The Apple iPhone has always remained a class apart in the smartphone industry, and it is often the inspiration for dozens of other manufacturers. However, Apple knows that it does not need to compete with others, and its only competition in terms of innovation and technology is with itself.
The Cupertino giant has come a long way since the iPhone 5s, with its current flagship being the iPhone 6s. The iPhone 5s was praised a lot for its all-metal design that was ultra-comfortable to hold, thanks to the 4-inch form of the device. Then came the iPhone 6, which brought a design overhaul but wasn’t really a major change in terms of specs. The iPhone 6s brought in a lot of major changes like more RAM, better camera, etc.
Apple then realized that fans had been asking for a new, affordable 4-inch iPhone after the iPhone 5c had failed terribly due to outdated specs and cheap finish. Apple took its time, but it did come out with a worthy 4-inch successor to the iPhone 5s in the form of the new 4-incher iPhone SE. The SE was launched recently mainly to bring in more users to the iOS environment, and the great thing about the phone is that it packs the power of the iPhone 6s into the body of the 5s.
But what really has changed since the iPhone 5s? Lets find out.
iPhone SE vs. iPhone 5s vs. iPhone 6s
Design and Display
Talking about the looks and appearance, the iPhone 5s and the iPhone SE share the same design and the same body. The SE uses the same shell and you cannot differentiate between the two phones if you don’t look closely. The iPhone 6s on the other hand looks like the iPhone 6 and is the newer generation of iPhone’s design, sleeker and more modern.
As for the display, both the iPhone 5s and the iPhone SE get the same 4-inch 640 x 1136 pixels screen. The iPhone 6s gets a larger 4.7 inches 750 x 1334 pixels display with 3D Touch to provide quick actions for shortcuts.
Processor and Memory
iPhone 5s, the oldest of the three, runs the A7 processor with 1.3 GHz dual Cyclone cores along with quad-core PowerVR G6430 GPU. Meanwhile, the iPhone SE and the iPhone 6s share the same A9 processor 1.84 GHz dual Twister cores and six-core PowerVR GT7600 GPU. All the phones can run the latest iOS 9.3.2 firmware.
The iPhone 5s comes with 1GB of RAM and 16/32/64GB of storage. The iPhone SE and the iPhone 6s get 2GB RAM, but the SE gets 16/64GB storage options while the 6s has got a whopping 128GB storage variant too.
Camera and Battery
The iPhone 5s features an 8 MP camera with f/2.2 aperture, dual-tone dual LED flash, and autofocus. It’s capable of recording 1080p videos at 30fps and 720p videos at 120fps. The phone gets a 1.2 MP f/2.4 front camera.
The iPhone SE gets the same front camera as the 5s but comes with the rear camera setup of the iPhone 6s. It gets a 12 MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF, dual tone dual LED flash, and 4K video recording. The 6s gets the same 12MP rear camera but comes with a 5MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture.
As for the battery, the iPhone 5s gets a 1560mAh pack, the iPhone SE gets a 1624mAh pack, and the iPhone 6s gets a 1715mAh pack. The iPhone SE lasts surprisingly longer than the 5s and the 6s.
Extras
The iPhone SE and the iPhone 6s come with NFC to support Apple Pay. All the three phones get Touch ID fingerprint sensors, but the 6s gets a faster Touch ID. Also, the 6s gets a 3D Touch screen while the others do not.
Conclusion
Apple really has come a long way since the iPhone 5s, and the iPhone SE is the best 4-inch smartphone in the world. It has got the specs of the iPhone 6s including 4K video recording, so it has the power to beat even the flagship phones of this year. But in terms of modernity, the iPhone 6s rules, and the upcoming iPhone 7 will take it a few notches higher.