Apple developers did not come up with a new design for the iPhone 5 SE. Instead, they reused the exterior of the fifth model with new internals. This is a strange move that was seen the first time.

One way to interpret this is to assume that Apple is looking for an easy route and is simply reworking the existing design to produce a cheap smartphone. Another possible explanation is that they are bringing the iconic design of the iPhone 5 / 5s to life in an attempt to satisfy a group of users who not only want a budget phone, but also prefer a smaller form factor. After all, a third of Apple users still use older 4-inch smartphones.

What is immediately noticed?

According to reviews of the iPhone 5 SE, the most important feature of the device is the rethinking of the specifications. The iPhone SE features the 4-inch Retina display introduced in the iPhone 5s with the first-generation touchscreen sensor. The device has an identical body, but inside it is equipped with the new Apple A9 chip with 2GB of RAM, a 12MP main camera and a slightly larger battery.

The functionality limitations of Apple devices have remained unchanged for years, so they shouldn't surprise anyone - you can't have expandable memory, fast or wireless charging, FM radio, replaceable batteries, and more. The new 3D Touch technology is also missing for obvious reasons, although you can still use Live Photos. Reviews about the iPhone 5 SE usually do not attribute the above to the disadvantages of the device.

Apple iPhone SE review

As you'd expect, the iPhone 5 SE comes in a fairly compact box filled with a Lightning cable, 1A A / C plug, and a well-packed pair of headphones.

The dimensions of the device are 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm, which fully corresponds to the size of the iPhone 5s. The gadget weighs 113 grams. Compared to the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6, the SE is 1.5cm shorter and 1cm narrower.

Design and build quality

Keeping the old design means the presence of the first generation Touch ID and the older FaceTime camera (1.2 MP). In addition, there is an issue with bezels that make the phone look outdated by today's standards. This is repeatedly mentioned by the reviews of the owners of the iPhone 5 SE.

There is one more thing worth mentioning: iPhone 6 is released with water protection, which allows it to avoid damage if it gets in water for up to 40 minutes. In contrast, the iPhone SE in such a situation will instantly "die", which is confirmed by many online videos.

The front panel of iPhone 5 SE is covered with ion-strengthened glass (this is the usual version of Gorilla Glass protection), supplemented with an oleophobic coating to read fingerprints. The body frame is metal, as is most of the back.

The front of the SE is mostly occupied by a 4-inch Retina display. Above you can find a headphone slot, a FaceTime camera and a pair of sensors. At the bottom is the Home / Touch ID button with a steel ring. The slide-out nano-SIM slot is located on the right. On the left side are the volume keys.

At the top of the iPhone 5 SE is the power / lock key, also made of metal. The audio jack, speaker grill, main microphone (also behind the grill) and the charger port are at the bottom.

The back of the SE is familiar to all fans of this brand of smartphones. As with past models, there is a 12-megapixel camera, dual LED flash with a second microphone and, of course, the Apple logo. Camera functionality is the same as on iPhone 6, with 4K video recording capability. This is noted with joy by many reviews of users of the iPhone 5 SE.

Screen

There are many opinions that have been expressed by users about the old 4-inch Retina display. Skeptics will incessantly mention the super-small screen, large bezels, low resolution, while the opposite camp of consumers praises the multitude of colors and clarity in sunlight, as well as high brightness. Thus, customer reviews of the iPhone 5 SE in relation to the screen are very different.

The display of the device uses a 4-inch IPS panel with a size of 640 x 1136 pixels, offering a density of 326ppi, which is the classic characteristics of Retina. The resulting 1: 804 contrast is not as noticeable, mainly due to the low black level. In comparison, the 4.7 "screen on the iPhone 6s has the same 326ppi, but a less bright screen with higher contrast.

In terms of color rendering, the iPhone 5 SE scores excellently with an average DeltaE of 2.3, which means an almost fully calibrated screen. The maximum deviation - 5.2 - is in whites, which look a little bluish, but not noticeable without an external breakpoint.

Battery life

The battery inside the iPhone 5 SE is slightly larger than previous models - 1,624 mAh. Apple's iOS 9 platform introduced a low power mode that you will be prompted to turn on when the charge drops below 20%.

According to reviews of the iPhone 5 SE phone, the battery performs very well in all tests: it can withstand about 12 hours of 3G calls, 13 hours of web browsing, or 14 hours of video playback per charge.

Connection

The iPhone 5 SE comes with a variety of wireless features. The smartphone supports fast LTE signal (up to 150 Mbps) with wide band coverage. Regular 2G and 3G connections are also reliably covered by the many supported network bands.

The device supports all existing Wi-Fi a / b / g / n / ac standards. AirPlay is the only way to accurately display your screen content on your HDTV, but you need to have an Apple TV for that.

Some apps will allow you to display screen content via Chromecast or Smart HDTV, but compatibility may vary. Optional local connectivity includes Bluetooth 4.2 LE. There is also NFC support, but its functionality is limited to Apple Pay only.

The iPhone 5 SE uses a proprietary Lightning connector for wired data and charging. The device does not have USB On-the-go or USB host support, but you can pair a Bluetooth keyboard with your phone if you need such a peripheral.

You will depend on syncing your smartphone using Apple's iTunes software on your computer to transfer almost any content. Reviews of the iPhone 5 SE 32 in this part also vary. The nice feature is that the device can connect wirelessly over Wi-Fi. The downside is that the paradigm for syncing content between your computer and your phone is pretty old — just like the first iPod. It requires that you first add your content to your iTunes library.

Apple iOS 9.3

The controversial iPhone 5 SE runs on pre-installed iOS 9.3, although a firmware update to 9.3.1 is already available. The new phone lacks 3D Touch hardware, so some basic features are missing from the OS. However, this functionality is still nothing more than a publicity stunt, without any real value to the user. Reviews about the characteristics of the iPhone 5 SE do not indicate this circumstance as a disadvantage.

Apple's iOS 9.3 brings a new night view mode and an enhanced note-taking app, while iOS 9 introduces only a new news app and support for map-based public transit timetables. Mail and messages have received an update and a new system font is available. The Siri Assistant has become more extensible and the Spotlight Search service has expanded its range.

Screen interface

As usual, all applications are on the desktop, you can group them into folders. The familiar docking station is present, which can accept up to four shortcuts. System icons, color scheme and transparency - everything looks the same as in iOS 8. Photos of the iPhone 5 SE, reviews of which are discussed in this article, allow you to verify the above.

