Apple has confirmed its latest iPhone release, with the iPhone SE having been unveiled in a major event in California. This four-inch smartphone had been widely anticipated for some time, with Apple hoping to both tap into the more affordable end of the mobile marketplace in the Western world, as well as expanding its already impressive market penetration in emerging economies such as China.
The iPhone SE is a significant departure from the regular iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus; the last two major smartphone releases from Apple. Both of these smartphones are essentially intended to be premium products, while the iPhone SE is targeted at a completely different niche. But how do the three smartphones compare? Here is a rundown of the known specifications and qualities of the Apple mobiles.
iPhone SE vs iPhone 6s vs iPhone 6s Plus
Display
The iPhone SE is something of a curiosity in the contemporary smartphone marketplace, as Apple has certainly gone against the grain with the display size. The trend in the industry is for ever smaller, slimmer and sleek mobiles with larger displays, but Apple clearly believes that there is a gap in the marketplace for a device with a small screen.
Thus, the four-inch iPhone SE is significantly smaller than either the iPhone 6s Plus or iPhone 6s in this department. The standard iPhone 6s features a 4.7-inch display, while the iPhone 6s Plus has a phablet-sized 5.5-inch screen. It is easy to forget that once upon a time, the iPhone range didn’t even feature a four-inch screen, and the general expectation of what can be expected from a smartphone display has rendered such devices generally obsolete. Thus, it will be interesting to see what the reception is for the iPhone SE, the previous affordable iPhone releases have certainly found a receptive audience.
Resolution
It was anticipated in some quarters that the iPhone SE would feature a similar resolution to the existing iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 6s. Now that Apple has confirmed that device, it is notable that the resolution in the iPhone SE is significantly inferior to either that of the iPhone 6s Plus or iPhone 6s. The premium smartphone release featured a resolution of 1,334 x 750 pixels, while the iPhone 6s Plus is a full HD device. By contrast, the iPhone SE has a screen pixel resolution of 1,136 x 640.
However, despite the fact that this is a lesser resolution than was frequently reported in the media, the smaller display size does mean that the pixels per inch rating is superior to the iPhone 6s, and compares competitively with the iPhone 6s Plus. This essentially means that the display in the new smartphone is superior, except for the fact that it is of course smaller than the other two iPhone releases.
Processor
Apple has confirmed that the new iPhone SE will feature the A9 processor that drove the iPhone 6s last year. This will mean that the smaller smartphone is a majorly powerful performer, and essentially renders the iPhone 6 obsolete, except for existing owners. There is very little reason for consumers to opt for the iPhone 6 when it effectively has an inferior processor to what is considered to be an affordable variant of the iPhone range.
The consumer electronics giant has yet to confirm the clock speed of the iPhone SE, but it is reasonable to assume that considering the slimmed down display that this will be extremely nifty handset. Both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus also utilized the A9 processor, and it will be exciting to see an affordable iPhone variant driven by this powerful unit.
RAM
This is further exacerbated by the fact that the iPhone SE has been fitted with the same amount of RAM as the existing iPhone 6s. It was thought by some analysts that this new smartphone would have to make do with merely 1GB of RAM memory, but Apple has in fact fitted it with 2GB, ensuring that it has doubled the memory of the 2014 iPhone 6. The iPhone 6s Plus also features 2GB of RAM.
Storage
The Apple-following community was generally correct in its assumptions about the storage included in the iPhone SE, with the smartphone featuring 16 and 64GB versions. This means that it has identical storage options to the iPhone 6, but the iPhone 6s did also offer a 128GB version, which the consumer electronics behemoth has excluded from the iPhone SE.
Camera
The iPhone SE compares pretty well with both the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 6s in this department, featuring some of the camera specifications of both devices. The rear facing camera in the iPhone SE is equal in quality to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, with a 12-megapixel lens having been included in its snapper. Whether all the advanced features from the iPhone 6s will be included remains to be seen, but we do know that the iPhone SE has a superior camera to the iPhone 6.
However, the 1.2-megapixel rear-camera in the iPhone SE is inferior to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus releases.
Battery
Apple has neglected to mention the actual battery size included in the iPhone SE, and thus it is difficult to compare it to the existing smartphones. What we do know is that the California-based company claims that 13 hours of charge can be achieved with the iPhone SE, and it should at the very least be competitive with previous releases in the iconic mobile range.
Weight
As would be expected, the iPhone SE is significantly lighter than either the iPhone 6s Plus or iPhone 6s, and is in fact 25 percent less heavy than last year’s iPhone 6s. Weighing just one-quarter of a pound, this is the lightest smartphone released that Apple has produced in the last few years, and this should make it appeal to those seeking a convenient handset.
Price
The iPhone SE starts at an extremely affordable price point which is certainly superior to anything that the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus has been offered at, although Apple may now consider altering the price of both devices. The $399 price tag of the iPhone SE is lower than many analysts predicted, and should make it a particularly attractive proposition for Apple consumers on a budget.
It must be said that the iPhone SE looks like an extremely good purchase in value for money terms, and it could be a very successful device for Apple.
