Apple will begin taking preorders on Thursday for the new iPhone SE, a good option for people who’ve clung to the similar looking but older iPhone 5 or 5s models and who now want to upgrade.
Apple (AAPL) has taken a familiar, proven design and put nearly the same internal components found in the iPhone 6S in a smaller body. The iPhone SE has the same processor, same graphics power, same Apple Pay support, and roughly the same battery life.
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If you’re considering buying the iPhone SE, be it as an upgrade from an older iPhone or as your first iPhone, there are some features you’ll have to live without that you can get with the 6S and 6S Plus.
The most obvious is screen size, of course. The iPhone 6S has a 4.7-inch display, and the 6S Plus is equipped with a 5.5-inch display. Both phones are much bigger than the 4-inch display on the iPhone SE. Granted, the smaller screen size makes the device easier to hold and carry. Conversely, the larger screens show off information better.
Another feature you’ll have to forgo with the iPhone SE is 3D Touch. The feature lets iPhone 6S and 6S Plus users apply pressure to the screen to bring up additional menus, preview calendar entries, or view emails without actually opening them. For example, pressing the settings icon brings up shortcuts to the respective settings for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the battery. Such shortcuts save users time by launching an application directly.
3D Touch functionality is also found in Apple’s own apps as well as those created by developers. It lets you lightly press on a link sent in the Messages app to open a preview of the page, for example. If you press harder, you can fully open the page to view and interact with it.
According to MacWorld, iPhone SE’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor—a feature used to unlock the phone or use Apple Pay—is slower than the sensor in the iPhone 6S line. In fact, the iPhone SE uses the same sensor found in the iPhone 5S. Last year, Apple unveiled a faster, second-generation Touch ID sensor with the iPhone 6S line. The sensor in the 6S speeds up the unlock process so much that it almost makes the iOS lock screen unnecessary. For some, the added speed of the Touch ID sensor in the 6S line and the amount of time it saves throughout the course of a day is a small but important benefit. For others, the slower speed of the SE’s sensor will be nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Last—but certainly not least—is the 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera on the iPhone SE. This is a significant drop from the 5 megapixel camera found on the iPhone 6S line. If you’re someone who frequently takes selfies, or holds FaceTime calls with loved ones, then the quality of the front camera is something to consider.
For more read The New iPhone SE Is More Nostalgic Than You Think
All in all, both the iPhone SE and the 6S line offer similar experiences with only minor differences. Outside of the size, the biggest differentiator is cost. The iPhone SE starts at $399 for a 16-gigabyte model, while the 6S line starts at $650 for the same amount of storage. Both models offer a 64 GB version for $100 more (the 6S offers a 128 GB model, the SE does not).
At the end of the day, if size and affordability are the two most important factors playing into your decision-making process, then the iPhone SE is right for you.
