Comparison 5se. Detailed review and testing of the Apple iPhone SE. Enough lies. iPhone performance test in real conditions

31.03.2022

Today we will compare two smartphones from Apple, which are so different externally, but almost the same inside. As you may have guessed, this will be a battle between the iPhone SE and the iPhone 6S.

Of course, the battle is too loud, but we will try to find out which is still better and what are the main differences between these two smartphones.

The difference in the release of phones is not significant enough and all fans of compact smartphones were delighted when the SE appeared, which is completely identical in appearance to the 5S.

Apple released this smartphone mainly for the Chinese market, but we love big screens. Let's compare these two smartphones and find out the main differences:

These are the most basic things that are the main differences between these two devices. Let's find out which one is better and talk in more detail about the characteristics.

Which is better iPhone SE or iPhone 6S?

Logically, the SE is the budget version of the iPhone 6S, and all the leaks said that the new iPhone would be a smaller copy of the flagship.

Outwardly, they are not at all similar, but inside they are almost completely identical. I wrote the differences above, but what do they have in common:

CPU: Apple A9 1.8 GHz;
RAM: 2 GB;
Rear camera: 12 MP.

The main characteristics of smartphones are the same, which makes it very difficult for buyers to choose a smartphone. What is better anyway?

Appearance. It is already a matter of taste, because the design of smartphones from different generations of devices. By the way, they are also identical in color.

The SE also has rose gold, which is essentially the second difference from the 5S after the inscription on the back of the phone. Girls will definitely be delighted with this color.

The screens are designed for different users, because someone likes a more informative display, and who cares more about compactness.

Camera. Fans of taking ordinary photos will definitely not be disappointed, because the cameras are the same in them and the quality is very high.

Apple's front camera has been drastically cut. And this at a time when the front camera is one of the main criteria when choosing a new smartphone.

So selfies on the SE will be about the same as on the iPhone 5S. And what do you want, because the version is truncated.

Performance. No matter how many tests the video bloggers did, the devices work almost identically in all programs.

Everyone thought that due to the smaller screen, processing would be faster with the SE. But this did not happen and we received completely identical phones.

So any modern games and applications just fly on both devices.

Battery and other technologies. You can ignore the battery right away, because in 6S it is a bit larger, but the SE's compactness makes it possible to catch up in terms of battery life.

3D Touch is another big part that sets these two phones apart. But as time has shown, you will not be too disappointed by the lack of this technology.

Touch ID is still of different generations, I searched for a long time, but found this information. In practice, you won’t feel the difference too much, so we don’t pay attention to this parameter either.

As usual, a lot of comparisons and really no conclusions. But you understand, when you start comparing two devices that are so similar, it is most difficult to draw accurate conclusions.

To simplify your choice, let's divide all users into several categories:

iPhone 6S buyers: you need a large informative screen that will always delight you with a juicy picture. Selfie shots are also very important for you, because it’s difficult to exist without Instagram.
Love to always walk around with the top smartphones and learn how to use new technologies like 3D Touch.
iPhone SE buyers: compactness above all. You don’t have to worry at all that your smartphone can fall out of your hands.
You use the front camera, but rarely enough and the quality of 1.2 MP will be more than enough for you. The main thing is that it is small and has enough power for the next 2 or 3 years.

If I had to choose between these two phones, of course I would choose the 6S. I have a fairly large hand and large smartphones are not terrible for me.

Like it or not, the iPhone 6S is the flagship of 2015, and the iPhone SE is a slightly simplified version of it and an attempt to get buyers who still haven’t said goodbye to the compactness and design of the 5S.

Results

Phones differ in price, of course, but not so much that the amount says to buy this or that phone.

Simply select which of the above categories of people you belong to and here is your answer for your next purchase. Hope you can meet your needs.

Here is a comparison of smartphones from Apple iPhone SE and iPhone 6S. I hope I helped you with the choice, and if you have questions, you can always write them in the comments.

Reading time: 9 min

From this review, you will learn about the main differences between the iPhone 7 iPhone 6S and iPhone SE, which will allow you to make a decision on the purchase of a particular phone model.

In September 2016, Apple introduced new devices, among which was the iPhone 7. Another series of annual research began, the purpose of which is to find out how the new iPhone is better than previous versions. An unbiased comparison shows that the iPhone 7 is not marketing, but the next step in the development of smartphones.

To get an idea of how far developers have come in the past year, let's compare the iPhone 7 to its two previous models: the iPhone 6S and iPhone SE.

