Daring Fireball: The iPhone SE: There have been six basic iPhone form factors to date. (Seven, if you choose to count the Plus-sized 6 and 6S separately.)
The aluminum original iPhone (3.5-inch, non-retina)
The plastic iPhone 3G and 3GS (3.5-inch, non-retina)
The glass-backed iPhone 4 and 4S (3.5-inch, retina)
The aluminum iPhone 5, 5S, and SE (4-inch, retina)
The plastic multi-colored 5C (4-inch, retina)
The aluminum iPhone 6 and 6S (4.7- and 5.5-inch, retina)
With the introduction of the new iPhone SE, the iPhone 5-style industrial design is the first to be used for three separate product generations. But it’s worth noting that this form factor skipped a generation — there was no 4-inch iPhone with iPhone 6-class internals. It truly says something that an industrial design first introduced in 2012 remains utterly modern and relevant in 2016.
The aluminum original iPhone (3.5-inch, non-retina)
The plastic iPhone 3G and 3GS (3.5-inch, non-retina)
The glass-backed iPhone 4 and 4S (3.5-inch, retina)
The aluminum iPhone 5, 5S, and SE (4-inch, retina)
The plastic multi-colored 5C (4-inch, retina)
The aluminum iPhone 6 and 6S (4.7- and 5.5-inch, retina)
With the introduction of the new iPhone SE, the iPhone 5-style industrial design is the first to be used for three separate product generations. But it’s worth noting that this form factor skipped a generation — there was no 4-inch iPhone with iPhone 6-class internals. It truly says something that an industrial design first introduced in 2012 remains utterly modern and relevant in 2016.