• The $400 iPhone SE stands out for its fast performance, compact design, and effective camera.
• Still, the iPhone SE is lacking some of the camera features found on similarly priced Android rivals.
• Overall, the phone is best suited for Apple loyalists upgrading from an older device like the iPhone 6S that want something affordable and familiar.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple's iPhone SE is unlike any iPhone Apple has released in the past two years. In fact, it looks a lot more like the the iPhone you probably remember from 2017 and earlier, back when iPhones still had home buttons and smaller-sized screens.

I switched from the $1,000 iPhone 11 Pro to Apple's new iPhone SE recently, and overall I've found it to be a solid option for Apple fans looking for a cheap, portable device. The smaller and lighter size is easy to manage and operate with one hand, and Touch ID brings some convenience that Face ID can lack. 

But of course, since it's significantly cheaper than the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, it's lacking in some areas. It doesn't have an ultra-wide-angle camera or low-light photography capabilities, for example, even though similarly priced Android devices offer some of those features.

After spending a couple of weeks with Apple's cheapest iPhone, here are my favorite (and least favorite) things about it.  

SEE ALSO: Apple is expected to release a new Apple Watch this fall — here are the features we want to see

The iPhone SE runs on Apple's latest iPhone processor, which makes it feel snappy and fast.

The iPhone SE runs on Apple's A3 Bionic processor, the same chip that powers the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. As a result, the iPhone SE feels snappy and fast in daily use.

I found this to be especially true when switching from my old iPhone 8 to the SE. In most cases, it was able to launch apps, render 4K video clips, and find surfaces more quickly in augmented reality than Apple's more-than-two-year-old iPhone 8.

That being said, the iPhone SE is pretty similar to the iPhone 8 in just about every other way, save for a few exceptions. It's best suited for those upgrading from an iPhone 7 or older. 

The A13 Bionic is the major advantage the iPhone SE has over similarly-priced Android phones, many of which may offer more sophisticated cameras but run on less powerful processors. 

It's small and compact, which means it's easier to use with one hand and fit into pockets.

The iPhone SE is the most compact iPhone Apple has released in years. It has a 4.7-inch screen just like the iPhone 8, and weighs noticeably less than the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro.

The iPhone SE weighs 5.22 ounces, while the iPhone 11 weighs 6.84 ounces and the iPhone 11 Pro weighs 6.63 ounces. 

It's also the only iPhone Apple sells that comes with a Touch ID home button.

Although I've grown accustomed to swiping up from the home screen to return home and unlocking my phone just by looking at it, I've really appreciated having Touch ID again.

Apple's fingerprint sensor sometimes works a bit faster than Face ID in my experience when unlocking my phone. And since Face ID works best when held directly in front of your face, I often have to physically pick up my phone to unlock it when using the iPhone 11 Pro. 

With the iPhone SE, by comparison, I can unlock my phone just by resting a finger on the home button without having to move the device. It's a small convenience, but one that I've come to appreciate.

The camera quality is good for the price.

The iPhone SE has a single 12-megapixel camera that supports Portrait Mode and all six lighting effects that go with it. Overall, the camera system is very similar to the one found on Apple's iPhone XR from 2018.

You won't get the more advanced photography features found on Apple's newer iPhone models, but you won't be disappointed by the SE's camera either. During my time with the phone, I've found that it takes sharp, crisp images that may not be as vibrant as the ones taken on the iPhone 11 Pro, but are in some cases an improvement over the iPhone 8.

But the camera is lacking compared to some similarly priced Android phones.

Given its cheap price, it's reasonable to think that the iPhone SE wouldn't come with all of the capabilities of the iPhone 11 or 11 Pro.

But that hasn't stopped some Android phone makers from bringing features like low-light photography, multi-lens camera systems, and ultra-wide-angle lenses to their devices. Google, Samsung, and TCL all offer compelling smartphones with more feature-rich photography capabilities at similar price points as the iPhone SE.  

The iPhone SE's design also feels a bit antiquated compared to modern smartphones.

While I appreciate the portability of the iPhone SE's design, its appearance does feel a bit outdated compared to other modern smartphones. Other affordable Android phones, like the $400 Samsung Galaxy A51 and $400 Google Pixel 3a, still offer screens with much smaller bezels for around the same price.  

And the battery life leaves me wanting more.

I usually get roughly one full work day out of the iPhone SE, which is acceptable given its low price. But when switching from a more expensive phone like the iPhone 11 Pro, I often found myself scrambling to plug in my phone after work hours.

Battery life will always vary depending on how you use your phone. During the workday, I tend to take a lot of phone calls, leave my screen on for long periods of time to avoid missing work notifications, and record audio frequently. All of these tasks will drain your battery faster than usual, which is why I tend to get more battery life out of the SE on the weekends.

The bottom line is: If you're a power user that's frequently recording video or audio, or running graphics-heavy games, you may want to make sure you have a charger handy or opt for a phone with longer battery life.

So is it right for you?

