Still with mine. Still fast and fluid on iOS 13. Even though I have the money for any iPhone I want, I just can't justify going for a new one right now when I got this one new for $150 last year and it works just fine. I feel like it's a waste to buy another phone when the one I have is supported by the latest version of iOS. I might change my mind if they release the rumored SE-equivalent successor next year.
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iPhone SE (2016) Any other iPhone SE people still out there in the shadows?
- Thread starter turbineseaplane
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lol
If somebody is ridiculing you over what phone you use, they are immediately disqualified as a rational human being.
You can safely assume they have more insecurities than you could have otherwise guessed.
If somebody is ridiculing you over what phone you use, they are immediately disqualified as a rational human being.
You can safely assume they have more insecurities than you could have otherwise guessed.
I’m still proudly using mine.
I still love it and don’t really like any of the newer iPhones, for a variety of reasons. I have little confidence Apple will replace the SE in all the ways that matter to me, so I’ll keep using it until it’s not supported anymore then I’ll have to reassess.
IMHO and for my uses,
Touch ID > FaceID
Flat edges > Soapbar edges
Bezel > Notch
3.5mm Headphone jack socket > er... no... headphone jack... !
Sharp square display corners > rounded display corners
Small device size > Larger sizes (I moved from the iPhone 6 for this reason more than any other)
Lower cost > Ludicrously high cost (I’ve got two SEs for less than most new iPhones cost... though it was never a deal-breaker, more of a bonus!)
Obviously there are things that are demonstrably, objectively better in the new iPhones. The quality of the displays, the cameras, the overall speed and performance and maximum amount of storage. Those are all things that could be addressed if Apple chose to make a new small form factor iPhone, but none of them are things that I’m desperately missing at this point.
I am lucky enough to have a DSLR and a decent compact camera - the SE’s camera is fine for when it’s the only camera I have with me. Any demanding iOS app I use I will spend more time with on my iPad. 128GB is ok storage for my uses for now.
I still love it and don’t really like any of the newer iPhones, for a variety of reasons. I have little confidence Apple will replace the SE in all the ways that matter to me, so I’ll keep using it until it’s not supported anymore then I’ll have to reassess.
IMHO and for my uses,
Touch ID > FaceID
Flat edges > Soapbar edges
Bezel > Notch
3.5mm Headphone jack socket > er... no... headphone jack... !
Sharp square display corners > rounded display corners
Small device size > Larger sizes (I moved from the iPhone 6 for this reason more than any other)
Lower cost > Ludicrously high cost (I’ve got two SEs for less than most new iPhones cost... though it was never a deal-breaker, more of a bonus!)
Obviously there are things that are demonstrably, objectively better in the new iPhones. The quality of the displays, the cameras, the overall speed and performance and maximum amount of storage. Those are all things that could be addressed if Apple chose to make a new small form factor iPhone, but none of them are things that I’m desperately missing at this point.
I am lucky enough to have a DSLR and a decent compact camera - the SE’s camera is fine for when it’s the only camera I have with me. Any demanding iOS app I use I will spend more time with on my iPad. 128GB is ok storage for my uses for now.
Hello, my dear friends of the SE.
It's been a good 3.5 years with this awesome phone. However, it's starting to have some issues, and so I'm not sure what I will do if they don't announce a successor in the next year. Really just want the same-sized phone with no bezels, TouchID built-in to the screen, no Notch, no FaceID (to reduce price), and by the might of all the gods of various mythologies - a headphone jack.
Anyone know how much it would cost me to repair my volume-up button not working?
It's been a good 3.5 years with this awesome phone. However, it's starting to have some issues, and so I'm not sure what I will do if they don't announce a successor in the next year. Really just want the same-sized phone with no bezels, TouchID built-in to the screen, no Notch, no FaceID (to reduce price), and by the might of all the gods of various mythologies - a headphone jack.
Anyone know how much it would cost me to repair my volume-up button not working?
I'd honestly just buy a new/refurb one or maybe one from Swappa.
Lots of great ones out there.
Yes, SE, it’s a great little phone, does all I need a phone to do. I nearly always carry an iPad, usually my Mini 5, I’m hoping I will have sorted a way to do without a phone by the time my SE dies, it’s 2017 model so should last a while yet. Apple has completely forgotten people who only use phones as phones. Im not going to pay $1500 for a phone just for calls, my least used mode of communication.
For for the most part I agree @nightlong, I just feel like I'm on a totally different wavelength than the people Apple is trying to sell phones to. Like, if I want to consume media for long enough to where I am going to care about the screen size, I am going to use a laptop/tablet to do it. The SE fits perfectly in my hand and I have literally never dropped it once accidentally.
Instead we have phones that are too big and MacBooks that should be a little bigger...
Instead we have phones that are too big and MacBooks that should be a little bigger...
Hit the Nail on the head. Still rocking my 2009 MBP as the Air and basic macbook are too tiny
Ahh it's reassuring to find an iPhone SE owners' club here!!
I've had mine since 2016 and every year I look longingly at the new iPhones but I just love the small size of the SE. I love being able to, for example, hold a bag of shopping in one hand whilst I walk down the road checking bus times on my phone with my other hand – without worrying that I'm about to drop the thing any minute due to big-screen-finger-gymnastics. I also love that its size and weight make it almost imperceptible in my trouser pocket. I have dynamic text on the iPhone set pretty small too so when doing text-based activities I can still see a fair bit on the small screen. I do wish the camera were a bit better, but I take very few photos on my phone because until they match the quality of even my decade-old DSLR I'd rather take the bigger camera with me the few times a year it's needed.
