QTECH – Kölbi (ICE) and Movistar (Telefonica) are the first two to bring the Apple’s new smartphone, the iPhone SE, to Costa Rica.
The new phone comes in two versions, 16Gb and 64GB, in silver and grey.
The SE is the same size and body of the 5S, but it packs a punch inside. While from the exterior the only indication that it is the new iPhone it has the “SE”, inside works the same as the 6S, that is three times faster than the 5S.
The camera is a 12 megapixel (the front only 5 with flash). Yes, with flash. When you click the button for the front camera, the screen goes white for an instant – that is the flash – for a great selfie.
The SE also records video in 4K, has touch ID and all the great features of the 6S.
The cash price of the new iPhone is ¢274,900 for the 16GB and ¢344,900 for the 64GB. Both Kölbi and Movistar offer the device on 12 and 24 month plans, but be careful, it can really end up costing you a lot more than you expected. Claro (America Movil) says it will have the phone available next month. No details on pricing was provided.
At the Costa Rica authorized Apple store (iCon), the price of the SE is US$545, with easy payments starting at US$45 monthly. (iShop, the other authorized store does not yet stock the SE.)
Before you start ranting on the prices in Costa Rica, consider that the SE it is priced about the same as in Canada, which is 45% more than Apple sells the device in the U.S. See the article Canadians may pay 45% more for Apple’s new iPhone SE
I purchased my SE 16GB in Canada earlier this month for CA$579. The price, when converting Canadian Dollars eh, to U.S. Dollars, to Colones was the same. Before doing the math (I know you can’t resist), keep in mind that the prices in Costa Rica include tax (impuesto de venta incluido – IVI), in Canada not.
And works great on all three networks in Costa Rica: Kölbi, Movistar and Claro.
PS, although it is often referred to as the 7, the iPhone SE is not the iPhone 7, which will be out later this year.
