The iPhone SE offers many good features at an affordable price
SOME people just need an entry-level phone to enable them to perform all their communication needs, as well as other day-to-day functions.
If you're looking for one and with a budget of around RM2,000, the new iPhone SE should be in your radar.
Despite its small 4.7-inch screen size, the iPhone SE packs the same A15 Bionic chip and 5G feature just like the iPhone 13 series, with advanced camera options like Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles and Deep Fusion.
The phone also comes with iOS 15 to enhance user experience in FaceTime calls with spatial audio and the portrait mode.
FIRST IMPRESSION
If premium phones are bulky and difficult for you to handle, being able to hold the slim iPhone SE in your palm and slide it easily into your jeans pocket will give a certain kind of pleasure.
With the iPhone SE, everything can be done with one hand, and also the thumb. To me that's a plus as it makes using the phone easier.
Unlocking the phone with the fingerprint scanner is also fast and smooth. In fact, you can now unlock it with your mask on with the iOS 15 update.
The phone is also rated IP67 for water and dust resistance, meaning you don't have to worry about spills or rain exposure.
The home button with Touch ID, meanwhile, offers an easy, private, and secure alternative for logging in to apps, authorising App Store purchases, making Apple Pay transactions and many more.
Having the latest A15 Bionic chip on board is a big plus to own the iPhone SE. This is because you'll get a six-core CPU with two high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. Theoretically, this makes the iPhone SE 1.8 times faster than iPhone 8.
The phone is also compatible with Qi-certified chargers for wireless charging and also supports fast charging. The battery is also improved and can last you the whole day.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The iPhone SE has just one camera, which is the 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture Wide camera. But for many people, one camera may not be enough compared with today's standard of three to five cameras on a phone.
However, never judge a book by its cover. The one camera on the SE has the A15 Bionic chip to back it up, giving it great computational photography benefits, including Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion, and Portrait mode. If you're not familiar with Smart HDR 4, it's a camera feature that uses intelligent segmentation to apply different adjustments for colour, contrast, and noise to the subject versus the background.
I managed to test the phone's camera capability at various places in different kinds of lighting conditions and photography genres. Recently, I took it to Kuala Terengganu and managed to take some great photos there.
The results are great with natural colour, especially when taking nature's photos.
Although the phone doesn't have the ultra wide angle lens and the X2 or X3 zoom lens, the single lens with f/1.8 aperture is already enough for many types of photography. It's like using a prime lens on a normal camera. It makes you think when composing your photos.
CONCLUSION
Although it's Apple's entry-level phone, the iPhone SE is very capable and easy to use. It comes in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB models in midnight, starlight and (PRODUCT) RED, with the starting price at RM2,099.
Verdict: 4/5