TO compensate for its push forward with pricier and pricier premium phones, Apple has released a newer iteration of its value model iPhone SE – the SE nominally means Special Edition, which is odd given that it is much stripped down version of the base iPhone.
Nomenclature confusion aside, the design of the SE is largely unchanged from the prior model, with the Retina HD screen once again coming in at 4.7 inches (bracketed by thick bezels), an aluminium and glass design that brings it in line with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, as well as a very responsive Home button which also serves as the location of the Touch ID sensor (unfortunately there’s no Face ID).
According to Apple, the big selling point for the iPhone SE is its powerful A15 Bionic chip, the same chip that is in the iPhone 13 series of phones, which is a big jump in performance compared to the previous SEs. In fact its performance is comparable to the flagship phones on sale by Apple’s various competitors.
When using the phone in daily use this advantage is borne out as using the device is very snappy when switching from app to app, games run smoothly and it handles multitasking with no sweat. Despite lacking features in the base iPhones, using the SE doesn’t feel that much different. If anything the chip is probably too powerful for what the phone is required to do, which should make it relatively long lasting for the budget user.
The issue here is that people don’t really buy phones based on their processing speed. Sure, it’s nice but it doesn’t really move numbers off the shelves.
The screen is symptomatic of what’s wrong with the phone. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with it – content looks nice and text is readable. It’s just that the size of the SE’s screen is just too small. Now maybe that’s because my primary phone has a much bigger screen and the differences in surface area are readily apparent, but there’s decidedly something last generation about the size of the screen compared to the thick bezels.
In fact the iPhone 13 mini comes in a slightly smaller size, but comes with a bigger bezel-less screen that dominates the front of the phone. Perhaps a more thorough redesign would have better served the device.
Of course, the price difference between a iPhone SE and a comparable iPhone 13 mini is quite substantial, with the 128GB SE coming in at RM2,299 and a 128GB 13 mini coming in at RM3,399. This underscores the SE’s position as a pure value phone in Apple’s line-up.
For those Apple consumers who are budget minded, and want to be part of the company’s ever growing ecosystem of services and accessories, but don’t need the bells and whistles of the base iPhone, the iPhone SE should be enough. However, those not so wedded to Cupertino’s plans for world domination might not be too impressed. – The Vibes, April 19, 2022
