[NewsPoster]

Apple has extended its iPhone range with a new, smaller addition that has been the subject of many rumors over the last few weeks. Replacing the iPhone 5s as the 'budget' option for customers, the iPhone SE is a reduced-in-stature version of the larger iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, bringing the iPhone collection up to three different distinct sizes, and despite being smaller than its two stablemates, it still manages to retain most of the functionality iPhone users have previously seen.

Using a 64-bit A9 processor with the M9 motion coprocessor, a newer chip than the A7 in the iPhone 5s, it is twice as fast as the previous four-inch iPhone available, three times more powerful graphically, while also providing battery improvements across the board of uses.

It has a rear-mounted 12 megapixel iSight camera with Focus Pixels, complete with a TrueTone Flash, a new image signal processor, and the ability to take panoramas up to 63MP in size. Slow-motion video, time lapse, Live Photos, and 4K video is also included. The front-facing HD camera has a Retina Flash, which drives the display to be three times brighter than normal for self portraits.

For wireless connectivity, it can connect over LTE at up to 150Mbps, 50 percent faster than the iPhone 5s, with it also having more LTE bands for international use, and Voice over LTE support. Wi-Fi includes 802.11ac-capable radios offering speeds of up to 433Mbps, triple the iPhone 5s, and is enabled for Wi-Fi calling.

Pre-orders for the iPhone SE begin from March 24, with availability from March 31 in the United States, and in 100 countries by the end of May. Two storage capacities is being offered, with the 16GB device selling for $399 on its own, and at $17 per month on installment plans, while the 64GB model will cost $499.

[djbeta]

Really, the same aspect ratio as the 5s? Why not keep the aspect ratio of the 6 and 6s, etc. Stay consistent and allow developers to build one scalable UI for apps. I get that they are probably going to save a TON of $ by using the old assembly lines... and maybe they HAD to do this to be able to produce the amount of phones they needed to.. who knows? Anyone?

[dmwalsh568]

I'm excited, because I have a 5S and held off on an upgrade because anything larger won't fit into most men's shirt pockets. And I am too chicken to put it in my pants pockets for fear of sitting on it! And the price point is just the icing on the cake.

[Charles Martin]

dmwalsh: FWIW, I have always kept my iPhone in my front pants pocket, so sitting on it not an issue. I have noticed during my, um, research, that young women tend to keep theirs in their back pocket, and yet "bendgate" doesn't seem to be a thing with them, even with the style of jeans you see these days.

[Inkling]

Sounds great with one exception. Today, having a 16GB model is like selling a car without tires. It's not workable for most users, particularly with that 12 megapixel camera eating into storage. Less savvy buyers will buy that model and then get ticked off at Apple when it proves inadequate. The low-end model should have at least 32GB.

[Charles Martin]

Actually it's quite workable for many users ... presuming they use iCloud Photo Library for photos and videos, and iCloud Music Library or Apple Music (or both) for music. The space is not really an issue ... it's the cellular data.

Tim Cook all but said this was designed to be "My First iPhone," so clearly the storage is designed to help them hit a price point. If you buy a 16GB iPhone today (or indeed anytime in the last two years), you either know what you're getting into and adjust accordingly, or you are a low-storage user that primarily uses the phone for phone stuff (calls, text, surf) and perhaps listens to Apple Music or Spotify.

[DiabloConQueso]

True, 16GB is paltry these days, but when iCloud storage is a buck a month for 50GB and you can seamlessly and automatically offload your photos and videos (some of the things that typically take up a lot of storage over time), it makes a little more sense.

Still gotta be careful about installing too many apps (and not getting rid of ones you don't use anymore), but I've been working with a 16GB iPhone 5S for about 2.5 years now and it's not (or doesn't have to be) as frustrating as people make it out to be.

[Mike Wuerthele]

Yeah, I have zero issue with 16GB on my phone. Cloud storage either from my local server, or actual iCloud when I'm on the road has worked perfectly.

[Steve Wilkinson]

I think this is finally the iPhone I've been looking for. I'm a bit bummed they didn't make a true 4" 6s, but given the cost difference, this is far enough there to be a good fit for me. The big question, IMO, is whether it has 2GB of RAM (which I assume yes, but will wait to see). That would be a deal-breaker. I guess my only concern is that so far, this seems a bit too good to be true, so I'm waiting for the 'gotcha'.

That said, I'm *REALLY* happy they didn't try to make a 6C!

Originally Posted by dmwalsh568 

I'm excited, because I have a 5S and held off on an upgrade because anything larger won't fit into most men's shirt pockets. And I am too chicken to put it in my pants pockets for fear of sitting on it! And the price point is just the icing on the cake.

I'd be more concerned about it falling out of a shirt-pocket! When I'm out and about, I usually use my front pants pocket, as it's easier to get out, but around the house I use the back pants pocket, as for some reason, bluetooth seems to work better (that's with my iPod though... maybe the BT or antennas in these things are better). I'd not sit on it, just to be on the safe side, but 'bend-gate' was kind of baloney.

Originally Posted by Inkling 

Sounds great with one exception. Today, having a 16GB model is like selling a car without tires. It's not workable for most users, particularly with that 12 megapixel camera eating into storage. Less savvy buyers will buy that model and then get ticked off at Apple when it proves inadequate. The low-end model should have at least 32GB.

Yea, the 16GB model (as we've discussed to death) is just stupid. It's Apple trading in possible user-experience for a marketing gimmick (short-term up-sell). And, it's not that some can't get by with it, it's about a typical user that might not realize the base model doesn't come with enough storage for typical things you'd expect to do, and there's no way to upgrade it.

But, they could hardly make the jump to 32GB base on the new 'budget' model when their top models are stuck at 16GB. So, I'm expecting maybe the 7 will start at 32GB... finally! (since the rest of the line also finally seems to be moving there... iPads, Apple TV, etc.). In fact, I was a bit surprised when the Apple TV shipped starting at 32GB for $150 when the flagship iPhone costing nearly $1000 starts at 16GB. But, I think the product categories are far enough apart that *most* people didn't make the connection.