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If you were to purchase the 4" iPhone SE, what phone would you be switching from?

  • A non-smartphone

    Votes: 6 2.6%
  • Another 4" phone (E.g. iPhone 5(S))

    Votes: 60 26.2%
  • A 4.7" phone (E.g. iPhone 6)

    Votes: 86 37.6%
  • A 5.5" phone (E.g. iPhone 6+)

    Votes: 56 24.5%
  • A 5.7"+ phone (E.g. Note 5/Galaxy S6 Edge)

    Votes: 8 3.5%
  • A 3.5" phone (E.g. iPhone 4(S))

    Votes: 13 5.7%

  • Total voters
    229

rillrill

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2011
843
654
New York
Apple has pulled off quite the accomplishment. No longer needing to innovate, or create high performance devices, they now exist effortlessly by simply remembering to affix the magic Apple Logo. At the zenith of the companies history, they're now free to do as much or little as they wish without consequences of any significance. A very unique operation indeed.

I say no. If they came out with all of these phones at the same time, they'd not make as much money. $399 is a steal for what is, essentially, an iPhone 6s. If people go for the SE, they are really only deciding based on screen size and price - and price wins out most times.

By stratifying their products they will sell more. You can wait for the 7 series or wait even longer for the next SE series. This is marketing genius for the company. Either way, they get yr $$.
 
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maxsix

Suspended
Jun 28, 2015
3,100
3,731
Western Hemisphere
I say no. If they came out with all of these phones at the same time, they'd not make as much money. $399 is a steal for what is, essentially, an iPhone 6s. If people go for the SE, they are really only deciding based on screen size and price - and price wins out most times.

By stratifying their products they will sell more. You can wait for the 7 series or wait even longer for the next SE series. This is marketing genius for the company. Either way, they get yr $$.
With an Army of defensive customers, Apple can't go wrong.
 

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,145
17,058
fortunately people who got 6/6s and always wanted a 5 body style internal upgrade, got it.

also fortunately, these people can sell their phones to off set most/all the cost of a 5se,

double win :)

apple wins on recycling the same body style with upgraded internals

man that battery life, and a9 efficiency running that screen size, is great :D
 

davidhunternyc

macrumors regular
Dec 26, 2011
118
61
I have an iPhone 4S. I have kept it scratch free for all of these years now, naked, with no cover whatsoever. (Call me anal.) I love the small form factor and I look at all of the 6 series phones like phablets. I have, however, wanted to upgrade finally just to get a better camera. (Also, my battery life is now horrendous.) Does the camera on the SE have the same image stabilization that it is in the 6S Plus? I can't seem to find a good answer. Thanks.
 

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
16,145
17,058
I have an iPhone 4S. I have kept it scratch free for all of these years now, naked, with no cover whatsoever. (Call me anal.) I love the small form factor and I look at all of the 6 series phones like phablets. I have, however, wanted to upgrade finally just to get a better camera. (Also, my battery life is now horrendous.) Does the camera on the SE have the same image stabilization that it is in the 6S Plus? I can't seem to find a good answer. Thanks.

I'd say absolutely not, but to not be flamed, I'll go with slim chance
 
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lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,721
Boston, MA
I have an iPhone 4S. I have kept it scratch free for all of these years now, naked, with no cover whatsoever. (Call me anal.) I love the small form factor and I look at all of the 6 series phones like phablets. I have, however, wanted to upgrade finally just to get a better camera. (Also, my battery life is now horrendous.) Does the camera on the SE have the same image stabilization that it is in the 6S Plus? I can't seem to find a good answer. Thanks.
It's not been me stated anywhere that I have found. Apple doesn't even have that info on the site (whereas hey do for the 6s plus).
 
