iPhone SE hands-on review: Smaller, smarter and better battery life

After years of the ‘phablet, the small phone is back, but the new iPhone SE also comes with one big feature.

Most smartphones now come in two sizes — big and huge. Apple’s new iPhone SE is the first one made for everybody whose thumbs lack the wingspan of eagles.

The phone, which goes on pre-sale from tomorrow, packs Apple’s best phone processor and camera into a width of just 2.3 inches. And it does it with significantly better battery life and Apple’s lowest-ever starting price, $679 (US$399 in the United States).

After years of the “phablet,” the small phone is back with a vengeance.

This is about more than fads — it’s about physiology. The iPhone SE is an acknowledgment that picking a smartphone should be like choosing shoes. Style and function are parts of the equation: You might not be caught dead without heels, but their fit and comfort matter. When you consider your phone, it matters how you’ll hold it, and where you’ll stash it.

The first time I held the iPhone SE, whose screen measures 4 inches diagonally, it felt comically tiny to my fingers and eyes, which are now accustomed to much more. I wouldn’t want to use it as my everyday phone, but as many as 20 per cent of Americans would prefer a 4-inch phone. Apple says it sold 30 million older, slower (and cheaper) models at that size last year. Yet remarkably, no other major manufacturer offers a high-end phone at this size in the US.

The iPhone SE is a win for ergonomic choice, but Apple doesn’t score any points for originality. The new phone is nearly indistinguishable from the three-year-old iPhone 5s, which is a hair thicker and less pleasantly rounded than Apple’s more recent designs. (The SE even fits in most existing 5s cases.) The SE will come in Apple’s newer rose-gold hue, but it lacks design improvements you’ll find in Apple’s competitors, such as waterproofing and expandable storage.

It’s almost as though Apple is transplanting new brains into old iPhone 5s bodies. (Apple isn’t literally doing that, though the concept does seem like it could be a big boon for the environment.)

The SE’s screen is not only smaller but also packs in fewer pixels and noticeably less contrast than the iPhone 6s. Picture: AFP

On most important functions, the iPhone SE doesn’t disappoint. Its A9 processor, exactly the same one that’s in the iPhone 6s, zips through apps and the most graphically challenging mobile games. (By a test called GeekBench, it’s about 70% faster than the 5s.)

The 12-megapixel rear camera is capable of Apple’s Live Photos video trick, and performs admirably in most settings — though, like the iPhone 6s, it’s now bested in low-light shooting by Samsung’s new Galaxy S7. The iPhone SE even includes Apple Pay, so you can leave your wallet at home at least some of the time.

The 12-megapixel rear camera is capable of Apple’s Live Photos video trick. Picture: AFP

The standout news is battery life. Unlike many other recent Apple products, the iPhone SE’s is a significant improvement over its predecessors’. In my lab stress test, which cycles through websites with uniform screen brightness, the SE lasted 10 hours — more than two hours longer than both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 5s, and nearly three hours longer than the Galaxy S7.

The compromise you must accept for that performance is the SE’s screen, which is not only smaller but also packs in fewer pixels and noticeably less contrast than the iPhone 6s. It also isn’t pressure sensitive, so it can’t do Apple’s 3D Touch trick of popping up menus with a hard press of your finger.

Some people will be drawn to the SE for its price. At $679 without a contract — $250 less than its larger sibling — the iPhone SE might appeal to parents, corporations or people on a budget who are considering their first iPhone. But keep this in mind about the real cost: The 16 gigabytes of storage at that price is hardly sufficient to take advantage of all the latest apps and photo capabilities, let alone cover you for years into the future. If you want this phone, get the 64GB version for $829.

The biggest reason you’d want this phone is because it’s a better size for your hand. So, in the absence of a shoe-measurement contraption for hands, how do you know the right size?

After consulting ergonomists and physical therapists, I can report there is some science to it. You must weigh three factors, all of them trade-offs:

What you can see: When it comes to productivity, bigger is better. The phablet trend was essentially chasing the ergonomic reality that we get more done — and even remember more of what we read — on larger screens. Larger phones also have larger virtual keyboards, and the largest phablets boast beefier batteries. The 25% difference in screen area between the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE could have an impact on your work.

What your thumbs can reach: Most of us use thumbs to operate smartphones, but they vary considerably in reach. You can do a quick test in a store: Go to the drawing mode in the iPhone’s Notes app (or pull up a free Web drawing app such as Awwapp.com). Hold the phone with one hand and swoop your thumb like a windshield wiper. The arc that you draw defines what your thumb can comfortably reach. (You can also see how your thumbs measure up on different screen sizes in our online Journal Hand-o-Meter.)

What you can comfortably hold: The more your hands have to stretch, the more uncomfortable it becomes to grasp a phone — and the more likely you are to drop it. As a test, try holding your hand like you’re making the shape of a gun, and then gripping the phone between your index finger and thumb. If the iPhone SE fits more snugly in the knuckle closest to your palm, it’s likely a better match. (The outer knuckle works too, but it’s a less secure grip.) And don’t forget where you’re going to store your phone: People who insist on stuffing phones into tight jeans might want a smaller size; people who keep them in bags may not care.

I’m happy to see the iPhone SE, partly because I think that the world needs a small phone. A selection of them, truthfully. This is a mini, yet mighty, start.

Wall Street Journal