Detailed review and testing of Apple iPhone SE. Review of the smartphone Apple iPhone SE: more is not better Is there an iPhone 5 se

V lineup iOS devices include the iPhone SE, a compact smartphone with impressive performance and a great camera.

Externally, the iPhone SE is very similar to the 2013 model, the iPhone 5s. However, they have significant differences inside.

External differences

iPhone SE is available in four color options: Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and pink gold". The rose gold iPhone 5s doesn't exist.

iPhone SE has improved matte edges. Therefore, even with careless use, the iPhone SE is less prone to minor scratches.

The iPhone SE has an Apple logo made of polished metal and also has the SE branding on the back of the smartphone.

Internal differences

Battery

Thanks to the updated "filling" and an increased battery (1624 mAh versus 1560 mAh in the iPhone 5s), the autonomy of the iPhone SE allows you to use your smartphone for 2-3 hours longer than 5s.

iPhone SE will withstand 13 hours of active use on 4G LTE networks, Wi-Fi or watching videos, and up to 50 hours of non-stop music playback. For comparison, the iPhone 5s could work up to 10 hours of talk time, 10 hours of video playback, or 40 hours of music playback.

RAM

IPhone SE comes with 2GB random access memory and the iPhone 5s has 1 gigabyte less at its disposal.

Therefore, the performance of the iPhone SE is much higher - now you can open a dozen pages in Safari, minimize the browser, launch a resource-intensive game or another application, then open the browser again and not worry that the pages will reload again, wasting traffic and time.

CPU

Inside the iPhone SE is the latest proprietary A9 chip, similar to that found in the iPhone 6s.

In performance tests, the SE scores 4421 points. For comparison, the iPhone 5s, which has an A7 processor, scores 2,555 points.

The A9 processor keeps your iPhone SE running fast. Even when running resource-intensive applications and games, the system will not slow down.

Coprocessor М9

In addition to the main A9 processor, the iPhone SE has an M9 coprocessor that directly interacts with the compass, gyroscope and accelerometer.


Therefore, the smartphone more accurately collects and analyzes statistics about physical activity, and also allows you to use the "Hey Siri" function, even if the iPhone SE is not connected to the network.

Also, the iPhone SE supports the Raise to Wake feature in iOS 10, when in order to see notifications on the locked screen, you just need to lift the smartphone off the table.

Camera

The iPhone SE has one of the best cameras in smartphones, with a resolution of 12 megapixels.

When photographing with the front camera, it is activated new function Retina Flash for Selfies: The screen brightness is increased several times compared to normal. At the beginning of the process, the screen lights up with a cold white color, after which it changes its tint to a warm amber.

The result is a photo with realistic colors and natural skin tones.

The video function is also pleasantly surprised by the quality: unlike the iPhone 5s, where video resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, and slow motion is possible at 120 fps, the iPhone SE records video at 4K resolution (3840x2160 pixels) at 30 fps and slow motion at 240 frames / s.

If the iPhone 5s shoots well with an 8 megapixel camera, the iPhone SE shoots just fine.

Live Photos

Like iPhone 6s and later, iPhone SE supports Live Photos when taking photos.

If you press your finger on a photo taken on the iPhone SE, the picture literally "comes to life". You will see a few seconds before the snapshot is taken and a few seconds after.

This feature in iPhone SE expands the perception of photos and allows you to experience unforgettable moments of nostalgia, looking at the photos come to life under your fingers. iPhone 5s lacks this feature.

Conclusion

iPhone SE will appeal to those who want to get a modern smartphone, but in a compact body.

And while the iPhone SE and iPhone 5s are similar in appearance, the SE has many undeniable advantages that will make you enjoy using Apple products.

Apple finally released a new scaled-down iPhone that doesn't seem to be as compromised as the iPhone 5c. Prices for the iPhone SE start at 37,990 rubles. (and it's inexpensive compared to other iPhones), the phone feels like the 5s, and the hardware is pretty much the same as the 6s. Everything seems to be simple. However, when it comes to choosing and buying a phone, you need to take into account a bunch of parameters, characteristics and features in order to understand whether this or that model actually meets your expectations. Let's see what the iPhone SE is.

1. The most powerful smartphone with a diagonal of 4 inches

Over the past couple of years, we have probably not seen any truly interesting compact smartphones. Sony released several models, but they weren't good enough - they were always compromise.

SE doesn't seem like a compromise solution. It inherited almost all of its components from the current flagship, the iPhone 6s: A9 processor, 2 GB RAM, Apple Pay, awesome 12MP camera, 4K video, live photos and more. The hardware performance of the iPhone SE shouldn't be in any doubt.

For the first time in these two years, a four-inch phone doesn't leave the impression of being missing something. After all, SE is a Special Edition!

2. This is a beloved iPhone 5s

Compared to the curved and flowing shapes of the iPhone 6 and 6s, the design of the iPhone 5s was sharper, more square, and angular. And even after two and a half years, it does not seem outdated. Fans of this model would even call it a classic. Plus, you can easily put this phone in your pocket or hold it with one hand!

SE looks almost like 5s. The only difference is the phone's edge is matte, not shiny. In addition, the Apple logo on the back is designed to match the color of the phone. Ah, and a color scheme is also available. Rose gold.

3. Small differences

Everyone is inclined to compare the iPhone SE with the 6s rather than the 5s, due to the similar configuration. But this is not exactly 6s in a smaller case, there are some minor differences.

For example, the SE sensor First generation Touch ID, just like the iPhone 5s. The difference seems to be small, but only until you try the iPhone 6s. Touch ID 2 is insanely fast, too fast. After the release of 6s, people complained that they could not unlock the phone by pressing the Home button: the phone detected their fingers before they had time to press it.

SE has no 3D Touch. It's a pity, of course, but you shouldn't grieve too much about it. I think most of us can get along without 3D Touch.

What is really regrettable is that front-camera only has permission 1.2 megapixels, while on 6s - all 5 MP. The difference is understandably sensitive. You can take very high-quality pictures with the 6s front camera, but hardly with the SE front camera. On the other hand, there is technology Retina Flash, which is nice.

In addition, there are many more pleasant things in SE.

4. All modern buns

People appreciated the 6s hardware not because of its performance, but because it was used to implement features that greatly improved the interaction with the iPhone. At first, Apple Pay. Second, the “eternal” function “Hey Siri”. Finally, co-processor M9 in the background, it keeps track of a bunch of different information: how many steps you walked, how many flights of stairs you climbed, and so on. All this is in the iPhone SE.

5. Lasts longer than 5s

Good news for those looking to upgrade from 5s or earlier: the SE battery lasts a long time. On paper, the iPhone SE has a 50% increase in battery life over the 5s.

The following table contains data on the running time latest models iPhone.

The Wall Street Journal's stress test shows that it's actually even better:

“In a lab stress test of consistent web browsing at the same brightness level, the SE lasted 10 hours - more than two hours better than the iPhone 6s and 5s and about three hours better than the Galaxy S7.”

It will take you about two weeks to figure out the actual battery life. However, early reviews show such excellent results. It seems that under moderate load the phone should work quietly all day long.

6. Amount of memory

SE starts at RUB 37,900 for the 16 GB model. The amount of memory is not the most impressive, but for the money it is quite reasonable. If you need more, the model with 64 GB of memory costs ten thousand rubles more.