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biracialfamily91

macrumors 6502
Aug 24, 2015
309
344
Queens, NY
I have an iPhone 4S. I have kept it scratch free for all of these years now, naked, with no cover whatsoever. (Call me anal.) I love the small form factor and I look at all of the 6 series phones like phablets. I have, however, wanted to upgrade finally just to get a better camera. (Also, my battery life is now horrendous.) Does the camera on the SE have the same image stabilization that it is in the 6S Plus? I can't seem to find a good answer. Thanks.
nope
 

Blaze4G

macrumors 65816
Oct 31, 2015
1,300
1,177
Not sure why people are hating on the iPhone SE. If you check my post history, I am one of the first to be critical about Apple. However I think the iPhone SE is good value for what it is. Perhaps it was because I was expecting a $499 price tag or A8 if it would be cheaper than $499.

Persons who are being critical about it being 16GB or having a low res display, what is so hard to understand? If Apple released the SE with 32GB base and / or a 1080p display, customers / iphone 6s owners would be outraged. Imagine having to pay $650 for 16GB and 720p screen when SE owners pay $399 and gets more.

Anyhow, I don't think the SE will be a big seller. My belief (and I emphasize MY BELIEF) is that many iPhone owners buys it for a sort of status symbol. These customers do not want to be seen with a 5s / cheap iPhone. Now I know people here will disagree, I may be wrong, whatever. This is my belief and no matter what you can't change my mind on that so let us not get into it.

TL;dr
iPhone SE is a good value by Apple standards. I think it will sell much less than what Apple projects.
 
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mariachi4

macrumors member
Aug 11, 2015
70
38
This is exactly the phone i hoped for, 5S body with flagship specs. And luckily no protruding camera like the 6 series. Cant wait to get my hands on this little beast.
 
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davidhunternyc

macrumors regular
Dec 26, 2011
118
61
I also like the flat sided bezel on the SE compared to the rounded bezel on the 6 series. A flat sided bezel makes the SE easier to grip. Is this a design flaw in the 6 series?
 
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Reinke

macrumors newbie
Dec 23, 2012
29
1
Would love to upgrade my 5nothing to the SE. However, I stil fancy the black slate color over space grey. Also, does it come with the "slow" touchID or the 6s version?
 

Retired Cat

macrumors 65816
Jun 12, 2013
1,210
380
Anyhow, I don't think the SE will be a big seller. My belief (and I emphasize MY BELIEF) is that many iPhone owners buys it for a sort of status symbol. These customers do not want to be seen with a 5s / cheap iPhone. Now I know people here will disagree, I may be wrong, whatever. This is my belief and no matter what you can't change my mind on that so let us not get into it.

TL;dr
iPhone SE is a good value by Apple standards. I think it will sell much less than what Apple projects.

You post it, you own it!

Old people like me don't buy iPhones for status. The ease of iOS is the main draw, and the familiarity of the 5-series form is a plus. And nobody will mug you for an iPhone that looks 3 years old, although activation lock does in general make iPhones less attractive for thieves these days.

There are some old people that do buy the Plus iPhones for eye/vision reasons.


This is exactly the phone i hoped for, 5S body with flagship specs. And luckily no protruding camera like the 6 series. Cant wait to get my hands on this little beast.

The 2GB RAM sealed the deal for me. I like the design of the SE much more than the 6/6s. I'm going to get the SE when I upgrade.
 

Blaze4G

macrumors 65816
Oct 31, 2015
1,300
1,177
You post it, you own it!

Old people like me don't buy iPhones for status. The ease of iOS is the main draw, and the familiarity of the 5-series form is a plus. And nobody will mug you for an iPhone that looks 3 years old, although activation lock does in general make iPhones less attractive for thieves these days.

There are some old people that do buy the Plus iPhones for eye/vision reasons.




The 2GB RAM sealed the deal for me. I like the design of the SE much more than the 6/6s. I'm going to get the SE when I upgrade.

oh don't get me wrong. Their are definitely consumers like yourself who buy iPhones because they genuinely prefer it over any other phones / mobile system.
 

mariachi4

macrumors member
Aug 11, 2015
70
38
The 2GB RAM sealed the deal for me. I like the design of the SE much more than the 6/6s. I'm going to get the SE when I upgrade.

