The IPhone SE was the last phone release before the brand new IPhone 7 and IPhone 7s. It features many of the same specs as the IPhone 6S: The Apple A9 chip, the M9 motion coprocessor, and supports near field communication for Apple Pay. It features a 4-inch display and a 1.2 megapixel front facing camera and a 12 megapixel rear-facing camera. It also features iOS 10.0+, which will allow you to run the most recent apps.
The IPhone SE is a small phone, with the same dimensions as the IPhone 5 and IPhone 5S. So if you're looking for one of those really fancy, technologically enabled cases for it that you may have seen in any of those clickbait youtube videos, you're going to be a bit hard-pressed seeing as they're made for more recent and larger phones.
Now, I upgraded from a version of the IPhone so old, that it still used the 30-Pin cable, like the IPad does, so take that as a reference. Firstly, the IPhone SE is a huge upgrade from the IPhone 5, 5S, and doesn't have too many drawbacks from the IPhone 6S. The 3D Touch, which is used basically for differentiating the force of taps, isn't going to be useful on an IPhone in many cases, and is better reserved for the IPad for use by digital artists.
As for the second-generation, supposedly faster Touch ID sensor, from my experience the IPhone SE's touch sensor will authenticate your fingerprint within one second of you placing your finger on there. I'm not sure how much faster it can get, but cutting down a literal one second authentication by any amount will not really make that much of a difference for me.
The camera takes really clear photos and if you're not a photographer, you will more than be satisfied by the quality of the pictures that the IPhone SE can take.
The Siri voice activation works well, but can't be used without data or an internet connection, but as long as you have some data and always have it on for Siri, that will not really be a problem. The battery life on this thing is alright, depending on how you use it. You're going to have to charge it fully at least once a day, but will have to charge it additional times based on how long you actively use it. If you're one of those people who are constantly on your phone you may need to recharge it 2-3 times per day.
Overall, the IPhone SE, is the best small-form factor IPhone on the market to date. It's a great alternative from the huge smartphone options provided by the IPhone 6, 6s, 7, and 7s.
The cost is going to be pretty steep for $399 for the 16GB and $499 for the 64GB model from the Apple Store uncontracted and brand new. It's available at most major retailers so go for it. If you're willing to accept it refurbished Amazon's offering them for as low as $355.00 for a 64GB I'll drop some links down below to places with the best prices.
Amazon: 64GB ($355.00)
Walmart: 16GB Straight Talk ($349.00)