It's interesting seeing too how many people team their SE up with an iPad mini; that's exactly what I do too. If I'm popping out just to do a few jobs and only need a device for the basics like texting I'll just take my phone, but if I know I need to actually get something done I'll bring the iPad which is perfectly sized to fit in a jacket or small bag pocket. In fact only earlier I was sitting on a bus for nearly 90 minutes catching up on web articles/posts via RSS using the iPad. I was pondering what it'd be like to do that on an 11 Max whose screen isn't that much shorter than the iPad mini's but is a lot narrower when held vertically. I quickly came to the conclusion it would be nowhere near as pleasant an experience: when holding them horizontally, reading on the Max would require a lot more scrolling (which makes my eyes go funny after a while!), and when holding them vertically for say a single-column article, it'd be much smaller and more nausea-inducing whilst on a bouncy bus.
At least SE owners got one bit of good news earlier this year that some of you might have missed: Apple released a new 4" iPod touch. Why is that good? Because it means that even when the SE no longer gets the latest iOS updates, developers will still need to keep their apps compatible with 4" screens for a little while longer because there'll be iPods in use.
Speaking of which, I have sometimes wondered if the upgrade solution for SE owners might ultimately be going back to a really old-fashioned system of having a small mobile phone plus an iPod. Alas, hardly anyone is making decent plain phones any more either. Sigh.
I've had mine since 2016 and every year I look longingly at the new iPhones but I just love the small size of the SE. I love being able to, for example, hold a bag of shopping in one hand whilst I walk down the road checking bus times on my phone with my other hand – without worrying that I'm about to drop the thing any minute due to big-screen-finger-gymnastics. I also love that its size and weight make it almost imperceptible in my trouser pocket. I have dynamic text on the iPhone set pretty small too so when doing text-based activities I can still see a fair bit on the small screen. I do wish the camera were a bit better, but I take very few photos on my phone because until they match the quality of even my decade-old DSLR I'd rather take the bigger camera with me the few times a year it's needed.
It's interesting seeing too how many people team their SE up with an iPad mini; that's exactly what I do too. If I'm popping out just to do a few jobs and only need a device for the basics like texting I'll just take my phone, but if I know I need to actually get something done I'll bring the iPad which is perfectly sized to fit in a jacket or small bag pocket. In fact only earlier I was sitting on a bus for nearly 90 minutes catching up on web articles/posts via RSS using the iPad. I was pondering what it'd be like to do that on an 11 Max whose screen isn't that much shorter than the iPad mini's but is a lot narrower when held vertically. I quickly came to the conclusion it would be nowhere near as pleasant an experience: when holding them horizontally, reading on the Max would require a lot more scrolling (which makes my eyes go funny after a while!), and when holding them vertically for say a single-column article, it'd be much smaller and more nausea-inducing whilst on a bouncy bus.
At least SE owners got one bit of good news earlier this year that some of you might have missed: Apple released a new 4" iPod touch. Why is that good? Because it means that even when the SE no longer gets the latest iOS updates, developers will still need to keep their apps compatible with 4" screens for a little while longer because there'll be iPods in use.
Speaking of which, I have sometimes wondered if the upgrade solution for SE owners might ultimately be going back to a really old-fashioned system of having a small mobile phone plus an iPod. Alas, hardly anyone is making decent plain phones any more either. Sigh.
Chiming in, Space Gray 64 GB.
Mine is failling to bits slowly after over 3 years of service, and I'm not very happy with the draining issue since upgrading to iOS 13.x - I'm impatiently waiting for the rumoured SE2 next year (or I'll get the 8 otherwise, which is the only "small" model left).
Mine is failling to bits slowly after over 3 years of service, and I'm not very happy with the draining issue since upgrading to iOS 13.x - I'm impatiently waiting for the rumoured SE2 next year (or I'll get the 8 otherwise, which is the only "small" model left).
Finally pulled to trigger to replace the SE's we have in our household. I wish that Apple made a similarly sized current model, but the ones we have are pretty beat up so we pulled the trigger.
11 Pros. Not because the 'pro' was needed, but because it's closest in size among the newly released models.
Yes, the non-pro is really too big. Hope you enjoy the camera. I would be interested in hearing your views on how much better you find it compared to the SE.
These are for other family members. I'm a serial upgrader and this year went from the XS Max to the 11 Pro Max.
What I can say about the evolution of the cameras however - having had every iPhone model ever released - is that if you scroll through my collection in Photos (tens of thousands of pics) the evolution is stark. From year to year, the quality difference is mostly minor, with a few larger steps up along the way. However, the difference comparing photos from 3-4 years ago to today's best is insane. Night and day.
I don’t have an SE, but I do have an iPhone 5c on iOS 9. I use it daily, alongside my Xʀ, but not as a main phone.
Performance is pretty poor by my standards (I don’t update anything so performance in every single device of mine tends to be great), but decent enough for my use.
The problem, if I were to use it as a main device (If we ignore the 8GB of storage), is battery life.
With my usage, outdoors, in bright sunlight, we’re looking at... 3-4 hours of usage or thereabouts. It’s not enough, and I’m not a heavy user at all. Apart from that, the device is great, really comfortable to use.
Performance is pretty poor by my standards (I don’t update anything so performance in every single device of mine tends to be great), but decent enough for my use.
The problem, if I were to use it as a main device (If we ignore the 8GB of storage), is battery life.
With my usage, outdoors, in bright sunlight, we’re looking at... 3-4 hours of usage or thereabouts. It’s not enough, and I’m not a heavy user at all. Apart from that, the device is great, really comfortable to use.