iPhone SE specs: What Apple changed

At its “Let us loop you in” event in Cupertino today, Apple announced the iPhone SE, meant to complement the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. In short, Apple’s 10th-generation phone is designed to bring back the 4-inch form factor.

Preorders begin March 24, and the phone will begin shipping March 31. Before you get your credit card ready, and assuming you’re not enthused by what’s coming in Android N or Windows 10 Mobile, you might want to see what exactly you’re getting. The comparison tables below show you what Apple has changed, comparing the iPhone SE to the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus (the iPhone 5s has been discontinued).

	iPhone 6s	iPhone SE
Price off contract	$649, $749, $849	$399, $499
Storage	16GB, 64GB, 128GB	16GB, 64GB
Display	4.7-inch, 1334×750, 326 ppi	4.0-inch, 1136×640, 326 ppi
3D Touch	Yes	No
Contrast ratio	1400:1	800:1
Processors	A9 64-bit, M9 motion	A9 64-bit, M9 motion
Touch ID	Yes	Yes
Apple Pay	Yes	Yes
Rear camera	12MP, 1.22µ pixels, ƒ/2.2	12MP, 1.22µ pixels, ƒ/2.2
Video recording	4K at 30fps, 1080p at 30/60fps	4K at 30fps, 1080p at 30/60fps
Front camera	5MP photos, 720p video	1.2MP photos, 720p video
FaceTime	Over Wi-Fi or cellular	Over Wi-Fi or cellular
Assistant	Siri	Siri
Navigation	GPS and GLONASS	GPS and GLONASS
Connectivity	Bluetooth 4.2, NFC	Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
Talk time on 3G	Up to 14 hours	Up to 14 hours
Internet on LTE	Up to 10 hours	Up to 13 hours
Internet on 3G	Up to 10 hours	Up to 12 hours
Internet on Wi-Fi	Up to 11 hours	Up to 13 hours
Video playback	Up to 11 hours	Up to 13 hours
Audio playback	Up to 50 hours	Up to 50 hours
Standby time	Up to 10 days	Up to 10 days
Height	5.44 inches (138.3 mm)	4.87 inches (123.8 mm)
Width	2.64 inches (67.1 mm)	2.31 inches (58.6 mm)
Depth	0.28 inch (6.9 mm)	0.30 inch (7.6 mm)
Weight	5.04 ounces (143 grams)	3.99 ounces (113 grams)
SIM card	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM
Connector	Lightning	Lightning
Colors	Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Rose Gold	Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Rose Gold

 
And now compared to Apple’s biggest phone:

	iPhone 6s Plus	iPhone SE
Price off contract	$749, $849, $949	$399, $499
Storage	16GB, 64GB, 128G	16GB, 64GB
Display	5.5-inch, 1920×1080, 401 ppi	4.0-inch, 1136×640, 326 ppi
3D Touch	Yes	No
Contrast ratio	1300:1	800:1
Processors	A9 64-bit, M9 motion	A9 64-bit, M9 motion
Touch ID	Yes	Yes
Apple Pay	Yes	Yes
Rear camera	12MP, 1.22µ pixels, ƒ/2.2	12MP, 1.22µ pixels, ƒ/2.2
Video recording	4K at 30fps, 1080p at 30/60fps	4K at 30fps, 1080p at 30/60fps
Front camera	5MP photos, 720p video	1.2MP photos, 720p video
FaceTime	Over Wi-Fi or cellular	Over Wi-Fi or cellular
Assistant	Siri	Siri
Navigation	GPS and GLONASS	GPS and GLONASS
Connectivity	Bluetooth 4.2, NFC	Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
Talk time on 3G	Up to 24 hours	Up to 14 hours
Internet on LTE	Up to 12 hours	Up to 13 hours
Internet on 3G	Up to 12 hours	Up to 12 hours
Internet on Wi-Fi	Up to 12 hours	Up to 13 hours
Video playback	Up to 14 hours	Up to 13 hours
Audio playback	Up to 80 hours	Up to 50 hours
Standby time	Up to 16 days	Up to 10 days
Height	6.23 inches (158.2 mm)	4.87 inches (123.8 mm)
Width	3.07 inches (77.9 mm)	2.31 inches (58.6 mm)
Depth	0.29 inch (7.3 mm)	0.30 inch (7.6 mm)
Weight	6.77 ounces (192 grams)	3.99 ounces (113 grams)
SIM card	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM
Connector	Lightning	Lightning
Colors	Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Rose Gold	Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Rose Gold

 
As phones have grown in size, many have complained and argued for smaller devices. The iPhone SE is supposed to address that desire, but at the cost of a poorer front-facing camera and display. Now you have to decide if that’s worth the tradeoff.