Apple still loves building compact smartphones, even though the last generations grew considerably. The iPhone SE (which is short for Special Edition) goes back to the roots and revives the hardly used 4-inch form factor.

sophisticated chassis; compact and light; very high performance; bright display with accurate colors; responsive and smooth handling; many accessories available; great signal quality; accurate GPS; good speaker; decent cameras; great runtimes in practice

high black value; NFC only for Apple Pay; microphone sounds dull; no IP certification; glass surfaces can easily break; storage not expandable; integrated battery

There are two ways of looking at the iPhone SE, the "special edition" smaller-scale 4-inch iPhone. One is that it's Apple simply churning out a 2-year-old design with a spec update; the other is that it delivers what many people actually want: a small but powerful phone for those who believe the...

Small size will suit a certain audience; majority 6S feature set means plenty of power; accessible price point

Not a new design; small size won't be for all - can feel crammed on screen; no 3D Touch; 1.2MP front camera; no MIMO Wi-Fi

It totally is. If you have a iPhone 5 lying around, check to see the dimensions- Apple have whipped out the shell of their older flagship, made the tiniest of tweaks and presented beefed up specs in the retro-themed body.

Perfect for using one-handed; Incredible performance; Great camera; Price; good battery life

Might be too small; no 3D touch

A small iPhone with the heart of a big one? It's true, and it's a pretty decent package, even if it took Apple long enough.

Apple's original winning size returns to centre stage; Great spec upgrade; making the iPhone SE faster than the still available iPhone 6; All-day battery life; Great camera; Includes a fingerprint reader; Supports the same accessories as the iPhone 5 and 5S… because it's the same phone chassis-wise...

Small screen (in comparison to what else is out there today; Front-facing camera is old and low resolution (again; in comparison to what else is out there today; No force-touch/3D touch screen

An iPhone with no number in its model name? That'll be the new iPhone SE , which ditches the number 5 but retains everything that iPhone 5 and 5S owners loved about their 4in phones - and upgrades all the bits which are out of date.

We think most users will have a love-it-or-hate-it reaction to the iPhone SE -either you prefer the smaller 4-inch screen size, or you're willing to sacrifice one-handed use for a bigger and more impressive display on the iPhone 6s.

Speedy A9 CPU and high-quality 12MP camera are high-end; The iPhone 5s design never went out of style; Ultra-long battery life in a compact size; Plenty of cases and accessories designed for 5/5s still fit; Starting price of $399 is outstanding

No 128GB storage option; Slower Touch ID; lower-res FaceTime camera; and no 3D Touch; Screen isn't as bright or crisp as iPhone 6s

This is a fantastic upgrade for those with an iPhone 8 or older, and you will notice big changes, and a lot of familiarities, in the switch. It’s also just a downright excellent buy if you want a phone that’ll perform fast and take excellent pictures for years to come.

At $399/£419 this is an excellent buy; Flagship performance should keep this speedy for years; Great photos in daylight situations; Impressive video capabilities; Offers a strong proposition for those who don’t want big phones

Battery life is far from excellent; A new design would’ve been welcome

Anyone who calls the iPhone SE a spare parts store is not wrong. Dressed in the iPhone 8 garb, looking through the glasses of the iPhone XR and doing its work with the heart of the iPhone 11, Apple has rummaged deep in its toolbox and created a powerful iPhone mix that combines not the best, but the...

Powerful processor; Home Button; Bokeh effects for both cameras; Low price

Aged LCD display; Average Portrait Mode; Poor audio; No expandable storage

This clearly isn’t Apple’s absolute best iPhone, but it’s the best choice for many millions of users. It is Apple's least interesting iPhone in years, and simultaneously, perhaps, the most important.

Starts at just $399; The A13 is faster than any other mobile processor; Great photos and video in good light

No telephoto or ultrawide camera; Battery life is just okay; No Night Mode or Deep Fusion

Back in the spring of 2016 — March 31, to be specific — the original iPhone SE launched. It was a callback to the four-inch iPhone many of us loved but couldn't upgrade to for more than two years.