5.4-Inch iPhone 12 Model Size Compared to Original iPhone SE and iPhone 7

[Mac Fly (film)]

Here you go, if I’d have known this was going to be put on the front page, I’d have put a little more effort into it! my apologies I can’t be more accurate. I was using this iPhone 11 Pro to take the last pictures, so these images below are being taken with a *cough* iPad *cough*

I should mention again that these straight-on pics are deceptive because the round profile on modern iPhones are quite slimming.

While as an SE1 owner I would have preferred this potential new iPhone to be closer to 5", the comparison to the 5.8" is very interesting because I held a 5.8" and found it obviously too large for my preferences and this shows that the sizes between the 5.4" and the 5.8" are more than I would have assumed. I will need to hold it in my hands to test throughly before buying one, of course. Am disappointed the 5.4" is over half a cm wider than SE1. Will need to test in hand. BTW, thank you for being the first person to actually take decent photos showing how this device compares to both SE1 and the standard sized 11 Pro, and for your comments mentioning the optical illusion regarding thickness. All helpful. This may be my next phone—though I'll likely wait to buy one used as I cannot justify spending almost €850 on a 64 GB phone.

Edit: corrected for price

 

[christo747]

Sorry, but it can’t be 1 mm thicker than the SE and at the same time 3 mm thinner than the 7. That would mean the 7 is 4 mm thicker than the SE. Stupid. - Probably the description doesn’t state thickness but width. Oh, man, what’s wrong with people?

 

[Scottsdale]

I used to think I wanted smaller and smaller. Heck, I thought make them like iPod Nano last gen.

Well, the bigger the better is my new mantra. With age comes a decline in ability to read small letters. I go back to small screen iPhone SE and it looks like it’s for someone with much better eye acuity than I have. And I think reading from larger screens like even the iPad make our eyes worse and worse. So, had I used an iPhone 4” all along, I think that would make me happy.

But now with the iPhone 11, it’s all about how big it is. And, if there’s any truth to no notch in the iPhone 12 Pro Max, I will pay top dollar and upgrade. If I have to wait a year to get one without a notch, I will keep the current 11 series.

Just sick of the notch more than anything. Considered the iPhone SE 2020 just to relieve myself of the notch, still get dual SIM eSIM and the ability to use with big bold letters I suppose would help me read it.

Not to mention, when wearing a mask all the time, the TouchID is such a nice feature. FaceID should be complimentary to TouchID and all should use awareness to body ID of some form to know when we are holding it. Figure machine learning or AI that knows these are the mannerisms that the user has. Allow them to use as needed even when FaceID is warranted for a password.

And that ticks me off. I all ready pulled my mask down to get into the screen I am using it for a minute and want to go to a website. It requires a password, and you would know have to re-authenticate. That’s just BS added to iOS over the years to make us think we should rely on iOS TouchID and FaceID. But in reality, if we are logged in all ready, it shouldn’t be necessary.

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

Sorry, but it can’t be 1 mm thicker than the SE and at the same time 3 mm thinner than the 7. That would mean the 7 is 4 mm thicker than the SE. Stupid. - Probably the description doesn’t state thickness but width. Oh, man, what’s wrong with people?

Your message also makes me wonder what’s wrong with people.

 

[cecil444]

Might still be too big, but this is a step in the right direction. The perfect iPhone will be about the size of the 4S but all screen.

Couldn’t agree more. I love my 2016 SE but when I hold my old 4S it just feels so darn right.
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I've been waiting for someone to do this comparison for ages, thanks iZac for doing what the rest of the iPhone media universe apparently could not!

I'm really interested in this iPhone size, which is the first time I've been able to say that since the SE. I'll still need to get my hands on it to test before buying, as it looks from the photos like reaching the top of the screen would be an even further reach than on the 8, since the screen goes right to the top of the device.

That’s my concern too. I tried the awful up-down-hand-shimmy with the iPhone 6 and was not having it; I won’t ditch my SE until there’s a true one-handed model on offer again.

 

[iZac]

Sorry, but it can’t be 1 mm thicker than the SE and at the same time 3 mm thinner than the 7. That would mean the 7 is 4 mm thicker than the SE. Stupid. - Probably the description doesn’t state thickness but width. Oh, man, what’s wrong with people?

Now that I think about it, it may be confusing. My post was originally conceived because I wanted to understand how wide the phone was. Typing comfortably with one hand is my primary concern. In that post I was describing how it was wider than the SE 1 (~6mm) and narrower than the iPhone 7 (~3mm) I just said thinner because it felt colloquially more natural.

Later in the thread a user asked how thick it was compared to the SE 1, with their interest being battery life. I measured this as ~1mm more.

This macrumours post was simply collating all my observations onto one article and using the same terms.

It's an easy thing to conflate, sorry.