7. Top smartphone for reasonable money

This phone may not be for you. It's hard to imagine any fan flagship models and phablets that will migrate from an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus to a 4-inch smartphone. It just isn't right. The keyboard will be terribly inconvenient for him, he will have to scroll much more often, he will need to view different media content in a completely different way.

But the price of 38 thousand, which in a couple of months will also drop to 30 thousand, makes this phone affordable for a large number of people. With such a pricing policy, Apple is expanding the market for top-end smartphones and lowering its price bar a little lower.

This is done mainly for markets such as China and India. This is where Apple plans to use this model to expand its presence and lure people from Android to iPhone.

8. Reviews from critics

Lauren Goode of The Verge writes: “For people looking for a small or low-cost iPhone, the iPhone SE will do just fine.”

Nicole Nguyen, a BuzzFeed columnist, puts it in a similar vein: "It's a great fast smartphone for those who think bigger isn't always cooler."

That's what. If you want a compact smartphone, go for the SE. For an inexpensive iPhone, go for the SE. He is the best at what he is for.

Like many of Apple's announcements over the past few years, the announcement of the iPhone SE has become both expected and unexpected. Expected - in terms of the general idea: everyone was ready for the fact that Apple will release more cheap smartphone with a small display diagonal. The surprise was that the body of the novelty turned out to be exactly identical to the iPhone 5s, and the hardware characteristics, on the contrary, were inherited from the iPhone 6s, the current flagship of Apple.

Let's take a look at the characteristics of the novelty.

Specifications Apple iPhone SE

  • SoC Apple A9 1.8 GHz (2 x 64-bit cores, architecture based on ARMv8-A)
  • GPU Apple A9
  • Apple M9 motion coprocessor including barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope and compass
  • RAM 2 GB
  • Flash memory 16/64 GB
  • No memory card support
  • Operating system iOS 9.3
  • Touch display IPS, 4 ″, 1135 × 640 (324 ppi), capacitive, multitouch
  • Cameras: front (1.2 Mp, 720p video) and rear (12 Mp, 4K video)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n / ac (2.4 and 5 GHz; MIMO support)
  • Cellular: UMTS / HSPA / HSPA + / DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM / EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41
  • Bluetooth 4.2 A2DP LE
  • Touch ID Fingerprint Scanner
  • NFC (Apple Pay only)
  • 3.5mm stereo headset jack, Lightning dock
  • Li-polymer battery 1624 mAh, non-removable
  • GPS / A-GPS, Glonass
  • Dimensions 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
  • Weight 113 g (our measurement)

For clarity, let's compare the characteristics of the new product with the iPhone 6s, iPhone 5s (since it is the new product that is replacing it), as well as with the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact - this is perhaps the main competitor of the iPhone SE at the moment.

Apple iPhone 6s Apple iPhone 5s Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
Screen 4 ″, IPS, 1136 × 640, 324 ppi 4.7 ″, IPS, 1334 × 750, 326 ppi 4 ″, IPS, 1136 × 640, 324 ppi 4.6 ″, 1280 × 720, 423 ppi
SoC (processor) Apple A9 (2 cores @ 1.8 GHz, 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture) Apple A7 @ 1.3 GHz 64 bits (2 cores, Cyclone architecture based on ARMv8) Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (8 cores Cortex-A57 @ 2.0 GHz + 4 cores Cortex-A53 @ 1.55 GHz)
GPU Apple a9 Apple a9 PowerVR SGX 6 Series Adreno 430
Flash memory 16/64 GB 16/64/128 GB 16/32/64 GB 32 GB
Connectors Lightning dock connector, 3.5 mm headset jack Lightning dock connector, 3.5 mm headset jack Micro-USB with OTG and MHL 3 support, 3.5mm headset jack
Memory card support No No No microSD (up to 200 GB)
RAM 2 GB 2 GB 1 GB 3 GB
Cameras main (12 megapixel; video shooting 4K 30 fps, 1080p 120 fps and 720p 240 fps) and front (1.2 megapixels; shooting and transferring video 720p) main (12 megapixel; video shooting 4K 30 fps, 1080p 120 fps and 720p 240 fps) and front (5 megapixels; shooting and transferring Full HD video) main (8 megapixel; video shooting 1080p 30 fps and 720p 120 fps) and front (1.2 megapixel; video shooting and transmission 720p) main (23 MP, 4K video) and front (5.1 MP, Full HD video)
Internet Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac MIMO (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), 3G / 4G LTE + (LTE-Advanced) Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), 3G / 4G LTE Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac MIMO (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), 3G / 4G LTE + (LTE-Advanced)
Battery capacity (mAh) 1624 1715 1570 2700
Operating system Apple iOS 9.3 Apple iOS 9 Apple iOS 7 (update to iOS 9.3 available) Google Android 6.0
Dimensions (mm) * 124 x 59 x 7.6 138 x 67 x 7.1 124 x 59 x 7.6 127 × 65 × 8.9
Weight (g) ** 113 143 112 138
average price T-13584121 T-12858630 T-10495456 T-12840987
Apple iPhone SE (16GB) Deals L-13584121-5
Apple iPhone SE (64GB) Deals L-13584123-5

* according to the manufacturer's information
** our dimension

The table clearly shows that, with the exception of the screen, dimensions and battery capacity iPhone specifications 6s and iPhone SE are identical. But there is no option with 128 GB of internal memory, which, of course, is a minus (especially considering the possibility of shooting in 4K). In turn, the dimensions and screen make the new product akin to the iPhone 5s, but all other parameters have become much more advanced. Even the battery capacity has increased, although the case is the same.

When it comes to comparison with the Android rival, things are not so simple here. For almost all characteristics Apple devices lag behind, but, as we have repeatedly seen, this may not directly affect real performance and other user qualities. So let's proceed directly to testing.

Packaging and equipment

The packaging of the iPhone SE is much closer to the iPhone 6s than to the iPhone 5s. This is evidenced by the overall light color scheme and the picture on the smartphone screen.

The complete set of Apple smartphones has not contained any surprises for a long time. The novelty is no exception. Here are EarPods, enclosed in a beautiful box, leaflets, Charger(5V 1A), Lightning cable, stickers and SIM cradle eject key.

Design

Now let's look at the design of the iPhone SE itself. The first emotion when you take it out of the box: my God, how small and, at the same time, plump!

In fact, the dimensions of the novelty are exactly the same as those of the iPhone 5s. Down to a millimeter. However, in the two and a half years that have passed since the release of the iPhone 5s, we have become accustomed to being thinner and, of course, much larger screen. No wonder the same Sony model Compact has a diagonal of 4.6 inches. And the Chinese have already stopped releasing smartphones less. So four inches looks like a frank throwback.

But this is exactly the case when the opinion of technologists does not coincide with the opinion of many ordinary users, among whom the iPhone 5s is still popular. And while some of them have this due solely to financial reasons, others simply prefer compact models. The iPhone SE is focused on them.

As a matter of fact, there are only three design differences from the iPhone 5s. The first is the new color Rose Gold. We saw this color in all mobile new Apple products last generation, now it is also available on a compact smartphone. The girls will surely be delighted. Not only is it beautiful in itself, it also emphasizes that you do not have some old iPhone 5s, but the very novelty. That being said, three other color options (gold, dark gray and silver) are also available.

