Is it time to get a new iPhone?
Apple’s latest smartphone, the lower-cost iPhone SE, is designed to present a compelling upgrade incentive for those with older devices.
But the actual benefit you’d get from trading up depends hugely on what model iPhone you’re already using.
The NZ$799 SE returns to a smaller screen size and physical Home button so, even though it packs the most powerful iPhone processor to date in the 2019 A13 Bionic, those with a full-screen model (iPhone X or newer) are unlikely to entertain a switch.
But for those whose phones fall between the 2014 iPhone 6 and 2017 iPhone 8, the SE represents a nearidentical physical form (or slightly smaller form for those with a Plus model), with much improved guts, camera, battery and features.
No matter which you’re upgrading from you’ll get the benefit of some recent tech, including a dual SIM/e-SIM so you can have two numbers and an advanced camera with AR and Portrait mode enabled.
There’s also fast and wireless charging which iPhone 8 had but the others lacked.
Though like every iPhone, the SE is made of glass and aluminium, it’s more modern-looking than most, thanks to the lack of visible text or antenna lines on the rear and the central placement of the shiny Apple logo.
Those coming from an iPhone 6 will by far see the most tangible improvement to their daily use. The SE offers up to four times faster processing, 10 times faster graphics, a battery rated at four hours longer and stronger resistance to water and dust.
Some new games and apps don’t run on the iPhone 6 at all, because it isn’t able to update to the latest version of Apple’s iOS operating system, but pretty much all of them will run appreciably better on the SE.
The SE benefit diminishes when compared against more recent iPhones, with a 2.4 times increase in processing, four times faster graphics and three hours extra battery versus 2015’s iPhone 6s.
By the time you get to iPhone 8 it’s only a 1.4 times increase in processing, which is still significant but perhaps not $799 significant, unless you’re able to sell your old phone or trade it to Apple.
Those looking to game on their phone or take advantage of the Apple Arcade subscription service will get the best possible performance out of the iPhone SE, which uses the exact same processor as the iPhone 11 Pro.
Of course, the Pro displays games and movies on a Full HD OLED while the SE (like iPhones 6-8) uses a much lower resolution LCD. It’s a noticeable difference, but there’s also about $1100 between the two phones’ price tags.
Meanwhile fans of photography and movie-making should note the SE’s capabilities fall somewhere between iPhone 8 and iPhone 11. There’s no secondary lens for optical zoom but software trickery enables a fast and convincing fauxbokeh portrait mode.
There’s optical image stabilisation for videos and the ability to shoot in a pro cinema 4K 24fps mode or in super slow-mo at 240fps. Plus, the 7MP selfie camera is miles ahead of the dinky lenses on the iPhone 6 or 6s.
The iPhone SE’s big bezels, small 4.7-inch touchscreen and low resolution make it look old fashioned next to every other new smartphone in its price bracket, but it’s also the most powerful.
For those with iPhones three or more years old this device presents a massive uptick in capability in a familiar physical form.
– Sydney Morning Herald