Apple now shipping the iPhone SE – the compact iOS powerhouse

Apple's reboot of the iPhone 5s form factor — the iPhone SE — has been available for pre-order since the 24th of March. Anyone who has pre-paid for their 4-inch mini-monster and lives in the countries listed below will soon be receiving an Apple-branded box. Others will be able to visit Apple's website or a physical location to buy their handset in person.

The countries to receive the first wave of shipments starting today are as follows:



The rest of the world will have to wait until early April – no exact date is available at the current time.

The iPhone SE is a cross-breed between the iPhone 6s' powerful hardware and the iPhone 5s' super-compact (by today's standards) size. It's a product aimed at those who still love being able to fully operate their smartphone with a single hand. By releasing it, Apple is not only looking to sell more smartphones, but also draw more people into its mobile payment service — Apple Pay — as models before the iPhone 6 do not support it.

The SE packs the latest Apple A9 chip, 2 GB of RAM, and the new 12 MP iSight camera. Of course, to meet its going price for $400 (for the 16 GB model), some corners also had to be cut. The selfie cam is stuck at the old 1.3 MP resolution, and the TouchID on it is still the 1st gen variety, which originally shipped with the iPhone 5s. Check out the links below for more details on the iPhone SE.