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Burebista

macrumors regular
Oct 8, 2019
221
231
Well, judging from release notes the battery life and the camera on the new SE are indeed disappointing. And if they’re underwhelming already on release imagine 2-3 years from now if you tend to hold on to your devices. Two major improvements of the 11 series apparently didn’t channel into this latest phone.

However, it’s important to remember that nobody has actually used this phone yet. And we all know how little actual specs usually matter for an iPhone experience. So I suggest you wait a couple of weeks for the meaningful reviews to show up before making the decision, maybe they’ll surprise us.

Either way, you really can’t go wrong with the 11 if you can manage the size and the price. Otherwise, living in the EU you have a large selection of Android options at all price points to choose from, if you’re willing to switch that is.
 
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Josieb1

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2013
317
190
London
I would say go for the 11 Pro.
Relatively small size, awesome device, amazing battery life, and it’s probably going to age much better than the SE.
SE 2 is a really big step from SE 1 (size-wise), but SE 2 to 11 pro, not so much.

The 11 Pro is double the price of the SE. £1119 vs £469 without Applecare. The cost of the Pro is an obscene amount of money.
 
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cbreze

macrumors 65816
Nov 26, 2014
1,119
715
Oregon
I’ve stuck with my current SE for all this time because of my preference for the smaller form factor. The only thing that has let me down at this point is battery, it just isn’t enough to last me through your average working day and at this point I’m willing to sacrifice it’s comfortable form factor just for a proper battery life.

I was excited for the new SE and I was hoping for a larger battery due to the rumors it would be slightly thicker, but it has the same battery capacity to an iphone 8. It would definitely be an upgrade from my current phone anyways, but it is a bit disappointing it isn’t nearly as good as the rest of the current iPhones in the battery department and I’m worried it won’t age well. My average working day before quarantine would go from 8am to 7-9pm so it would be pointless to get a new phone with a less comfortable form factor just for a better battery life only to be carrying around a charger as usual.

Now I’m in quarantine and I could save up for a XR/11 or even wait for a 12 if it’s line isn’t just Pro’s, but I feel like it is overkill to spend at least €700 on a phone I’ll only be using for communication, social media and photos (don’t really care much about the newer specs and features I’m not fussy). But battery life is also extremely important.

Thoughts?
I had an iPhone 7 I used for about 3 years and it is also the same size as the new SE. IMO it was the perfect size. I'm considering the new SE as a replacement. I like the specs, the price, the FPS, the home button and, the size. I will wait for the Pixel 4a to come out and I shall weigh the pros and cons of each.
 
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Brian Y

macrumors 68040
Oct 21, 2012
3,776
1,064
My only issue with the SE - while it's probably a good device at a great price - is the iPhone X. The price is dangerously close to what you can get a refurbished iPhone X for.

Yes, it'll have a slower CPU, but if you put the hardware side-by-side, for the same price, I'd personally struggle to recommend an iPhone SE over an iPhone X.
 
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waquzy

macrumors 68000
Sep 9, 2013
1,579
2,409
Leicestershire, UK
My only issue with the SE - while it's probably a good device at a great price - is the iPhone X. The price is dangerously close to what you can get a refurbished iPhone X for.

Yes, it'll have a slower CPU, but if you put the hardware side-by-side, for the same price, I'd personally struggle to recommend an iPhone SE over an iPhone X.

Some other pros of the new SE over the X

* LCD panel(no PWM problems)
* Smaller design
* Lighter
* Thinner
* Touch ID
 
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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,921
13,274
If you are concern about battery life and the size of the handset, I think you should go with iPhone 11 Pro. However, this is quite not affordable, so I suggest you to opt with Xr. It's just a little bigger than iPhone 11 Pro. Anyway, you'll get used to it overtime. Plus the battery life of Xr is commendable.
Xr and 11 battery's great but getting used to it? Not always.

For me, reckon the 5.8" X/Xs/11 Pro would be my absolute size limit and I'm happy to have the SE2 as an inexpensive alternative.
 

glambutnerdy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 2, 2020
134
149
the clouds
If you are concern about battery life and the size of the handset, I think you should go with iPhone 11 Pro. However, this is quite not affordable, so I suggest you to opt with Xr. It's just a little bigger than iPhone 11 Pro. Anyway, you'll get used to it overtime. Plus the battery life of Xr is commendable.

