4-inch iPhone SE to launch in Australia on 31 March

Apple has returned to the 4-inch form factor with the introduction of the iPhone SE, which will launch in Australia and 12 other markets next Thursday.

The device uses the same 64-bit A9 chip found in the larger, more expensive iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and also offers many of those devices’ features.

It comes with a 12-megapixel iSight camera supporting Live Photos and 4K video, the Touch ID biometric authentication system and Apple Pay.

Compared to equal-sized predecessor the iPhone 5s, which launched in 2013, the iPhone SE offers two times faster CPU and three times faster GPU performance, as well as an improved battery life.

Pricing will start at $679 for the 16 GB model, compared to $929 for the iPhone 6 and $1229 for the iPhone 6s Plus. But this is still a substantial premium on the pre-tax US iPhone SE price of US$399 ($522).

Customers in Australia and other first-release markets will be able to pre-order the device starting from tomorrow (Thursday).

Initial reactions to the iPhone SE from technology pundits have been positive, but have acknowledged that the device offers little in the way of reinvention.

But Ovum lead analyst for consumer technology Ronan de Renesse commented that the company’s goals with the device are based more on gaining a stronger hold on iPhone sales at the entry level and in emerging markets.

“Refurbished handset sales have been growing steadily in the past couple of years in developed and developing markets,” he said.

“Some smartphone recycling companies told us that up to 80% of refurbished smartphone sales are iPhones. It is in Apple’s interest to have those customers purchase a cheaper ‘new’ iPhone SE, rather than a refurbished iPhone 5, to gain a stronger hold on iPhone sales and corresponding margins.”

The device is also suited to the high end of markets including China and India, which are becoming increasingly important to Apple’s growth ambitions, de Renesse said.

But he added that Apple continues to be a high-end device manufacturer and, unlike Asian rivals, is not willing to sacrifice margins for market share.

Besides the iPhone SE, Apple used its recent launch event to announce a series of other products and initiatives.

These include the introduction of a 9.7-inch variant of the iPad Pro, which is also due to launch in Australia on 31 March. The device uses the 64-bit A9X chip found in the larger models.

On the software front, Apple announced the launch of CareKit, a software framework designed to help developers create apps to let people actively manage their own medical conditions with support from doctors, nurses and family members.

In a related announcement, Apple announced enhancements to its open-source ResearchKit framework, which aims to help medical researchers integrate genetic data and medical tests usually conducted in an exam room into iPhone apps.

Image courtesy of Apple