When the iPhone 5 was first released in 2012, it was arguably the most beautiful smartphone to have been produced. My friend @julian described his slate coloured variant as “holding perfection in his hands”. And after seeing it in the flesh, I was resigned to agreement. This 7mm block of aluminium was a practice in both inventive modernisation and confident restraint. The chamfered edges, flat build, and rounded corners were a manufacturing chef d’oeuvre. So when Apple announced the iPhone SE in 2016, I was overjoyed.
The SE essentially packs the improved internals of the newer iPhone 6S into the compact body of an iPhone 5S. We live in the chaotic infant stages of the information age where apps are constantly wrestling for our attention. The 4-inch screen taunts me less to be preoccupied with a two-dimensional display. My most used apps on the phone are Telegram, Spotify, Podcasts, and Safari. Which highlights how the SE serves the function of being first a communication tool, followed by a digital audio player, and only then a visual media device. There might be a day when a notchless edge-to-edge screen becomes irresistible, but for now, I am enchanted by this slab of space grey aluminium.
I like a few things 