Apple · iPhone

iPhone SE (1st generation)

Released March 2016

The first iPhone SE is Apple's 4-inch iPhone from 2016, putting the iPhone 6s's A9 chip and 12-megapixel camera with 4K video into the iPhone 5s design, suited to people who want a small iPhone and are comparing it with newer models.

Screen: 4″
Display: LCD, 60 Hz
Chip: A9
Memory: 2 GB
Storage: 16 GB – 128 GB
Main camera: 12 MP
Zoom: –
Battery: 1,624 mAh
Weight: 113 g

Compact

What reviewers say

Both reviews praise the SE as a compact, affordable iPhone with strong performance and a good rear camera, and Trusted Reviews found battery life solid. CNET noted the dated design with large bezels and small screen, and the unchanged hardware a year on; Trusted Reviews rated the screen average and the front camera poor, where CNET found it good.

From cnet.com and trustedreviews.com

Specifications

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Display

Screen size: 4″
Resolution: 1136 × 640
Sharpness: 326 pixels per inch
Panel: LCD
Refresh rate: 60 Hz
Peak brightness: 500 nits
Display type: Retina display; 4-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
Pixel density: 326 ppi
Brightness detail: 500 cd/m² max brightness (typical)
Screen protection: Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Display features: 800:1 contrast ratio (typical); full sRGB standard

Performance

Chip: A9
Memory: 2 GB
Storage: 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB
CPU: A9 chip with 64-bit architecture and embedded M9 motion coprocessor; dual-core 1.84 GHz Twister (GSMArena); 2 GB of SK Hynix LPDDR4 RAM (iFixit)
GPU: PowerVR GT7600 (GSMArena)

Cameras

Main camera: 12 MP
Ultra wide camera: None
Telephoto camera: None
Optical zoom: None
Front camera: 1.2 MP
Main camera: 12-megapixel camera, ƒ/2.2 aperture, five-element lens, autofocus with Focus Pixels, True Tone flash, sapphire crystal lens cover, backside illumination sensor, hybrid IR filter
Front camera: FaceTime HD camera with 1.2-megapixel photos, ƒ/2.4 aperture, Retina Flash
Zoom: Digital zoom up to 5x (photos) and 3x (video)
Video recording: 4K at 30 fps; 1080p at 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps; time-lapse with stabilisation; cinematic video stabilisation (1080p and 720p); 8MP stills while recording 4K
Front video: 720p HD
Camera features: Live Photos with stabilisation; panorama (up to 63 megapixels); auto HDR; burst mode; timer mode; local tone mapping; face detection

Battery and charging

Battery: 1,624 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim): Up to 13 hours
Wireless charging: None
Battery life detail: Talk time up to 14 hours on 3G; standby up to 10 days; internet use up to 12 hours on 3G and 13 hours on LTE or Wi-Fi; video playback up to 13 hours; audio playback up to 50 hours; 3.82 V, 6.21 Wh, 1,624 mAh (iFixit)
Wired charging: Charging via USB to a computer or power adapter

Design

Type: Standard
Weight: 113 g
Thickness: 7.6 mm
Height × width: 123.8 × 58.6 mm
Materials: Bead-blasted aluminium with matte-chamfered edges and a colour-matched stainless steel inset Apple logo
Colours: Space Grey, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
Buttons: Touch ID sensor; volume up/down; ring/silent; on/off, sleep/wake
Biometrics: Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the Home button
Sensors: Touch ID fingerprint sensor; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor

Software

Operating system: iOS
Software at launch: iOS 9

Connectivity

Mobile network: Model A1723: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA; GSM/EDGE; LTE (bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28); TD-LTE (bands 38, 39, 40, 41); VoLTE; Wi-Fi calling
SIM: Nano-SIM
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.2
NFC: NFC for Apple Pay
USB: Lightning connector; 3.5 mm headphone jack; video mirroring and video out up to 1080p through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
Positioning: Assisted GPS and GLONASS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular; iBeacon microlocation

Storage options

Storage
16 GB
32 GB
64 GB
128 GB

Pros and cons

Pros

A9 chip and 2 GB of RAM (iFixit), as in the iPhone 6s
12MP camera with 4K video and Live Photos
113 g and 123.8 mm tall

Cons

1.2MP front camera, against 5MP on the iPhone 6s
No 3D Touch
4-inch display at 1136 × 640 with an 800:1 contrast ratio

Closest rivals

Model	Screen	Display	Chip	Memory	Storage	Main camera	Zoom	Battery	Weight	Released
AppleiPhone 7	4.7″	LCD, 60 Hz	A10 Fusion	2 GB	32 GB – 256 GB	12 MP	–	1,960 mAh	138 g	Sept 2016
AppleiPhone 6s	4.7″	LCD, 60 Hz	A9	2 GB	16 GB – 128 GB	12 MP	–	1,715 mAh	143 g	Sept 2015
AppleiPhone 8	4.7″	LCD, 60 Hz	A11 Bionic	2 GB	64 GB – 256 GB	12 MP	–	1,821 mAh	148 g	Sept 2017

Newer model: iPhone SE (2nd generation).

Sources

Photo: cdsassets.apple.com

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