The second design element that has undergone changes compared to the iPhone 5s is the branded bullseye. Now it is not pressed into the metal of the surface, but is made of glossy metal as an independent block, inserted into the body and slightly recessed - like in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. It looks exquisite, but, in essence, this is such a trifle that you can hardly catch your eye, if you do not look carefully.

Finally, the last detail to avoid confusing the iPhone SE with the iPhone 5s is the letters SE right below the word iPhone on the back of the device. However, obviously, this in no way affects the perception of design. The rest of the smartphones are absolutely identical: the material, location and shape of the buttons, connectors - everything is exactly like the iPhone 5s. As a plus, we note that although the camera is much better here, it does not protrude above the body at all (as it is implemented in all iPhones with a six in the name).

An interesting question is which version of the Touch ID fingerprint scanner is installed in the smartphone. As we remember, it debuted in the iPhone 6s / 6s Plus a new version scanner that works faster and more accurately. The owners of these models know that it is enough just to quickly touch your finger and immediately pull it back, so that the smartphone has time to recognize the owner. Since Apple does not provide details on the Touch ID version in the iPhone SE, we tested this with a simple comparison - simultaneously pressing Home button on iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone SE. The result is unambiguous: the fingerprint scanner in the iPhone SE is slower. That is, apparently, here it is the same as in the iPhone 5s.

In general, the design of the iPhone SE can be called a time-tested classic (although it looks somewhat archaic against the background of modern devices, even in the middle segment). Two cosmetic innovations - a new color and a differently executed logo - do not affect the overall impression. In terms of looks, we are just looking at the iPhone 5s. No more and no less, no better and no worse.

Screen

The screen parameters of the iPhone SE do not differ from those of the iPhone 5s: 4-inch diagonal, IPS-matrix with a resolution of 1136 × 640. By modern standards, it is very small: both the diagonal and the resolution (it is difficult to find less than 720p even in the mid-budget segment).

It is also important that the screen of the iPhone SE does not support 3D Touch technology.

However, specifications and the presence or absence of additional technologies is just the tip of the iceberg. Alexey Kudryavtsev, editor of the "Projectors and TV" section, conducted a comprehensive examination of the quality of the iPhone SE screen.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than that of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Apple iPhone SE, then they can be distinguished by their size):

The screen of the Apple iPhone SE is slightly darker (brightness in photographs is 104 versus 110 for the Nexus 7). The doubling of reflected objects in the Apple iPhone SE screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass / air) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but still not better than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are much easier to remove, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of regular glass.

With manual brightness control and with the display of the white field on the whole screen, the maximum brightness value was about 610 cd / m², the minimum - 6 cd / m². The maximum brightness is very high and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be ensured. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. In stock automatic adjustment brightness according to the light sensor (located to the left of the front speaker). V automatic mode when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider - the user can try to set the desired brightness level for the current conditions, but we cannot predict what brightness will be in other conditions and just when changing and returning the ambient light level. If nothing is touched, then in complete darkness, the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 6 cd / m2 (too dark), in an office illuminated with artificial light (about 400 lux), the brightness rises to 100-140 cd / m2 (normal), in in very bright environments (equivalent to a clear day outdoors, but no direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) is set to 500 cd / m² (this is sufficient). We were more satisfied with the variant obtained after several attempts to correct the brightness in various conditions, while for the three conditions indicated above, we got 8, 115 and 600 cd / m². It turns out that the automatic brightness adjustment function works more or less adequately, and there is some opportunity to adjust the nature of the brightness change to the user's requirements, although there are not obvious features in its work. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering (or rather, at the minimum brightness there are very narrow peaks with a frequency of 50 Hz, but the flicker was still not noticed even with great effort).

This smartphone uses an IPS-type matrix. The micrographs show the typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift, even with large gaze deviations from the perpendicular to the screen and without tint inversion. For comparison, we present photographs in which on Apple screens iPhone SE and Nexus 7 display the same images, with the screen brightness initially set to about 200 cd / m² (across the white field across the entire screen, on Apple iPhone SE this corresponds to 60% brightness when using third-party programs), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. Perpendicular to the screens is a white field:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And the test picture:

Color balance differs slightly, color saturation is normal. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens and the contrast remained at a high level. And white box:

The brightness at an angle at the screens decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in exposure), but in the case of the Apple iPhone SE, the drop in brightness is slightly less. The black field, when deviated along the diagonal, is lightened weakly and acquires a light red-violet tint. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is about the same!):

And from a different angle:

When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is good:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is normal - about 760: 1. The response time for the transition black-white-black is 20 ms (11 ms on + 9 ms off). The transition between gray tones of 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes 25 ms in total. The gamma curve, plotted using 32 points with equal intervals in terms of the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. Indicator approximating power function is 1.93, which is below the standard value of 2.2, so the image is slightly lightened. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power-law dependence:

The color gamut is almost equal to sRGB:

Apparently, the matrix filters mix the components to each other to a moderate extent. The spectra confirm this:

As a result, the colors visually have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is slightly higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the spectrum of the absolute black body (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the color temperature and ΔE vary little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of the color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Like in, the iPhone SE has a feature Night shift, which makes the picture warmer at night (how much warmer - the user indicates). The graphs above show the values ​​obtained with the middle position of the parameter slider Color temperature(by the way, correct - "color temperature"), when shifting all the way to Warmer and to Colder(charts are signed in the appropriate way). Yes, the color temperature drops, which is what is required. A description of why such a correction can be useful is given in the referenced article on iPad Pro 9.7. In any case, when having fun with a mobile device at night, it is better to lower the screen brightness to a minimum, but still comfortable level, and only then, to calm your own paranoia, turn the screen yellow by setting Night shift.

Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-reflective properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is also permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, no air gap in the layers of the screen and no flicker, high stability of black to deviation from perpendicular to the plane of the screen, good uniformity of the black field, as well as sRGB color gamut and good color balance. There are no significant shortcomings. At the moment, this is perhaps better display among smartphones with a small screen.

Performance and heating

The iPhone SE runs on the same Apple A9 SoC as the iPhone 6s. This means that there is also an Apple M9 coprocessor, which provides support for the voice unlock function (with the command “Hey Siri!”).

It is important that the CPU frequency of the iPhone SE is not reduced. We described the SoC details in the article about the iPhone 6s, so we will not repeat ourselves and go straight to testing. In addition to the main hero of testing, we included the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 5s in the table, since our main tasks are to understand whether there are any differences in performance of the iPhone SE in comparison with other smartphones on Apple A9, as well as how much faster the new product is than iPhone 5s. As for the comparison with Android competitors, then, as we previously found out, Apple A9 is still the leader, so there is simply no point in such a comparison in the case of the iPhone SE.

Let's start with browser benchmarks: SunSpider 1.0.2, Octane Benchmark, Kraken Benchmark, and JetStream. We used the Safari browser everywhere.

The result is predictable: we see an approximate parity of the iPhone SE and iPhone 6s Plus, as well as a huge superiority (three to four times) over the iPhone 5s. We emphasize that some error could be given by different versions operating systems and browsers, so the slight difference between the two smartphones on Apple A9 shouldn't be confusing.

Now let's see how the iPhone SE performs in Geekbench 3 and AnTuTu 6 - multi-platform benchmarks. Alas, we do not have results for the iPhone 5s, because at the time when we had it for testing, AnTuTu did not support iOS at all, and Geekbench was available in the previous version. Therefore, you will have to be content with the results of the latest smartphones.

