Apple iPhone SE 1st Generation

iPhone SE comes as a mid-range phone from the premium brand. Priced at Rs. 16,999, it makes sure that it delivers most of the Apple flagship features at the mid-range price level.

It delivers on the Apple guarantee. While it may look dated, it performs like a modern phone. However, it comes with the same iPhone drawback, which is the poor battery, but it still carries one of the better batteries of the iPhone series and hence, could be recommended for any average user.

The iPhone SE has a similar design as iPhone 5S but with slight modifications. It comes with chamfered edges and a matte finish instead of the previous polished one. It blends seamlessly with the aluminium sides making it look premium. The metal chassis has an impressive finish, and now it arrives with a rose coloured tint. At 113g, it is quite light and sits comfortably in hand. It does not come with the certification of water resistance, which is a bit of a surprise for the premium brand but can be expected due to the price range. All in all, it is compact, but still looks dated.

The screen of iPhone SE is a direct adaptation of the iPhone 5. It has the Retina display which on the small screen that it arrives in makes it look sharp. It comes with the resolution of 1136 x 640 and keeps the same number of pixels as iPhone 6S which makes it a premium display. Sunlight legibility is also top notch getting as high as 547.2 nits of brightness but not as high as the 618 nits registered by Xperia Z5 Compact, though Huawei Honor 5X gets a lower 529 nits. On the whole, the phone comes with a guaranteed Apple display at a lower cost. However, the SE drops the 3D Touch feature which is quite a disappointment for iPhone fans.

iPhone SE comes with the dashing fast A9 processor which can easily beat any Android flagship without a sweat. It can launch apps lightning fast, and when it comes to switching multiple apps, it can do so without any noticeable drop in speed. The camera app opens quickly and starts working fast too. If you have been frustrated by the sluggish performance of iPhone 5, the amount of power that iPhone SE brings will be a welcome change. Benchmark scores put the phone at 28474 which easily beats Sony Xperia Z5 Compact’s 26406. As usual, iPhone has delivered an incredible processor that is capable of topping benchmark charts even though it arrives at a cheaper cost.

iPhone SE’s 12MP iSight camera is one of the best in the market and is only beaten by the dual-pixel camera of Galaxy S7. Due to the presence of its fast focus which is quite snappy, the phone can not only provide brilliant photos in adequate light conditions, but it also presents decent images when it comes to low light situations.

The Live Photos feature works very well and captures a 1-second stream of memory both before and after a shot, with both audio and video.

The iPhone SE has also got something in store for the selfie fans. While the 1.2MP selfie camera is not spectacular, but it is a decent one and can click sharp selfies. However, 6S’ selfie camera produces sharper selfies, but it’s a slight difference. The SE also has True Tone flash feature lighting up the face when in the dark with its screen light.

iPhone SE’s most significant difference from the iPhone 5S is the battery life that it offers. It comes with a 1624 mAh battery which when put to a battery test, lasts for an impressive 8 hours and 35 minutes while browsing the web whereas the iPhone 5 lasts for just a meagre 5 hours and 46 minutes. It is quite impressive though it does not offer a one-day battery runtime with moderate and heavy use.

iPhone SE is one of the affordable models of iPhone, but Apple does not cut corners due to the drop in price. While it may not sport the screen of 6S, it comes with an eye-catching display and a powerful processor which makes it stand out in the midrange market. However, the selfie camera could have been better, and the decision to drop the 3D Touch could hit hard for fans of that feature. However, if you want to go for an Android variant, then you can go for the Huawei Honor 5x which has a metal body and better display but cannot beat iPhone SE’s dashing performance.