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iPhoneSEFeature

One of the major trends in phone design across both Android and iOS has been the concerted push button towards larger devices. Apple has actually moved less aggressively towards phablets than much of the Android market, but the iPhone 6 moved to a 4.7-inch display, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a five.5-inch brandish. With the new iPhone SE, Apple tree is killing two birds with ane rock: The iPhone SE is both cheaper than other iOS-based smartphones and built for people who prefer smaller-screen devices that fit hands in the palm of your hand.

iPhoneSE2

Visually, the iPhone SE (there's no numerical designation) looks a lot like the erstwhile iPhone 5s family. When Apple launched the iPhone 5c, it designed the device to match the older iPhone 5's performance, but with less-expensive materials and brightly-colored plastic housing. While the iPhone 5c sold reasonably well, Apple tree's foray into cheaper iDevices didn't yield huge dividends and the iPhone 5s remained the device of choice for many buyers. This fourth dimension around, the iPhone SE is based on the same cutting-edge A9 SoC every bit the iPhone 6s/6s Plus, as well as the M9 co-processor. It may look similar the older iPhone v family, just it retains the college-cease aluminum structure rather than opting for a plastic housing.

Apple-Perf

Apple's performance claims for the iPhone SE aren't very detailed, the company is promising 2x the performance of the iPhone 5s' CPU and 3x its GPU operation. That'due south a notable upgrade for this form factor, but whether or not the phone tin sustain that operation is a very different question. All mod smartphones throttle under load, some more than heavily than others, simply a smaller form cistron will give Apple tree less area to dissipate the SoC'southward heat. There are multiple means Apple could address this, from improved thermal design to lower top-cease clock speeds; we'll have to wait for a full review to know which solutions the visitor used.

The iPhone SE will use the same 1136×640 resolution as the iPhone 5 family unit, which will help keep GPU frame rates up fifty-fifty if the SoC's clock is lower. LTE is improved (up to 150Mbps), the device will feature a 12MP camera, also as Impact ID, Apple Pay, Live Photos, and 4K capture back up. Information technology'll too be cheap, by Apple tree standards — the iPhone SE starts at $400 off-contract, $50 less than the iPhone 5s.

The only downside to the device is Apple's continued use of a 16GB base storage tier. Apple continues to fleece customers for storage and has defended this policy by claiming that iCloud is a suitable alternative for toll-conscious users. It'southward wrong (and the cost divergence between 16GB and 32GB of NAND flash is literally pennies on the dollar), and it's become more than a nuisance — pushing users towards 4K video means video and images volition chew through storage at a ferocious charge per unit, and OS updates tend to need more free infinite than 16GB phones usually have available. Apple was never going to push button out a budget device with more baseline storage than its high-end hardware, still, and the profit margins on its flash upgrades are a huge source of revenue for the Cupertino company. Apple tree might budge on the matter come the fall, but it wouldn't be particularly surprising if the company didn't.

I'k interested in the iPhone SE personally, but the storage consequence is a significant problem. I'm not going to pay Apple an extra $100 for 64GB of storage when I know the actual price difference between 16GB and 64GB of NAND flash is a fraction of that price. I dislike the trend towards large devices, since I prefer a phone I can operate entirely one-handed, and while I don't shoot tons of video or photos on my telephone I take enough that I don't really want a 4K default image if I tin can't increment the storage pool at the aforementioned time.

On the other hand, the $400 entry price is adequately attractive if you want to stick in the iOS ecosystem. If device performance is equally stiff and consistent equally Apple is implying, information technology might be worth the cost for people who want smaller devices to start with. For more details on Apple'southward announcements today, including the new iPad Pro, check our liveblog coverage.