Apple iPhone SE Pro Reviews

The iPhone SE is one year older, but its added storage options and strong performance running iOS 10 still makes it a great choice for small-phone fans.

Apple's really dialled back the screen and design to hit the price point - but it's still a brilliant phone for the subset of people that still crave a small phone.

One of the most unique things about the Apple iPhone SE is that it's in a class of its own: there is no other phone of such size that's even remotely as powerful. It's the only high-end mini phone you can find on the market, safe for the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact. So why is that? Is it because people no longer want small phones, or is it because people who fancy small phones today usually don't need them to be fast and powerful?I think there's definitely place on the market for high-end small phones. I don't know if this place is necessarily for 4” ones, but after returning to the smaller form-factor, I can say there's something valuable in how easy it is to work with a smartphone of such caliber, without sacrificing much of the handheld power we've gotten used to over the last few years.

The SE is what many iPhone fans have been asking for, and it's a great upgrade if you're still using an iPhone 5. For 5S owners, things aren't quite as clear cut. If you're not happy with the 5S's performance, the SE should solve that problem. However, unless you really want to shoot 4K videos, you're not going to notice a massive improvement in photo quality. There's a much bigger jump in quality if you're coming from an iPhone 5 (or earlier), however. Make sure 16GB is enough before you order: we'd recommend the 64GB version for most people.

The iPhone SE isn’t an awful phone. If you’ve been staring off into the distance singing “Someday my tiny phone will come” then you can stop. This is it. The best phone under 4 inches currently available.

That leaves the iPhone 7 launch later in the year as the Next Big Thing, but it also fills in a gap not only in Apple's range but in the smartphone segment in general. There are people who want compactness without compromised specifications, and the iPhone SE ticks the right boxes with its great camera, capable processor, and solid - even if unsurprising - style. For those reasons, it's the smartphone to have if you're not wowed by phablet-scale screens, not to mention a good reason - finally! - to retire that aging iPhone 5s. Just don't be surprised if the iPhone 7 leaves you looking enviously at those more comfortable with bigger displays.