Honestly, in some ways I liked the iPhone 4/4s even better. It had the best hand feel of all of Apple's phones. But, when I upgraded to a 5, I did appreciate more screen.
I have an SE now, and I am totally dejected about these big phones. I don't live on my phone (like the rest of the world seems to). I want something that fits unobtrusively in my pocket and that can be easily manipulated with one hand.
Fie on Apple!