Photo: Toad40 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons · source
iPhone SE (1st generation)
iPhone 6s power in the compact iPhone 5s body.
Overview
Many people still wanted a small phone in 2016, and the iPhone SE was Apple's answer. It reused the body of the iPhone 5s, including the flat edges and 4-inch screen, but updated nearly everything inside to match the iPhone 6s of the day.
It used the A9 chip with M9 coprocessor, a 12-megapixel camera with 4K video and Live Photos, and a faster Touch ID sensor. NFC was included for Apple Pay. It lacked 3D Touch and the 6s's tougher front glass, and its screen sat at the old 640 by 1136 resolution, but those omissions kept costs low.
Pricing started at $399 for 16GB, with 64GB at $499. A rose gold finish was added to the silver, gold and space gray options. It reached customers just ten days after announcement and sold well among buyers who liked small phones.
Why it mattered
It created the SE line, a recurring way for Apple to sell an affordable iPhone in an older design with current internals.
At a glance
- Announced
- March 21, 2016
- Released
- March 31, 2016
- Discontinued
- September 12, 2018
- Launch price
- $399
- Chip
- Apple A9
- Display
- 4"
- Storage
- 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- Compact 4-inch body
- A9 chip with 2GB RAM
- 12MP camera with 4K video
- Apple Pay via NFC
- Starts at $399
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 4-inch
- Type
- Retina IPS LCD
- Resolution
- 1136 x 640 pixels (326 ppi)
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
Chip
- Chip
- Apple A9 (64-bit, dual-core 1.85 GHz)
- Coprocessor
- M9 motion coprocessor
Memory
- RAM
- 2GB
- Storage options
- 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB
Camera
- Rear cameras
- 12MP, f/2.2, Focus Pixels
- Front camera
- 1.2MP, f/2.4, Retina Flash
- Video recording
- 4K at 30 fps; 1080p at 60 fps; 720p slo-mo at 240 fps
Battery
- Video playback
- Up to 13 hours
- Charging
- Via Lightning connector
- Capacity
- 1624 mAh
Connectivity
- Cellular
- LTE Advanced (up to 150 Mbps), HSPA+ 42 Mbps
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
- Connector
- Lightning
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 4.2
- NFC
- Yes (Apple Pay)
Design
- Dimensions
- 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
- Weight
- 113 g
- Materials
- Anodized aluminum, glass front, matte chamfered edges
- Water resistance
- None
Security
- Authentication
- Touch ID (first generation sensor)
Software
- Launch OS
- iOS 9.3
- Final OS
- iOS 15.8.x