Comparison table iPhone 7 6S and SE

Please note that the table shows only those characteristics that differ between phones.

Characteristics	iPhone 7	iPhone 6S	iPhone SE
Screen size	4.7"	4.7"	4"
Screen resolution	750x1334	750x1334	640x1136
CPU	A10 Fusion	Apple A9	Apple A9
Number of Cores	4	2	2
Dust and moisture protection	IP67	No	No
Length	138.3 mm	138.3 mm	123.8 mm
Width	67.1 mm	67.1 mm	58.6 mm
Thickness	7.1 mm	7.1 mm	7.6mm
Weight	138 g	143 g	113 g
Registration of force of pressings	Yes	Yes	No
Optical stabilization	Yes	No	No
digital zoom	5 X	3 X	3 X
Front-camera	7 MP	5 MP	1.2 MP
Battery type	Li-ion	Li-ion	Lipol
Battery capacity	1960 mAh	1,715 mAh	1642 mAh

Appearance

6S and SE are available in 4 colors: silver, space gray, gold and rose gold. The iPhone 7 comes in 5 colors: silver, gold, rose gold, black and black onyx.

The SE retains the look and feel of the iPhone 5S with glass accents at the bottom and top of the case, while the iPhone 7 is virtually identical to the all-aluminum 6S. However, it is still impossible to talk about the complete similarity of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7. The Home button has gone from being physical to being touch-sensitive and has a bunch of sensors. In addition, the body of the iPhone 7, unlike previous models, is protected from splashes of water and dust.

The main feature of the iPhone 7 is the lack of a headphone jack. There is only one Lightning port left on the phone, which is used to charge the device and connect the original headphones. Music lovers who are not yet ready to give up the standard 3.5mm jack can use the Lightning to 3.5mm jack adapter that comes with the phone.

In addition, the corporation introduced new AirPods wireless headphones, which have a separate chip inside that ensures the operation of all sensors. AirPods work without recharging for 5 hours.

Display and speakers

The Retina display on iPhone 7 has 25% more color gamut than previous models. The physical size is the same as the iPhone 6S - 4.7 inches, the iPhone SE has a 4-inch screen. The resolution also remains the same - 1334x750 pixels (for SE - 1136x640). But the screen brightness indicators have increased - 625 cd / m2 versus 500 cd / m2 for 6S and SE.

Initially, there was information that two stereo speakers were installed on the iPhone 7. But in reality, the grille, which is located on the lower edge of the device, turned out to be decorative. Stereo sound is organized using the second conversational speaker. When playing audio, two speakers work at once, so compared to previous models, the sound on the seventh iPhone is twice as loud.

cameras

The number of megapixels has not changed - 12 each on all three compared devices. However, you need to look at other characteristics of the iPhone 7:

The front camera on the iPhone 7 has not received new technologies, but it makes selfies as perfect as on the 6S or SE.

Performance

The iPhone 6S and iPhone SE used the Apple A9 chip. At the time of the appearance of these devices, nothing was faster.

iPhone 7 is powered by Apple's 4-core A10 Fusion processor, made using a 14nm process that improves performance while reducing heat and power consumption. Compared to A9, the new chip is 40% faster. Compared to the A8 processor from the iPhone 6, the difference is even more significant - the performance of the iPhone 7 chip has increased by 2 times.

It was somewhat surprising to see the premiere of the iPhone SE - in fact, a new model that was dressed in an "old" case: hardware from the iPhone 6s was added to the 5s case. Often users ask - which is better, 6s or SE? Here are some interesting facts on the basis of which you can draw a final conclusion.

Appearance and dimensions

The design of the models is completely different. As mentioned above, for the SE, Apple decided to use a case from the good old iPhone 5s, which, by the way, is still on sale. The body has sharp edges, while the 6s has smoother lines.

What is better in the hand? The question is moot. If we are talking about a small female pen, then surely the iPhone SE will be better in her hand - after all, it is much smaller, given the difference in the screen diagonal. But in a large male palm, the iPhone 6s can lie more comfortably, including because it has rounded edges of the case.

The dimensions are:

iPhone SE: 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm, weight - 113 g

iPhone 6s: 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm, weight - 143 g

The SE is significantly smaller and lighter.

Screen

Here the difference is significant. The screen diagonal of the iPhone SE reaches 4 inches, iPhone 6s - 4.7 inches. The resolution is different - 1136x640 and 1334x750 pixels respectively, but the most interesting thing is that the number of pixels per inch is the same - 326!