The lock screen hasn't changed either - it has a camera shortcut and shows all your notifications.

The Control Center, which is brought out from the bottom of the screen, retains the same layout of switches, shortcuts, and media controls. The Action Center launches from the top and has the same tabs as before - Today and Notifications. There are no new widgets or notification options in this version.

New task manager

Search in Spotlight has been improved since iOS 9. You can bring it down by scrolling down from anywhere on the desktop, or go to the leftmost window. According to the iPhone 5 SE 32GB reviews, this service has been even more updated and can now perform simple calculations and transformations. It also supports sports score search and weather forecast information. Finally, you get shortcuts to make a call or send a message to any of the contact results in Spotlight search.

Voice assistant

Siri has also been improved. In addition to all the cool stuff a smart assistant could do, it can now view your photos and videos based on dates, locations, and album names. It supports custom reminders for requests you made in Safari, Mail, Notes, and Messages, and it also got support for navigating public transport.

IOS 9 offers new proactive help available system-wide, more or less dependent on Apple for Google Now. DND mode has been available on iOS for a long time, but there is now a new feature provided by iOS 9.3 called Night Shift. It changes the temperature of the display at night to reduce eye strain. Reviews about the iPhone 5 SE mark this as a positive feature of the device.

Hardware power

The iPhone SE has an outdated look and feel, but its hardware has been updated. It is powered by the latest Apple A9 chipset, which is equipped with a 1.84GHz Twister dual-core processor, PowerVR GT7600 six-core graphics and 2GB RAM. According to user reviews, the A9 combined with the lower (than the iPhone 6) resolution makes the device very powerful. The graphics performance should be noted separately. The SE uses a six-core PowerVR GT7600 GPU, which allows even big games to run on the screen.

Telephony and messaging

The Phone app hasn't changed much - it doesn't support smart dialing, but it does offer social media integration. The blacklist is also available for those who need this feature. FaceTime is naturally available for all compatible iOS devices, allowing the user to make free voice and video calls to any other device that supports the service.

Apple also offers Wi-Fi calling on this device. If both subscribers support this service, and it is turned on, the call will not be made via the cellular network, but the connection will be made via the Internet. This improves sound quality and also saves money.

The same goes for iMessage - after enabling it, the user can send free text and multimedia content, including voice messages, to any other Apple gadget.

The increase in screens is a general trend in the smartphone market. While the first devices of the modern era (that is, early iPhones and Android devices) were equipped with screens with a diagonal of 3.5-3.7 inches, today the bulk of the proposals in the upper price bracket have screens from 5.2 inches and above. Among all manufacturers, perhaps only Apple has resisted these changes, and although the main iPhone lineup eventually grew to a 4.7-inch diagonal, it was still a rather cautious step against the general background.

It's hard to judge exactly why Apple has been so conservative on this aspect of product upgrades, but two things are clear. Firstly, the design of the iPhone, which implies the placement of a round "home" button at the bottom of the front panel and approximately the same size at the top, makes it difficult to install the same large screen as in many Android devices similar to the iPhone (of any generation) in size.

Secondly, if Apple assumed that part of the audience was simply accustomed to the compact iPhone, then the reaction to the iPhone 6 to some extent confirmed this assumption. Although for the most part the public perceived the "six" extremely positively, there were also dissatisfied voices. After all, if the four-inch screen in the iPhone 5 still did not interfere with using the device with one hand, then adhering to the old habit with the iPhone 6 has already become problematic for many. In addition, the increase in size this time was not offset by the decrease in the mass of the device. As a result, over the two successive generations of the iPhone, a niche has clearly formed for a new compact model.

On the other hand, in the face of the iPhone SE, Apple is making a second attempt to play in a more affordable price segment after the iPhone 5c, which at one time made a mixed impression and was unlikely to become a commercially successful venture - judging by the fact that it did not receive heirs since then. Since then, and on the street you rarely see a person with an iPhone 5c, unlike the army of owners of iPhone 5s, iPhone 5 and even earlier. iPhone SE in the role of a conditionally budget iPhone looks more promising, since it is not inferior to the iPhone 6s in either the quality of the exterior or most of the functionality.

Apple also needs to fear that the iPhone SE will take over too many potential iPhone 6s owners, which are no doubt more profitable than the iPhone SE. After all, enough time has passed since the release of the 6s that the iPhone SE could no longer spoil the launch, and from a design point of view, the compact device is nothing fundamentally new.

⇡ Specifications

iPhone SE is equipped with exactly the same system on the Apple A9 chip that debuted with the iPhone 6s. And despite its compact body and less capacious battery, the SoC also runs at 1.85 GHz. As a result, with respect to the iPhone 5s with its Apple A7, the novelty has taken a big step in terms of increasing power: there are both increased clock frequencies and an increased number of instructions executed per clock cycle.

Apple assures that the battery life of the iPhone SE is higher than that of the iPhone 5s, which is quite expected with a difference in process technology of 28 and 14/16 nm, but the iPhone SE should also be more durable than the iPhone 6s, since in a typical use case the screen, not the SoC, is the main consumer of energy in a smartphone.

The iPhone SE, like the iPhone 6s, is equipped with 2GB of LPDDR4 memory, and the storage is available in two variants - 16GB or 64GB, while the 128GB version remains the prerogative of the iPhone 6s.

The second significant difference between the two models is the cellular communication channel. The iPhone SE has the same modem and transceiver as the iPhone 6, and this is a big improvement over the iPhone 5s. In addition to the higher bandwidth in 3G and LTE networks, this gives the phone support for Russian LTE frequencies in all models. But, unlike the iPhone 6s, there is a specificity: the A1723 model, intended for official sale in Russia, is compatible with LTE bands 3, 7, 20 and 38 - that is, all that our operators use. Those who like to save money if they can bring a phone from the USA need to keep in mind that the A1662 model, which is not tied to any of the American operators, only supports LTE Band 3 and Band 20, and you first need to find out if your operator has such bands in your city.

On the iPhone SE side, there is also faster Wi-Fi with IEEE 802.11ac support. iPhone 6s, on the other hand, offers twice the Wi-Fi and LTE bandwidth of the iPhone SE. Finally, the iPhone SE has an NFC inductive antenna, which Apple products have reserved for its own payment service Apple Pay.

That is, in a nutshell, everything related to the specifications of the iPhone SE, not counting the camera and the features of the screen assembly (we will talk about this below).