Here is a stranger result: a slight, but still present, superiority of the iPhone SE over the iPhone 6s Plus in Geekbench, as well as, on the contrary, a lag in AnTuTu, draws attention.

The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to GPU performance testing. We used 3DMark, GFXBench Metal (in the case of the iPhone 5s, the results are from a simple GFXBench) and Basemark Metal.

Recall that Offscreen tests are displaying a 1080p picture regardless of the actual screen resolution. And Onscreen tests are displaying an image in the resolution that matches the device's screen resolution. That is, the Offscreen tests are indicative from the point of view of the abstract performance of the SoC, and the Onscreen tests - from the point of view of the comfort of the game on a specific device.


(Apple A9) 		Apple iPhone 6s Plus
(Apple A9) 		Apple iPhone 5s
(Apple A7)
GFXBenchmark Manhattan 3.1 (Onscreen) 58.0 fps 27.9 fps —
GFXBenchmark Manhattan 3.1 (1080p Offscreen) 25.9 fps 28.0 fps —
GFXBenchmark Manhattan (Onscreen) 59.4 fps 39.9 fps —
GFXBenchmark Manhattan (1080p Offscreen) 38.9 fps 40.4 fps —
GFXBenchmark T-Rex (Onscreen) 59.7 fps 59.7 fps 25 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen) 74.1 fps 81.0 fps 27 fps

As we can see, even the most resource-intensive 3D scenes do not cause any problems for the iPhone SE. Here, of course, it's not only the SoC, but also the low screen resolution. Hence the difference with the iPhone 6s Plus in Onscreen modes. Curiously, in Offscreen mode, the larger model is slightly superior to the compact newcomer. But the user doesn't care about that. The main thing for him is that any games on the iPhone SE will just fly.

Next test: 3DMark. Here we are interested in the Sling Shot Extreme and Ice Storm Unlimited subtests.

The significant superiority of the iPhone 6s Plus over the iPhone SE in the most severe Sling Shot Extreme test looks rather strange. It would be logical to assume that the GPU of the cheaper iPhone runs at a reduced frequency. And this looks like a completely logical decision, since at a significantly lower screen resolution, the load on the GPU becomes lower.

Finally - Basemark Metal.

And here is a similar picture, which reinforces our assumption made above. But despite the small loss of the iPhone 6s in points, the iPhone SE showed significantly higher frames per second during the test - from 38 to 45, while the iPhone 6s Plus barely jumped over the border of 30 fps. Therefore, even a game of this level will not be a problem for the iPhone SE.

One more thing to note: during testing in Basemark Metal, the iPhone SE got very hot. Below is a thermal image of the rear surface taken after two consecutive runs (approximately 10 minutes of operation) of the Basemark Metal test:

It can be seen that the heating is localized in the upper right part of the device, which, apparently, corresponds to the location of the SoC microcircuit. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 44 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is already very noticeable.

The iPhone 6s Plus has significantly less heating in the same test (more precisely, it is localized in one place, so the smartphone can be comfortably held in your hands). Consequently, although the performance of the iPhone SE is more than enough for any games, and will be enough for another two years, playing really resource-intensive applications may not be entirely comfortable due to the high heating.

Cameras

The main iPhone camera SE in terms of parameters is fully consistent with the iPhone 6s camera. We decided to check if the photo capabilities of the iPhone SE are really not inferior to the current Apple flagship! The examination was carried out by Anton Soloviev.

Like the iPhone 6s, the iPhone SE can shoot 4K video. And the quality of daytime shooting is very good. With night shooting, things are, of course, worse, but still it's not entirely horrible.

Video Sound
Day Shooting 3840 × 2160, 29.97 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 50.5 Mbps AAC LC 84 kbps mono
Night shooting 3840 × 2160, 29.97 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 52.7 Mbps AAC LC 87 kbps mono

Here is a freeze frame from the first video taken during the day (you can click on a screenshot in its original resolution). And it even shows the number of a passing car, not to mention the details in the background!

As a minus, we note the lack of optical stabilization (it is still only in the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus), as well as the fact that the front camera of the iPhone SE has a resolution of only 1.2 megapixels and matches the quality of the iPhone 5s.

Autonomous work

Although the iPhone SE has a larger battery than the iPhone 5s, it is still inferior to the iPhone 6s and, even more so, the 6s Plus.

However, since the screen resolution of the iPhone SE is lower and the screen area is smaller, then the duration autonomous work The iPhone SE is roughly identical to the iPhone 6s. That is, with everyday rather active use, the device will have to be recharged every day, with moderately active use there is a chance that by the end of the day there will still be some charge left.

conclusions

The iPhone SE is arguably Apple's most boring smartphone, in both good and bad ways. There is no innovation here - neither in terms of design, nor in terms of features and hardware platform. In addition, there is nothing new here at all: it is just a hybrid of the previously released devices - iPhone 5s and iPhone 6s. From the first they took the design, screen, fingerprint sensor and front camera, from the second - SoC, RAM, communication capabilities and the main camera. Well, they added a new color - Rose Gold.

However, for those who are not buying innovations, but a device for everyday use, the iPhone SE may be optimal choice, in an amicable way predictable. In the sense that when you buy this smartphone, you know exactly what you will get in the end. There are no pitfalls, no surprises here. Except that the overheating of the device in the most difficult 3D tests upset us a little, but, in fairness, we note that these tests, in principle, would not have gone well on the iPhone 5s. So do not want to overheat - do not load the iPhone SE with games of this level (although they do not exist yet, the benchmark developers are ahead of the game developers).

And the main question that you need to answer to yourself before buying - are you ready to use a smartphone with a small (by today's standards) screen? Some will say: definitely not - let it be at least a super-flagship inside. Obviously, the iPhone SE won't work for these users. And someone will say: yes, I have always dreamed of a compact flagship! It is for such people that the iPhone SE is made. Considering that the price of the iPhone SE is 37,990 rubles for the 16GB version, while the iPhone 6s with the same storage capacity will cost 19,000 more (a difference of one and a half times!), Such an offer seems really attractive. For comparison, the official Sony store sells the Xperia Z5 Compact for the same 37,990 rubles, despite the fact that its performance is lower, the screen is worse (see our testing), the design is less attractive (the body is noticeably thicker, plastic is used as the material, not metal). So fans of compact smartphones, and everyone who, in principle, does not mind a small screen should pay close attention to the iPhone SE.

In conclusion, we suggest watching our video review Apple smartphone iPhone SE:

In the second half of March 2016, the head of Apple presented the new iPhone SE to the world. On the same day, the main characteristics of the new device and the date of its release in the world and the Russian Federation were announced. Tim Cook also announced the approximate price of the gadget, which surprised the audience a lot. It turned out that, despite many advantages, the phone is quite budgetary. Subsequently, this factor had a great influence on the popularity of the iPhone SE.

Already during the presentation, attentive viewers noticed that SE resembles the fifth iPhone in design. And, it should be noted, the characteristics of the device did not impress potential buyers of the novelty either. Whether they changed their mind after purchasing the gadget or were even more disappointed - let's try to figure it out in our review.