The iPhone SE is a reliable, affordable choice for Apple fans that want something that feels familiar and won't break the bank. 

You shouldn't expect to get all of the benefits you'd find on a much more expensive phone like the iPhone 11 Pro. But the SE's A13 Bionic chip offers fast performance for the price, and should provide some reassurance that you're phone won't quickly feel outdated in terms of speed. 

In a string of tweets, the actor apologized for retweeting an anti-Semitic meme.

The reality TV star is a wizard at keeping the spotlight exactly where she wants it.

The reality TV star wrote that she and her husband, real estate developer Michael Darby, are "savoring every moment."

The reality star and her husband, Kanye West, tapped some high-ranking friends to help the rapper, who has been detained in Sweden.

The rapper was arrested earlier this month after an altercation in Stockholm.

The president stopped by a Staten Island couple's wedding and was greeted with cheers, screams and a supportive crowd.

The former first daughter and her spouse welcomed a son on Monday.

The president wants the rapper, who is accused of assault, returned to the United States.

The NBC personality introduced baby Henry Harold to the world on Monday.

The "Quantico" actress was called out during her appearance for a tweet sent during military hostility between the neighboring, nuclear-armed countries.

The host made news of his own with questionable jokes, an eye roll and whispers of another wrong winner.

The actress and activist wants to encourage the public to get involved because “showing up is participating in how this all works.”

The president's son mocked the former "Empire" actor's legal troubles in numerous tweets this week. And not for the first time.

Review of "This America" by Jill Lepore and "The Heartland" by Kristin L. Hoganson

Two new books critical of the president -- one from the left, one from the right -- imagine a path beyond our current divisions.

Review of 'She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement' by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

Review of 'The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free' by Rich Lowry

If you are just starting up your website, perhaps you are selling tangible items, or you have a hit single that you’ll be offering digital copies of, one of your pressing questions may be: “Which payment gateway should I use to accept payments from my customers?“. While there are pros and cons of using any […]

The post Benefits of Adding Multiple Payment Gateways to Your Website’s Checkout appeared first on Tips and Tricks HQ.

What are the main differences between a European canal hotel barge cruise and a river cruise? I think there are 8 key things you need to know that makes a canal cruise different to a river cruise. By understanding how they differ you can better decide is a river cruise or canal hotel barge cruise is best for your next European river cruising vacation

Note: I travelled as a guest of CroisiEurope on a 6-night hotel barge cruise in France before making this video Croisieurope had no input into the opinions or content of this video.

** Buy my Cruise T-shirts: http://bit.ly/TFTStore
** USA cruisers get great cruise deals CRUISEDIRECT.COM: http://bit.ly/TFTBookCruise
** UK Cruisers get great cruise deals with CRUISE.CO.UK: http://bit.ly/BookCruiseUK

Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers aims to help you make more of your precious travel time and money on land and when cruising the oceans or rivers of the world. To help you, in every video I draw on my first-hand tips and advice from travelling every month for over 20 years and 60+ cruises.

Follow Tips For Travellers on:
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/garybembridge
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge

What are the 8 best things you can do on Norwegian Encore cruise ship for free, as they are included within your cruise fare? Norwegian Encore launched in November 2019 and, like the rest of the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet, has lots of choice and facilities. However, many of these do costs a fee above your cruise fare to use, including some restaurants, activities and facilities. So, I reveal what the very best things you can do on board Norwegian Encore that you do not have to pay extra to do. Some, I hope will surprise and please you!

Note: I travelled as a guest of the cruise line before making this video on a short shakedown cruise before the ship went to fare-paying passenger service

SUPPORT THE CHANNEL BY:
Buying my Cruise T-shirts: http://bit.ly/TFTStore
Booking your next cruise with CRUISEDIRECT.COM: http://bit.ly/TFTBookCruisE

Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers aims to help you make more of your precious travel time and money on land and when cruising the oceans or rivers of the world. To help you, in every video I draw on my first-hand tips and advice from travelling every month for over 20 years and 60+ cruises.

Follow Tips For Travellers on:
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/garybembridge
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge

I give the answers to 8 of the more offbeat, unconventional and unusual questions that many passengers, including me at one time, were afraid or embarrassed to ask. I explore everything from what water is in the toilets to how many people die on a cruise and what happens to the body and what waste is (and is not) out into the ocean. Find out the answers to some of the more offbeat questions many cruise passengers have about cruise ships and cruising.

SUPPORT THE CHANNEL BY:
Buying my Cruise T-shirts: http://bit.ly/TFTStoreBooking your next cruise with CRUISEDIRECT.COM: http://bit.ly/TFTBookCruise

Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers aims to help you make more of your precious travel time and money on land and when cruising the oceans or rivers of the world. To help you, in every video I draw on my first-hand tips and advice from travelling every month for over 20 years and 74 cruises at time of making this video.

