Apple confirmed years of rumors that it would release a powerful 4-inch iPhone at its press event. The iPhone SE will be available from all major U.S. carriers, here's the latest on pricing, preorder, and release date details.
Ever since Apple unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in September 2014, there has been a large portion of Apple's loyal iPhone fan base that would simply rather stick with an older model due to its overall smaller size than upgrade to its latest iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to gain a significantly faster user experience, enhanced camera, and top of the line specs.
In early January, we reported that Apple was planning to release a new 4-inch iPhone and at the time it was referred to as iPhone 5e for "enhanced." By late January the smartphone was called "iPhone 5se" and was said to include the same A9 and M9 processors found in Apple's flagship iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
Apple just held its press event and launched a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, new Apple Watch bands, and its small and powerful new 4-inch iPhone, iPhone SE.
"iPhone SE is an exciting new idea - we started with a beloved, iconic design and reinvented it from the inside out. The result is the most beautiful and powerful phone with a four-inch display in the world," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "iPhone SE is packed with a stunning four-inch Retina display, advanced 64-bit A9 chip with M9 motion co-processor, longer battery life, 12-megapixel iSight camera with True Tone flash, Live Photos, 4K video, faster LTE and Wi-Fi, and Touch ID with Apple Pay. Everyone who wants a smaller phone is going to love iPhone SE."
Here's the latest on carrier availability, preorders, pricing, and release date details for the iPhone SE.
Apple will begin accepting preorders for the iPhone SE on Thursday, March 24 through its online store and release the smartphone on March 31. The 16 GB iPhone SE will be priced at $399 full retail price, while the 64 GB variant will cost $499. Apple is offering choice of four carriers, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, in addition to a SIM-free option.
The iPhone 5SE will be offered in the same four color configurations as the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, which include Silver, Space Gray, Gold, and Rose Gold.
CNET is reporting that AT&T is the only U.S. carrier to announce pricing information through its AT&T Next program. The 16 GB iPhone SE starts at a $15 activation fee, $13.30 per month for 30 months, $16.63 per month for 24 months or $19.95 per month for 20 months.
You can expect similar installment pricing from the other major carriers and once we hear any details from Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, we'll report back to you.
Are you planning on buying an iPhone SE and why? Please share your comments with us and our readers below.
