If you’re in the market for a smaller iPhone or iPad Pro, Apple has now opened preorders for its more demure devices — the 4″ iPhone SE and 9.7″ iPad Pro — just as it announced it would earlier this week.
Unveiled at an event on Monday, the iPhone SE is similar to the iPhone 5s which launched in 2013, but its internals are perhaps closer to the iPhone 6s, which only came out six months ago. Indeed, the iPhone SE has an A9 chip, M9 motion coprocessor, Touch ID, a 12-megapixel iSight back camera that supports 4K video, and — crucially — support for Apple Pay.
Above: iPhone SE
Meanwhile, the new version of the iPad Pro is not only smaller, but less expensive, starting at $600 as opposed to $800 for the 12.9″ incarnation. The new iPad Pro’s camera has also been upgraded to 12 megapixels, with support for 4K video, and a Retina flash built-in — just in case you decide that your iPad is great idea for shooting movies.
While Apple made a number of announcements at its Cupertino event this week, for many the event was more than a little underwhelming. But not every Apple event promises to be a game-changer. With smartphone sales starting to stall, a smaller iPhone is likely Apple’s way of trying to stir interest in a market that has seen screen-sizes grow to tablet-like proportions — so it will be interesting to see whether Apple can continue its profits surge with a device aimed at those with small hands.