I've only been using Apple's new iPhone SE for a few hours, but it already feels like exactly what the company needs to upstage Android rivals

The iPhone SE is the opposite of what you'd expect from an Apple product launch. There aren't any groundbreaking new features like a triple-lens camera or a brand-new chip. Even the design feels old and unchanged.

But that's precisely why it will likely appeal to some people. The iPhone SE isn't for early adopters or camera enthusiasts. It's for iPhone users that want a new phone but are hesitant about spending $700 more on a new smartphone. Or Apple fans that are very much in need of an upgrade but aren't interested in switching to a phone with a larger screen and no home button. Or parents looking for a relatively inexpensive first smartphone for their child.

For legacy iPhone owners, there's nothing new to learn with the SE — no new gestures to replace the home button, no facial recognition, no new key combinations for taking a screenshot. And that's probably very important to some shoppers.

With so many high-quality, inexpensive Android phones in the market — like Samsung's Galaxy A151 and Galaxy S10, Google's Pixel 3a, and TCL's upcoming 10 Pro, Apple couldn't afford to not come out with a new budget option of its own. Even if the iPhone SE doesn't have all the bells and whistles found on those rivals, Apple at least has a new affordable iPhone that's fit to compete when it comes to performance.

The iPhone SE should bring notable performance improvements over the iPhone 8, but without using the phone for a longer period of time it's difficult to tell exactly where those enhancements will be noticeable.

Still, I immediately noticed that the iPhone SE felt a bit snappier when launching apps compared to the iPhone 8 I've had since 2018. When launching apps like the Messages app, Google Maps, and Seamless, the iPhone SE beat the iPhone 8 every time. I also felt like the iPhone SE was a bit quicker and more accurate at finding nearby surfaces when using Apple's augmented reality measuring app compared to the iPhone 8.

Apple hasn't released a new smartphone with its Touch ID fingerprint sensor since the iPhone 8, and it's making a welcome comeback on the new iPhone SE.

That's because Apple's newer phones use facial recognition instead since they no longer include a home button. While Face ID is a promising and secure alternative to Touch ID, I sometimes still prefer using a fingerprint scanner over Apple's Face ID.

For example, Touch ID is more convenient at times when I want to unlock my phone without having to pick it up. Using a fingerprint scanner is also usually faster when unlocking my device while wearing sunglasses as well.

It's nice to see that that those who prefer Touch ID over Face ID no longer have to compromise by purchasing an older iPhone with a less powerful chip.

The iPhone SE should look very familiar to anyone who has used an iPhone 8. The phone's screen size, physical dimensions, and weight all match those of the 4.7-inch iPhone Apple released in 2017.

The biggest physical differences between the iPhone SE and the iPhone 8 are in their colors. The iPhone SE comes in black, white, and red, while the iPhone 8 was available in silver, space gray, and gold.

The Apple logo on the back of the phone is also located much lower near the center of the device compared to the iPhone 8. The "iPhone" branding is also gone from the back of the device, as shown in the photo above.

Since the iPhone SE is hundreds of dollars less expensive than the iPhone 11 and even 2018's $600 iPhone XR, it's not necessarily surprising that it lacks the modern edge-to-edge screen found on other recent iPhones.

However, the design does feel a bit antiquated when you consider that companies like Google and Samsung have managed to design $400 smartphones with bezels that are significantly thinner than those found on the iPhone SE.