Is there a new smartphone in it? This is the question that many are probably asking themselves more thoroughly. Apple's iPhone SE comes into play with a mixture of old and new technology and a surprisingly low price.
Berlin (dpa / tmn) - The reissue of the iPhone SE is not a good buy for showers. Externally, it looks like the iPhone 8 from autumn 2017. Even the old cases of the iPhone 8 fit Apple's newest smartphone like a glove.
So far, entry into the Apple world with the iPhone 8 has cost 529 euros. With the iPhone SE this is possible from 479 euros. If you can ignore the outside, you will find the differences to the 2017 model inside. Here Apple has done almost everything new. And that even impresses the scene, which deals primarily with the Android competition.
"The cheapest iPhone has a more powerful processor than the most expensive Android phone," is the title of "Androidcentral". The praised chip is the A13 Bionic chip from Apple. It is also in the more than twice as expensive top model iPhone 11 Pro.
A chip like a V8 engine in a compact car
The A13 makes the iPhone SE a long-distance runner. The large power reserve will also ensure that the device can be supplied with the latest system software over a number of years. It is not foreseeable when a future iOS version will push the iPhone SE to its limits.
The performance of the A13 also convinced in the practical test. It is so lavishly designed that normal users cannot begin to push it to the limit with today's common applications. There was not a single app in the test that could get the iPhone SE out of step. Including complex games such as "Crossy Road Castle", "Spyder" or "Sneaky Sasquatch". Everything is running smoothly with the iPhone game of 2019, "Sky: Children of the Light".
The image editing app BeCasso, known as a resource eater, also runs on the iPhone SE. The fact that it only has three gigabytes of memory - that's one GB more than the iPhone 8, but also one GB less than the iPhone 11 - is not noticeable. Only the screen could sometimes be bigger when editing images.
TouchID is on board, 3D Touch has been abolished
With its 4.7 inch (11.9 cm) diagonal, the LCD is comparatively small. The edges of the screen are also quite large, as are the edges above and below the display. At least on the "chin" of the smartphone, it has to be that way. This is where the "TouchID" sensor with fingerprint recognition sits - Apple now uses facial recognition on all other models.
As with the iPhone 11, Apple said goodbye to the 3D Touch function on the iPhone SE. Since the iPhone 6S, it has been possible to select certain functions of an app, such as the camera's selfie mode, by pressing a symbol strongly. The iPhone SE now offers "Haptic Touch" for this: You simply press the display longer - for the same function. This saves the expensive pressure sensor.
Proven camera - but better
The iPhone SE has the same 12-megapixel sensor that Apple installed in the iPhone 8 three years ago. Still, the photos look much better because the A13 chip with its better ISP (Image Signal Processor) supports the camera. Backlit photos are brighter and sharper than on the iPhone 8. Differences to the top models are hardly noticeable in a bright environment. Only in twilight can the SE no longer keep up because it has no night mode like the iPhone 11 models.
Differences can also be seen in portrait mode, which makes the background appear blurred. Because the SE has only one lens, the depth of field blur is simulated with software. It works quite well. Sometimes you can also see exemption errors, for example if a pair of glasses or a conspicuously large earring protrudes over the face.
The selfie camera only takes seven megapixels, but produces surprisingly good portraits. The slow motion and group selfies with an enlarged image section are still reserved for the much more expensive top models.
There is hardly any difference to the iPhone 11 in the video recordings. Here the SE supports a 4K resolution (3840 to 2160 pixels) at 60 frames per second without any stuttering. The ultra wide-angle shots of the top models are not possible.
No 5G, but better LTE and WiFi
As with the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, the fifth mobile generation (5G) for Apple is also not an issue with iPhone SE. The first 5G-compatible iPhone is not expected to come until autumn. After all, Apple has improved the speeds of LTE and WLAN. Like the top models, the iPhone SE now supports Gigabit-LTE, 2x2 MIMO and 802.11ax WLAN 6 - provided you are in an appropriately upgraded network.
The probably most powerful feature of the iPhone SE is not technical, but the price: At 479 euros, it is noticeably cheaper than the previous entry-level iPhone 8 - and much more powerful. And the versions with larger memory also cost a comparatively moderate surcharge. The 128 GB variant costs 529 euros and Apple demands 649 euros for the largest version with 256 GB. This is a declaration of war on the assembled Android competition.
The iPhone SE is available in three colors (black, white and red). Unfortunately, they only adorn the back. The front of all iPhone SE are black.