⇡ Appearance

The iPhone SE looks almost indistinguishable from the iPhone 5s with its distinctive sharp edges - as opposed to the sleek iPhone 6s. In the months leading up to the SE's release, photos of a small iPhone in the guise of an iPhone 6s surfaced online, but even if Apple considered the possibility, it was not destined to materialize in the end.

The phone's screen looks exactly the same as in the iPhone 5s, and there is no 3D Touch function that registers pressing force for opening context menus and other additional interactions with the GUI. Accordingly, there is no taptic engine feedback in the iPhone SE.

However, the style of the old iPhone has not lost its attractiveness over the years and fits perfectly for a compact device. The difference in thickness between the iPhone SE and iPhone 6s is difficult to notice by touch (but instantly in weight), although the latter looks thinner due to its rounded shapes. Plus, with a 0.5mm thicker body, the iPhone SE does away with the annoying feature of the iPhone 6s like the protruding rear camera.

The rear camera itself is in no way inferior to that of the iPhone 6s. This is a 12-megapixel module capable of shooting video in 4K resolution and doing slow motion shooting at 120 and 240 fps. The Live Photo function is supported: by opening a frame in the gallery, you can scroll through the video a few seconds before and after this moment. Optical stabilization, alas, is still available only in the iPhone 6 / 6s Plus.

The front camera remains the same as in the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6s: 1.2 megapixels versus 5 megapixels in the iPhone 6s. But the screen is used as a flash - a purely software feature that appeared in the iPhone 6s.

Nevertheless, Apple has made a couple of small design changes that distinguish the iPhone SE from its prototype: the bullseye logo is made in the form of a polished insert, and the bevelled edges, on the contrary, are not shiny, but matte. And yes, now the device is available in the color "rose gold", which does not look as flashy live as you might think in advance.

⇡ Packaging, delivery set

The package of delivery of any versions of the iPhone has not changed since the fifth number. Includes Ear Pods, 1m Lightning cable and 5W power adapter. You can also use a 12-watt iPad adapter to charge your phone faster. The only difference is that the iPhone SE comes with a bent wire clip to eject the SIM, rather than a solid amorphous material like the more expensive models.

The assortment of branded cases has been updated, which includes new colors that go well with the pink case.

⇡ Testing: performance

For comparison with the iPhone SE, we took the previous versions of the iPhone, starting with the fifth, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S7 as the carrier of Samsung's top SoC. We have not tested a single market device based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 yet, so it is replaced by the developer platform, on which we once reviewed this chip.

Test participants

• Apple iPhone 5;
• Apple iPhone 5s;
• Apple iPhone 6;
• Apple iPhone 6s;
• Apple iPhone SE;
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP;
• Samsung Galaxy S7 (Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa).

AnTuTu Benchmark v6.0

Let's start with the comprehensive AnTuTu benchmark. Here, the iPhone SE shows an advantage over its predecessor, the iPhone 5s, two and a half times in total score, and is virtually indistinguishable from the iPhone 6s and QS 820 MDP. Samsung GS7 is slightly behind the top three.

Geekbench 3 (64-bit)

In the synthetic CPU test, the iPhone SE again performed just as well as the iPhone 6s - this result is repeated in all benchmarks, so we will not focus on it further.

In general, the system on the Apple A9 chip once again confirms its leadership in single-threaded CPU performance, but devices based on the QS 820 and Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa, which have a large number of cores, realize their advantage, provided that multiple cores are fully involved.

Compared to the iPhone 5s, the new product from Apple has increased its results by more than one and a half times in both single-threaded and multi-threaded versions of the test.

Google Octane 2.0

The Apple A9's outstanding single-threaded code processing capabilities deliver superior performance in this JavaScript benchmark, unmatched by competing products. Compared to the iPhone 5s, the new compact iPhone has improved its position by 2.5 times.

WebXPRT 2015

A comprehensive test that emulates various user activity on the web allowed the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 system to get closer to the achievements of the iPhone based on the Apple A9, which cannot be said about the 8890 Octa in the Samsung GS7. Between the iPhone SE and the iPhone 5s - one and a half times the difference.

GFXBench GL (T-Rex)

In the GFXBench results, in this case, you should be guided by the Offscreen test, because when rendering to the screen, the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE hit the 60 FPS limit set by vertical sync.

Here the Apple A9 chip once again found dangerous rivals in the form of Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa and QS 820. The latter has significantly superior graphics power.

As for the iPhone 5s, the transition to the iPhone SE increases performance by 2.5 times.

In the comprehensive test of graphic performance, the iPhones on the Apple A9 take the first lines. The Samsung GS7, despite a weaker GPU compared to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP, came close to Apple's position thanks to an eight-core CPU that contributed to the physics calculations of this benchmark. The difference in overall score between the iPhone SE and the iPhone 5s is almost twice.

In total, the performance advantage over the iPhone 5s is from one and a half to two and a half times, and with the iPhone 6s the novelty is on an equal footing. If you all like the iPhone 5s, except for the speed of operation, this is quite an argument in favor of upgrading to the iPhone SE.

⇡ Testing: display

Tests show that the screen of the iPhone SE not only looks similar to that of the iPhone 5s. They are really the same matrices. On the one hand, this is good, because this screen has an extremely high brightness - 581 cd / m2. On the other hand, the 807: 1 contrast ratio is not at all impressive against the background of the achievements of the iPhone 6s (the iPhone 5s tested earlier has a 980: 1 contrast ratio, but Apple could simply use matrices from different manufacturers even in the same series of devices). This is due to the not so deep black level, and this, by the way, manifests itself not only in tests, but simply if you look with your own eyes at the iPhone SE and iPhone 6s (or even iPhone 6), lying next to each other.

This test shows, in fact, how the power consumption of the display and the battery capacity of the device correlate, since decoding video in H.264 format by means of a dedicated SoC unit is a relatively energy-efficient task. Despite this, the iPhone SE lasted half an hour longer than the iPhone 5s: after all, the change in two stages of the SoC process technology, and a slightly (64 mAh) more capacious battery, also affects.

The iPhone SE also proved to be the longest-lasting iPhone on the Apple A9 - but only at maximum screen brightness. Otherwise, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus with a dimmed display will outperform SE due to larger batteries.

⇡ Testing: camera

Since the iPhone SE has exactly the same camera as the iPhone 6s, the image quality is very, very high for a smartphone and one of the best on the market at the moment.

