baited breath to see what changes have been made to the previous model, and what improvements on the spec are going to make our lives so much easier and fun. So it’s with a somewhat deflated expulsion of breath that we see that the ‘new’ iPhone SE is actually just like the ‘old’ iPhone 5s.
But better……
Even though Apple haven’t made any changes to the design (some have accused Apple of being ‘lazy’) apart from that it’s slightly chunkier to allow for a larger battery – the inside is another matter altogether. Considering that it’s almost half the price of the 6s, Apple are bang on the money with the SE’s functionality and ease of use. And when you think that the shape of the 5s is widely considered as ‘iconic’ in design, you kind of don’t blame them for bringing it back to life.
There are two reasons why you would buy the SE, – you can’t afford the 6s… or you want a smaller 4 inch screen. It seems this phone has been designed specifically for those who want the smaller, easier to hold and carry version, but with the functionality and speed of the new chip that’s in the 6s. In comparison to the 6s, in terms of what it can and can’t do you will find that the specs missing from the SE aren’t essential to the functionality of the phone.
Ok, so there’s no 3D touch screen, but in the areas where it counts – performance and camera quality– the SE delivers, with the same 12-megapixel rear camera and the same A9 processor as the 6s. The SE front camera has a lower resolution than the 6s and the fingerprint sensor is slightly older but still serves the purpose just fine. Another thing to consider is that you can only buy a 16GB or a 64GB with nothing in between.
For a budget iPhone though, it’s a super powerful smartphone and great value for money – for an iPhone that is……..
