iPhone SE: Still the Best Budget Smartphone on the Market.

When Apple released the iPhone SE back in March of last year, branding it as a budget phone didn't go well with some critics. It was hard to see how being the cheapest iPhone automatically made it a great cheap phone. However, the smart analyst could tell, from day one, that the iPhone SE was the best value for money a smartphone was offering at the time.

As a much-needed update to the iPhone 5S, the iPhone SE remained just as compact while featuring the specs of the then latest flagship, the iPhone 6S. And all that came with a $399 price tag, which was the lowest launch price we'd ever seen on an iPhone, outdoing even the iPhone 5C, which began life at $549.

How Apple made the iPhone SE so cheap

The iPhone 5C was Apple's first major attempt into the realm of budget smartphones and, at first glance, it sure looked cheap. It was the first iPhone to feature a plastic case which, while giving the customer a variety of color choices, offered a build quality that couldn't match the steel and aluminum materials that were native to previous devices.

Despite the obvious compromises, the iPhone 5C started at $549, only $100 cheaper than the equivalent, premium flagship, the iPhone 5S. Of course, the iPhone 5C's price has since dropped considerably and, perhaps, it is now the budget phone that was promised. Regardless, it's still hard to ignore the fact that what Apple called "budget" at launch, was only a few dollars away from the premium price range of $600 and above.

Fast-forward to three years later, in 2016, and the tech giant was back, unveiling another "budget" phone. Many people took the news of an upcoming cheap iPhone as a plastic version of the iPhone 6S, Apple's flagship at the time, but were shocked when the iPhone SE came out with the iconic iPhone 5S design.

Sure, the SE wasn't the cheapest budget smartphone around. But, with high-end hardware and a friendly price tag, it was a proper fit for the “budget” category. Consequently, the world wondered how Apple managed to offer such exemplary value, when their earlier attempt, the iPhone 5C, had failed.

The explanation we got was that Apple used several components from older existing iPhones to make the SE. In fact, the $399 handset supposedly cost the Cupertino company only $160 to make, leaving the rest as profit. In addition, instead of making different versions for each carrier, the phone was made to work across all services, which saved on R&D and manufacturing.

These, among a number of other reasons, enabled Apple to finally give the world a smartphone worthy of the prefix "budget."

The iPhone SE: Features and Specs

What makes the SE a decent budget smartphone is the balance it offers between cost and high-end specs. Despite its resemblance to the iPhone 5S, the phone is far superior.

Design

 

The SE is designed to offer all the features of a fully-fledged flagship in a package that's much smaller and easier to handle. The blueprint might be old, but the phone still represents quality engineering. Its brushed metallic back is hard and rigid but feels cool to touch. One-hand use is easy, regardless of the size of your hands.

Display

 

Sporting the same 1136 x 640 resolution 4-inch display as the iPhone 5S, the SE's screen is undoubtedly its weakest feature. Nevertheless, it remains perfectly sharp for its size. Compared to the current AMOLED screens on modern Samsung devices, colors are less vibrant and punchy, but still "true" and accurate.

Sound

Audio from the bottom-facing speaker is surprisingly decent for such a small handset. Maximum volume isn't as high as some similarly-priced phones, but the sound is well balanced, and there's even a hint of bass.

Performance

Neither the design, the display or the audio makes the iPhone SE special, but scratching the surface reveals an entirely different beast. The gadget is equipped with a dual-core A9 processor and 2GB of RAM, which is the same configuration you get with the iPhone 6S.

This might not seem like much when you put the specs sheet side to side with top-flight Android phones, but the SE is among the most powerful devices you can buy at its price. General performance is incredibly fast, and not even the most demanding games are too much for the little iPhone.

Camera

Things get even more interesting when you touch the camera icon. The rear iSight camera has the same 12MP sensor as the iPhone 6S, which means you'll be making use of one of the best phone cameras around.

Both pictures and videos are of excellent quality, and the "easy to use" camera app makes the shooting experience pleasant overall. In comparison to some of the SE's high-end rivals, colors look more natural and life-like, and the noise is kept to a minimum, even in low light photography.

Battery

 

Lastly, despite the Li-ion cell being only a smidgen larger than the one on the iPhone 5S, the SE's battery life is more than 50 percent better than the older model’s. This is, in large part, a result of efficiency improvements that come with the A9, which reduce power drain significantly.

Still the best budget smartphone? 

 

The iPhone SE has a lot going on. In fact, the only significant trade-off a customer would be making if they choose it over the 6S is the smaller size. It's a solid phone that will please anyone looking to strike a bargain.
That said, it has been nearly one year since the SE first hit the shelves and, with the release of the iPhone 7 last year, it's no longer the latest offering from Apple.

The iPhone 7 might not come with radical redesigns, but new features such as water resistance and stereo speakers push the SE back through in the pack. Moreover, the flagship is powered by the new A10 CPU, which is much faster and more efficient than the A9. The SE might only be a generation behind, but it's aging.
On the bright side, however, the phone still offers more than most do at the same and even higher prices. Its impressive hardware coupled with impeccable iOS optimization makes it fast, smooth and stable with any app or game.

So, what raises doubt as to whether the SE is the best budget smartphone today is more the size than the age. If you're coming from a larger phone, it'll take a bit of time to adjust to the small screen, and you'll likely be better off with something bigger but within the same price range, like the Moto G4 or the LG Nexus 5X.
Nonetheless, anyone who loves being able to bend their leg when a phone is in the front pocket will feel at ease with the iPhone SE.

To the compact lover, therefore, the SE is indeed the best budget phone on the market.