IPhone SE

The iPhone SE (Special Edition)[4] is a smartphone that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the ninth generation of the iPhone alongside the iPhone 6S. It was announced on March 21, 2016, at the Town Hall auditorium in the Apple Campus[5] by Apple executive Greg Joswiak,[6] with pre-orders beginning on March 24, an official release on March 31, 2016.[7][8] It was re-released almost a year later on March 24, 2017, with larger storage capacities.[9] The iPhone SE shares the same physical design and dimensions as the iPhone 5S but has upgraded internal hardware, including the newer Apple A9 system-on-chip, greater battery capacity, and a 12-megapixel rear camera that can record 4K video. Along with the iPhone 6S and the iPhone X, the iPhone SE was discontinued by Apple on September 12, 2018.[10][11][12]

No affordable successor to the iPhone SE was announced, and Business Insider stated that "Apple made a big mistake by removing its smallest and most affordable iPhone from its lineup", suggesting that the company was disregarding a significant number of customers who had been worried over the loss of the smaller design.[13] This was affirmed by Computerworld, who claimed that "the harsh reality is that across some of Apple’s biggest markets, wage growth has stagnated, and people are feeling the pinch", further stating that there will always exist consumers in the mid-tier smartphone markets.[14]

In relation with the discontinuation of the iPhone SE, Quartz mentioned that women and other smartphone users with smaller hands have reported "pain from holding, scrolling, and swiping on phones, and a review of research on the ergonomics of handheld devices concludes that bigger products, like large phones and tablets, often result in overextension of the thumb and wrist", hinting to repetitive strain injury and that oversized iPhones and smartphones, in general, can be physically unusable for several users.[15] The technology website Gizmodo shared the same concern, hoping that "there will be a return to smaller phones", and expressed a desire "to hold one's phone in a single hand and be able to use it fully.

History[edit]
The previous major redesign of the iPhone, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, resulted in larger screen sizes. However, a significant number of customers still preferred the smaller 4-inch screen size of the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5S.

Apple stated in the "Let us loop you in" event on March 21, 2016 that they sold over 30 million 4-inch iPhones in 2015, further explaining that some people love smaller compact phones. Later in the event they presented the iPhone SE, describing it as "the most powerful 4-inch phone ever."[7][17][18]

With a total mass of 113 grams (or 4.0 ounces), the iPhone SE is one of the lightest iPhone models released, only surpassed by the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5 (both having a total mass of 112 grams, or 3.95 ounces).

The iPhone SE, iPhone 6S, and iPhone 6S Plus were the last iPhone models to feature a standard 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.[19]

On January 19, 2019 the iPhone SE was back on sale as a clearance item for $249.[20][21] However, by January 20, stock was sold out.[22] On February 20, TechRadar announced that the iPhone SE once again was on sale as a clearance item with a $100 price reduction. The price for the 32 GB version was $249, while the price for the 128 GB version was $299. The iPhones were unlocked, with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon as optional SIM card carriers. It was available in all original colors, including Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold.[23][24][25][26][27]

Design[edit]
The exterior design of the iPhone SE is nearly identical to that of the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5S, with the exception of matte-chamfered edges and an inset stainless steel rear Apple logo. Cases designed to fit the 5 and the 5S will also fit an iPhone SE.[28] The iPhone SE was available in the colors Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold.[29]

Hardware[edit]
The iPhone SE incorporates the Apple A9 system-on-chip (SoC) with an M9 motion coprocessor and supports near field communicationfor Apple Pay. It was originally released with 16 GB or 64 GB of internal storage. It features a 12 megapixel rear-facing camera with the ability to record 4K video at 30 frames per second. Unlike the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, the SE does not include 3D Touch, nor the updated faster second-generation Touch ID sensor from the 6S and 6S Plus,[30] or its barometer.[31]

On March 21, 2017 Apple announced that it would double the storage for these models at the same launch prices. The upgraded models were released on March 24, 2017 with 32 GB or 128 GB of internal storage.[32][33]

Software[edit]
See also: iOS, iOS 9, iOS 10, iOS 11, and iOS 12

The iPhone SE originally shipped with iOS 9.3, supporting iPhone 6- and 6S-exclusive features such as Apple Pay, Live Photos, Retina Flash, and always-on Siri voice activation.[29][31][34] The SE is compatible with iOS 12.