iPhone SE

Deal: Best Buy has sweet discounts on iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, 9.7″ iPad Pro and Apple Watch

If you're thinking about getting an iPhone SE or Apple's new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, you might want to check out the new promotions over at Best Buy. The electronics retailer is currently offering notable discounts and deals on both devices, as well as on the iPhone 6s and Apple Watch.

For starters, if you purchase and activate an iPhone SE with a two-year contract and sign up for a free My Best Buy Mobile account, they'll throw in a free $50 gift card for good measure. The offer is valid if you get the device on monthly installments, too.

Those who are in the market for Apple's new 9.7-inch iPad Pro can trade in their existing iPad 2 or newer model and receive a $100 gift card for the new model purchase.

But that's not all.

Apple’s ‘Let us loop you in’ keynote hits YouTube

Apple held its 'Let us loop you in' media event on Monday to unveil the new four-inch iPhone SE, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple Watch bands and accessories and more. A replay of the live video broadcast has since been added to the Apple Special Events webpage and published as a downloadable podcasts on iTunes. And now, the entire presentation is available for streaming via Apple's YouTube channel.

9.7-inch iPad Pro and iPhone SE confirmed to have 2GB of RAM

With Apple's announcement of the iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro on Monday at the 'Let us loop you in' event, there has been a ton of excitement over the amount of power built into these smaller packages.

Following the event, iDB shared the tech specs of the iPhone SE and the tech specs of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, but one of the things Apple never shares and prefers to keep to itself are the RAM specs for its devices. New information on Tuesday reveals both devices come with 2GB of RAM.

Videos: hands-on with the iPhone SE

Although a good portion of Apple's customers have migrated over to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones, it's just too hard for some people to let go of the tried-and-true 4-inch handset because it fits in their hands so well. As a result of the demand, Apple has breathed new life into the 4-inch iPhone with the new iPhone SE that the company unveiled during Monday's 'Let us loop you in' event.

Because the iPhone SE won't be available for pre-order until Thursday, March 24th, no one actually has one yet. On the other hand, a few publications have already gone hands-on with the device on Apple's campus post-event, and we'll share some of the first reputable videos to hit the internet right here in this post.

The differences between the iPhone 6s and the new iPhone SE

Apple unveiled its new four-inch iPhone at Monday's 'Let us loop you in' event. The new smaller iPhone has been given the name iPhone SE, and in this piece, we'll talk about how it scales up to the already popular 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and go over the individual differences so you have a better idea of what model is going to be right for you.

9.7″ iPad Pro certainly doesn’t skimp on camera tech, but is this a new normal for iPads?

Apple's best mobile cameras go into iPhones, not iPads, though a curious thing happened at today's unveiling of a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro—both it and the iPhone 6s share a powerful Apple-designed camera subsystem which takes sharp snaps in twelve megapixels and shoots video in 4K.

Even more curiously, the bigger 12.9-inch iPad Pro remains stuck with a previous-generation shooter even though that device was released barely six months ago.

The decision to give the 9.7-inch iPad Pro virtually the same camera subsystem as the iPhone 6s is a welcome surprise which we hope kicks off a new trend for Apple.

iPhone SE tech specs

For those that still want a smaller iPhone, Apple announced a new 4-inch handset at its 'Let us loop you in' event on Monday. Dubbed the iPhone SE, the device is practically the same (dimensionally) as the iPhone 5/5s, but has very different hardware inside.

The cost-efficient price tag and the improved feature set are sure to attract customers come pre-ordering on Thursday, March 24th, so without further ado let's get into the niddy griddy and show you the tech specs of the new iPhone SE.

Apple introduces new iPhone SE cases, also compatible with iPhone 5 and 5s

Looking for a case for that new iPhone SE you're getting later this week? Apple has you covered. The company on Monday introduced a new leather case for its just-announced handset. It comes in colors Black and Midnight Blue, and Apple says it's compatible with older iPhone 5 and 5s models.

This is good news for folks hoping to use their old iPhone 5/5s cases on the new iPhone SE. We've known that the dimensions on the different phone models are the same, 4.87 in (123.8 mm) x 2.31 in (58.6 mm) x 0.30 in (7.6 mm), but this is the first time Apple has confirmed case compatibility.

This is Apple’s new four-inch iPhone SE

At today's invite-only media event at the Town Hall on its Cupertino, California headquarters, Apple has officially unveiled its latest four-inch smartphone, the iPhone SE. With one-third of iPhone buyers still preferring four inch phones and two and a half years having passed since the introduction of the iPhone 5s, its last four-inch phone and the world's first smartphone with a 64-bit processor, the iPhone SE picks up right where its predecessor left off.

The rumors were true: the iPhone SE takes Apple's latest and greatest technology like a third-generation 64-bit A9 processor with an embedded M9 motion coprocessor, upgraded cameras, faster wireless, NFC for Apple Pay and more (but without 3D Touch), and packs it inside a four-inch form factor.

How to watch Apple’s ‘Let us loop you in’ event live

Apple will be streaming its 'Let us loop you in' media event live on the company's website. The Cupertino-based company is expected to unveil a number of new products related to iPhone, iPad, and the Apple Watch, but we'll have to wait and see to know for sure.

If you'll be tuning in to watch the Apple event live on your computer, there are some requirements you'll have to meet, and we'll touch on those requirements in this piece so you're prepared for it.

Leaked packaging confirms ‘iPhone SE’ name, 16GB baseline model and NFC for Apple Pay

Thursday, a photo of what appears to be Chinese packaging for Apple's upcoming four-inch iPhone refresh was posted on Chinese social network Weibo.

The image allegedly shows the specifications sticker affixed to the box for the upcoming device while specifically mentioning 'iPhone SE' branding.

The '16GB' label on the sticker suggests that the iPhone SE will start out at sixteen gigabytes of storage, just like current iPhone models do. Additionally, the technical specifications section mentions Apple Pay compatibility, meaning the iPhone SE will include NFC, like previously suspected.

March 21 Apple event wallpapers: “Let us loop you in”

On Thursday, March 10, Apple sent invitations for their media event, "Let us loop you in," to be held on Monday, March 21. The event is said to reveal a completely new handset, dubbed the iPhone SE. In addition, a refresh of the iPad Air is expected to bring the device more in-line with iPad Pro. Finally, there is a potential for new Apple Watch accessories, specifically bands, and updates to the operating systems for OS X, iOS, and Watch OS.

The invitation, which always includes an image, will no doubt send the blogosphere reeling with guesses about hidden images that are allegedly included. At iDownloadBlog, we simply like to enjoy the invitation designs and celebrate them with a collection of wallpapers. Inside you will find Apple media event wallpapers for iPhone and Apple Watch.