UK Edition
iPhone SE: the changing face of the iPhone
With the iPhone SE, Apple has returned to a 4-inch smartphone display, which it first started using for the iPhone 5 in 2012.
Although the company has become well-known for its larger 'phablet' screen sizes of 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches introduced with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, its longest-running form factor is actually 3.5-inches, which was the display size for five models starting with the original model and ending with 2011's iPhone 4s.
During that time, screen resolution has risen from 480 x 320 from the original, to 960 x 640 in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s, a rise of 1136 x 640 in the iPhone 5, 5s and 5c, 1134 x 750 in the iPhone 6 and 6s, and 1920 x 1080 in the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus. The iPhone SE clocks in with a resolution of 1136 x 640 - the same as its predecessor model the iPhone 5s.
Interestingly, over the course of time, iPhones have become heavier, then significantly lighter before getting much heavier again. The original weighed 135g, as did the iPhone 3G, while the iPhone 3GS dropped to 133g. The iPhone 4 rose to 140g, before the iPhone 5 and 5s slimmed down to 112g. Interestingly the plastic iPhone 5c weighed more at 132g. The iPhone 6 marked a return to a heavier weight at 129g, and the iPhone 6 Plus was much heavier at 172g. Subsequently, the iPhone 6s weighs 143g, the iPhone 6s Plus is 192g, while the iPhone SE is 113g.
The most commonly-used rear-facing camera configuration was 8MP, used between the iPhone 4s and iPhone 6 Plus over four years. Prior to that, the iPhone 4 had a 5MP lens, the iPhone 3GS' was 3.2MP and the original model and iPhone 3G's was 2MP. The iPhone SE, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus' cameras are all 12MP.