⇡ conclusions

So what is the iPhone SE? In general terms, this is the cheaper equivalent of the iPhone 6s in the body of the iPhone 5s, minus some features, among which the most noticeable loss is 3D Touch. As a consequence, a potential SE buyer is someone who wants either a compact iPhone or a low-cost iPhone. In all other cases, the iPhone 6s or 6s Plus is the best choice.

Owners of iPhone 5s and earlier, who have been scared off by the size (and maybe design) of subsequent iPhones, can now finally upgrade. Although iOS 9 is available even on the iPhone 4s, the iPhone 6 sometimes suffers from a slight lack of responsiveness, so the increased performance and many other improvements will come in handy for those who stayed too long on the iPhone 5s.

Going beyond Apple's products, the iPhone SE turns out to be a one-of-a-kind device. There are enough smartphones on the market with a small screen diagonal, but almost all of them belong to the low or, at best, mid-price category. Apple iPhone SE, on the other hand, is not inferior to its larger comrades in anything, except for size.

The lineup of iOS devices includes the iPhone SE, a compact smartphone with impressive performance and a great camera.

Externally, the iPhone SE is very similar to the 2013 model, the iPhone 5s. However, they have significant differences inside.

External differences

iPhone SE is available in four color options: Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold. The rose gold iPhone 5s doesn't exist.

iPhone SE has improved matte edges. Therefore, even with careless use, the iPhone SE is less prone to minor scratches.

The iPhone SE has an Apple logo made of polished metal and also has the SE branding on the back of the smartphone.

Internal differences

Battery

Thanks to the updated "filling" and an increased battery (1624 mAh versus 1560 mAh in the iPhone 5s), the autonomy of the iPhone SE allows you to use your smartphone for 2-3 hours longer than 5s.

iPhone SE will withstand 13 hours of active use on 4G LTE networks, Wi-Fi or watching videos, and up to 50 hours of non-stop music playback. For comparison, the iPhone 5s could work up to 10 hours of talk time, 10 hours of video playback, or 40 hours of music playback.

RAM

The iPhone SE has 2GB of RAM, while the iPhone 5s has 1GB less.

Therefore, the performance of the iPhone SE is much higher - now you can open a dozen pages in Safari, minimize the browser, launch a resource-intensive game or another application, then open the browser again and not worry that the pages will reload again, wasting traffic and time.

CPU

Inside the iPhone SE is the latest proprietary A9 chip, similar to that found in the iPhone 6s.

In performance tests, the SE scores 4421 points. For comparison, the iPhone 5s, which has an A7 processor, scores 2,555 points.

The A9 processor keeps your iPhone SE running fast. Even when running resource-intensive applications and games, the system will not slow down.

Coprocessor М9

In addition to the main A9 processor, the iPhone SE has an M9 coprocessor that directly interacts with the compass, gyroscope and accelerometer.

Therefore, the smartphone more accurately collects and analyzes statistics about physical activity, and also allows you to use the "Hey Siri" function, even if the iPhone SE is not connected to the network.

Also, the iPhone SE supports the Raise to Wake feature in iOS 10, when in order to see notifications on the locked screen, you just need to lift the smartphone off the table.

Camera

The iPhone SE has one of the best cameras in smartphones, with a resolution of 12 megapixels.

When photographing with the front camera, the new Retina Flash function for selfies is activated: the screen brightness is increased several times compared to the usual state. At the beginning of the process, the screen lights up with a cold white color, after which it changes its tint to a warm amber.

The result is a photo with realistic colors and natural skin tones.

The video function also pleasantly surprises with quality: unlike the iPhone 5s, where the video resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, and slow motion is possible at 120 fps, the iPhone SE records video at 4K resolution (3840x2160 pixels) at 30 fps and slow motion at 240 frames / s.

If the iPhone 5s shoots well with an 8 megapixel camera, the iPhone SE shoots just fine.

Live Photos

Like iPhone 6s and later, iPhone SE supports Live Photos when taking photos.

If you press your finger on a photo taken on the iPhone SE, the picture literally "comes to life". You will see a few seconds before the snapshot is taken and a few seconds after.

This feature in iPhone SE expands the perception of photos and allows you to experience unforgettable moments of nostalgia, looking at the photos come to life under your fingers. iPhone 5s lacks this feature.

Conclusion

iPhone SE will appeal to those who want to get a modern smartphone, but in a compact body.

And while the iPhone SE and iPhone 5s are similar in appearance, the SE model has many undeniable advantages that will give you the joy of using Apple products.

The iPhone SE smartphone, despite the fact that it was known about it long before its release, caused many to be surprised and raised many questions. Who else is buying 4-inch iPhones? Is Apple playing with fire with this design? It can be argued that the answer to both questions is yes, but after getting to know the phone, it becomes clear that this does not matter. Regardless of the reasons that led the company to create this device, the iPhone SE (photo posted later in the article) is equally an excellent smartphone for both beginners acquaintance with IOS and for users with small hands.

Summary

Just because the new iPhone SE looks like an old-fashioned device doesn't mean it functions the same. Into a familiar and relatively inexpensive form, Apple has managed to squeeze flagship-grade performance and the best battery life the iPhone has shown over the years. It lacks some of the finer points of the 6s, and its screen might be too small for some, but the SE is the best compact smartphone the company has ever made.

IPhone SE phone: what is it?

If you answer quickly, then this is an iPhone 6s in a 5s body. On this, in principle, we can stop. Although this statement is oversimplified, it is true. Almost all of the things that make the 6s what it is are here, only now they are squeezed into a body whose dimensions, it seemed, were not destined to be seen again. Apple could have taken an economically conscious route and offered a sixth smaller iPhone, in which case one can only be glad that this did not happen. The phone's performance will be discussed below, but the A9 chipset with the M9 motion tracking processor used in the SE is an exact replica of the company's flagship models, ranging from its clock speed to 2GB of RAM with which it is paired. In short, the SE doesn't feel like a second-rate device.

This also applies to its design. The 64 GB iPhone SE is as light and well-built as the 5S was two years ago, with minor differences. In fact, aside from the iPhone SE Rose Gold appearance, which the 5s did not have, there are only two changes: the SE logo on the back and matte bevels around the flat edges of the phone. If anyone liked the old school iPhone 5s design, then it will feel right at home. And if not, then he was not going to purchase this smartphone anyway.

There is also a third camp: buyers who loved the design of the 5s and then opened the big screen generation. And for them to return to the small phone after two years with the sixth family, it would be strange. They wonder how they could have been using small screens for so long? Even after a week, shoppers can't type text messages on the cramped onscreen keyboard as they used to. In addition, there is a sense of frustration at how little text can fit on a smaller display.

