PERFORMANCE: Overall the performance of the Apple iPhone SE did well but was not among our top scorers. Many users will be satisfied with its performance especially if you're looking for a mid-range smartphone. Ergonomics on the iPhone SE were very good. While not the best, the touchscreen was very good and it is easy to use. You should be able to get comfortable using this smartphone very quickly. Call quality and convenience on the iPhone SE were not the best but they were very good. Sound while on a call was very good in a quiet room and with background noise. Your sound quality will vary due to many factors including background noise, if you are moving between cell towers, the quality of the phone on the other end of the call, and the quality of the cell tower and antenna.
DURABILITY: After 50 drops in the tumbler, our experts rated it as very good. The phone had some scratches but it was still in good working condition. After our more strenuous 100 drops in the tumbler the screen and body are bruised but not broken. Our experts rated it as good. The phone had some scratches and a minor dent between the display glass and frame. Overall it was still in working condition.
PORTABILITY/BATTERY: The 4-inch screen on the iPhone SE comes in a body measuring 4.9-inches tall, 2.3-inches wide, 0.3-inches thick, and weighs 4 ounces. Those measurements mean the phone is smaller and lighter than most. At 19 hours, it has an average battery lifespan. Its battery is not removable and the phone doesn't support wireless charging.
CAMERA: The main rear camera on the Apple iPhone SE measures 12-megapixels. The camera does not have optical image stabilization so handheld photos in low light may be blurrier than cameras with optical image stabilization. Overall the camera performance was very good. The main camera is among our top performers for shooting stills. Images are evaluated on high quality LCD displays. The test photos are taken in a brightly lit studio and outdoors on a sunny day. In the viewing tests the images were rated very good overall. These images are among the best results for color quality, exposure level, sharpness, and image noise. The iPhone SE comes with a 1.2-megapixel selfie cam. Overall the selfie camera quality was good.
DISPLAY: Overall the display quality was good, The display resolution was barely high enough, close to 300dpi, so you see a smooth, but not very crisp image. The display showed some glare in daylight. Readability outdoors is a combination of brightness, measured in candelas per square meter, and reflectivity. The readability rating was excellent. The brightness level measured 1 meter from the screen was a very high 570cd/m² and reflective glare was minimal.