The Russian user deciphered the abbreviation in the name of the new iPhone as Special Edition. But what exactly this model is good at is the easiest to identify by comparing it with the gadgets of the fifth and sixth line. At the presentation it was said that the new device is not inferior in performance to its two immediate predecessors. However, the dimensions of the SE, as everyone immediately noticed, turned out to be significantly smaller than other phones from Apple. It is up to the user to decide whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage. Some will be confused by the small display. Others will consider small dimensions as a big plus, because the phone will not be able to slip out of their hands.

Since many users consider the camera to be the main feature in the iPhone, this is exactly what should be emphasized in the SE model. Pros of the camera of the smartphone in question:

  • Improved footage thanks to the 12 MP camera.
  • The ability to shoot 4K video.
  • The availability of creating panoramas with a resolution of 64 MP.
  • Receiving "live" photographs.
  • Excellent shots even at night (the manufacturer has built a two-tone flash into the device).

Of course, all these features will impress anyone. But the other internals of the SE are just as good. At the same presentation, the manufacturer highlighted the following advantages of the model:

  • The presence of the A9 processor.
  • Memory in 2 versions - 16 GB or 64 GB.
  • Built-in Touch ID sensor.
  • A powerful battery that can keep a charge up to 13 hours when actively surfing the network.

So, the iPhone SE is almost no worse than the six S. But, of course, there are a number of differences. Let's say the new product has the first generation Touch ID sensor, and the six S - the second. In addition, the SE version does not include LTE Advanced technology. This negatively affects the speed of data download. And if in the sixth generation gadget the speed indicator is 450 Mbit, then in SE it is 3 times less.

IPhone SE performance

At a time when the release date for the iPhone SE in Russia had not yet been precisely determined, Apple fans already knew a lot about this new product. In particular, many were interested in performance metrics. We will talk about them in more detail later.

The manufacturer installed the A9 chipset in the new gadget. As always, the company did not want to equip the "fresh" device with an old version of the processor. And this is quite understandable, because at the time of the release of SE, more new model- iPhone 7 with A10 chipset.

In addition, due to the presence of the A9 chip and the M9 coprocessor in the SE, Siri's assistant can be used in the background. In order for this assistant to be activated, the phrase "Hey Siri" is enough. The processors for SE were supplied by the Taiwanese company TSMC. But there are also rumors that Samsung Corporation is involved.

According to the test results, it turned out that in terms of performance, the iPhone SE is more powerful than the six S. According to AnTuTu studies, the younger model scored a little more than 133 thousand points, and the older one - 132 points. By comparison, a simple six has only 80 thousand points.


Memory

The amount of "RAM" model SE - 2 GB. As for the built-in memory, users have access to variations of gadgets with memory of 16 and 32 GB. According to research, thanks to the good memory capacity, tabs in the Safari browser are saved for a longer period than in the fifth iPhone. In addition, they are rebooted much less frequently. Thanks to this, the journey through global network becomes more efficient. User can navigate to any open tab without waiting for it to update.

Battery

Journalists of one of the American newspapers tested the iPhone SE and the subject of the duration of the period of its autonomous work. This study also involved iPhones 5 and 6 models S and Samsung Galaxy S7. The new device from Apple proved to be just fine, although the conditions were equal.

It turned out that the iPhone SE lasts 2 hours longer on one full battery charge than other Apple gadgets. And if you compare with Galaxy, then the Korean device was discharged 3 hours earlier than the iPhone SE.

Cameras - main and front

The selfie camera specs of the SE are exactly the same as the S sixes - 1.2MP. The new device has received the function of "live photos", but all gadgets of the sixth line have the same feature (except for a simple six).

Video recording with 4K quality and a frequency of 30 frames per second has become available.

The cost of the iPhone SE in Russia

As noted at the beginning of the article, the price of the smartphone was announced at the presentation. It is very important that the manufacturer did not forget to mention this. For many buyers, the cost of a mobile phone is important factor in deciding whether to buy it. And here Apple was able to grab the attention of fans.

The price of the SE model turned out to be very democratic and at the beginning of sales amounted to about $ 400 (on average, 28,000 rubles). Apple's management has focused on the rich "stuffing" of the device and the same functions. Thus, the SE model became the most inexpensive iPhone in the history of the company. But, what is important, at a low price, the quality remained at the same level.

It is for these reasons that residents of Russia should pay attention to the iPhone SE. According to experts, in our country for such a price it is simply unrealistic to buy a smartphone with a similar set of functions. And, in essence, the SE is a smaller version of the iPhone 6S.

Based on all of the above, it can be argued that the iPhone SE will be a great buy for everyone.

iPhone SE release date in Russia

The release date of this gadget in our country has been slightly shifted. As always, at first the new product was sold in the USA and Europe, and Russia entered the number of countries in the second wave of sales. And in countries such as India, the new device entered the shelves even later.

In Russia, Apple fans were able to purchase an iPhone SE in early April 2016. In the official store of the company on the network, a service of pre-ordering a model was available, which many took advantage of.

A detailed review of the iPhone CE in 2019 - how does it work on iOS 13?

The iPhone SE is Apple's current compact smartphone, which risks remaining the last small iPhone, despite the abundance of rumors about. Should you buy an iPhone SE in 2019? Or should attention be completely shifted to newer models? In that detailed review talked about all the pros and cons iPhone SE in line with modern realities.

Where to Buy iPhone SE Best (September 2019):

We constantly monitor the most low prices on iPhone SE in Russia, updating this section with the latest information. As of September 2019, you can buy the iPhone SE best at the following prices:

  • Temporarily out of stock.

Packaging and equipment

The iPhone SE is referred to as a highly improved version of the iPhone 5s - smartphones are outwardly indistinguishable. However, the packaging of the iPhone SE is more similar to the iPhone 6s. The box of the iPhone SE is made in light colors, on the screen shown on the packaging of the smartphone branded wallpaper, and not the main screen. The packaging definitely looks more modern.

In the configuration, however, without a single surprise. iPhone SE comes with a standard and proven kit that includes:

  • power adapter (5 V / 1 A),
  • Lightning to USB cable
  • EarPods headphones,
  • a paper clip to remove the SIM card tray,
  • stickers,
  • leaflets with user manual.

The general design of the iPhone SE box is at the “Apple” level. Unpacking your smartphone leaves an extremely pleasant feeling - each accessory is taken out with ease.

Design

IPhone SE is made from a rugged aluminum alloy. This is not the 7000 series aluminum used in the aviation industry, which is used in the iPhone 6s / 6s Plus and iPhone 7/7 Plus cases. Bending the body of an iPhone SE isn't an easy task, though.

On the back of the case, at the top and bottom, there are glass inserts, the main purpose of which is to provide signal transmission. However, they also look great outwardly, adding a pleasant contrast to the cover of the smartphone.

The upper glass insert in the corner houses the main camera with a dual LED flash. The fact that the smartphone is exactly the iPhone SE, and not the iPhone 5s, is indicated by the signature “SE”, as well as the Apple logo. It is in the iPhone SE not part of the body, as in the iPhone 5s, but a separate element. This can be seen, and the tactile sensations from the apple are different.

On the front side in the upper part there are: a front camera, a mesh of the earpiece and proximity and lighting sensors. At the bottom there is only one Home button, the most traditional one being mechanical. The button has a built-in Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

On the right side there is a tray for a nanoSIM SIM card.

