For those of us who consider ourselves “tech agnostic,” we often aspire to purchase good tech at a reasonable price. With the new  iPhone SE being more feature-rich than the previous generation and starting at the $399 (retail) price point, it’s clear it won’t have any problem showing value on a budget. Here are some factors to consider about the new iPhone SE.

Is it going to be popular?  

After the pre-order, the new iPhone SE was hard to come by, in limited supply or sold out in most places around Los Angeles. Do you need to run out and buy it right away? Not really; there are other devices with similar specifications available. Not unless your company wants to add it based on its projected popularity. Our company device lab added the new iPhone SE since we expect high adoption rates due to the popular price point. Given the current state of events with COVID-19, delays with the rest of the year 2020 iOS lineup are expected.  Those delays should push the popularity of the new iPhone SE higher and make it even more appealing to buy now. If you can find it.

Is it at the detriment of the existing line of iPhones?

Some might say the lower priced entry level iPhone is killing the sales of the rest of the iOS line. However, another stance is that there is finally an affordable iPhone. Android users, such as myself, are often turned off by the fact that entry into the iOS ecosystem is at a steep price. If Apple can bring over some Android users with the allure of more reasonably priced options, it can only help sales rates.

What about the specs?

Let’s break down some of the specifications from the perspective of a Software QA tester. The screen size and resolution are not unique to the iOS ecosystem.  The new iPhone SE shares the iPhone 8 screen size (4.7”), resolution (1,334x750), pixel density (326ppi), both front and rear cameras have the same megapixels, and both even shoot 4k video. Where the second generation iPhone SE starts to pull away is at the ability to process data faster. The iPhone 8 only has 2GB of RAM and an A11 CPU, whereas the iPhone SE has 3GB of RAM and an A13 CPU, which is the same processor found in an iPhone 11. The hardware variant adds a layer of complexity that may warrant procuring this device for a testing lab, however, for viewport (display area) and camera based testing, the iPhone 8 will suffice.