Is the iPhone SE still worth it?

So, you want to get into the whole iPhone game and the iPhone SE seems like a pretty good choice considering its price (at the time of this writing) being ~ Rs. 19000. But you're confused by the various choices in the android segment and not sure about the whole small 4-inch display.

Well, let me help you make a decision.

Introduction

So, I've been using the iPhone SE 32GB as my daily driver ever since I bought it with my own money in September of 2017 which means that I've been using this phone non-stop for almost 5 months now. This also means that I'm probably in a better position than most "reviewers" since it has been my only phone for a substantial period of time. Hence, I can tell you about how the phone has aged since I took it out of that shiny little white box.

Design

The iPhone SE shares its design with iPhone 5/5S which were released way back in 2012 and 2013 respectively. This, however does not mean that the phone looks bad. No Sir! In fact, in my opinion it is the best iPhone that Apple has ever designed. And yes, that includes the controversial iPhone X. The flat design, chamfered edges and combination of glass and metal on the back looks just as classic and elegant as it did in the 5/5S era, if not more, because the chamfers have been made matte instead of glossy in the older phones. Also, since the dimensions of the SE are the same as the 5/5S, there is no shortage of cases, covers and other accessories for it as well. However, i do have one little gripe with the SE's volume and power buttons. They just seem a bit loose, as in, there is a noticeable wobble when you press them. Something that was not present in my 5S that i was using before the SE.

Display

The display is one thing about the iPhone SE that might seem not that great in 2018. In the age of Infinity AMOLED displays, the SE has a humble IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1136x640. There is nothing wrong with being a LCD or anything wrong with the unit inside the SE itself. Its just that its nothing special and nothing to write home about. The 4-inch size of it is again, as small as the come, in this day and age. The display is simply functional and gets the job done. For what its worth, the iPhone's display is pretty color accurate if that kind of stuff matters to you.

Performance

iPhone 6S's A9 chip alongwith its 2GB RAM powers the iPhone SE. The A9 chip (which in itself is quite powerful) combined with the small and low resolution (still retina, though) display means that the SE is one of the best performing iPhones that you can buy. It even beats the 6S in some scenarios. Performance is definitely a strong suit of this little sucker which sails smoothly through anything that you can throw at it.

Camera

The front facing camera of the iPhone SE is the same as 5S which is to say, nothing great. Its okay for selfies to upload to social media but don't expect outstanding results from it. It actually is quite disappointing that Apple didn't upgrade this aspect of this, otherwise amazing device. It does have a retina flash which means that in dark situations the whole display of the SE acts as a flash for the front facing camera.

While the front facing shooter is a disappointment the camera on the back is in a league of its own. Its the same sensor as is found in the 6S from which the SE seems to have borrowed a lot of its innards. Color, dynamic range, sharpness and detail, all these aspects of photography are captured beautifully by the 12 Mpix sensor with dual LED flash. There is also 4K video support alongwith 1080p video recording @60 FPS. The camera can also capture Slow motion video at 1080p and 720p with 120 and 240 FPS respectively. Basically, camera and picture quality is something that you need not worry about with the SE.

Battery Life

One Word. Awesome! The SE is probably my first phone which I don't need to plugin before the day is over. Infact, if you (like me) are a light to medium user, you might even make through two days on a single charge. A slightly bigger battery with the power savings that the A9 brings to the table make the SE, the device with the most stamina within the whole iPhone catalogue (except for probably the PLUS models).

Conclusion

Reading my insight about living with the iPhone SE might be making you quite eager to click that link below and quickly snatch one up for yourself, but before you do that I must bring two important points before you.

(i) iPhone SE2 might just be around the corner. If the rumors are to be believed, the iPhone SE2 might be released sometime during WWDC 2018 which takes place in June. I know it is some ways off but still, some people might not like the fact that come June, their shiny new iPhone is already old. With that being said, there is a silver lining, even if the SE2 is launched by Apple in June of 2018. The iPhone SE, when it was released, cost around Rs. 30,000/- for the 16GB version. This means that when (and if) the SE2 is launched, expect its price to be somewhere around the Rs. 35,000/- mark. This means that SE and SE2 are not really comparable as both would exist in completely different price brackets.

(ii) Many people might find it hard to adjust to small size of the phone as well as (and perhaps, more importantly) the display. People coming from an older iPhone will feel right at home with the SE. However, those coming from a phone with a bigger and (god forbid) a higher resolution display might find it harder to adjust to the small (and comparatively) puny display. If, however, you feel that the small display is a non-issue and you are in the market for a sleek, fast and a phone with a timeless and classic design, the iPhone SE might just be the best fit for you!

P.S.- If you do get an SE, well, good for you! I do have a little suggestion, though. iOS 11 sucks. Do not update if you get one with iOS 10.x.x.