Less is Better

However, size has its advantages. According to the owners, after months of using large smartphones (iPhone 6s Plus, Galaxy Note 5 and Nexus 6p, etc.), the right hand is in a rather tense state. She quickly gets tired and starts to hurt, especially when trying to reach the bottom of the phone with her little finger or when she stretches her thumb across the screen to press something in the corner. Weekly use of SE is like a mini arm vacation. The small display may not suit everyone, but there is no denying that the SE is a very handy small device.

The iPhone SE 64GB Space Gray tested phone has 64GB of internal storage. Almost 64 since IOS 9.3 takes up some space and 55.7 GB remains available. It should come as no surprise that the entry-level model comes with 16GB of storage, but hopefully this is the last time the company leaves so little room for user data and programs. This is just one of the compromises that have to be made when moving to such a form factor at such a price. For example, none of the modifications, including the iPhone SE 64GB Gray, have 3D Touch. on the home buttons are 1st generation, which is not as fast as the 6s. And the front camera is a 1.2 megapixel step back to the fifth model.

In addition to the already mentioned gray and pink-gold body colors, the Apple iPhone SE Gold is produced in gold and Silver in a silvery shade.

Picture and sound

We can confidently say about the screen of the iPhone SE that it is a complete match for the 5s display. It still runs at 1136 x 640, which also means the same pixel density of 326 ppi (same as the 6s). If you look not at the numbers, but at the screen itself, you can see that it is as bright and saturated as in the old days. However, 6s buyers will take a while to get used to the display. The screen is slightly darker than the 6s or 6s Plus, and the color temperature is slightly warmer. If anything, the biggest difference here is the loss of 3D Touch, which some will feel more acutely than others. But some of the buyers who embraced 3D Touch gestures with the 6s are now rarely using them. Therefore, experienced iPhone owners may not worry about the lack of this function, and beginners will not even notice its absence.

The single speaker located at the bottom of the SE, meanwhile, is much louder than you might expect, especially in the high and midrange. Any long-term listening will still need a pair of headphones, but the speaker is powerful enough to play YouTube videos and add charm to your favorite soundtrack.

Software

The Apple iPhone 5 SE ships with iOS 9.3, which doesn't add many critical features. If anything, the most notable addition is Night Shift, a feature that can automatically lower the color temperature of the screen to ease eye strain at night. This is not a completely new idea. Applications like f.lux have been able to do this on the desktop for years. Compared to regular white, the warm colors really make an evening reading easier. Instead of setting a specific schedule for switching to night mode, you can manually adjust the screen warmth. In theory, the color change should help ease the sleep cycle, but the result is an annoying orange display. According to customer reviews, this does not help them fall asleep faster, but there is a hope that there will be those who will find this function useful.

In addition, it is now possible to lock specific entries in the Notes application. Opening them requires a password or putting your finger on the fingerprint sensor. And Verizon subscribers are finally able to make Wi-Fi calls to their friends (others have been using this for a while now). The Health app now includes nutritional data. This program is especially nice to have on the SE: the smaller size of the device makes the phone a more enjoyable workout companion.

And the News application has become a little better in determining which topics are preferred by users. While it still overestimates the relevance of Donald Trump, it is probably a symptom of a larger problem. With iOS 9.3, 3D Touch has become more diverse, but obviously no gesture functions here. That is life.

Oddly enough, but some phone owners are faced with the strange work of Siri after turning on the voice activation setting. When listening to the audiobook in the Audible app, snippets with phrases that did not sound like "Hey Siri" brought to life the virtual assistant, bewildered by a puzzle of random snippets of dialogue. The same book on 6s did not have a similar effect.

Camera

The iPhone 6s camera is excellent. And since it is exactly the same in SE, there is no reason to doubt its quality. In fact, it is even slightly better for the following reason: the Apple iPhone 5 SE is slightly thicker, lacking the awkward bulge present in the sixth generation. So much for the argument for thicker phones.

In any case, we can talk for a long time about how the company's deeply echeloned defense does not allow shedding light on the darkened neighboring photodiodes, but this is not necessary. All you really need to know is that the phone is capable of taking amazingly detailed, beautiful color photos. The shots on the SE and 6s Plus are almost identical. True, the latter leads the way when it comes to photography in low light conditions, as it has optical image stabilization.

In low light, the smartphone does an excellent job, keeping noise levels to a minimum, although buyers prefer the Galaxy S7 camera. The SE is also capable of capturing video that looks smooth and evenly exposed, even when tracking moving subjects. It's nice to have that capability, but with 16GB of storage - and many would agree - users probably won't want to shoot this high quality video.

There are two other things worth mentioning. First, the iPhone SE supports live photography, motion pictures that add a little bit of feeling and context to the pictures. Since there is no 3D Touch, a long press on the Live Photo button will launch the program. Secondly, selfies are not as good as on 6s. Apple hasn't bothered to improve the 1.2MP front-facing camera at the top of the device, although the 5MP sensor in the 6s doesn't take up much more space. As a result, photos are noisier. While fine for Instagram, they lack the liveliness that a high-resolution sensor can do. At least the SE has a Retina flash that uses the phone's screen to provide extra brightness.

Performance

The SE is more powerful than its old-fashioned looks might suggest. The combination of Apple's state-of-the-art A9 chipset with 2GB of RAM is enough to keep the device running effortlessly, from swiping home screens and switching between apps to running graphically intense games. When the company released a budget 4-inch phone the last time it was a second-rate iPhone 5c, it felt dated from the start. But the ability to cram the stuffing of its flagship mobile into a small $ 399 iPhone is impressive. For the first time in years, it was possible to own a 4-inch model without sacrificing performance for size.

Below are the test results of the phone. Its performance is more or less on par with the most expensive Apple models.

Test results table iPhone SE vs 6, 6s, 6s +.

Battery life

When Apple declined to release battery capacity data on the SE, some users were agitated. But there was no need to worry. You can be calm, as the phone is able to withstand the whole day, and then some more time. After charging at nine in the morning after 11 hours of operation, 30-40% of the charge remains. According to the owners, the device can remain on a single charge for more than 24 hours, which they are very happy about.

The video test, which continuously played HD video with Wi-Fi on and screen brightness set to 50 percent, showed the iPhone SE 13 hours and 40 minutes. The difference with the manufacturer's stated 50% increase in battery life is obvious, but this model still has the best indicator of all iPhones. It's amazing that there is so much power in such a tiny package.