Follow Tips For Travellers on:
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/garybembridge

- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers

- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge

Who actually owns and operates the most popular and your favourite cruise lines? Be prepared for some surprises as I take a look at who the biggest cruise lines in the world are based on number of passengers carried, and then who owns and controls the lines. Although there are many cruise lines, they are all pretty much owned by three large cruise corporations. Discover who owns and operates the cruise lines you have heard of, love or considering cruising with.

Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers aims to help you make more of your precious travel time and money on land and when cruising the oceans or rivers of the world. To help you, in every video I draw on my first-hand tips and advice from travelling every month for over 20 years and 60+ cruises.

Follow Tips For Travellers on:

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/garybembridge

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge

Messages between a GOP strategist and a Census Bureau official make clear the politics and bias behind the proposed citizenship census question.

Trump has gutted the asylum system that grew in part out of our shame over our heartless refugee policies in the 1930s.

Welcome to the Resistance, Mooch. Better late than never.

One could imagine him becoming even more protectionist and more isolationist in a recession.

Whatever the opposite of it is, that’s what Democrats should be running on.

Maybe there's a reason the Donald Trumps and Paul Manaforts and Michael Cohens of the world have felt emboldened lately.

This is a whole different category of alleged impropriety.

We are all direct witnesses to Trump’s public selling out of U.S. democracy.

There might not be room for creativity when everything “new” is crowdsourced.

Somehow they’ve “tricked” him into saying and doing racist and corrupt things, in public and on camera.

He did it in the Ukraine affair, of course, but most of his abuses have happened closer to home.

The Trump administration continues its war on consumers

A framework for how Congress should be thinking about the immediate economic challenges ahead — and the tools available to address them.

Trump is all about the favors. Even when it concerns our livelihood.

Tax cuts are the GOP’s all-purpose remedy. Even for the coronavirus.

“April showers bring May flowers.” Perhaps this is why May is National Flower Month. Indulge your green thumb with this week’s website picks about flowers.

There are several things which go into successful video marketing on YouTube. One of these things is the very often neglected YouTube SEO that’s so vital for getting viewers to actually find your video. Too many YouTube marketers are concerned with what’s going on in their videos to really push for better SEO, and it […]

The post How Web Media Developer can use YouTube SEO with Better Search Marketing to Rank Their Videos appeared first on SpyreStudios.

It’s rather unfortunate that the best some of us can do in a time of a global pandemic is to stay at home in order to help. Quarantines for that matter, are tough challenges for the regular person. However, they don’t have to feel like an unproductive slog, why not treat yourself to some self-improvement […]

The post 12 Free Web Development Courses to Take While in Self-Isolation appeared first on SpyreStudios.

Staying fit these days is now more important than ever with the global pandemic having no cure or vaccine yet other than a healthy body. It just so happens that being active is also more difficult because gyms are closed in affected areas. Home workouts like yoga, in that regard, are golden and yoga website […]

The post 12 Yoga Website Designs for Inspiration appeared first on SpyreStudios.

ECommerce is undeniably a buzzword. Many people have been discussing this term for a long time since the Internet was opened to commercial use. Through its history, with many advantages over brick and mortar stores as well as mail-order catalogs, eCommerce has become one of the fastest-growing industries.  Did you know that 25% of the […]

The post What Will An Ecommerce Website Need To Stand Out In 2020? appeared first on SpyreStudios.

Coffee, music, YouTube channels, and procrastination— only a handful of things can make your day when it comes to increasing productivity but none of them are as complete as having a home office setup. It makes a world of difference where and how you work especially if you work from home. Hence, some home office […]

The post 12 Home Office Setup Ideas for Web Designers and Developers appeared first on SpyreStudios.

One of the biggest mistakes a business owner can make today is ignoring social media marketing or treating it as an afterthought. This is even more so in an increasingly competitive space like the web design niche where small businesses have to strive to leave the shadows of more established brands with years of history […]

The post How to Use Instagram To Grow Your Web Design Business appeared first on SpyreStudios.

With the lockdown across nations, you are probably spending more time reading. Whether it’s for pleasure or for work, we’re here to help you fill your time with some reading material. These web design articles are not only about best practices, deals, and trends in the niche but also include feel-good stories that we all […]

The post Roundup: Web Design Articles May 8, 2020 appeared first on SpyreStudios.

The world lost an incredible talent with the death of Tomie dePaola. 

Author Madelyn Rosenberg hasn’t been able to visit her mother in person lately and has been thinking about all her mom has done for her — especially nurturing her as a writer. This led to Madelyn reaching out to other author friends who join her in sharing some of the great things their moms have done to support them and their career choice!

I experienced two very different things this week: I revisited some speeches by the incomparable Toni Morrison after I learned of her death. And I watched a recent video about education. I hope not only the timeliness but also how these two intersect will become clear as you read on. A recent video that is posted on Colorín Colorado focuses on English language learners (ELLs) in Dearborn, Michigan. It is entitled You Are Welcome Here.

The world lost an incredible talent with the death of Tomie dePaola.