iPhone 6c, iPhone 5se, iPhone SE, one of the biggest points of contention for Apple’s newest handset was: What will the Fruit company call its ‘cheaper’ handset. Worry no more, as the iPhone SE has been green-lit and unveiled to an anxious world.
But… what is the iPhone SE? The iPhone SE is a handset that features the same processor (the A9 and the attendant M9 co-processor) as Apple’s iPhone 6S (and that alone is already making us ask questions about the iPhone 7’s innards), but it’s been crammed into a 4-inch iPhone 5s’s body.
Apple has also splashed on a 12MP camera, that can generate GIFs… sorry, “Live Photos”, and records video in 4K. Apple is giving the SE speedy LTE and 802.11ac WiFi, and its also touting improved battery life over the iPhone 5S. Just how improved it hasn’t yet said. But you know, better.
At first blush it looks like all the bells and whistles you’d expect are present and accounted for… except for one thing: 3D Touch. The tech, it seems, couldn’t be crammed into the handset. At least not without bumping the price up too much even by Apple’s notoriously price-insensitive standards.
Pre-tax prices (in the US, because Apple’s not about to mention South Africa on stage) put the 16GB iPhone SE at $399, or R6,100 — give or take a few expensive coffees. After tax? The iPhone SE should start past the R7,000 mark for South Africa. There’s a 64GB version for $499 (R7,610 — before tax/imports).
When will we see it? May 2016 seems likely, as the SE is expected to conquer 100 countries by then. It’s up for pre-order in the States on 24 March, with an on-sale of 31 March. Waiting sucks, we know. But at least we’re getting the latest Apple products sooner and sooner these days.