The biggest problems with the iPhone SE
Overall, Apple’s “Let us loop you in” event was a success. In a brisk 60 minutes, the company launched two new iOS products at a time when they usually don’t, and the immediate future looks bright with the “iPhone 7” and “iOS 10” on the horizon. However, there are some things about the newly announced iPhone SE that are confusing, at best.
It's 2016, not 2012
One of these doesn't make sense
For one, Apple kept a form factor that goes back almost four years. Yes, the design from the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s looked beautiful at the time, but life moves on. And when the iPhone 7 launches later this year, the iPhone SE will look even older, no?
Was this Apple’s attempt at using some old iPhone 5s components? Not likely. The iPhone SE comes in gold and rose, which the iPhone 5s did not.
And then there’s the issue with Touch ID. Like the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the iPhone SE uses a first-generation fingerprint sensor built into the Home button.
Was this decision based on cost? No way.
In 2013, IHS estimated that the first-generation Touch ID sensor cost Apple $15. The second-generation component added an additional $10 to the cost of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
Robust changes otherwise
These iPhone SE omissions are even more bizarre when you consider what Apple did put on the handset.
Like the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, the iPhone SE offers the A9 chip and M9 motion coprocessor. It also offers a 12-megapixel iSight camera with 1.22µ pixels and 4K video recording.
Good, but not great
A new 4-inch iPhone once seemed like a remote possibility. That the iPhone SE was released at all is great news for folks who don’t like larger handsets. Nonetheless, Apple could have done better. Hopefully, they’ll be no skimping this fall when the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus make their debut.
