iPhone SE (1st generation, 2016)

At a glance

The original iPhone SE combined a compact 4-inch body with A9, 2GB RAM and 4K rear-camera capture, continuing the smaller iPhone format.

Dates and versions

Announced 21 March 2016; initial retail availability was 31 March, including mainland China. Launch software was iOS 9.3. This entry covers the first-generation 2016 SE.

Launch storage was 16/64GB, with 32/128GB added later. The teardown confirms 2GB LPDDR4 and a 1624mAh battery. Its 12MP rear camera supports Live Photos, but there is no 3D Touch or optical stabilisation. The front camera is 1.2MP at f/2.4, not the 6s camera. Touch ID, Lightning and 3.5mm remain; A1662 and A1723 have different cellular support.

RAM and battery ratings come from physical inspections and hands-on reports, rather than Apple’s public specification table. The date field uses first-market retail availability.

References

• iPhone SE (1st generation, 2016) — Apple technical specifications
• Apple original announcement and availability
• iPhone SE (1st generation, 2016) — iFixit physical teardown
• Engadget — pre-retail iPhone SE hands-on review, launch iOS only
• PhoneArena — iPhone SE hands-on review, interface and hardware differences
• Apple — model identification and SIM formats

Image credit

Toad40 — IPhone SE 1st Gen.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail resize; no further edits by VKE Retro. This image remains available under the same licence.

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