iPhone SE: Ticks all the right boxes

After months of speculation, rumors, and reported leaks, Apple finally announced their 2nd generation iPhone SE. Coming five years after the original iteration of the iPhone SE (which was an iPhone 6s in the body of an iPhone 5s at the time). With this year’s model though, they brought over the Processor, and Camera quality of their latest iPhone 11; And fixed those in the body of the older iPhone 8. Below is what has actually changed.

Given, you’re not going to be turning heads if you whipped this phone out in a crowd. It’s almost completely similar in looks to their iPhone 8 from 2017. Hence, with the entire phone industry tending towards all-screen displays, and multiple camera setups, the iPhone SE might look quite dated in comparison. That notwithstanding, the SE is a pretty serious upgrade from it’s iPhone 8 look-alike. At least on the inside.

An iPhone 8 refresh…Or a compact iPhone 11?

Apple christened the iPhone SE the most advanced single camera system. And rightly so — beating out their own iPhone XR, and the current single camera champion: Google Pixel 3a — at Image Signal Processing and computational photography; with which they’re able to achieve Portrait mode photos (on both the front and rear camera), portrait lightning effects, and outstanding video quality (4k @ 60fps, and now with Extended Dynamic Range @ 30fps).

And camera is just one piece of the pie. Apple makes up for the iPhone SE’s dated look with it’s performance and speed. The A13 processor in here is the fastest and most powerful mobile processor — the same found in the iPhone 11 Pro Max. This ‘mobile’ chip packs a bigger punch than you might’ve imagined, with higher benchmark scores than even Intel’s Core i7, 7th Gen; a fairly powerful consumer laptop processor.

Other features, apart from the 3GB RAM, are inherited from the iPhone 8. IP67 water resistance, wireless charging, fast charging (if you got a fast charger; sold separately). It’s also your standard IPS LCD display. 720p is definitely not a problem with Apple’s high display density. Of course Apple had to make a return to touch ID as well. With the same Solid State home button implementation as with iPhone 8.

It’s biggest Selling point; Making more expensive phones look bad.

Smartphones are getting much more feature-packed and thus; much more expensive. Even potentially useful features like high refresh rates and innovative on-screen fingerprint scanners are still in early implementation and so for now, cost a lot.

Here in Nigeria, even tech enthusiasts now find it a bit difficult to justify the pricing on the latest and greatest devices. Majorly, a lack of flexible pricing plan options like installment payments and the ever declining Naira value makes it much harder for a vast majority. In fact, a lot of Nigerians are just finally getting their hands on iPhone 7’s and 8’s. And mostly always in used conditions. Of course, Apple is infamous for their expensive products.

For anyone considering an iPhone, unless you’re particularly interested in staying on the bleeding edge of mobile technology, or you can afford the more expensive models, this is most likely what you should consider. If you don’t mind people mistaking your shiny new iPhone SE with an iPhone 7, 8, or even a 6! — As they all now share the same form factor — Apple would place their latest A13 processor, along with their most advanced camera technology (albeit in a single lens), for even less than the current price of an iPhone 8. $399 for a brand new iPhone in 2020. It’s an absolute steal!

Verdict

In the end, the iPhone SE has everything you really need in a phone, and then some. It’s blazing fast, frighteningly powerful, and Apple would keep it’s software updated for a long time. You can also count on an amazing camera experience in this period, and the compact 4.7-inch display is usually the sweet spot for most people. This phone however, does not set out to please anyone. It simply gets the job done; whatever the job you could ever ask of your phone; and does it quite well.