In terms of image quality, both displays are on the same level, but on a larger display it is more convenient and more interesting to watch movies or play games, take this into account.

In addition, 6s is endowed with a 3D Touch function (the function of recognizing the pressure on the screen), but is it really needed?

Iron

There is parity. Both devices are based on the Apple A9 processor, have 2 GB of RAM. True, the difference in speed should be on the SE side, since it has a smaller screen, which means less resources spent. But the difference, if any, is almost imperceptible to the eye.

The devices even have the same Touch ID - a fingerprint scanner.

A significant difference is in the amount of built-in memory. If for SE you can choose either 16 GB or 64 GB of memory, then for 6s - 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB.

Camera

There is no difference in terms of the main camera - the same 12-megapixel matrix, f / 2.2 lens, LED flash. This means that the devices are filmed in the same way (the difference may be at the level of nuances due to the firmware settings).

The front camera is another matter: in SE its resolution is 1.2 MP, in 6s it is 5 MP. But it's not just about megapixels, the SE's front camera is really simpler, so selfies are noticeably better in the 6s.

Battery

The battery capacity in 6s is 1715 mAh, in SE it is 1624 mAh. As you can see, the difference is quite insignificant, but let's not forget that the SE has a much smaller screen size, fewer resources are required, so the autonomy should be higher for the SE with similar use.

What to choose?

By tradition, the potential buyer himself must answer this question. As for our opinion, we will say this: SE is somewhat cheaper, but it also has a smaller screen size. If you like compact devices, you should choose SE, and if you like more, then 6s. The main parameters, as you can see, are the same for smartphones.

Characteristics

Screen diagonal: 4 inches

Screen resolution: 1136x640

Weight: 113g

Number of SIM cards: 1

Processor: Apple A9

Memory capacity: 16 GB

RAM: 2 GB

Battery capacity: 1624 mAh

Camera: 12 MP

Memory card support: no

Support for 4G networks: yes

Screen diagonal: 4.7 inches

Screen resolution: 1334×750

Weight: 143 g

Number of SIM cards: 1

Processor: Apple A9

Memory capacity: 16 GB

RAM: 2 GB

Battery capacity: 1715 mAh

Camera: 12 MP

Memory card support: no

Support for 4G networks: yes

Apple released an intermediate smartphone called the SE in 2016. After the release of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, the creators decided to please the public with a little sensation before the autumn release of the new generation of 2016. The novelty received mixed reviews, but it became very popular around the world. It is often compared to Let's compare SE and 6S and find out which one is better.

How will we compare?

It will not work to single out a clear leader and say that one of the smartphones is bad and the other is good. The two models have different purposes and audiences, so each of the groups of people will defend their opinion. But you can conduct comparative tests, so that later you can rely on them when choosing a new phone. To begin with, we will get acquainted with the main characteristics of the two devices, and then we will compare them according to each of the criteria presented below:

performance;
screen;
cameras;
autonomy;
convenience;
appearance.

First, let's compare the characteristics of SE and 6S.

The main characteristics of smartphones

Let's start with an older device. It is worth noting that the article only considers the 4.7-inch version. Here are the main parameters of the smartphone:

Screen 4.7 inches with a resolution of 1334 by 750 pixels and IPS-matrix.
A9 processor with 2 cores on 64-bit architecture.
2GB of RAM.
Main camera 12 MP with optical stabilization.
5 MP front camera
Built-in memory 16, 64 or 128 GB, depending on the version.
Battery - 2750 mAh.

Now look at the specifications of the iPhone SE:

Screen 4 inches with a resolution of 1136 by 640 pixels and IPS-matrix.
A9 processor with a frequency of 1.8 GHz per core.
2 GB of RAM.
16, 32, 64 or 128 GB internal memory.
The main camera is 12 MP.
Front camera 1.2 MP.
Battery - 1600 mAh.

If you compare SE and 6S, you will notice that they are almost the same. The diagonals of the screen, the quality of the front camera and the options for internal memory capacity differ. Indeed, the creators decided to use almost all the stuffing from the iPhone 6S in a compact novelty. Let's make a comparison according to the criteria described above.

Performance

It would seem that the same characteristics - the same performance. However, there is a catch here. Since the SE model has a smaller display, its performance is slightly higher than the 6S. Not to mention the outdated "six" - its 4-inch smartphone bypasses several times.

In all applications and games, the SE model shows itself more confidently. Also, the phone behaves in the normal operation of the operating system. This is a great sign, since all subsequent updates will work without brakes. However, the big 6S is not far behind the compact smartphone, so it's difficult to choose according to performance - on both devices you can play and use all the applications that are in the App Store.

