iPhone SE: More powerful in some ways

The Apple iPhone SE looks just like the iPhone 5s, with the same 7.6mm-thick aluminium body with chamfered edges.

In fact, you can use your old iPhone 5s cases on the iPhone SE.

But there are subtle physical differences. The edges are matte instead of shiny, and the colour of rear Apple logo now matches the phone colour in stainless steel.

Talking about colours, the iPhone SE is now available in rose gold (version reviewed) in addition to the usual silver, space grey and gold.

Button placement is also similar to the iPhone 5s, with round volume buttons on the left-hand side and the power/wake button on the top right. This takes some getting used to, as I have been using the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus - where the power/wake button is on the right side.

The iPhone SE uses the same 4-inch display as the iPhone 5s. It lacks the 3D Touch support found in iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. As I've been used to a 5.5-inch display for a time, the 4-inch display just looks so tiny now.

That said, one-hand texting is comfortable again. No more having to use another hand to reach for that top corner icon. Putting it into - and getting it out from - my front trouser pocket is easier.

PERFORMANCE

With its upgraded A9 processor, the iPhone SE is a speedy phone that is almost on a par in performance with the iPhone 6s.

In the Geekbench 3 benchmark tests, it scored 2,546 (single-core) and 4,403 (multi-core). Those scores are similar to that of the iPhone 6s (2,535 - single-core; 4,410 - multi-core). But the iPhone SE is around 2.5 times faster than the iPhone 5s (1,081 - single core; 1,937 - multi-core).

Graphics-intensive games, such as Implosion and Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade, played smoothly and without lag.

But I wish the display were bigger, as I find the virtual controls too small for my fat fingers.

Also, the iPhone SE still uses the first-generation Touch ID and I found it to be slower than my iPhone 6s Plus by around 0.5sec during unlocking.

CAMERA

The iPhone SE uses the same 12-megapixel rear camera as the iPhone 6s, with the ability to shoot 4K videos and Live Photos. But the camera does not protrude

Like the iPhone 6s, the iPhone SE lacks the optical stabiliser of the 6s Plus. In terms of picture quality, the iPhone SE is right up there with the iPhone 6s Plus. Colours and skin tones look natural with great details.

Autofocusing is speedy and it snaps pictures and videos quickly. Those who have been using the iPhone 5s will really sense the difference in speed and quality.

But the iPhone SE uses the same 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera of the iPhone 5s. So, selfie photos lack the details of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

BATTERY LIFE

In our intensive battery-life test where a 720p video is looped at full brightness and full volume, and with Wi-Fi on, the iPhone SE lasted 6hr 42min. In comparison, the iPhone 5s lasted 6hr 45min while my iPhone 6s Plus lasted 7hr 10min.

In normal use, the battery mileage varies. With my daily routine, which consists of frequent checks of e-mail, messages, Facebook and Instagram updates, the iPhone SE still has around 33 per cent battery life left before I go to bed.

Verdict: The iPhone SE might be the most powerful cheapest iPhone to get. But it is also the smallest one. Getting it depends on you preferring a small display or not.

TECH SPECS

PRICE: $658 (16GB), $828 (64GB); all without contract, available tomorrow

PROCESSOR: A9 with 64-bit architecture, M9 motion co-processor

OPERATING SYSTEM: iOS 9.3

SCREEN: 4-inch Retina display; 1,136 x 640 pixels

CAMERA: 12-megapixel rear camera, 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera

WEIGHT: 113g

RATING

FEATURES: 4/5

DESIGN: 4/5

PERFORMANCE: 4/5

BATTERY LIFE: 4/5

VALUE FOR MONEY: 4/5

OVERALL: 4/5

Trevor Tan

This article was first published on March 30, 2016.
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