iPhone SE Long-Term Review: Apple's Fabulous Team Player Is A Wonderfully Boring Smartphone - Forbes
Released in March 2016, the iPhone SE was a curious smartphone for Apple to promote. It took a four-year old chassis design and packed it with the electronics of the six-month old iPhone 6S. It was pitched as a small and powerful handset but felt a bit out-of-place. Having spent a few months with this phone, and watching Tim Cook evolve his own plan of what the iPhone should be, the role of the iPhone SE has become clear.
Apple iPhone SE (image: Ewan Spence)
I'd strongly argue that taken in isolation the iPhone SE is one of the most boring phones that has been released by Apple over the last few years – I'd even mark the iPhone 5C higher up than the SE . But the iPhone SE for me is one of the most engaging handsets I've used in a long time.
This disparity is to be expected as Cook moves away from the monolithic 'one iPhone fits everyone' that Steve Jobs championed in the first life of the iPhone, towards his 'an iPhone model for everyone' second life. The iPhone SE is the first model that feels customised for a specific segment of Apple's audience.
The obvious win for me is the size. There is an audience for devices with smaller screens that do not compromise on power or specification. This is the main market that the iPhone SE targets. The A9 system-on-chip matches that of the iPhone 6S that was released in September 2015, and while the GPU is slightly slower it has fewer pixels to drive on the screen. This means the performance remains constant compared to the iPhone 6S.
Apple iPhone SE (image: Ewan Spence)
The biggest improvement is the 2GB of RAM. Again that matches the iPhone 6S, but it offers a significant step up from the iPhone 5S. More tabs can be opened in the Safari web browser, faster switching between apps when multitasking, and apps feel (especially in gaming and apps with heavy calculations and database work).
Otherwise everything technically feels similar to the iPhone 6S – the camera is the same unit, there is TouchID and Apple Pay support, the latest version of BlueTooth is present, and the utility of hands-free Siri is a keyword-heavy phrase away.
Apple iPhone SE (image: Ewan Spence)
And then there's the battery. Modern smartphone designers have a fascination with thin phones and having a battery that lasts 'about a working day'. By virtue of its four-year old design, the iPhone SE has been able to bulk up on the battery inside the chassis (around four percent over the 5S), Couple that with low-resolution screen and the physically smaller backlight, and the biggest drain on the battery is diminished. On top of that iOS 9 has picked up a lot of power-saving code that the SE has taken advantage of. The SE not only has better battery life than the 6S, but also of the 6S Plus!
In short the SE has similar power to the rest of the current iPhone range, it has a big advantage in terms of battery life, and for people who are looking for something that is more a phone and less of a tablet, the SE lives up to the promise it made in March. After a couple of months of use, there's no doubt that from an engineering point of view, the iPhone SE delivers a competent package.
Apple iPhone SE (image: Ewan Spence)
What I've remembered while using the iPhone SE is how much I love using a small smartphone. While there are users who love the phablet format and the ability to manipulate information on-screen (and arguably use it as a laptop replacement in certain circumstances) I much prefer my phones to be smaller. Not only does the iPhone SE fit comfortably in my pocket, but it feels secure in my hand, I can keep a good grip on it, and unlike a 'naked' iPhone 6S the SE does not feel like it could slip out of my hand.
(That said I still have a bumper around my iPhone SE, I spent good money on this and I do want some level of protection).
There's nothing new in the SE package, everything works as advertised. This isn't the handset that can make huge revelations or change the face of the smartphone world, it's a workhorse smartphone that's entire job is to be 'a good phone' and keep people engaged in the iOS world, using Apple' services, and ensuring that there is still a residual income heading towards Cupertino.
Does it matter that it looks like the iPhone 5 design? Not to me, but it does speak to a long-term issue that Apple is creating for itself.
A workhorse phone is not sexy, it's not something you put on the front cover of the magazine, and it's not going to be something that the geekerati can promote as the next best revolutionary thing that will promote your company as being innovative, forward thinking, and on the cutting edge.
Apple iPhone SE (image: Ewan Spence)
Personally the iPhone SE works for me, but does it work for Apple? It can do as part of a strong team, but as the first player on the field it looks isolated and out-of-place.
The strength of the iPhone SE should become more apparent with the upcoming announcement and release of the iPhone 7 family of handsets (including the iPhone 7 Plus and potentially the iPhone 7 Pro). The smaller sized device will sit at the foot of the portfolio as the entry-level device and pick up a level of sales that is commensurate with that position. You can't judge the SE's strategic value in isolation, it needs to be seen as a team player.
This is Tim Cook's victory with the iPhone SE. The iPhone is not a single device with variants, it is now a family of devices that share branding. While the iPhone SE has logistical issues to overcome (and there is a pressing need for more discipline and focus from the marketing team), the SE was the first bold step towards a new way of selling the iPhone family of devices. That it's such a great 'small smartphone' that fits my lifestyle is a welcome bonus.
Now watch my ninety-second review of the iPhone SE.
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Posted by: Kris Murray <krismurray@gmail.com>
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