On the left is a sound mode switch and separate volume buttons. Over time, the buttons do not become tight, they are pressed clearly with a characteristic click and after a year and a half of active use of the device.

At the top, only the power button is presented. The button can slightly dangle to the sides even on a new smartphone - this is the only serious flaw in the assembly of the iPhone SE.

At the bottom there is a speaker, 3.5 mm audio output and a Lightning connector between them.

IPhone SE has matte edges that are more scratch resistant. This item truly unique. The almost identical design of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s had glossy edges, which made them scratch too willingly. The iPhone SE has solved this problem in a simple and elegant way.

What colors is the iPhone SE available in and which one should you choose?

iPhone SE is available in four colors: gray, silver, gold, and rose gold. All the colors are familiar to fans of Apple smartphones - the company has used them in various iPhone models, both old and new.

The unique color for the iPhone SE, like the 4-inch Apple smartphone, is pink. Previous compact iPhones, including the iPhone SE's "little brother," the iPhone 5s, did not come in soft pink. Therefore, the color "rose gold" can be recommended to those who want to clearly distinguish their iPhone SE and exclude the possibility that the smartphone will be confused with the "old" iPhone 5s.

However, most of all the pink model, which is quite obvious, will suit girls and women. The same applies to the gold version, which is very soft and discreet in color.

iPhone SE Silver - Unisex. The color is neutral and very discreet, it will look great on both men and women. The front surface of the silver model is white, which is also important to consider.

The gray color of the iPhone SE is darker than the silver, but the difference is still not huge. A much more obvious difference between the silver and gray models is that the latter has a black front surface. This is the only iPhone SE model with a black front, which is why it is very popular. The gray version of the iPhone SE is most often bought by men, yet it is the most “brutal”.

As of the beginning of 2019, there are iPhone SEs on sale in Russia in all possible colors. There will definitely not be any problems in choosing the right color for yourself.

Ergonomics of iPhone SE - is it convenient to use?

Dimensions iPhone SE - 58.6 × 123.8 × 7.6 mm, weight only 113 g. The smartphone is very light and compact, which is its key advantage over any newer models of Apple smartphones. No other iPhone older than 2015 is as comfortable to use as the iPhone SE.

The smartphone fits easily into almost any pocket, where, due to its size and weight, it is almost invisible. This allows, in principle, not to worry about its transportation, for example, in the summer, when pockets are at a minimum. The small size of the iPhone SE gives you the most pleasant emotions after long-term use of larger smartphones.

Using iPhone SE with one hand is a pleasure. You can easily reach any place on the screen, typing with one hand when the other is busy is not a problem. The form factor of the device for one-handed use is almost ideal.

However, the compactness of the case also has back side... The 4-inch display only contains very tiny interface elements that are sometimes difficult to hit. The greatest inconvenience occurs when working with the keyboard - software the keys you want you often miss.

Display

iPhone SE features a 4-inch, 1136-by-640-pixel IPS display. The aspect ratio of the display is 1.775: 1 - the display is far from full-format fashion in 2019. On the one hand, this makes the iPhone SE's screen look somewhat backward. On the other hand, any videos are played in the entire display, without any border bars or unpleasant forced zooming.

The pixel density of the iPhone SE display is 326 ppi. It is far from a record, but it is not possible to distinguish pixels with the naked eye on the screen, which is, of course, the main thing. The maximum display brightness is 500 cd / m². It is more than enough for comfortable use of the smartphone on a bright sunny day. Note the traditionally high-quality work of the light sensor for Apple smartphones. When Auto Brightness is on (since iOS 11 Apple hid her) the brightness of the display is adjusted as quickly as possible, but without sudden changes. The screen contrast of the iPhone SE is 800: 1.

The color rendition of the display fully corresponds to the coverage of sRGB, the viewing angles are wide. Highlights do not show up even in a dark room when watching any videos - LED backlight very uniform.

The stock iPhone SE protective glass also has scratch protection. The glass covering the screen does its job properly. It is quite possible to leave micro-scratches on it, but it certainly will not be covered with them at the first contact.

The iPhone SE display does not support 3D Touch, a unique Apple technology that monitors pressure applied to the display. In technical terms, the iPhone SE is almost identical to the iPhone 6s, but the smartphone, unfortunately, did not adopt this important feature.

Performance and applications

At the heart of the iPhone SE is Apple's A9 dual-core 64-bit processor and M9 coprocessor, the same as those found in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Clock frequency each processor core is 1.84 GHz. The six-core PowerVR GT7600 video chip is responsible for graphics processing. The amount of RAM type LPDDR4 is 2 GB.

On paper, the characteristics of the iPhone SE look rather weak for 2019, in which even the most budgetary Android smartphones are equipped with 6-8-core processors. But Apple has never sought to outstrip competitors in bare numbers, focusing on optimization. How is the iPhone SE doing in 2019 in terms of performance?

Let's start with synthetic tests. In the Geekbench 4 benchmark, the smartphone scored 2383 points in single-core and 4116 points in multi-core. Let's make comparisons with other smartphones. The iPhone 6s, which is based on a similar system based on the Apple A9 chip, is left behind by a decent margin. But the newer iPhone 7 (processor A10 Fusion) is noticeably ahead, the quad-core chip does its job.


The position of the iPhone SE is much better compared to Android smartphones. Apple's latest compact smartphone outperforms many current devices in single-core tests. In multi-core mode, the iPhone SE does not have to compete with new smartphones running Android, since the latter have more cores.

In testing graphics system in the Geekbench 4 benchmark, the iPhone SE scored 10,275 points. Excellent performance, which is again higher than the iPhone 6s (9931), but less than the iPhone 7 (12693).

Separately, consider the difference between the iPhone SE and its predecessor compact model, the iPhone 5s. In terms of performance, the iPhone SE is far ahead. In the Geekbench 4 benchmark, the iPhone 5s scored only 1265 points in single-core mode, 2143 in multi-core, and only 569 points in graphics testing.


For the sake of completeness, let's compare the performance of the iPhone SE with two current Android smartphones from the same price category (up to 19,000 rubles). The ambitious Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018), powered by an eight-core Exynos 7870 processor, has frankly lost. In single-core mode, it earned only 726 points, in multi-core - 3650.

Very popular in Russia Xiaomi Redmi The Note 5 performed slightly better. He has 1325 points in single-core mode and 4814 in multi-core. Thus, the real competitors of the iPhone SE in its same price range generally show similar or worse results. Considering that the iPhone SE is two years older than the new products, Apple's compact smartphone should be given its due.

Synthetic testing shows that the iPhone SE remains relevant in 2019. But what in practice? iPhone SE does an excellent job of running any applications and games, including "heavy" ones. Downloading applications occurs in a matter of seconds, the same applies to games, including the latest. For example, one of the most popular and demanding games World of Tanks Blitz runs on iPhone SE at maximum settings. The game runs stably, without drops in frame rate, even in intense battles.

Another thing is that it is not very convenient to play multiplayer games like World of Tanks Blitz on the 4-inch display of the iPhone SE. The iPhone SE is definitely not the best smartphone for gaming, but a lot depends on habit. The main thing is that the performance of the smartphone is fully sufficient to support such resource-intensive games without much difficulty.