Price and quality

The iPhone SE differentiates itself from other top-end models when you assess the combination of cost and power - the 16GB model is the cheapest new phone Apple has ever released. Therefore, it occupies a special place in the company's line of mobile devices. There is no reason to buy the 5s, so the question is whether potential smartphone owners should buy the SE or the 6s. The iPhone 6 could be included, but the 6s only costs $ 100 more. As said, the 6s shares the power of the SE but comes with a large 4.7-inch screen. This is quite convenient, but the battery life is reduced.

If someone has a desire to spend about $ 400 on a smartphone and has no affection for Apple, then you can consider the option from LG and Google's Nexus 5X. It also delivers good performance at a reasonable price, but its plastic case doesn't hold up to the top-notch looks of the iPhone SE. What kind of phone this is, it becomes clear when you get acquainted with the enormous power of the Snapdragon 808 chipset, which will work in Google Android N, which supports multiscreen multitasking.

Conclusion

The biggest downside to the iPhone SE is its size, and that's obvious. But if not for the fact that it is easy to operate with one hand, it would be impossible to understand why Apple went to manufacture it. The smaller size certainly feels great in the hand and pocket while walking. The power that the phone is endowed with is impressive. Considering the performance of the processor that Apple has managed to fit into the smaller phone, it's surprising that it doesn't overheat or diminish battery life. While not the best in the industry, this is an iPhone with good battery life that many will love. The SE doesn't hold up as well as other iPhones when browsing media, but it's a step up from the 5S. The camera is powerful and sharp, and many will be surprised by the changes in image quality.

The phone design is outdated. There is no other explanation for Apple's failure to create a smaller version of the iPhone 6s other than for reasons of economy. Also, users do not like outdated screen technology. Apart from minor changes, this is an old 2012 iPhone 5 display from almost four years ago. And the image on the phone plays an important role. The owner of the phone should not compare the screen with for example. He will be very upset.

It's safe to say about the iPhone SE that this is a smartphone that is not suitable for people who welcomed the appearance of more spacious screens, even despite the strange bulges it creates in their pockets. When you look at the SE as a new Apple product, it all makes sense. The phone is relatively cheap, which will be tempting for people who want to finally get rid of their old clamshell phone. Its small size will suit those who stopped upgrading their iPhones when they got too big. But most importantly, it's powerful. Apple fans should wait for the seventh model to start shipping in September, as this device was not intended for them. If you want a top-notch smartphone that won't drain your pockets or hurt your hand, then the iPhone SE deserves a spot on the contender list.

Like many of Apple's announcements over the past few years, the announcement of the iPhone SE has become both expected and unexpected. Expected - in terms of a general idea: everyone was ready for Apple to release a cheaper smartphone with a small display diagonal. The surprise was that the body of the novelty turned out to be exactly identical to the iPhone 5s, and the hardware characteristics, on the contrary, were inherited from the iPhone 6s, the current flagship of Apple.

Let's take a look at the characteristics of the novelty.

Specifications Apple iPhone SE

• SoC Apple A9 1.8 GHz (2 x 64-bit cores, architecture based on ARMv8-A)
• GPU Apple A9
• Apple M9 motion coprocessor including barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope and compass
• RAM 2 GB
• Flash memory 16/64 GB
• No memory card support
• Operating system iOS 9.3
• Touch display IPS, 4 ″, 1135 × 640 (324 ppi), capacitive, multitouch
• Cameras: front (1.2 Mp, 720p video) and rear (12 Mp, 4K video)
• Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n / ac (2.4 and 5 GHz; MIMO support)
• Cellular: UMTS / HSPA / HSPA + / DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM / EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41
• Bluetooth 4.2 A2DP LE
• Touch ID Fingerprint Scanner
• NFC (Apple Pay only)
• 3.5mm stereo headset jack, Lightning dock
• Li-polymer battery 1624 mAh, non-removable
• GPS / A-GPS, Glonass
• Dimensions 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
• Weight 113 g (our measurement)

For clarity, let's compare the characteristics of the new product with the iPhone 6s, iPhone 5s (since it is he who is being replaced by the new product), as well as with the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact - this is perhaps the main competitor of the iPhone SE at the moment.

* according to the manufacturer's information
** our dimension

The table clearly shows that, with the exception of the screen, dimensions and battery capacity, the characteristics of the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE are identical. But there is no option with 128 GB of internal memory, which, of course, is a minus (especially considering the possibility of shooting in 4K). In turn, the dimensions and screen make the new product akin to the iPhone 5s, but all other parameters have become much more advanced. Even the battery capacity has increased, although the case is the same.

When it comes to comparison with the Android rival, things are not so simple here. In almost all specifications, Apple devices lag behind, but as we have seen many times, this may not be directly reflected in actual performance and other user qualities. So let's proceed directly to testing.

Packaging and equipment

The packaging of the iPhone SE is much closer to the iPhone 6s than to the iPhone 5s. This is evidenced by the overall light color scheme and the picture on the smartphone screen.

The complete set of Apple smartphones has not contained any surprises for a long time. The novelty is no exception. Here are EarPods nested in a nice box, flyers, a charger (5V 1A), a Lightning cable, stickers and a key to eject the SIM cradle.

Design

Now let's look at the design of the iPhone SE itself. The first emotion when you take it out of the box: my God, how small and, at the same time, plump!

In fact, the dimensions of the novelty are exactly the same as those of the iPhone 5s. Down to a millimeter. However, in the two and a half years that have passed since the release of the iPhone 5s, we have become accustomed to being thinner and, of course, much larger screen. It is not for nothing that Sony's Compact model has a 4.6-inch diagonal. And the Chinese have already stopped releasing smartphones less. So four inches looks like a frank throwback.

But this is exactly the case when the opinion of technologists does not coincide with the opinion of many ordinary users, among whom the iPhone 5s is still popular. And while some of them have this due solely to financial reasons, others simply prefer compact models. The iPhone SE is focused on them.

As a matter of fact, there are only three design differences from the iPhone 5s. The first is the new color Rose Gold. We have seen this color in all the latest generation of Apple's mobile novelties, but now it is available on a compact smartphone. The girls will surely be delighted. Not only is it beautiful in itself, it also emphasizes that you do not have some old iPhone 5s, but the very novelty. That being said, three other color options (gold, dark gray and silver) are also available.

