Other Best iPhone at this point in time

[Dr. McKay]

My girlfriend wants to migrate from a Huawei P10 Lite to a new iPhone.
There are the iPhone 11, iPhone XR and the new iPhone SE to choose from.

You'll probably tell me to wait for the iPhone 12 in September and then buy that or the 11 at a discounted price, but that's not an option since she needs it now, as in the next couple of days.
She also doesn't want to pay a 2Tb iCloud subscription (finds it too expensive) ; she prefers buying more internal storage and then go for a 200Gb iCloud or something.

In any case, she would like 256Gb of storage. Which model would be the best bang for the buck, considering she wants to use it for around 5 years (which means software support as well), and long battery life is absolutely adamant as she uses the phone all day every day.

I suggested the new SE, which offers a lot for the money, but apparently, the battery life isn't all that great.
Any suggestions ?

 

[m0sher]

The best is 11 pro Max large OLED display. Longest battery life. Worthy a five year phone. IMO.

Love mine which is a 1st for a max display and glad I did. I do a lotta video streaming It’s was worth it to me.

 

[1rottenapple]

I wouldn’t go with an SE if she was going to hold on to it for 5 yrs imho.
It depends on her budget. 11 pro max for big screen, 11 pro are higher end. And 11 for a mid range. Those will easily last 4-5 yrs. with a battery change in the middle of ownership.

 

[Dr. McKay]

The best is 11 pro Max large OLED display. Longest battery life. Worthy a five year phone. IMO.

Love mine which is a 1st for a max display and glad I did. I do a lotta video streaming It’s was worth it to me.

Yes, well, if she was ready to spend that kind of money, it would be an easy choice...
[automerge]1596050555[/automerge]

I wouldn’t go with an SE if she was going to hold on to it for 5 yrs imho.
It depends on her budget. 11 pro max for big screen, 11 pro are higher end. And 11 for a mid range. Those will easily last 4-5 yrs. with a battery change in the middle of ownership.

11 Pro Max is out of the budget range, and so is the normal 11 Pro, really.
Is the battery life of the 11 Pro (not Max) that much better than the regular 11 ?

 

[KOTN91]

Some stupid comments on here. OP clearly implied 11 pro/max not options, probably because they’re ridiculously priced

Defo the XR I would say. The 11 is more or less identical but more expensive and therefore not worth the extra cost

Defo don’t go with the SE, it’s design is a relic at this point with a tiny screen and a dated home button and dated fingerprint scanner. Doesn’t hold a candle to Face ID. Don’t be tempted just because it’s released this year, anything X and beyond will still be supported for years and years and years to come

Also definitely worth considering an X or XS if you can get a good deal on one

 

[iCorz87]

My girlfriend wants to migrate from a Huawei P10 Lite to a new iPhone.
There are the iPhone 11, iPhone XR and the new iPhone SE to choose from.

You'll probably tell me to wait for the iPhone 12 in September and then buy that or the 11 at a discounted price, but that's not an option since she needs it now, as in the next couple of days.
She also doesn't want to pay a 2Tb iCloud subscription (finds it too expensive) ; she prefers buying more internal storage and then go for a 200Gb iCloud or something.

In any case, she would like 256Gb of storage. Which model would be the best bang for the buck, considering she wants to use it for around 5 years (which means software support as well), and long battery life is absolutely adamant as she uses the phone all day every day.

I suggested the new SE, which offers a lot for the money, but apparently, the battery life isn't all that great.
Any suggestions ?

The SE is great with the battery case. Just depends on what’s most important Touch ID vs Face ID, smaller phone vs larger one. Better battery from the box or use battery case? I came from an 11 pro to the SE the only thing I’ve noticed is the battery is not as good as the 11 pro but the battery case solves that issue. Would she want to go smaller or bigger than her current device? My choice would be the SE but that’s because that’s what I prefer

 

[Apple_Robert]

The question is subjective and as such, would promote different answers from forum members.

“Which phone has best met your needs and expectations thus far?” That is the question the OP should have asked.

The SE or the iPhone 11.

 

[Dr. McKay]

She doesn't care too much about the size, even the SE size is ok for her. It's battery life and future proofing that are the most important.
And I guess the XR is the least likely candidate as its processor is a generation behind that of the new SE and 11...

I guess it's between the new SE or the 11. She doesn't care one bit about face ID of whether or not it has a physical home button. Remains to be seen, then, if the extra battery life in the 11 is worth the extra cash.

I believe the battery life of the new SE is very close to that of the iPhone 8. I have the 8 Plus and I have no complaints whatsoever as far as the battery goes. But I guess the 8 Plus has a bigger battery than the normal 8...

 

[Ralfi]

People just went off many tangents here & ignored the OP.

