The iPhone SE still looks modern, although it is so small that it looks strange to its older brothers.
Csar Salza / CNET
The iPhone SE It is the cheapest Apple iPhone that can still be purchased in operators and in free format in several countries. Its original release was in March 2016, although it received an update on its internal specifications in 2017 that made it more attractive for iOS lovers and probably small cell phones.
I tried to launch this cell phone, which competes at that time with the iPhone 6S and the Galaxy S7, and now I have spent 48 hours using it as the main cell phone, in full 2019, when I usually use the huge iPhone XS Max for work and the Galaxy S10 – or the trendy Android – for tests with this operating system.
And, since 2016 things have changed a lot, and mobile cell phone trends lead us to huge screens, less bezels and fingerprint sensors on the screen. The iPhone XS and XS Max themselves have reduced their bezels and eliminated the mystical Start button – although the iPhone 8 They still have it. Is it worth an iPhone SE today? Har Apple a new iPhone SE 2019? Here my analysis and opinion about it.
The iPhone SE in the palm of my hand, although with many edges that are no longer fashionable.
Csar Salza / CNET
iPhone SE: What does it offer in 2019?
The iPhone SE in full 2019 has a great advantage: Apple has confirmed that it is updated to iOS 13, so if you have this cell phone or simply want to buy one, at least you have the certainty that you will have many of the novelties of the company's new operating system.
I have tried it with iOS 12.4 and this is just one of the most important factors of this cell phone and Apple in general. The company continues to support the device, which makes its features make it a cell phone that you can continue to use without major complications.
But … let's start this walk with the design.
The iPhone XS Max, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone SE, three generations totally different from each other.
Csar Salza / CNET
Design: Current, although not as modern
If we look back, the iPhone SE copied the best of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6, to get a casual style on a cell phone with mid-range aspirations. This cell phone prevented the camera from excelling, something that today's phones cannot say, although each design has its own reason for removing them from the device's body.
Something you might like about this cell phone is how easy it is to use when you have it in your hand. Its 4-inch screen may not be the best, but the form factor certainly makes it easy to use.
The iPhone 8, for example, has a larger screen, but it also grows in size, and is no longer as light or simple to handle with one hand. The form factor of the iPhone SE is one of its great positive points that make it modern and gil. Using it for 48 hours I could appreciate its light weight and small size, because the iPhone XS Max is huge in comparison.
Speed: Not so fast, not so slow
When I used the iPhone SE I realized that despite its powerful A9 processor, the 2GB of RAM make a big difference when compared to its successors, and especially with the iPhone XS Max, which is the jewel of the current crown .
Not that some apps open slower – a few milliseconds – and although it may seem silly, if you come from a fast cell phone, these things are noticeable. Of course, after the first hours with this phone, I already got used to its speed of loading websites or downloading apps, and being honest I can perfectly use the iPhone SE in 2019.
Touch ID vs. Face ID
The iPhone's fingerprint sensor was always one of the best on a cell phone. Its ease of use, and the security it transmits to users is still alive, and using it in these 48 hours has been a pleasure. But, being honest, Face ID is faster, and it basically feels like you don't have to unlock your cell phone.
The iPhone SE vs. the iPhone 8: a 2016 model versus the 2017 design.
Csar Salza / CNET
Headphone port
The iPhone SE can be considered the last Apple cell phone with a headset port, because the phone that came immediately afterwards, the iPhone 7, removed the port. This cell phone allows you to use your special headphones without the need for a connector, although for me this detail has never been a drama, especially since I use AirPods with almost any cell phone or computer.
Battery: As decent as the iPhone XS
The iPhone has never been the cell phone with the longest battery life. However, the iPhone SE can give us up to 13 hours of use, while in tests the iPhone XS can give us up to 13 and a half hours, so as you can see, the iPhone SE stays up to the most modern phones.
iPhone SE, iPhone 8, iPhone XS Max, with different modules for the camera and designs.
Csar Salza / CNET
IPhone SE camera: An is enough
Yes, the main camera of the iPhone SE is not double, but still makes good photographs with its 12 megapixels, like that of the iPhone 6S. We are not going to cheat you, you cannot do portrait mode, nor effects in general, but the photographs are pretty decent.
iPhone SE vs. iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max
We are not going to compare them in features. But although the iPhone SE is still a worthy phone in 2019, Apple's new cell phones have many improvements. Of course if its size, features and price are good for you, you know that the phone has pros and cons in each category.
The new iPhone are better and have evolved in different details:
- Best cameras: We don't just talk about the double camera of the iPhone XS and XS Max. Yes, it is true, the iPhone SE allows you to record up to 4K, but it has neither the effects, the hardware nor the software improvements of the new cell phones. Yes, the iPhone XR has only one sensor, but it has larger pixels, portrait mode and better video recording.
- Best screens: The new screens are larger, have better resolution and quality and now fewer edges, which makes the phones have slightly reduced their size.
- Gesture Control: Because there is no longer a fingerprint sensor or physical button, everything happens on the panel, and this has allowed us to have different gestures to close apps or access notifications. To this we must add that the iPhone SE does not have Touch ID, something that the most recent cell phones have.
iPhone SE 2 or iPhone SE 2019: A new cheap iPhone?
The latest rumors say that Apple will release three cell phones at its September event. Of course, we all expect the evolution of the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR but … and if one of these phones is the iPhone SE 2 or iPhone SE 2019?
It won't be crazy after Apple released the phone for sale at special prices to clean its stores. We can see, for example, an iPhone SE 2 with iPhone XS body but heart of iPhone 8, which will make a new mutant as it was the original version, which gave the body of the iPhone 5 with features of the iPhone 6.
This video concept presents an iPhone SE 2019 that will integrate certain design lines of the original iPhone SE, a back that reminds of the iPhone 8, and a front of the iPhone XS, an explosive mix that many would probably like to see.
Watch this:
These will be the three iPhones of 2019
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