It might be a good idea to wait for the 12 line to come out and if there is a price drop with the XR, to buy that.
[automerge]1587129157[/automerge]
Maybe I should even go for an 8 which would be much cheaper.. it’s battery is definitely still an upgrade from my SE and I’m not a heavy user.
 
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asoksevil

macrumors 6502
Jun 7, 2010
483
158
London, UK
From what I understand the advertised battery life is disappointing, but you know that's going to be a function of what you do on the phone. If memory serves you have already replaced the battery once. Any current iPhone, though (including this SE) would be better able to handle iOS 13 (and 14 and 15...) so you might also get better battery performance there over replacing the battery again in your current SE.

I also much prefer the size of the current SE...but that's no longer an option, I guess we just have to live with it after a certain point. At least at this price point. Lots of noise about how the iPhone 12 may be closer in size to the current SE, but:

(a) I'll believe it when I see it, and
(b) It'll be a flagship phone at a flagship price.

As for the design of the phone, I'm covering it with a case anyway. :)

I couldn't resist myself and ordered a black 64 GB. It's been almost 4 years rocking iPhone SE and I got tired of waiting for the iPhone 12 5.4. I'll give it a shot and if it's good, then I'll keep it, if not, then I can always sell it and go for the iPhone 12 5.4"
 
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oVerboost

macrumors 68000
Sep 17, 2013
1,565
1,039
United Kingdom
It might be a good idea to wait for the 12 line to come out and if there is a price drop with the XR, to buy that.
[automerge]1587129157[/automerge]
Maybe I should even go for an 8 which would be much cheaper.. it’s battery is definitely still an upgrade from my SE and I’m not a heavy user.

8's won't be that much cheaper. A lot of places don't even have them in stock any more, even third party sellers and carriers.
 

the8thark

macrumors 601
Apr 18, 2011
4,628
1,735
At this point there aren’t anymore small phones being produced so I might as well hop on the phablet bandwagon. I personally care more about a good battery life and reliability.
This is exactly how I feel also. The SE-1 is a great size for me. But I guess better battery life and reliability are more important. Time to hop on the phablet bandwagon.
 
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Txguy82

macrumors 6502
Dec 31, 2016
293
191
My only issue with the SE - while it's probably a good device at a great price - is the iPhone X. The price is dangerously close to what you can get a refurbished iPhone X for.

Yes, it'll have a slower CPU, but if you put the hardware side-by-side, for the same price, I'd personally struggle to recommend an iPhone SE over an iPhone X.

Why would anyone want a refurbished lol
 

Infinite Vortex

macrumors 6502a
Mar 6, 2015
541
1,108
I would firstly wait a little bit and see how people report the battery runtimes. If you're ok waiting for some other phone like an iPhone 12 it shouldn't be hard to wait a couple weeks for this information.

That said, if battery runtime is a true concern I'd probably look toward a Xr/11/12 (assuming you can wait for and are happy to pay for the 12). While the battery may work for you at the beginning, in 3-4 years time (the age of your current SE) there's not a very large battery in the SE 2020 to buffer you from its percentage degradation over time. If you don't buy something that more than serves your needs today you won't have a device that will serve them in the future. or, you need to be prepared to do a battery replacement at some time during it's lifespan.
 

glambutnerdy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 2, 2020
134
149
the clouds
8's won't be that much cheaper. A lot of places don't even have them in stock any more, even third party sellers and carriers.

I don’t think so, I know many reliable electrical shops here still selling 6s’s and 7’s new or mint for around €100-€200
 

oVerboost

macrumors 68000
Sep 17, 2013
1,565
1,039
United Kingdom
I don’t think so, I know many reliable electrical shops here still selling 6s’s and 7’s new or mint for around €100-€200

And where is here?
Do those devices come with a full Apple 12 month warranty? Will they be worth as much when it's upgrade time? Both factors I would personally factor in for the additional amount of money. The benefits over a refurbished 6s or 7 will be massive with the spec of the new device, but it's your choice.
 

glambutnerdy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 2, 2020
134
149
the clouds
And where is here?
Do those devices come with a full Apple 12 month warranty? Will they be worth as much when it's upgrade time? Both factors I would personally factor in for the additional amount of money. The benefits over a refurbished 6s or 7 will be massive with the spec of the new device, but it's your choice.

You completely misunderstood my point.. I wasn’t considering buying those at all, I was making the point that the 8 would definitely still be available even now that the SE came out when there are still 6s’s and 7’s being sold.
 
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