Apple on Monday unveiled the iPhone SE, the company’s first 4-inch iPhone since the iPhone 5s made its debut in 2013. At first glance, the iPhone SE is nearly indistinguishable from the iPhone 5s it replaces.

Apart from a new Rose Gold color option, the iPhone SE differs only slightly in design from the iPhone 5s in some very subtle ways: on the iPhone SE, the Apple logo on the back is a stainless steel cut-out (as per the iPhone 6 and 6s range) while on the iPhone 5s the logo is a silver screenprint; on the iPhone SE the chamfered edges are matte while on the iPhone 5s the same detailing is shiny.

Although nearly identical on the outside, Apple touted the iPhone SE as “the most powerful 4-inch phone ever created.” That claim is based on the fact that Apple crammed almost all of the features and components found on its latest iPhone into the 4-inch handset.

Not counting the two ‘Plus’ iPhone models, customers now have three base-model iPhones to choose from: the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6 — all at different price points.

Unless you’re dead set on getting a 4-inch iPhone, you’ll need to pick from these three based on their feature sets.

iPhone SE vs. iPhone 6s vs. iPhone 6: Tech specs

What’s the difference?

Display

The iPhone SE has a 4-inch Retina display with an 1136 x 640 pixel resolution. Apart from obviously being smaller than the 4.7-inch displays on the iPhone 6s and 6, the iPhone SE’s screen also has a lower contrast ratio and reduced viewing angle.

Also, the iPhone SE, like the iPhone 6, lacks the Taptic Engine and support for 3D Touch. Although it can capture Live Photos, unlike the iPhone 6, playback is achieved via a long-press rather than 3D Touch.

Processor

Apple crammed the same 64-bit A9 chip and M9 motion coprocessor combo as found on the iPhone 6s into the iPhone SE. The iPhone 6 runs on Apple’s previous generation A8/M8 combo. Compared to the A8, the A9 chip improves CPU performance by 70 percent and boosts graphics performance by as much as 90 percent.

Although limited to 16GB and 64GB storage options, the iPhone SE has 2GB of RAM compared to the iPhone 6’s 1GB.

Cameras

Apple stuck with a 1.2MP FaceTime camera on the iPhone SE but added its new Retina Flash first seen on the iPhone 6s last year.

As for the rear camera, the iPhone SE sports the same 12MP iSight unit found on the iPhone 6s. Like the iPhone 6s, the iPhone SE can snap Live Photos, 63MP panoramas, and record 4K video.

Fingerprint sensor

It’s unclear why, but Apple stuck to its first-generation fingerprint sensor on the iPhone SE instead of fitting the more reliable second-generation unit from the iPhone 6s.

Price and availability

The iPhone SE is Apple’s cheapest iPhone, starting at $399 for the 16GB model. Pre-orders for the iPhone SE opens March 24 and in-store sales kick off March 31.

Image via Apple