The second design element that has undergone changes compared to the iPhone 5s is the branded bullseye. Now it is not pressed into the metal of the surface, but is made of glossy metal as an independent block inserted into the body and slightly recessed - like in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. It looks exquisite, but, in essence, this is such a trifle that you can hardly catch your eye, if you do not look carefully.

Finally, the last detail to avoid confusing the iPhone SE with the iPhone 5s is the letters SE right below the word iPhone on the back of the device. However, obviously, this in no way affects the perception of design. The rest of the smartphones are absolutely identical: the material, location and shape of the buttons, connectors - everything is exactly like the iPhone 5s. As a plus, we note that although the camera is much better here, it does not protrude above the body at all (as it is implemented in all iPhones with a six in the name).

An interesting question is which version of the Touch ID fingerprint scanner is installed in the smartphone. As we remember, the iPhone 6s / 6s Plus debuted a new version of the scanner, which is faster and more accurate. The owners of these models know that it is enough just to quickly touch your finger and immediately pull it back, so that the smartphone has time to recognize the owner. Since Apple does not provide details on the Touch ID version in the iPhone SE, we tested this with a simple comparison - pressing the Home button on the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone SE at the same time. The result is unambiguous: the fingerprint scanner in the iPhone SE is slower. That is, apparently, here it is the same as in the iPhone 5s.

In general, the design of the iPhone SE can be called a time-tested classic (although it looks somewhat archaic against the background of modern devices, even in the middle segment). Two cosmetic innovations - a new color and a differently executed logo - do not affect the overall impression. From the point of view of appearance, we are just looking at the iPhone 5s. No more and no less, no better and no worse.

Screen

The screen parameters of the iPhone SE do not differ from those of the iPhone 5s: 4-inch diagonal, IPS-matrix with a resolution of 1136 × 640. By modern standards, it is very small: both the diagonal and the resolution (it is difficult to find less than 720p even in the mid-budget segment).

It is also important that the screen of the iPhone SE does not support 3D Touch technology.

However, the technical characteristics and the presence or absence of additional technologies are just the tip of the iceberg. Alexey Kudryavtsev, editor of the "Projectors and TV" section, conducted a comprehensive examination of the quality of the iPhone SE screen.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Apple iPhone SE, then they can be distinguished by their size):

The screen of the Apple iPhone SE is slightly darker (brightness in photographs is 104 versus 110 for the Nexus 7). The doubling of reflected objects in the Apple iPhone SE screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass / air) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but still not better than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of regular glass.

With manual brightness control and with the display of the white field on the whole screen, the maximum brightness value was about 610 cd / m², the minimum - 6 cd / m². The maximum brightness is very high, and given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be ensured. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by the light sensor (located to the left of the front speaker). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider - the user can try to set the desired brightness level for the current conditions, but we cannot predict what brightness will be in other conditions and just when changing and returning the ambient light level. If nothing is touched, then in complete darkness, the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 6 cd / m2 (too dark), in an office illuminated with artificial light (about 400 lux), the brightness rises to 100-140 cd / m2 (normal), in in very bright environments (equivalent to bright outdoor lighting but no direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) is set to 500 cd / m² (this is sufficient). We were more satisfied with the variant obtained after several attempts to correct the brightness in various conditions, while for the three conditions indicated above, we got 8, 115 and 600 cd / m². It turns out that the automatic brightness control function works more or less adequately, and there is some opportunity to adjust the nature of the brightness change to the user's requirements, although there are not obvious features in its work. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering (or rather, at the minimum brightness there are very narrow peaks with a frequency of 50 Hz, but the flicker was still not noticed even with great effort).

This smartphone uses an IPS-type matrix. The micrographs show the typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift, even with large gaze deviations from the perpendicular to the screen and without tint inversion. For comparison, we present photographs in which the screens of Apple iPhone SE and Nexus 7 are displayed the same images, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m2 (along the white field in full screen, on Apple iPhone SE this corresponds to 60% brightness at using third-party programs), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. Perpendicular to the screens, a white field:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And the test picture:

Color balance differs slightly, color saturation is normal. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens and the contrast remained at a high level. And a white box:

The brightness at an angle at the screens decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in exposure), but in the case of the Apple iPhone SE, the drop in brightness is slightly less. The black field, when deviated along the diagonal, is lightened weakly and acquires a light red-violet tint. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is about the same!):

And from a different angle:

When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is good:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is normal - about 760: 1. The response time for the transition black-white-black is 20 ms (11 ms on + 9 ms off). The transition between gray tones of 25% and 75% (by the numerical value of the color) and back takes 25 ms in total. The gamma curve, plotted using 32 points with equal intervals in terms of the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 1.93, which is below the standard value of 2.2, so the image is slightly lightened. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power-law dependence:

The color gamut is almost equal to sRGB:

Apparently, the matrix filters mix the components to each other to a moderate extent. The spectra confirm this:

As a result, the colors visually have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is slightly higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the spectrum of the absolute black body (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the color temperature and ΔE vary little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of the color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Like in, the iPhone SE has a feature Night shift, which makes the picture warmer at night (how much warmer - the user indicates). The graphs above show the values ​​obtained with the middle position of the parameter slider Color temperature(by the way, correct - "color temperature"), when shifting all the way to Warmer and to Colder(charts are signed in the appropriate way). Yes, the color temperature drops, which is what is required. For a description of why such a correction might be useful, see the referenced iPad Pro 9.7 article. In any case, when having fun with a mobile device at night, it is better to lower the screen brightness to a minimum, but still comfortable level, and only then, to calm your own paranoia, turn the screen yellow by setting Night shift.

Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-reflective properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is also permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, no air gap in the layers of the screen and no flicker, high stability of black to deviation from perpendicular to the plane of the screen, good uniformity of the black field, as well as sRGB color gamut and good color balance. There are no significant shortcomings. It is arguably the best display among small screen smartphones at the moment.

Performance and heating

The iPhone SE runs on the same Apple A9 SoC as the iPhone 6s. This means that there is also an Apple M9 coprocessor, which provides support for the voice unlock function (with the command “Hey Siri!”).

It is important that the CPU frequency of the iPhone SE is not reduced. We described the SoC details in the article about the iPhone 6s, so we will not repeat ourselves and go straight to testing. In addition to the main hero of testing, we included the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 5s in the table, since our main tasks are to understand if there are any differences in performance of the iPhone SE in comparison with other smartphones on Apple A9, as well as how much faster the new product is than iPhone 5s. As for the comparison with Android rivals, then, as we found out earlier, Apple A9 is still the leader, so there is simply no point in such a comparison in the case of the iPhone SE.