 

[Populus]

I have my doubts about getting the 5.4” iPhone 12, or waiting to the rumored port-less 5.5” iPhone 13. Why? Because iPhone 13 will have (reportedly):

- Much better cameras, with nearly 50MP and a revolutionary new technology
- LTPO Screens to allow always-on displays
- Probably a much faster A15 SoC, built on the same 5nm but probably with an all new architecture to diferentiate it from the iPhone 12
- Due to not having a port, the battery can be bigger, thus, better batter life.

On the other hand, I don’t want a port-less iPhone because I like to plug it in to charge while I’m using it, and because I like to perform clean installs of iOS (DFU Restores) and I doubt I will be able to do this on a port-less iPhone. So... What would you do?

 

[nylonsteel]

cmon aapl
just make a an original size iphone se with upgraded internals and edge to edge screen
i would buy that in an instant
of course if the price is right
need a phone that fits my jeans just right plus the easy on handed texting

 

[ijbond]

I will buy one of these instantaneously on release day. I hate the size and weight of my current 11 pro.

The weight of all current iPhones is tremendous! My SE1 is only 113 gr, the 11pro is 188 gr. Hopefully the 5.4" comes with modest weight.

It's not the width of 11pro that bothers me, it's the excessive height, the soapy feeling, the weight and the ugly black bezel (black even with silver body).

 

[ctyrider]

Now that I think about it, it may be confusing. my observations onto one article and using the same terms.
[...]
It's an easy thing to conflate, sorry.

No need to apologize - you’ve done a tremendous job with these prototypes and
comparisons. Some people will always find something to nitpick on, but I think most of us knew what you meant.

 

[neoelectronaut]

It’s bigger than I’d like, but we’re basically in “beggars can’t be choosers” mode here, so it’ll replace my almost 4-year old iPhone SE come September.

 

[Populus]

It’s bigger than I’d like, but we’re basically in “beggars can’t be choosers” mode here, so it’ll replace my almost 4-year old iPhone SE come September.

Yeah, I think this is the smallest handheld device we’ll ever see in a long time.

 

[BornAgainApple]

I’m torn between the 5.4 and the 6.1 sizes. On the one hand, I miss the compact size of the original iPhones (2G-4s). On the other hand, I’m now an AARP member who appreciates the larger display of the 11 and most everything I do online is now done on the phone. I suppose I could make do with the 5.4” and just enlarge the text a bit more, but not all apps support that. I do hope they can implement an onscreen TouchID solution though; perhaps it will be ready by the time I upgrade from my 11.

 

[kenni417]

Seeing the 2 photo I have to ask again WHY is there no headphone jack. There certainly is space for it.

get over it.

 

[Mcsnee]

Currently using an 11 Pro and was planning to skip this coming generation, but a smaller footprint would absolutely get me to switch.

 

[Populus]

Currently using an 11 Pro and was planning to skip this coming generation, but a smaller footprint would absolutely get me to switch.

2021 generation will have same small footprint and will probably have much better cameras as well as LTPO (low power) display that might allow for always-on display. Keep that in mind if you don’t want to switch every year.

Also, the smaller 5.4” iPhone most probably wont be a Pro model, so you will lose some features over your 11 Pro like the telephoto lens.

 

[Coconut Bean]

From what I understand, this won't be one of the Pro models, right? This is so bizarre to me because I would think people in the Pro market might be interested in smaller phones. Also, it's really weird to me that the iPhone 11 is larger than the iPhone 11Pro...they should be the same size. Am I crazy, or does anyone else agree with me? If you want an average sized phone, you have to go with a sub premium model. It just does't make any sense. Apple Watch Edition models are are same size as the Apple Watch Sport models, MacbookPros are roughly the same size as a MacBook Air, and when the iPad Pro first came out, wasn't the smaller size the same size as a regular iPad? Sorry, I'll end my rant.

I agree with you. It seems.. "weird".

I would go so far as saying that pretty soon, Apple won't have the Pro-line left. They'll just have the regular and Plus (or Max).

When the "regular" iPhone gets OLED (micro-led), there is really no reason for it to exist, especially at a $300 premium.

MacbookPros are roughly the same size as a MacBook Air

Going back to ~2015 the 13" MBP actually had a slightly smaller footprint than the 13" MBA.

 

[anthonymoody]

I think the 5.4" is going to sell like hot cakes. Anecdotally, many people in my circle are looking for exactly this phone more or less.

 

[kreasonos]

The iPhone 8 has been the worst iPhone I’ve ever owned.

 

[rp2011]

Looks like a perfect size. A nice little homage to the iPhone 4

 

[NamE_O]

Man, at this point the iPhone 12 lineups sound so perfect that I’m getting worried about the iPhone 13.

 

[youdontsay]

The size of my XS is the limit I won't go over. I can use it one handed with some efforts.
Now, I want pro features (whatever that means). But between a 5.4 non pro and a 6.1 pro, the choice is made : 5.4 non pro. My hope is to see improvements in picture quality between XS and 5.4 non-pro.

 

[Cosmosent]

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[knirirr]

The size of this and the edges look excellent. But, unless a fingerprint sensor has somehow been added (unlikely, I'd guess) I'll have to pass.

 

[4jasontv]

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What on earth am I supposed to get from this?