The iPhone SE Is the Phone I Wish Apple Came Out With Months Ago

For a very long time, I was resistant to the 6S and any phones larger than my old iPhone 5C. And for good reason: I have smaller hands and am slightly clumsy, so carrying a phone larger than what I could hold was worrisome. As I talked to other friends (both men and women), they too were concerned about pocket size, carrying it at bars and clubs, and, of course, a big phone falling on your face when you're on it in bed.

And while Apple wasn't necessarily thinking about me or other millennials worried about it falling out of their pocket or bags, the company was thinking about a market that does want a smaller iPhone. The company sold over 30 million 4-inch iPhones last year, so clearly people are clamoring for it.

As I've used it, I remember how much I loved the size of my smaller iPhone. Sure, it was a little bulkier than my 6S, but it fits so much better in my hand, my pockets, and my bag and feels like what a smartphone should be — extremely portable. The Touch ID is a little easier to access and just makes more sense than the 6S. It may feel like a tiny little detail, but not struggling to reach up to the top of the phone is so much better.

When I showed my co-workers the new phone, they were left confused. "Isn't it just the 5S?" they consistently asked. And while it does look the 5S (shown here in the silver model), it has most of the features the iPhone 6S offers. Even better, in the short time I've used it, it feels like it opens apps much faster and, yes, the battery life actually lasts longer. After restoring it, using it all day, and opening battery-intensive apps, it still had 40 percent left of its battery. Considering many iPhone 6S users are starting to complain about their phones tapping out by noon at 20 percent, the iPhone SE doesn't look like a bad option for those who want an upgrade without dealing with a bigger phone.

The comparison above is between the iPhone SE (pictured left) and the Samsung Galaxy S7 (pictured right). When it comes to the rear-facing camera, both models have the same megapixel count (12). But, when it's time for selfies, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is quicker to open and takes better photos. With the Samsung phone's new "Beauty Mode," which enhances eyes, skin tone, and other facial features, the selife game competition is strong. You can always adjust the settings in beauty mode, so if you want a more natural look, that's available. But even with it on, the background is much more true to what it's like in real life and the area around the hair gets less washed out.

Considering how much people love and embrace selifes these days, it's a little bit annoying giving up this image quality when it's available on other smartphones.

While the iPhone SE has most of the same features as the iPhone 6S, it does not when it comes to the front-facing camera. On the 6S, it's 5 megapixels (pictured right). On the SE (pictured left), it's a dismal 1.2 megapixels. The difference matters, as there is less overexposure and it captures the reality of the background to produce a better selfie. It makes you wonder what Apple was thinking when it chose upgrading the rear-facing camera but not the front-facing one.

Take a look at our table below.

If you love smaller phones and don't care too much about how your selfie looks (or 3D Touch), get yourself the iPhone SE. It's super fast, has everything I use the most of on the iPhone 6S (Apple Pay and Live Photos), and is the cheapest iPhone ever being made available (with Apple's new Trade Up Installments plan, you can pay as low as $10 a month for it). There is no reason to wait for Apple's newest iPhone, especially if you're holding onto your iPhone 5S or 5C because of the size.

And if you're wondering how the readjustment was transitioning from a 6S to SE, it wasn't that bad. I slowly forgot what what having a bigger screen was like and just enjoyed using my phone more because of its tinier size.

The iPhone SE will remind you of the original purpose of a smartphone: durability and usability. It's a back-to-the-basics move from Apple that will make all the difference in keeping users from jumping ship to other phone models.