It is important to note that after the release of iOS 11, the iPhone SE began to feel much slower, just like all other Apple smartphones. Because of this, a huge amount of criticism fell on the American company, which prompted Apple to finally take action. As a result, iOS 12, the final version of which will be released in September 2019, significantly accelerates all Apple mobile devices, including the iPhone SE.

How iPhone SE works on iOS 13

We are currently testing the iPhone SE on iOS 13 and will update this section after the test results.

How does iPhone SE run on iOS 12?

The topic of the iPhone SE running iOS 12 needs more attention. After switching to iOS 12, the smartphone seems to be transformed and becomes rapidly fast against the backdrop of the unsuccessful iOS 11. All basic actions on the iPhone SE are performed in a split second. Most of all, the flawlessly smooth animation and the speed of opening the keyboard are surprising. iOS 11 taught iPhone SE users that animations should slow down and the keyboard should open within two seconds. iOS 12 retrains back.

A side-by-side comparison of iOS 12 and iOS 11.4 on iPhone SE is available by this link .

iOS 12 sped up all iPhones and iPads, but on newer devices, the speed gains are less noticeable. But on the iPhone SE, the increase in performance is noticeable from the very first unlocking. And this cannot but rejoice, since such a fast iPhone SE at such a low price, which is gradually continuing to fall, is a very advantageous offer.

At the same time, iOS 12 brings a lot of innovations to the iPhone SE. The full changelog for iOS 12 is available in our.

Memory. Which iPhone SE should you buy - 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB?

iPhone SE comes in four different storage options: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. However, by the beginning of 2019, only three configurations remained on sale: with 16, 32 and 128 GB. Which one is the most profitable to buy?

In the case of the iPhone SE, a unique situation developed in early 2019. The smartphone has become much cheaper in the last year and a half, its price has almost halved (just compare it with the official one from Apple). Moreover, all models of the iPhone SE fell in price from the base, then the most advanced with 128 GB of memory.

Smartphones have been falling in price unevenly, as a result of which the difference in their cost has decreased compared to the original. iPhone SE with 16GB of storage (only the refurbished version remains on sale) sells for just 16 990 rubles, but by adding 1,500 rubles, you can already take a model with 32 GB of memory for 18 490 rubles... Throwing in another 4000 rubles, you can take the top model with 128 GB of memory for 22,990 rubles .

The choice should be based on financial capabilities. The model with 16 GB of memory will hit the wallet least of all, but it will not work to roam the storage. This version of the smartphone can be recommended to those who do not mind from time to time to reset all photos and videos from mobile device to your computer, thereby freeing up space. But to whom it definitely cannot be recommended is those who want to install the entire set of important applications and several large modern games. The latter will occupy the lion's share of the storage and it will become uncomfortable to use the smartphone.

The best option is an iPhone SE with 32GB of storage. Compared to the 16GB model, you only need to pay 1,500 rubles, and the difference in memory capacity is twofold. On 32 GB of memory, everything will fit without problems required applications and games, plus there will be plenty of room for photos and videos. At one "perfect" moment, the memory is likely to fill up, especially if you are an active user. But after uploading the captured photos and videos to the computer, the problem will be removed again.

And finally iPhone version SE with 128 GB of storage. The choice for those who just don't want to think about the state of iPhone storage. Buying this model at the beginning of 2019 has become really profitable. More recently, the difference in price between the iPhone SE 32 GB and the iPhone SE 128 GB was 8-10 thousand rubles. Now only 4,000 rubles.

The big advantage of iOS is that the system requires a minimum of memory

Even an iPhone SE with 16GB of storage will be relatively comfortable to use due to an important feature operating system iOS. Unlike Android, iPhone firmware takes up little memory space. On the iPhone SE, it sits at 4-6 GB depending on the version and no longer expands in a way that is invisible to the user, as is the case with other smartphones.

For the 16GB iPhone SE, this really matters. Out of the box, about 10-12 "clean" gigabytes will be available on it. On Android smartphones with a similar amount of memory, sometimes only 5-6 GB are left at the user's disposal. Have to buy microSD cards which are neither fast nor easy to use.

Refurbished iPhone SE - is it worth buying?

Should you buy a refurbished iPhone SE? Yes. Especially given that at the beginning of 2019, this is the only opportunity to get the most affordable iPhone SE with 16GB of storage. No other versions of the restored iPhone SE have been delivered to Russia yet. It is assumed that this is due to the large stock in stores. new iPhones SE, which are actively sold out.

IPhone SE protection system

The iPhone SE takes over many of the features from the iPhone 6s, but unfortunately not a fingerprint scanner. The iPhone SE comes with a first-generation Touch ID fingerprint module, just like the iPhone 5s / 6.

Despite this, Touch ID in the iPhone SE is not at all as slow as in the same iPhone 6. The scanner “pulls out” the powerful Apple A9 processor. And he does it with great diligence - the speed of fingerprint recognition on the iPhone SE feels like one and a half higher than that of the iPhone 6/6 Plus. The fingerprint scanner in the iPhone SE can be called Touch ID 1.5. It is noticeably faster than that in the iPhone 5s / 6, but still slower than the fully updated model in the iPhone 6s / 7/8.

iPhone SE - Is It Easy to Break or Not? Maintainability assessment

The small size makes the iPhone SE feel very durable. Alas, this feeling is in many ways deceptive. Dozens of different tests, including those carried out in professional laboratories, have proven that it is better not to drop the iPhone SE.

The aluminum back of the iPhone SE does not suffer when dropped, but the protective glass on the front surface breaks too easily. In addition, in case of more or less strong falls, the iPhone SE case "unsticks" - the front part moves away from the back, most often at the corners. The fact that the iPhone SE does not like falls is a must before buying a smartphone. For example, in order to buy a good protective case or glass on the front surface even before purchasing (more about accessories in the next section).

It is not very difficult to repair an iPhone SE, which is a big plus. Also on the plus side is that many iPhone 5s components are compatible with the iPhone SE. Finding the component you need to replace is easy.

If you have the necessary tools (the main thing is a five-sided screwdriver and a suction cup), perform Repair iPhone SE can be done at home. Below are the detailed instructions for disassembling and replacing the main components of a smartphone:

  • How to change the display on iPhone 5s
  • How to replace battery on iPhone 5s(the instructions are identical for the iPhone SE).

How to protect iPhone SE?

iPhone SE has the same dimensions as iPhone 5s. The location of the camera peephole is also the same, so all iPhone 5s accessories fit the iPhone SE as well. This means that tens of thousands of different covers, clip cases, screen protectors, glasses and other goodies are available for the iPhone SE for every taste. And this is really great, since not the most durable iPhone SE needs protection like no other Apple smartphone, perhaps, except for glass iPhone 8 , iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X .

The weakest part of the iPhone SE is the glass that covers the display. Protective films and tempered glasses, which are sold in huge quantities on AliExpress at the most pleasant prices... On this page we selected best films and glass for the iPhone SE, which are time-tested.

If you have no desire to wait for delivery from AliExpress, then buy high-quality protective glasses possible in large Russian stores... We studied the offers of retailers and identified the following options: Red Line glass ( 390 rubles), Luxcase glossy glass ( 1,499 rubles), frosted glass Luxcase ( 699 rubles).

The selection of cases for the iPhone SE is incredible. On the same AliExpress, there are thousands of different covers, bumpers and clip cases from simple ones with a funny design to seriously reinforced ones. On this page we've handpicked the best regular iPhone SE cases, and by this link- Proven protective covers, including those with all-round protection.