Agree with you 100%. The design of the original iphone was ok, but a bit fat. 3G/GS were very nice with the pebble back, but i hate the plastic body on the back. 4/4s were beautiful, close to perfection, but still felt a bit short, heavy and thick. 5c was thick and plastic, the ugliest iphone imo. 6series are nice in the hand, but slippery, too damn big and the camera hump is really out of place. 5/5s are the perfect design for my taste. The psychical design is just right in hand, long enough, not too thin, not too thick, light, just perfect for 1 hand.
 
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willmtaylor

macrumors G4
Original poster
Oct 31, 2009
10,314
8,198
Here(-ish)
Even last night when I was chatting with a CSR for Verizon, he said that he was still using the 4(S) and would be upgrading to the SE.

It seems like, for a lot of folks, the size trade-off of the 6 & 6(S)--not to mention the PLUS--just wasn't worth it.
 

davidhunternyc

macrumors regular
Dec 26, 2011
118
61
Even last night when I was chatting with a CSR for Verizon, he said that he was still using the 4(S) and would be upgrading to the SE. It seems like, for a lot of folks, the size trade-off of the 6 & 6(S)--not to mention the PLUS--just wasn't worth it.

This is my situation, exactly. Yes, I love my 4S. I just want a better version of it, especially the camera and battery life. I just don't like how huge the 6 version phones are. I don't like that they don't fit into my Levi's front pocket easily and I don't like the thin curved outside edges. So easy to drop. I have had my 4S for many years now, without protection of any kind, and there isn't a scratch on it. It is so easy to grip and hold onto. I just use a simple leather sleeve to slide the phone into when I am not using it.
 
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bchreng

macrumors 65816
Jul 26, 2005
1,063
348
After this announcement, I'm all in on the SE. Just gotta figure out which color - space grey (probably) or silver.

The question is what will the 7 bring besides a new design and a processor bump?

Hopefully a much-improved camera and whatever witchcraft they developed for the 9.7" iPad Pro screen.
 

Retired Cat

macrumors 65816
Jun 12, 2013
1,210
380
Battery life is another advantage for the SE.

My iPhone 5 is rated 8 hours talk, and 8/8/10 hours for 3G/LTE/WiFi.

The SE specifications say 14 hours talk, and 12/13/13 hours for 3G/LTE/WiFi.

6s is 14 hours talk, 10/10/11 on 3G/LTE/WiFi.

50%+ more use time on mobile data networks over the iPhone 5 is a substantial upgrade for me. The SE actually rivals or beats the 6s Plus in this factor.
 
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Amplelink

macrumors 65816
Oct 8, 2012
1,013
458
Not sure why people are hating on the iPhone SE. If you check my post history, I am one of the first to be critical about Apple. However I think the iPhone SE is good value for what it is. Perhaps it was because I was expecting a $499 price tag or A8 if it would be cheaper than $499.

Persons who are being critical about it being 16GB or having a low res display, what is so hard to understand? If Apple released the SE with 32GB base and / or a 1080p display, customers / iphone 6s owners would be outraged. Imagine having to pay $650 for 16GB and 720p screen when SE owners pay $399 and gets more.

Anyhow, I don't think the SE will be a big seller. My belief (and I emphasize MY BELIEF) is that many iPhone owners buys it for a sort of status symbol. These customers do not want to be seen with a 5s / cheap iPhone. Now I know people here will disagree, I may be wrong, whatever. This is my belief and no matter what you can't change my mind on that so let us not get into it.

TL;dr
iPhone SE is a good value by Apple standards. I think it will sell much less than what Apple projects.

I don't know where you live, but no one where I live buys an iPhone as a status symbol. They're freaking everywhere.
 
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