For me, Apple’s iPhone SE was the most notable of their announcements at their recent keynote; a smaller iPhone that takes us back a few years to the days of the 5, 5S and 5C.
Apple have basically launched this 4 inch iPhone to give some variation to their portfolio of 4.7 and 5.5 inch iPhones, broadening their appeal to those who still prefer smaller devices. So what’s new here?
What’s new?
At a glance, Apple have kept the SE’s design somewhat similar to that of the 5 and 5S. Move into the guts of the device and that’s where you see the improvements — this thing is basically an iPhone 6S in terms of performance but in a smaller body, packed with 4K camera recording, Touch ID and Apple Pay.
The match winner? It costs just £359.
What’s the appeal?
I speak for myself here, but having used the iPhone 6S Plus I simply can’t see myself (willingly) stepping back to a 4-inch phone again. It’s simply too small for me to do anything productively on it. Then again, maybe I’m just spoilt after using this mammoth of a phone every day.
Taking a step back and looking around me though, I know plenty of family and friends who still don’t want to take on a larger phone; they’re still hooked to their iPhone 4 or 5. They’re happy with a phone they can comfortably fit into a pocket, use in one hand, and hold up for a call without feeling like a douchebag. (Yes, I often feel like I’m holding a tablet up to my ear with my 6S Plus…)
Factor in the very affordable price of £359 and the iPhone SE isn’t just for the older iPhone users anymore — you’re starting to call out to the Android users who may have found iPhone too expensive until now. It’s far more accessible.
This iPhone SE announcement tells me that there’s still a demand for smaller iPhones, and as big as the adoption has been for phablets and larger display sizes overall, there’s still a segment of people who prefer a more manageable size instead.
It isn’t revolutionary by any means, but I’m guessing this phone will actually do quite well based on its low price and smaller design.
Let me know what you think in the comments! Will the iPhone SE do well or not, and why?
