After years of releasing smartphones that just got progressively bigger, Apple pulled a 180-degree turn on Monday, officially unveiling the company's latest device, the powerful 4-inch iPhone SE, the tech giant's long-awaited update to the aging iPhone 5S.
If any, the iPhone SE is set to cater to Apple fans who were not really very keen on getting on the phablet bandwagon. After all, there were a significant number of iPhone users who opted to remain with their older, smaller devices even after the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as the subsequent release of the iPhone 6S and the 6S Plus.
What makes the iPhone SE a really great device is the fact that Apple was able to stuff so much power in such a small device. Inside its handy 4-inch frame lies a phone that is far more than capable.
Speaking at the Let Us Loop You In event on Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook lauded the device for being a phone worthy of the iPhone name, both in design and in power.
"It's the most powerful 4-inch phone ever created," he said.
The Apple CEO's statement carried a lot of weight, as the device did prove to have near-flagship internals. On paper, the iPhone SE shares much more similarities with Apple's current flagships, the 6S and the 6S Plus, than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
At the heart of the iPhone SE lies the tech giant's A9 processor, which Apple stated is capable of performing twice as fast as the one installed in the iPhone 5S. The device is also equipped with a 12-megapixel camera that is able to capture 4K video, much like the camera unit in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. The iPhone SE is also NFC-enabled, for mobile payment transactions like Apple Pay.
For all intents and purposes, the iPhone SE is much like a trimmed down iPhone 6S, which might very well be what the tech giant currently needs in order to spark market interest once more. With a price that starts at just $399 for the 16GB base model, the iPhone SE, with all its power under the hood, does seem like a very serious, if not formidable, contender in the mid-range market for smartphones.
The iPhone SE is set to be made available in Apple stores and accredited retailers on March 31. Pre-orders for the device would start on March 24.
