The New iPhone SE is a Cross Between the 5S and 6S

If you think that the small-phone market segment is dead, think again. Because of popular demand, Apple is announcing a new 4-inch version of the iPhone, the new SE. Because there are so few phones available in this bracket, the 5S was still one of the most popular phones around, selling 30 million handsets last year alone. And the new SE makes sure to pick up where the 5S left.

To begin with, the new phone is a cross between the 5th and 6th generations of the iPhone. It takes the iconic design of the 5S and 5, and internals and camera from the new 6S and 6S Plus. Remarkably, Apple itself thinks its larger phones are going to be more in demand.

The new phone comes with a 4-inch Retina Display as before with 1136 x 640 resolution. Based on the 6S, the SE comes with Retina Flash, a feature which makes the display brighter for a short interval of time while taking a selfie, eliminating the need for correct lighting condition and a front-flash.

Underneath, you get the dual-core Apple A9 chip with PowerVR GT7600 graphics. Alongside it is the M9 motion co-processor. The amount of storage is still only 16 GB and frankly, we are quite dumbfounded.

The back boasts a new 12 megapixel camera this time, with dual-tone LED Flash and 4K video recording. You can also take Apple’s GIF-like Live Photos, Slo-mo videos at 240 fps and 63 MP Panoramas. There are also more microphones for crisper sound.

Connectivity has also improved with speeds of up to 150 Mbps, more diverse LTE bands and VoLTE, which are all accompanied by Wi-Fi 802.11ac. Battery life has improved over the 6S while Apple Pay has also arrived.

Pricing has been one of the more premium aspects of the iPhone but this time it is actually more competitive. The new iPhone SE starts at $399 for the 16 GB model, with the 64 GB model costing $499. Considering the iPhone doesn’t really abide by the standards set by the rest of the competition, this is just about what you’d realistically expect from Apple. Apple hopes to get it in 100 markets worldwide by the end of May.

iPhone SE Specifications:

• CPU: 64-bit 1.85 Ghz dual-core “Twister”
• GPU: PowerVR GT7600 six-core graphics
• Chipset: Apple A9 with M9 motion co-processor
• OS: iOS 9.3
• Supported Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE
• Display: 4” Retina Display (326 ppi) with Retina Flash support
• Memory: RAM: TBA (2 GB expected) / Internal: 16/64 GB
• Card slot: no
• Camera: Primary: 12 MP with 4K video, slo-mo, 63 MP panorama, dual-tone flash / Secondary: yes (5 MP expected)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, VoLTE
• Battery: TBA
• Price: $399 (16 GB), $499 (64 GB)