The iPhone 11 generation introduced a significant battery boost (especially over the SE) & is the clear ‘future-proof’ option out of the choices you’re considering.

iPhone battery life compared: How does the new iPhone SE stack up? - 9to5Mac

Battery life is one of the most important factors for smartphones these days. Apple doesn’t make it particularly easy to...

9to5mac.com

 

[compwiz1202]

Some stupid comments on here. OP clearly implied 11 pro/max not options, probably because they’re ridiculously priced

Defo the XR I would say. The 11 is more or less identical but more expensive and therefore not worth the extra cost

Defo don’t go with the SE, it’s design is a relic at this point with a tiny screen and a dated home button and dated fingerprint scanner. Doesn’t hold a candle to Face ID. Don’t be tempted just because it’s released this year, anything X and beyond will still be supported for years and years and years to come

Also definitely worth considering an X or XS if you can get a good deal on one

I agree with XR for a balance between battery and cost
[automerge]1596055073[/automerge]

She doesn't care too much about the size, even the SE size is ok for her. It's battery life and future proofing that are the most important.
And I guess the XR is the least likely candidate as its processor is a generation behind that of the new SE and 11...

I guess it's between the new SE or the 11. She doesn't care one bit about face ID of whether or not it has a physical home button. Remains to be seen, then, if the extra battery life in the 11 is worth the extra cash.

I believe the battery life of the new SE is very close to that of the iPhone 8. I have the 8 Plus and I have no complaints whatsoever as far as the battery goes. But I guess the 8 Plus has a bigger battery than the normal 8...

SE would be good then if she is a light to moderate user and/or will have access to charging enough.

 

[ripsaw650]

11 or 11 Pro would be my choice.

 

[Spudlicious]

Of the three options the OP lists the iPhone 11 and SE seem the obvious choice due to having the most current CPU, a five year service life being specified. Obviously the SE would be the budget choice but Face ID is such and improvement over fingerprint in my experience that my recommendation would be the 11. Except that I wouldn’t commit to a recommendation for a woman because I wouldn’t want her blaming me when she was unhappy with the phone for any reason. That will happen, take it from an old man.

 

[QCassidy352]

Since she wants really good battery life, I would not recommend the SE without a battery case. And since she wants 256 GB, the choices are:

• SE with battery case: approximately $650 (for the Apple battery case, can find others a little cheaper)
• XR: $629 for an Apple store refurb (the 256 GB model isn't sold new by Apple anymore, but maybe a carrier would have one brand new?)
• 11: $850

Add a few bucks to the XR and 11 for a non-battery case.

Personally, I'm going with the SE out of those options, but they're all reasonable options. And if she is on Verizon or AT&T, she can get the SE through Walmart at a $200 discount, bringing the total for that option to ~ $450:

AT&T Apple iPhone SE (2020) 64GB, White - Upgrade Only - Walmart.com

Buy AT&T Apple iPhone SE (2020) 64GB, White - Upgrade Only at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[NewBench]

The new SE's battery is OK but not great.

I would say based on all your requirements...the big storage, the decent battery, 5 years of updates etc then she should go for either the iPhone 11, 11 Pro or 11 Pro Max.

All have 4GB of RAM, all available with at least 256GB storage (the Pro models up to 512GB), all have good battery life.

Personally, if it was me in the same boat, and I knew I was definitely keeping it for 5 years, I'd go for the top model - 11 Pro Max.

Worth noting though - none of them are 5G models, so she should understand that she won't be able to take advantage of 5G unless she buys the 12. Also, regardless of model, it will probably need a new battery in 2-3 years time.

 

[trevpimp]

I would say SE would be supported with a 5 year range and all you would have to do is replace a battery once in the way through (If You Needed)

I wouldn't go with the XR cause to me I feel the SE 2020 is more fluent and would be ready for future updates

Also,

If you have the opportunity to get your hands on an 11 then that is actually the best phone to purchase in your situation SE is great for value in todays phone market 11 is over by all means necessary for todays phone capabilities

 

[cdcastillo]

...
Defo don’t go with the SE, it’s design is a relic at this point with a tiny screen and a dated home button and dated fingerprint scanner. Doesn’t hold a candle to Face ID...

Just would like to point out that with the current pandemic and the need to wear face masks, it is a PITA to continuously enter the password because Face ID is completely useless with a face mask on.

I recently changed from a Xs to an SE (had to change phones because I broke mine) just because I was tired of Face ID not working.

So, to the OP: if your GF is not staying at home (and therefore, in need of using a face mask), and she wants to quickly and securely use her phone when out and about, the SE is the way to go. If she is staying at home, then Face ID might be ok.

 

[ssledoux]

Well, I just played musical phones after having the 11 for 6 months then going to the SE, then trying the 11 pro, then 11 again, and now I’m back to the SE. For me, the size won out in the end. I was tired of using a big, heavy device.

