Apple iPhone SE review
It’s like a new wine in an old bottle


Watch my unboxing & first impressions video above!

Remember when Apple first launched the iPhone 5, it was a big hit for the company. They finally increased the much-appreciated screen size, not by much, but they focused on how easy it is to reach four corners of the screen when the phone is operated single-handedly. A lot of people loved the design, and although times have moved on and 2 years later, Apple gave us the larger iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple still thinks that there are people who appreciate smaller phones. This is where the iPhone SE comes.

What is the iPhone SE?


The iPhone SE is basically a phone that is meant to target the mid-range phone market, and also people who still prefer a smaller device. With its starting price of RM1949, it’s also targeting people who’re looking forward to switch from other platforms. By recycling a design that everybody used to like and updating it with modern hardware and provide support, Apple is looking forward to gain some market share at the mid-range phone market.

Note: The iPhone SE used in this review is a US unlocked unit and may differ from what we will be getting for our market.


Unboxing


The iPhone SE’s box is the same as every other Apple’s packaging, and can be said to be identical to the iPhone 5 and 5s. Even though it costs almost half of Apple’s flagship – the iPhone 6s, you do not get shortage of accessories right out of the box. You still get their fantastic (and I mean it) EarPods, lightning cable and wall adapter, along with some documents to get you started.

First Impressions


Being a iPhone 6 user for more than a year, the iPhone SE feels extremely funny in my hands, but it does not feel foreign at all, as I’ve owned an iPhone 5 for the same period of time before jumping to the iPhone 6. Sometimes I feel glad to be back to the smaller design.

Design


The iPhone SE’s design is identical to the iPhone 5S and probably to the iPhone 5. There’s no noticeable change on its exterior, apart from the small “SE” logo underneath the iPhone logo. With that said, it’s easier to fit in your hand and grips better than the larger devices. It also makes it easier to operate the phone with only 1 hand. Apple obviously thinks it's a great idea to keep the design everybody loved. You change choose between the usual Space Grey, Silver, Gold, and the new Rose Gold colour.

The front is still dominated by a 4” display, with Apple’s Retina Display technology. The display panel is identical to the iPhone 5S, and, unsurprisingly, it does not feature Apple’s 3D touch pressure-sensitive touch panel. The Touch ID sensor in the home button is the same as the ones found in 5S and 6. The front facing camera that it came with is rather poor, as it only takes 1.2-megapixel photos and only does 720p video recording (come on Apple, are you being serious?) and it came with modern features like burst mode and “retina flash” where it identifies the ambient lighting of its surrounding and turn the display into a flash.

The rear camera is a total different story. It features the same camera as the iPhone 6s – a 12-megapixel shooter with f/2.2 aperture. All the basics like autofocus and flash are checked, and the SE features the same flash as the iPhone 5s – true tone flash. Even though it also supports Live Photos, because of its lack of 3D Touch, the only way to replay your Live Photos is through a long touch on the screen. It’s even capable of 4k 30fps (frames per second) video recording, which makes it a total win. And, they’re able to do this without having the camera to budge out like on the iPhone 6 and 6s. So the camera is very well taken care of.

Specs and performance


Ah, specs. A bunch of numbers where people often use to measure the ability of a device, and is often used to have a fight on the Internet. I’m glad to see Apple did not cut corners here, and it boasts the same specs as its larger, more expensive flagship device. It features Apple A9 chip, alongside with 2GB of RAM. With that said, there’s no real performance difference between the iPhone SE and iPhone 6s, and this small thing even outperforms the iPhone 6. With twice the RAM of the iPhone 6, it's noticeably faster especially when multitasking. Still, the background process management built into iOS makes sure that the phone is always smooth to use.

The iPhone SE also supports Apple Pay, Apple’s own NFC-based payment service that’s available in other countries. Having tried out Apple Pay in the US, I would say that it’s extremely convenient to make payments at places with compatible payment service. Other improved features of the iPhone SE include support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2.

Camera performance


With the same lens as the iPhone 6s, the camera performance is very good, and it definitely blows the iPhone 5S out of the water. Dare I say it, the iPhone SE is probably the best pocket camera, with the combination of its size and the 12-megapixel sensor. The colours are nice and vibrant, and low light performance have been improved when compared to the iPhone 6, and is on par with flagships that costs almost twice its price. But, it still lacks the optical image stabilization (OIS).

The iPhone SE will record 4K videos (which is why it’s advisable to jump straight to the 64GB option) at 30fps, 1080p videos at choice of 60fps or 30fps, as well as 720p videos. Thanks to the amazing sensor, videos produced from this phone is nice, and features like continuos auto-focus and video stabilization are also thrown in.

But, the front facing camera is quite a letdown. The iPhone SE did not get the newer 5-megapixel camera found in the flagship devices. Instead, it's only a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera from the iPhone 5s and 6. The quality of the selfies are adequate and you probably won’t be getting hot selfies from this thing. It only records 720p videos at 30fps, which is rather poor by today’s standards. Features like Retina Flash and burst selfies are thrown in, but it doesn't make the image quality any better.

Display


While the iPhone SE features the same Retina Display found on the iPhone 5s, it does not really scream much. The 1136x640 pixel display might have vibrant colours and 326 pixels per inch, it does not look as excellent as the iPhone 6s or even the iPhone 6. It’s just adequate for daily use. Still, putting the 3 side by side, there’s no huge difference.

Battery life

Battery performance on the iPhone SE is basically a huge plus. In real world test, the iPhone SE scores well under mixed usage, mostly on LTE. After a whole day of use, it still has at least 25% remaining. Apple claims that it will go up to 13 hours on mixed LTE and Wi-Fi use.

Conclusion
With a starting price of RM1949, the iPhone SE can be considered a well-packed device. Some people will appreciate the small form factor and a powerful spec, the others will opt for the more expensive flagship devices instead. Still, this is not a phone for everyone, but at least it serves its purpose for those who prefer smaller devices, or first time iPhone user. I personally appreciate the specifications and the camera, but I’m not jumping back to the smaller screen, which users of larger devices will need some time to get used to. Still, it’s a form factor that people like, and Apple is not boring for using back the old design. If people still love it, why change it?

Recap:
4” LED backlit Retina Display, 640X1136 resolution, 326ppi
Apple A9 processor: 1.8GHz Dual-core 64-bit CPU
Storage: 16GB (RM1949) or 64GB (RM2449)
12MP Rear Camera, F/2.2, True-tone LED flash, 4K video recording
1.2MP Front Camera, Retina flash, 720p video recording
1624mAh battery

Pros:	Cons:
Good performance	Poor front facing camera performance
Easy to operate single handed	Small screen size by today’s standards
Rear camera is fantastic	Only features first-gen Touch ID sensor
Premium metal body design, feels good in your hands	No optical image stabilization

P/S this is my first written review.... kindly provide feedback! Thanks!

Not a fan but not a hater either. Shortlisting this for the waifu . What's your immediate impression on the batt life aspect vs. 5S? This to me is the top priority considering that SE is now very well endowed firepower speaking.

Get 64GB instead.

Aye to that bro. No way in hell am spending the moolah for the 16 gigger that the wife will surely fill up in less than a day via her social media spelunking. That being said, looking 1st at either umobile (her co. supplied her that telco num) or zerolution upcoming salesvanganza (if any).

Great and thorough on the first review.

Appreciate the feedback, thanks!