Review: Apple iPhone SE – The Most Powerful 4-Inch Smartphone

Although we at LatestGadgets.Tech generally don’t like Apple products (open source computers and androids are the love ), some of our fans do love them. So we decided to check out the latest phone produced by Apple farm: The iPhone SE (according to some, ‘Special Edition’). First impression: Not bad! We may become Apple fans!

The iPhone SE is considered as the most powerful 4 inch smartphone at present. It comes with the same concept of design, is very very similar to the iPhone 5S, yet it was reinvented from the inside out. It uses the same A9 chip that’s also being used in iPhone 6S. Its 12MP camera captures 4K videos and exceptional photos. Its Live Photos also bring images to life, which results to an iPhone that’s seems small, yet lives big.

At A Glance

• A9 chip that comes with 64-bit architecture
• 2GB RAM
• Retina display
• Fingerprint sensor built into its Home button
• Embedded M9 motion coprocessor
• 4K video recording
• Slomo video support
• Take 8MP photos while recording 4K videos
• 4-inch diagonal and features LED backlit widescreen and Multi-Touch display
• FaceTime HD camera

Comparison between Apple iPhone 6S, 6S+ and the SE

Key Features

A Great Design

iPhone SE comes with iPhone’s popular design. Made from bead-blasted aluminum for a satin-like finish, this light and compact phone is made to fit comfortably in your hand. Its 4-inch Retina display also makes everything sharp and vibrant. A color-matched stainless steel logo finish and matte-chamfered edges made iPhone SE very beautiful.

Powerful Performance

At its core is A9, which is also the advanced chip found in iPhone 6S. With 64bit architecture and 2GB of RAM, the A9 chip brings responsiveness and speed. With the performance of console-class graphics, your favorite apps and games are incredibly immersive and rich. Integrating this mighty chip in a smaller phone does provide optimum performance.

Topnotch Camera

Although not the best out there, with the 12MP iSight camera, you can be assured to capture detailed, sharp photos like the ones you will get on iPhone 6S. This includes editing and shooting brilliant 4K videos that are up to 4 times the resolution of an 1080p HD video.

Advanced Security

iPhone SE also comes with Touch ID, which will make unlocking the device secure and simple. Copying the Samsung Galaxys, you can now use your fingerprint, built into the home button, which is the best (read: simple) password you can have which is also very convenient.

iPhone SE run the latest iOS 9 of Apple, the core reason why we don’t like it. Android users will feel missing out on some (or many) features, and may have a small learning curve, but anyone who’s familiar with an iPad or iPhone will get to grips with this device in a few seconds and this will not take much longer for the first timers.

The iPhone SE is comes in 4 colors: Silver, Space Gray, Gold and Rose Gold. This matches the iPhone 6s, 9.7-inch iPad Pro & the MacBook

The Bottom Line

It is not really hard to come to a conclusion on iPhone SE. It is clearly the finest 4 inch smartphone ever and you can ignore the specs when making this assessment because it got that by virtue of being the only phone with great features at this size.

Should I Buy iPhone SE?

If you have a budget of over or around $500 and you like a small smartphone, yet you feel you are missing out on a topnotch camera, speedy processor, and solid battery life, then iPhone SE is definitely impossible to ignore. This device delivers in spades and does not have a comparable competitor (yet). Even if it is the cheapest iPhone today, it’s still costly, particularly since the 16GB option is not enough for many users. But, if you will after it, iPhone SE’s resale value remains high. We really like this size, and if you already own an Apple product or would like one, this is recommended. Otherwise, for this price, Android offers some more powerful options [albeit a larger size].

Best Places To Buy The iPhone SE

In USA

If you are looking for a brand new, unlocked option, then the cheapest iPhone SE we were able to find was the 16GB Rose Gold from Amazon at $470 (excluding shipping). The 64GB Rose Gold iPhone SE was selling for  $574 (excluding shipping). Other colors are slightly more expensive. Click here for details.

For accessories like covers, chargers, cables etc, we highly recommend Aliexpress.

Outside USA

Although there are many stores offering it at various prices, we only looked at the reliable ones. If you can buy it from Amazon US, then Aliexpress might be your best option, as they ship all over the world, provide an escrow service and are very reliable. A brand new unlocked iPhone SE might set you back $575-$785 depending on the colour and storage on Aliexpress.