iPhone SE Deals

The exterior: if looks could kill…

The iPhone SE comes in 4 different matte metallic finishes, giving a sleek and sexy impression for what is basically a budget model. Choose from rose gold, gold, silver or space grey.

It’s a lightweight carry at 113g (one gram less than an unopened Pot Noodle, if you want to contextualise that. Don’t pretend you’ve never touched a Pot Noodle). It’s got a 4 inch HD Retina display with multi-touch functionality.

Depending on the type of user you are, the size can be a plus or a minus (so basically, the old adage about “It’s not how big; it’s what you do with it”…) Die-hard YouTubers, Netflix-bingers and big-time internet users will probably find the small screen a nuisance to deal with, having to endlessly zoom and scroll websites or squint to make out the finer details in House of Cards. However, music fans, casual internet surfers, mobile gamers, WhatsAppers and the like will probably rejoice at having a phone which actually fits in one hand. No need to get cramp reaching your thumb to the top of the screen. No need to drop your phone repeatedly because your tiny dinosaur hands can’t quite reach round its girth.

The spec: a little phone goes a long way

This nippy little iPhone is available as a 16GB or 64GB model. The 64GB is imminently more practical for people who want to download programmes, store their whole music collection, or take a ton of photos. The 16GB will work fine for anyone who spends more time in their day looking at people’s faces or other real-world objects not filtered through a screen.

The battery life is way improved since the 5s, with best case scenarios of 14 hours of talk time, 13 hours of Wi-Fi, 13 hours of video playback or 10 days on standby.

One really nice touch is that although it’s a “mini” model, the processing speed matches the bigger iPhones as they share the same 64 bit A9 chip. Apple reckons this will give the SE “blazing fast speeds”. Additionally, the embedded M9 motion coprocessor also matches the more expensive models, so games graphics will flow just as smoothly.

The home button: there’s no place like it…

Make friends with Siri on the iPhone SE, to search information, set reminders, get access to hands-free controls, use handy music identification and all those other tasks you’ve been wanting to get a PA for.

You can use Touch ID to unlock the phone and make AppStore purchases, which is a handy addition. It also works with Apple Pay, so you will be able to use your SE like a contactless credit card in any participating shops.

What the home button doesn’t have is the 3D Touch function. Arguably, it’s not as important (you won’t need the screen-shrinking Reachability Mode on this smaller display), but you might miss it if it’s something you’ve already got used to. This added dimension of interactivity has proved popular with iPhone users for its speedy shortcuts, instinctive controls and clever deployment in certain apps (applying more pressure for a darker brushstroke in an art app, for example).

The cameras: take a long, hard look at your selfie

Apple haven’t skimped on the cameras on the SE, so you’ll get a 12‑megapixel iSight camera with five-element lens, autofocus, panorama, HDR, timer, face detection, geotagging, and the fun Live Photos feature. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a cool little trick where taking a single snap stores a series of images from just before and just after the camera press, bringing memories to life.

When it comes to filming, you’ve got 4K video recording at 30 fps, or 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps (or 720p HD video recording at 30 fps if that’s not quite enough fpses for you). You’ll have fun with the slo-mo functions, as well as time-lapse, playback zoom, and the ability to take still snapshots even while filming (if in 4k mode).

Selfie lovers will be pleased with their FaceTime HD camera taking 1.2‑megapixel photos and performing 720p HD video recording. It’s got a flash, HDR, face detection and timer mode (so you can take a selfie but look totally cool about it, with your arms folded in front of your chest).

And last, but not least…

Oh yeah… it makes phone calls too.