Dubai: Apple got it backwards.

The iPhone SE, which launched on Tuesday in the UAE, should have been launched before Apple rolled out the 5.5-inch Apple 6 Plus.

After Apple sold the tech world on that supersized phone, it’s hard to understand why Apple would go back to a smaller screen size the company last launched in 2013.

Just why anyone would buy a smartphone with a 4-inch screen is THE question surrounding the SE. Everything else about the phone is on par with what you would expect from Apple. It has everything the iPhone 6 has, including the A9 chipset, a 12-megapixel camera and almost all of the features of the flagship model. Only 3D touch is noticeably absent.

But if you’re used to using a phablet, going back to a smaller screen will take some adjustment to get used to. Games and apps that seemed proportional for a 5.5-inch suddenly seem crammed when shrunk down to 4 inches.

The initial feeling from the other members of the GN Business team is that the SE is ideal for people who want more of a phone and less of a multimedia device. It also works well as a second phone.

But, there is something to be said for a smaller size factor, too. This phone will actually fit comfortably in your pocket and you can probably sit down comfortably without having to worry about testing just how flexible the SE actually is. If you’re a gamer or avid message sender, you can actually type without causing thumb strain.

On the 6s Plus, even my fingers (which alone could qualify me as the anti-Trump) barely meet in the middle of the screen. However, early testing seems to indicate an increase in sausage-fingered texting, due to the now smaller keyboard.

Oddly though, despite the small screen, the SE does not seem to have noticeably longer battery life. After just a couple of hours of watching videos and playing video games, the battery is already down to about 50 per cent, comparable to what I get on the iPhone Plus.

We’ll give you more on that after a couple days of testing. We’ll have the full run down on the iPhone SE’s highs and lows this Friday on the Technology pages.