iPhone SE First Impressions: Small Size is Perfect and Performance is Impressive but Power Button Rattles

Yesterday marked the official launch date of the iPhone SE, with the device arriving to pre-order customers and becoming available for purchase in retail stores. Now that the new 4-inch iPhone is in the hands consumers, many MacRumors readers have been sharing their opinions on the iPhone SE in the forums.

We've already seen reviews and first impressions of the 4-inch iPhone from media sites, but details and thoughts shared by actual customers are often more informative. We've rounded up some of the more interesting tidbits that our readers have shared, which can be seen below.

On the whole, reactions to the iPhone SE are positive among customers who have been awaiting a smaller 4-inch iPhone. PaladinGuy finds the 4-inch form factor to be more comfortable, but does miss the 3D Touch feature of the iPhone 6s.

It's WAY more comfortable in my hand to have 4" again, but I have to say that I keep trying to use 3D Touch for different things, and then remembering the SE doesn't have it. We'll see how big of a deal it is to me.

Many MacRumors readers who purchased the iPhone SE favor one handed operation over screen size, and with a 4-inch iPhone, the entire screen can be accessed with a thumb as Hal~9000 points out.


There are a surprising number of MacRumors readers who switched from one of Apple's flagship iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices to the new iPhone. From Z3man, who previously used an iPhone 6s:

Really enjoying using a 4" phone again, my 6s is definitely getting sold. The 6s really does look big and ugly next to the SE, but it is in the hand i feel the biggest difference, the SE just feels so much better, much easier to use and better balanced, it just feels right, the 6s just feels all wrong. I haven't found any compromises yet after going to the SE, best iPhone yet.

Some new iPhone SE owners have run into issues with their devices. There are a few complaints of yellow-tinted screens, and a good number of users have noticed a rattling sound coming from the power button of the device that can impact videos. This is also an issue that some iPhone 5 and 5s models suffered from, but some users aren't bothered by it.

My wife's and my SEs both have the rattle. I'd prefer that our $500 phones not rattle but in the end it doesn't seem like it's a big issue especially if this was prevalent on the 5s and didn't lead to any larger problems.

Benchmarks (sourced from Engadget) comparing the iPhone SE, 6, 6s, and 6s Plus were shared, confirming that the iPhone SE is on par with Apple's flagship phones when it comes to performance and leading MacRumors readers to share their own performance tests. The iPhone SE performs as well as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, even beating it in some graphics tests due to the lower screen resolution.

Early impressions on battery life are positive, but most readers agree more testing needs to be done to reach a solid conclusion on battery performance compared to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. From a raw numbers standpoint, the iPhone SE should last longer than the iPhone 6s. From mattopotamus:

coming from a 6s, this is great. I still have 88% left taking it off the charge at 5:30am. Usually I would be in the 60% range.

Forum users have highlighted a few other shortcomings iPhone SE buyers should be aware of, including its lack of a barometer for including altitude fitness-related data in the Health app and its lack of support for LTE Band 30.

A full list of the threads mentioned in the post is included below, along with some additional threads that include interesting discussion on the iPhone SE.

- Just picked up my iPhone SE - OMG!
- Rattling iPhone SE's lock/power buttons. An old flaw reinvented?
- iPhone SE battery life
- Yellow SE screen
- iPhone SE water resistant?
- Those who have moved from a Plus to an SE
- Any iPhone SE Remorse?
- iPhone SE and the missing barometer
- People mistaking iPhone SE as better than 6s

The iPhone SE can be purchased in retail stores, through the Apple online store, and through third-party carriers and retailers. Supplies of the iPhone SE have dwindled somewhat and orders placed today in the United States will not arrive until later in the month.