In Russian stores, where delivery is not required, there are also many cases for iPhone SE. First of all, let's highlight the official leather clip case for iPhone SE from Apple. Yes, it is more expensive than conventional models, but its durability fully justifies the price. Among the more affordable models, we note world championship case on football in Russia and useful battery cover doubling the battery life of the iPhone SE.

How long will the iPhone SE be relevant? What firmware will it support?

iPhone SE, as expected, received iOS support 12, and this will not be the last update for the smartphone. The device will be able to update to all new firmware until at least 2021, when it turns five years old. This means the following updates will arrive on the iPhone SE: iOS 13, iOS 14, and iOS 15.

Moreover, in recent years, Apple has begun to change its strategy for releasing updates for old iPhones and iPad. Previously, the company stopped supporting devices in the year when they turned five years old. Now Apple provides Latest updates on iPhone and iPad for six years. If Apple continues to adhere to the updated strategy, then the iPhone SE will be able to update to iOS 16 in 2022 (!).

Sound

The iPhone SE only has one speaker, but it sounds great. The sound is loud and clear, without unpleasant distortion. The speaker will allow you to communicate with high quality speakerphone, and watch a clip, and just listen to music in the absence of a wireless speaker.

The iPhone SE sounds decent in headphones. Even the included standard EarPods headphones will allow you to evaluate the sound of your smartphone. The sound, of course, will not be phenomenal, but you will be able to enjoy your favorite tracks.

The secret to the great sound of the iPhone SE lies in the use of two DACs in a smartphone at once. These are the flagship audio chip Cirrus Logic 338S00105 and audio codec Cirrus Logic 338S1285 at the time of the release of the iPhone SE. It should be emphasized that Apple was not stingy and equipped the iPhone SE with an audio chip similar to that installed in the iPhone 6s, although it could save money and take the chip from the same iPhone 5s.

Battery and run time

Lithium polymer capacity iPhone battery SE is equal to 1642 mAh. The indicator sounds, to put it mildly, weak, but not for this compact smartphone. In our tests, the iPhone SE lasted over 11 hours of YouTube video playback at medium display brightness and 10 hours of Wi-Fi surfing. In normal use, the smartphone lives freely from early morning until late at night.

But that impressive battery life, longer than the iPhone 6s, won't always be there. The iPhone SE's battery capacity is low, so it loses its original capacity relatively quickly. On our working iPhone SE after a year and a half, the remaining battery capacity was 92%.

What is the threat of a decrease in the residual capacity of the battery? Firstly, the smartphone starts to discharge faster. And secondly, when the threshold of 80% of the residual capacity on the iPhone SE is reached, sensational feature, which automatically limits the maximum performance of the device.

The existence of such a feature does not mean that the iPhone SE is not worth buying. The critical threshold of 80% of the residual capacity is reached only after three to four years of misuse of the smartphone. To learn how to use your iPhone properly so that the battery lasts as long as possible, you can from of this article .

As for the charging time of the iPhone SE battery, it is 1 hour 40 minutes using the standard charger.

How to Charge iPhone SE Faster?

iPhone SE charges from 0 to 100% in 100 minutes with a standard power adapter. But if you take a charger with increased power, then the process of charging a smartphone can be accelerated immediately by 40-50 minutes. Best for accelerated charging iPhone SE will do 12W iPad charger .

We emphasize that there is no threat to the iPhone or its battery due to charging with a more powerful adapter. This is stated by Apple itself on its official website.

Is it profitable to take the iPhone SE - will there be problems with the subsequent sale?

Experts in the Russian smartphone market recognize the iPhone SE as one of the best smartphones to buy in 2019 in terms of subsequent resale. For the last two iPhone years SE has fallen in price a lot. To such an extent that analysts do not expect a similar large price reduction, rather the stocks of the iPhone SE in stores will completely run out.

Since the iPhone SE will not actively fall in price in retail, its price will be fixed in the secondary market as well. Thanks to this, the smartphone purchased in 2019 will be able to be resold without any problems in a year or two at a minimally reduced price. Of course, if the state of the smartphone is excellent.

Cameras, examples of photos and videos

The main camera of the iPhone SE - Sony IMX315 Exmor RS module - is single, completely recessed into the body. The camera's resolution is 12 megapixels, the pixel size is 1.19 microns, the aperture is f / 2.2. The camera can take photos with a resolution of 4032 × 3024 pixels and videos with a resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels.

The five-element camera lens has a sapphire coating, which reliably protects it from external factors. Scratching the lens to such an extent that it negatively affects the shooting is almost impossible. Also, the camera is equipped with support for digital image stabilization, HDR mode and face recognition in photos.

Day Shooting

In good natural light, the iPhone SE takes great pictures with high level detailing even in the distant shots.

The iPhone SE's camera faithfully reproduces colors - it's traditional distinctive feature cameras of Apple smartphones. Colors are rendered exactly as they are in real life, without embellishment.

When shooting very distant objects, a drop in detail begins to be noticed.

The camera tries hard when working in the shadows, but in some cases it fails.

It should be noted the excellent color reproduction and the absence of any distortion in the corners of the frame.

Evening photography

When there is less natural light, the camera has its first serious problems. The work of the noise reduction tool becomes visible at the edges of the frame, but the color rendition remains excellent (pay attention to the woman and man in the lower right corner).

IPhone SE lets you shoot great shots in the evening or on cloudy days.

Lack of light affects detail when photographing people, so it is advisable to keep an eye on the location of the light source.

In the image above, you can see how detail gradually decreases as you move away from the center of the image.

Night shooting

At night, the iPhone SE's camera starts to fail. On the smartphone screen, the resulting images look good, but on the monitor it is easy to see both low detail and the noise reduction.

The search for a good angle helps. The example above shows that a high-quality photo can be taken at night on the iPhone SE. Of course, provided there is sufficient artificial lighting.

Sample Videos on iPhone SE

iPhones are considered to be one of the best smartphones for video shooting. The iPhone SE is no exception in this regard. "Kid" allows you to shoot great videos in almost any light. Digital image stabilization eliminates any shaking, there are no jerks when moving the smartphone, the detail is at a decent level.

The front camera of the iPhone SE OmniVision OV2E0BNN received a resolution of only 1.2 megapixels. Aperture size - f / 2.4. "Front camera" is a frankly weak point of the iPhone SE, since really high-quality selfies on it can be taken only in excellent lighting conditions, and even those pictures will not be without flaws.

Specifications Apple iPhone SE

  • Display- 4-inch Retina HD. Resolution 1136x640 pixels (326 ppi).
  • Camera- 12 megapixels, photo resolution 4032 x 3024 pixels, digital image stabilization, video shooting with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels.
  • Front-camera- 1.2 megapixels.
  • CPU- 64-bit dual-core Apple A9 @ 1.84 GHz, M9 motion coprocessor.
  • Memory- 2 GB of RAM (LPDDR4), 16/32/64/128 GB of internal memory.
  • Sensors- barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, first generation Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
  • Connection- LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41), Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi (802.11), NFC, Apple Pay.
  • Battery- lithium polymer with a capacity of 1642 mAh, non-removable.
  • Dimensions (edit)- 58.6 x 123.8 x 7.6 mm.
  • The weight- 113 g.