It had been over two years since Apple released a 4-inch smartphone thanks to the switch that was made in 2014, coming in with two variants of the iPhone 6 – a slightly larger-than-normal 4.7-inch variant and a huge 5.5-inch Plus model.
These were refined in the following year as Apple went for the same sized phones, coming in with an improved iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. However, the company realized that the iPhone 5S was still being demanded in some markets and as a result opted to refresh the pint-sized phone with a new iPhone SE.
The iPhone SE is a cheaper option for lovers of Apple’s smartphones, but it still packs the latest hardware specs as well as standards, just like you’d expect from an iPhone. The phone targets those persons who were somehow not impressed with the switch from 4-inch display screens to 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch panels.
Apple used new hardware from iPhone 6S to come up with the iPhone SE, but the two are obviously separated by size. Still, not everything you find on the larger 6S is present on the SE, there are some subtle differences between the two other than size. Here’s a closer look at the two Apple phones,
Display and design
The design of the two phones is also somewhat different. While both units have an aluminum body, the iPhone SE is thicker than the flagship 6S. However, the latter is heavier, longer and taller than the former.
As pointed out earlier, these two are separated by size. The iPhone SE has a 4-inch display panel as compared to the 4.7-inch available on the iPhone 6S. The display quality you get on the two phones is the same, although with slight differences in resolutions. As for the 6S, it has a resolution of 750p whereas the SE manages a resolution of 640p, however, both phones have the same pixel density of 326ppi.
While the two might seem to have the same quality in display, the iPhone 6S gets an upper hand thanks to the addition of 3D Touch.
Hardware specs and battery life
The internals of the iPhone SE are more of the same as those available on the iPhone 6S. But just like the design and display, there are slight differences between the two devices’ specs and battery capacity. The iPhone 6S gets the upper hand in terms of storage options as it comes with a 128GB variant in addition to the 64GB and 16GB. The iPhone SE only has the last two options available. As for the processor, both phones pack the same A9 chipset as well as an M9 coprocessor.
You will still be able to make Apply Pay transactions via this pint-sized phone, just like with the case of the larger phone. However, the iPhone SE uses a first gen Touch ID to authorize these transactions, which is 2x slower than the second gen version used on the iPhone 6S.
The smaller iPhone SE gets a slightly smaller battery of 1642mAh as compared to the 1715mAh available on the iPhone 6S. However, recent stats indicate that the iPhone SE has the best battery life of any current iPhone on the market.
Camera and pricing
A further look at the camera specs of these two devices will reveal even more subtle differences. While the two share the same 12MP iSight camera on the rear, the iPhone 6S has a better front-facing camera of 5MP as compared to the 1.2MP available on the iPhone SE.
There are even more differences when it comes to pricing. The base model of iPhone 6S is currently priced at $649. As for the 64GB and 128GB models, you will need to shell out $749 and $849 respectively. This is way more than what the iPhone SE is valued at, with the base model currently selling at $399 whereas the 64GB variant demands an amount of $499.
These two phones are great and while the iPhone 6S is costlier, it offers a faster Touch ID, a larger display with 3D Touch, and an even better selfie camera. The iPhone SE is, without a doubt, a cheaper option, but with it, you will get a smaller display, a slightly slower Touch ID, and no 3D Touch. This might come down to the size, which will still depend on your preferences.
So, will it be the smaller iPhone SE or the larger iPhone 6S?