Since you’re pretty much down to the 11 and the SE, the decision is based on:

Size (does she want larger, or smaller and easy to use one-handed)
Battery (11 definitely has the better battery, but a battery case on the SE still yields a smaller, lighter phone)
Face ID vs Touch ID (totally preference on this - I think there are pros/cons to both)
Camera (the SE takes great photos, but the 11 adds wide angle and portrait on non-humans)
Ram (the 11 has 1 more gb of ram I think - not noticeable to me at all for typical phone usage)
Price (you can probably get the SE with a battery case for around half the price of the 11 with the deals out there)

You can’t really go wrong with either phone.

 

[mhdena]

OP could find an 8+ like his, anyone coming from a bigger screen phone won't be satisfied with a 6-7-8 size phone no matter what they're calling it now.

 

[Devin Breeding]

Just would like to point out that with the current pandemic and the need to wear face masks, it is a PITA to continuously enter the password because Face ID is completely useless with a face mask on.

I recently changed from a Xs to an SE (had to change phones because I broke mine) just because I was tired of Face ID not working.

So, to the OP: if your GF is not staying at home (and therefore, in need of using a face mask), and she wants to quickly and securely use her phone when out and about, the SE is the way to go. If she is staying at home, then Face ID might be ok.

He wants one to last 5 years. We better not be expected to wear masks through then. Haha

I went from original SE to iPhone 11. As far as battery goes, I have not been able to kill it in a day. I even spent all day reading an ebook outside max brightness and ended the day with 20% I think. I was concerned about face I.D. at first, had a less than stellar similar option on a droid turbo but find it rarely fails to unlock and is incredibly quick. Whereas my hands are often dirty or wet and touch I.D. does not do well there.

I’d say, go with the 11 if its in your price range but both SE2 and 11 are great phones. I would plan to replace the battery at around 2.5 years. Also, do yourself a favor and buy a wireless charger.

 

[1rottenapple]

Exactly Face ID even with covid. When I use a surgical mask it unlocks it. Same with certain mask. I think if you enter the password the system learns your face using a mask and can increase its ability to authenticate.

It’s not like I work for 12 hrs with a mask. With Touch ID it fails when your fingers are moist or sweaty.

 

[Dr. McKay]

I guess the iPhone 11 with 256Gb will be her best bet. We live in Belgium and although there are some carrier plans available, they're usually not that interesting as the phones still cost half of their retail price and the subscription rates are through the roof.
We can buy the 11 with 256Gb unlocked through our carrier with a 100 EUR discount (normally costs 979 EUR, now 879 EUR), all colours available except for black. The Pro (Max) would be even better but those cost more than 1000 EUR and that's a line she's not willing to cross for a phone.

She again emphasized the fact that she would be very disappointed if her new phone's battery didn't last at least a whole day so I'm not going to recommend the SE2 anymore

Thanks for all the feedback !

 

[44267547]

OP could find an 8+ like his, anyone coming from a bigger screen phone won't be satisfied with a 6-7-8 size phone no matter what they're calling it now.

Is that what people were saying about the 2016 iPhone SE given its popularity? (That’s rhetorical). The 4.7 inch iPhone was one of the most popular iPhone models ever made, because it contours To the hand very comfortably and meets the expectations for consumers what they’re probably looking for, especially the Current price point. So you telling others that no one can downsize anything less than having a ‘bigger screen’ isn’t true. Members on this very forum have done so, given not everyone wants to carry round large phone.

 

[Closingracer]

Yes, well, if she was ready to spend that kind of money, it would be an easy choice...
[automerge]1596050555[/automerge]


11 Pro Max is out of the budget range, and so is the normal 11 Pro, really.
Is the battery life of the 11 Pro (not Max) that much better than the regular 11 ?

The pro both get better battery life then the 11. If you look around you’ll find prices lower then MSRP on them. I’m paying 850 basically in monthly installments for my 11 pro for the base one

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Defo don’t go with the SE, it’s design is a relic at this point with a tiny screen and a dated home button and dated fingerprint scanner. Doesn’t hold a candle to Face ID. Don’t be tempted just because it’s released this year, anything X and beyond will still be supported for years and years and years to come

So because the SE looks ‘dated’ in your view and unlocks using a fingerprint rather than a face, you’d recommend older devices with older processors purely because they look ‘newer’? Interesting angle.

 

[Dr. McKay]

Well, she was about to order the iPhone 11 with 256Gb but for some reason she found that, apart from black or white, it only came in kiddies colours, and was disappointed she couldn't get the Midnight Green...
She had mistakingly assumed that the 11 was also available in that colour... and so, determined as she can be (or usually is), she just went ahead and ordered the 11 Pro 256Gb in Midnight Green. Go figure

Oh well, as long as she's happy