14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s newly-launched iPhone SE is said to mix the design of the old iPhone 5s with the hardware of the iPhone 6s, so it’s specifically aimed at customers who liked the previous models more but still want to be able to run the latest software.
It appears, however, that the iPhone SE borrows more than just the design and the screen size from the 5s, as a new report that the device also uses the same fingerprint sensor and the lower quality display (as compared to the iPhone 6s).
Macworld writes that Apple uses the same “lower contrast ratio and reduced viewing angle” display that was available on the iPhone 5s, so it might feel like a downgrade if you’ve previously used an iPhone 6s.
The old fingerprint sensor
But what’s more important is that the device also comes with the same fingerprint sensor like the 5s, which means that it’s slower and more prone to errors when it comes to granting you access to the phone.
One of the most significant improvements that Apple made on the iPhone 6 was the introduction of a new fingerprint sensor that was not only faster, but also more accurate, so it can read fingerprints without too many errors (except when your finger is wet or dirty).
In fact, this was actually one of the complaints (like in first world problems) regarding the iPhone 6s, as the fingerprint reader was so fast that owners were unable to read their notifications on the lock screen – this made it necessary to press the home button with a different finger to get an authentication error and thus see notifications.
But with the iPhone SE, that won’t be the case, as the original sensor is set to perform significantly slower than the one used on the 6s. And speaking on new parts, SE also uses the old 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera from the iPhone 6, and not the 5-megapixel unit on the upgraded 6s, and also comes without a barometer sensor.