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Apple Vice President Greg Joswiak introduces the iPhone SE during an event at the Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California. Reuters/Stephen Lam/File Photo

It’s no surprise that Apple’s iPhones are highly in demand, but not everybody can afford the tech giant’s newly released iPhone 7. The next best thing for many phone shoppers would be the older iterations, all of which are cheaper than the 2016 model.

The iPhone SE is an excellent choice for those who want to buy an iPhone at a much lower price. It has the same basics available in an iPhone 6s: Apple’s A9 chipset, 12 MP primary camera and long battery life. Here's a breakdown of what makes these two Apple iPhones distinct.

Apple iPhone SE vs. iPhone 6s: Design, Display Size

The apparent distinction between the iPhone SE and the iPhone 6s is the screen display size, but it hasn’t stopped the 4-inch iPhone SE to make waves across the market. The display size is a throwback of sorts to the old days of smaller screens. It has a resolution of 640 x 1136 pixels. The iPhone 6s has a larger display at 4.7 inches at 750 x 1134 pixels. Both smartphones feature 326 ppi of pixel density.

The iPhone 6s features Apple’s 3D Touch display, which the iPhone SE lacks. This basically means that users have to press a little harder on an iPhone SE screen to switch to app shortcuts.

The iPhone SE feels more solid when held compared to the iPhone 6s, which has a tendency to slip off the hand. The larger iPhone 6s is also 30 grams heavier than the iPhone SE. Both iPhones are available in four colors: gold, rose gold, space grey and silver.

SE vs. 6s: Camera specs

The two phones have the same came quality primary camera. Users get to snap excellent 12-megapixel photos and record 4K videos. The iPhone 6s has a better secondary camera, though, at 5 MP compared to the iPhone SE’s 1.2 MP. This means that selfie shots are better with the iPhone 6s.

The quality of selfie and groufie photos are now typically factors being considered when phone shopping. It won't be surprising for selfie lovers to choose the Apple iPhone 6S over the SE model.

SE vs. 6s: Storage Options

The iPhone SE is only available in two storage options: 16 GB and 64 GB. It is a bit of a tough call considering 16 GB is rather small when the user takes lots of photos and videos, while 64 GB is somehow not large enough. The iPhone 6s is available in 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB units.

An active smartphone user would normally save media files that need a lot of storage space. The iPhone 6S wins against the SE in this department.

SE vs. 6s: Price and Value for Money

The iPhone SE 16 GB and 64 GB iPhone SE phones are available for $679 and $829, respectively. The iPhone 6s 16 GB is priced at $1,079, the 64 GB at $1,229 and the 128 GB at $1379. (All prices are in Australian dollars.)

The iPhone 6s price is obviously higher as it has better features than the iPhone SE but the 400 dollar gap between the 16 GB and the 64 GB models is huge. Take time to consider the numbers before buying any iPhone model.

Telstra offers iPhone SE plans that start at $77 per month and iPhone 6s plans that start at $86 per month.

Apple iPhone SE vs. iPhone 6s Review: The Verdict

The smaller iPhone SE is a great alternative to more expensive smartphones, although it lacks some features that make the iPhones 6s better. Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of marketing, has said that the iPhone SE is named as such because it is a “special edition.” This could mean that Apple may never release another phone like this ever again. iOS users who are on a budget would do well with an iPhone SE.