iPhone SE, iPad Pro Presale Orders Are Starting

iPhone SE, Smaller iPad Pro Unveiled: Up Close Look

Apple began taking orders for the iPhone SE and iPad Pro on March 24. Orders placed online will arrive March 31, the same day the two devices hit Apple's retail stores. Apple revealed the hardware at an event earlier this week.

The iPhone SE takes the guts of the iPhone 6s and crams them into the chassis of the 2012-era iPhone 5. At 4.87 by 2.31 inches, it is a diminutive smartphone when compared to the bulk of today's handsets. The screen measures 4 inches across the diagonal and includes 1136x640 pixels.

Apple gave the SE the same A9/M9 processor configuration found in the 6s, as well as the same 12-megapixel camera sensor. Some of the more interesting features of the camera include Live Photos (mashup of pictures and video) and the true-tone selfie flash. The SE also includes NFC and Touch ID for Apple Pay, though the Touch ID module itself is the previous generation hardware.

One feature that didn't make the jump from 6s to SE is 3D Touch, which allows 6s owners to access secondary menus and actions by deep pressing certain elements. iPhone SE owners will have to resign themselves to a less exciting smartphone experience.

Pricing for the SE starts at $399 for the 16GB model and jumps to $499 for the 64GB model. The smartphone is being sold by all the major carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. Monthly installment prices for the phone run about $16, depending on the carrier and model selected.

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The new iPad Pro is a smaller version of the iPad Pro Apple announced last year. Where last year's device has a laptop-sized 12.9-inch screen, the new iPad Pro sticks to Apple's standard 9.7-inch size. The refreshed tablet is powered by the A9X processor, comes in 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB variants, and is offered with WiFi and with LTE. It carries over the adaptive stereo speakers found in the 12.9-inch model and has Touch ID

Apple gave the new iPad Pro a few features the larger iPad doesn't have. For example, the screen has been improved with a wider color gamut and something Apple calls True Tone technology. The new iPad Pro's display will adapt to the color and tone of the ambient light wherever it is being used.

The smaller iPad Pro's cameras are also dramatically better. Where the large iPad Pro has an 8-megapixel sensor that can capture full HD video, the new iPad Pro has a 12-megapixel sensor that can capture 4K video. Further, the user-facing camera is improved from 1.2 megapixels on the larger tablet to 5 megapixels on the smaller tablet.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro includes a Smart Connector, and is compatible with accessories such as Apple's Smart Keyboard ($149) and the Apple Pencil ($99).

The iPad Pro starts at $599 for the 32GB model and jumps to $749 and $899 for the 128GB and 256GB models, respectively.