Screen

Comparing two displays with different diagonals and resolutions is wrong, so we will compare the impressions of the picture and work with the screen. Comparing the SE and 6S in terms of picture quality results in a much more enjoyable experience for watching videos and photos on the big screen. But despite the lower resolution, the iPhone SE is not inferior to the older model in terms of picture quality. The SE display is borrowed from the 5S model, but in practice there are noticeable differences - in the new product, the image is slightly yellow, which can be attributed to minor minuses. The pluses of the iPhone 6S include 3D Touch, which is not found in a compact phone. Many users often do not note the presence of this function, since a small percentage of people use it.

cameras

Comparing the characteristics of the iPhone SE and 6S in terms of the quality of pictures on the main camera does not make sense - both modules are absolutely identical. You can compare the shooting quality in any video review. The camera can take photos and videos in resolutions up to 4K and 60FPS. To store such high-quality images and videos, you need a large amount of memory, so we do not recommend buying 16 GB versions.

Here, with the front camera in the iPhone SE, the developers decided not to bother and left the module from the old 5S. The reason for this decision is not clear. The front camera shoots in 720p resolution. The iPhone 6S has FaceTime set to 5MP. SE and 6S on the front cameras does not make sense - the second smartphone is a cut above the first.

autonomy

In this parameter, the small screen again wins. 4 inches and 1136 by 640 dots last several hours longer than its big counterpart. In the mode of web surfing and listening to music, the difference is 2 hours in favor of SE. At the same time, the battery in a 4-inch phone cannot boast of a large capacity. In general, Apple has worked with optimization in both devices, so in the comparison of SE and 6S, you can give the victory to the first by a small margin.

Comfort and appearance

In terms of convenience, it is difficult to draw objective conclusions. For those who prefer large screens and phones, the iPhone SE will seem extremely small. Those who value compactness and design first of all will choose it instead of the iPhone 6S. The designers did not come up with a new case, but simply took the extremely successful design of the fifth generation. Rose gold has been added to the usual colors. The SE is the best compact smartphone on the market right now, so if you're a fan of small devices, you should check it out.

When compared to the iPhone 6, SE and 6S, we can single out the leader in design (SE), performance (SE) and camera (6S). All other comparison parameters are completely subjective, since these two smartphones belong to different categories.

If you are faced with a choice between iPhone 6s and iPhone SE, then in this review you will find a comparison of all the main parameters of these models: speed, display and camera quality, additional options.



Colors

You can't find fault with the appearance of the devices - they are made in the same classic design for their time, and the visible difference, perhaps, is only in size. Models are presented in the following 4 colors: space gray, silver, gold, rose gold.

Size, thickness and weight

The large screen diagonal allows you to view photos and videos with great comfort. If this is important to you, then your choice is the iPhone 6s, which has a diagonal larger by almost an inch. Against this background, the iPhone SE can only boast of the fact that it weighs noticeably less.

Screen specifications

The iPhone 6s boasts a Retina display with the “HD” prefix: noticeably better contrast and more resolution. Although the pixel density, it is worth noting, remained at the same level.

Processor, memory size and battery


Processor name	Apple A9	Apple A9
CPU frequency	1.8 GHz	1.8 GHz
Memory	32 GB 128 GB	32 GB 128 GB
	Battery life
In talk mode	up to 14 hours	up to 14 hours
In the Internet	until 10 o'clock	up to 13 hours
When listening to audio	up to 50 hours	up to 50 hours

Smartphones are equipped with the same A9 processor with a clock speed of 1.8 GHz, as well as the same memory options. There are also no significant differences in the operating time without recharging.

Camera

Love taking pictures with your phone? Then this section will help you better decide on the choice of model.

Do you often make video calls? The iPhone 6s has a much better front camera resolution.

Other properties

For a complete picture, pay attention to the additional characteristics of the models.


SIM card	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM
Image stabilization	-	-
Video recording, frame rate		1080p HD video at 30 or 60 fps
Zoom when recording video	3x digital zoom	3x digital zoom
Water protection	-	-
Geolocation	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS	GPS and GLONASS
Authentication	Fingerprint identification sensor (second generation) built into the home button	Fingerprint ID sensor built into the home button

Conclusion

In our review, the iPhone 6s scored 7 likes, while the iPhone SE got 2. Should I make a decision already? Take your time, there are other parameters that can be viewed on the manufacturer's websites. The final table, for which we put likes.