Apple’s
new iPhone SE hits the market next week. With a starting price of $399
unlocked, it’s going to be one heck of a deal, especially if you’ve been
looking for a new smartphone that actually fits in your hand.
Of
course, if you do want something larger, there’s the equally powerful,
though more expensive, iPhone 6s. And if you’re looking for a really big-screen handset, you can opt for the iPhone 6s Plus.
Updated to reflect that the iPhone SE has a 1.2-megapixel front camera.
Which
leaves the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Apple’s oldest smartphones were already
looking a little long in the tooth, thanks to the 6s and 6s Plus. And
now with the SE, they look positively ancient.
In fact, at this point you’re probably better off avoiding the 6 and 6 Plus altogether. Here’s why.
They’ll get slower faster
OK,
so the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are old, but they’re basically the same as
the 6s and 6s Plus, right? Actually, they aren’t. While the 6 and 6 Plus
look exactly like those newer offerings on the outside, they’re far
different on the inside.
The
6 and 6 Plus come with Apple’s A8 processor and M8 coprocessor; the 6s
and 6s Plus come with the company’s A9 processor and M9 coprocessor.
That might not seem like a big deal right now.
But
if you’re buying a new phone and you’re going to stick with it for two
years or more, buying one with outdated innards like the iPhone 6 or 6
Plus means that, by the time you’re ready for a new phone, your current
one will likely be slowing to a crawl.
Sure,
the 6s and 6s Plus will eventually become slow and outdated, too. But
two years from now they’ll be running far better than the 6 or 6 Plus.
Camera envy
The
iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and SE all come with the same 12-megapixel iSight
camera. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, on the other hand, still use Apple’s
older eight-megapixel camera. Naturally, photos should look a bit
crisper when taken with the 6s, 6s Plus, or SE than those shot with the 6
or 6 Plus.
The
iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, come with improved 5-megapixel Face Time cameras.
The 6 and 6 Plus come with Apple’s older 1.2-megapixel Face Time
cameras.
If
you’re the kind of person who loves taking selfies, then the 6s and 6s
Plus are far better choices than the 6 and 6 Plus. Not only will images
look sharper and offer more detail.
The
iPhone SE, as well as the 6s and 6s Plus also also have Apple’s new
Retina flash, which uses the display as a flash to light up shots taken
in low-light settings.
Display differences
Apple’s
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, like the 6s and 6s Plus, come with 4.7-inch and
5.5-inch displays, respectively. The only difference between all those
screens is that those on the 6s and 6s Plus support Apple’s 3D Touch
technology, which lets you press harder on the phones’ displays to
access secondary app menus.
Sure,
images and videos will look exactly the same on the 6 and 6s and 6 Plus
and 6s Plus. But 3D Touch is a genuinely helpful feature that more and
more app makers will likely take advantage of in the coming years. If
you buy a 6 or 6 Plus, you’ll lose out on those advantages.
On
the flip side of things, if you were thinking about upgrading to the
iPhone 6 from your iPhone 5s because you wanted a faster phone but not
necessarily a larger screen, you’ve now got the iPhone SE. So you can
get your faster phone without having to upsize.
The price is … wrong
Price
is the real reason the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are now pointless. With the
introduction of the $400 iPhone SE, consumers now have a high-powered,
low-cost iPhone.
If
you want a bigger screen on your handset, you’ve got the $650 iPhone
6s. And if you want the biggest possible screen, you can opt for the
$750 iPhone 6s Plus.
The
iPhone 6, meanwhile, costs $550, while the 6 Plus costs $650. Yes,
they’re still $100 less expensive than the 6s and 6s Plus, but you’re
getting a lot of added functionality and longevity for that extra cost.
If you really want to save some cash, you’re way better off buying the
relatively inexpensive iPhone SE, with its improved performance and
camera.
In other words: There really doesn’t seem to be any good reason to choose the 6 or 6 Plus over one of Apple’s other phones.