Let's start with browser benchmarks: SunSpider 1.0.2, Octane Benchmark, Kraken Benchmark, and JetStream. We used the Safari browser everywhere.

The result is predictable: we see an approximate parity of the iPhone SE and iPhone 6s Plus, as well as a huge superiority (three to four times) over the iPhone 5s. We emphasize that different versions of operating systems and browsers could give some error, so the slight difference between the two smartphones on Apple A9 should not be confusing.

Now let's see how the iPhone SE performs in Geekbench 3 and AnTuTu 6 - multi-platform benchmarks. Alas, we do not have results for the iPhone 5s, because at the time when we had it for testing, AnTuTu did not support iOS at all, and Geekbench was available in the previous version. Therefore, you will have to be content with the results of the latest smartphones.

Here is a stranger result: a slight, but still present, superiority of the iPhone SE over the iPhone 6s Plus in Geekbench, as well as, on the contrary, a lag in AnTuTu, draws attention.

The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to GPU performance testing. We used 3DMark, GFXBench Metal (in the case of the iPhone 5s, the results are from a simple GFXBench) and Basemark Metal.

Recall that Offscreen tests are displaying a 1080p picture regardless of the actual screen resolution. And Onscreen tests are displaying an image in the resolution that matches the device's screen resolution. That is, the Offscreen tests are indicative from the point of view of the abstract performance of the SoC, and the Onscreen tests - from the point of view of the comfort of the game on a specific device.

As we can see, even the most resource-intensive 3D scenes do not cause any problems for the iPhone SE. Here, of course, it's not only the SoC, but also the low screen resolution. Hence the difference with the iPhone 6s Plus in Onscreen modes. Curiously, in Offscreen mode, the larger model is slightly superior to the compact newcomer. But the user doesn't care about that. The main thing for him is that any games on the iPhone SE will just fly.

Next test: 3DMark. Here we are interested in the Sling Shot Extreme and Ice Storm Unlimited subtests.

The significant superiority of the iPhone 6s Plus over the iPhone SE in the most severe Sling Shot Extreme test looks rather strange. It would be logical to assume that the GPU of the cheaper iPhone runs at a reduced frequency. And this looks like a completely logical decision, since at a significantly lower screen resolution, the load on the GPU becomes lower.

Finally - Basemark Metal.

And here is a similar picture, which reinforces our assumption made above. But despite the small loss of the iPhone 6s in points, the iPhone SE showed significantly higher frames per second during the test - from 38 to 45, while the iPhone 6s Plus barely jumped over the border of 30 fps. Therefore, even a game of this level will not be a problem for the iPhone SE.

One more thing to note: during testing in Basemark Metal, the iPhone SE got very hot. Below is a thermal image of the rear surface taken after two consecutive runs (approximately 10 minutes of operation) of the Basemark Metal test:

It can be seen that the heating is localized in the upper right part of the device, which, apparently, corresponds to the location of the SoC microcircuit. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 44 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is already very noticeable.

The iPhone 6s Plus has significantly less heating in the same test (more precisely, it is localized in one place, so the smartphone can be comfortably held in your hands). Consequently, although the performance of the iPhone SE is more than enough for any games, and will be enough for another two years, playing really resource-intensive applications may not be entirely comfortable due to the high heating.

Cameras

The main camera of the iPhone SE is exactly the same as that of the iPhone 6s. We decided to check if the photo capabilities of the iPhone SE are really not inferior to the current Apple flagship! The examination was carried out by Anton Soloviev.

Like the iPhone 6s, the iPhone SE can shoot 4K video. And the quality of daytime shooting is very good. With night shooting, things are, of course, worse, but still it's not entirely horrible.

Here is a freeze frame from the first video taken during the day (you can click on a screenshot in its original resolution). And it even shows the number of a passing car, not to mention the details in the background!

As a minus, we note the lack of optical stabilization (it is still only in the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus), as well as the fact that the front camera of the iPhone SE has a resolution of only 1.2 megapixels and matches the quality of the iPhone 5s.

Autonomous work

Although the iPhone SE has a larger battery than the iPhone 5s, it is still inferior to the iPhone 6s and, even more so, the 6s Plus.

However, since the iPhone SE has a lower screen resolution and a smaller screen area, the battery life of the iPhone SE is approximately identical to the iPhone 6s. That is, with everyday rather active use, the device will have to be recharged every day, with moderately active use there is a chance that by the end of the day there will still be some charge left.

conclusions

The iPhone SE is arguably Apple's most boring smartphone, in both good and bad ways. There is no innovation here - neither in terms of design, nor in terms of features and hardware platform. In addition, there is nothing new here at all: it is just a hybrid of previously released devices - iPhone 5s and iPhone 6s. From the first they took the design, screen, fingerprint sensor and front camera, from the second - SoC, RAM, communication capabilities and the main camera. Well, they added a new color - Rose Gold.

However, for those who are not buying innovations, but a device for everyday use, the iPhone SE may be the optimal choice, predictable in a good way. In the sense that when you buy this smartphone, you know exactly what you will get in the end. There are no pitfalls, no surprises here. Except that the overheating of the device in the most difficult 3D tests upset us a little, but, in fairness, we note that these tests, in principle, would not have gone well on the iPhone 5s. So do not want to overheat - do not load the iPhone SE with games of this level (although they do not exist yet, the benchmark developers are ahead of the game developers).

And the main question that you need to answer to yourself before buying - are you ready to use a smartphone with a small (by today's standards) screen? Some will say: definitely not - let it be at least a super-flagship inside. Obviously, the iPhone SE won't work for these users. And someone will say: yes, I have always dreamed of a compact flagship! It is for such people that the iPhone SE is made. Considering that the price of the iPhone SE is 37,990 rubles for the 16GB version, while the iPhone 6s with the same storage capacity will cost 19,000 more (a difference of one and a half times!), Such an offer seems really attractive. For comparison, the official Sony store sells the Xperia Z5 Compact for the same 37,990 rubles, despite the fact that its performance is lower, the screen is worse (see our testing), the design is less attractive (the body is noticeably thicker, plastic is used as the material, not metal). So fans of compact smartphones, and everyone who, in principle, does not mind a small screen should pay close attention to the iPhone SE.

In conclusion, we suggest watching our video review of the Apple iPhone SE smartphone: