iPhone SE (2022) SE 3 First Impression Thread

[5105973]

Make sure to get your new SE’s the best protection money can buy, Poowear! Yes it’s a real brand. I came across it looking for a case for my iPhone 11, actually. 😂🤣. Eat your heart out, Spigen!

 

[snow755]

i have a ? about the Compass on the new iphone SE 2022 dos the Compass show the Elev on where you are at ?

 

[snow755]

am really thinking of paying off my pixel 6 phone and swiching to the new iphone SE 2022 the pixel 6 is a nic phone but meh more like a beta phone

has it used the Samsung 5123b modem wish i think is a bit old and out dated so nic phone useing old and out dated stuff lol with the pixel 6 would have been nic if they would have put a x60 modem in the pixel 6

 

[NeonIbis]

i have a ? about the Compass on the new iphone SE 2022 dos the Compass show the Elev on where you are at ?

Yes, and so does the compass on the previous SE. I have no idea if it is accurate.

 

[HalfFullmoon]

My SE 2022 is going back. Ultimately, if I have to decide/debate whether to keep something or not, or if I am questioning my purchase for any reason, I will probably regret the purchase soon after. It didn't help reading that Apple was cutting SE 2022 production by 20%, which is significant and means less demand. I try to buy things that last at least five years, so in five years, I might be one of the rare ones with SE 2022's outdated design, which will make me feel out of place in front of others and draw unwanted attention.

Besides, I find I can type better on a larger screen, and can hold bigger devices better, too. So, might be best to get a larger screen space/device when upgrading phones. Will wait for iPhone 14.

 

[janeauburn]

My SE 2022 is going back. Ultimately, if I have to decide/debate whether to keep something or not, or if I am questioning my purchase for any reason, I will probably regret the purchase soon after. It didn't help reading that Apple was cutting SE 2022 production by 20%, which is significant and means less demand. I try to buy things that last at least five years, so in five years, I might be one of the rare ones with SE 2022's outdated design, which will make me feel out of place in front of others and draw unwanted attention.

Sounds to me like you worry too much about what other people think.

Read my signature line.

 

[HalfFullmoon]

Sounds to me like you worry too much about what other people think.

Read my signature line.

What other people think is a good indication if I am doing the right thing.

But coming back to the SE2022. There was hardly any improvement that I cannot gain from a simple $50 battery replacement on the iPhone 8. I didn't notice the RAM increase (if I went back to a webpage, it still reloaded), I didn't notice the processor increase either. For me, SE 2022 felt like a $430 battery change for the iPhone 8, plus I had to buy a new charger for $20 because Apple is so environmentally conscious that they decided to change the included cable to USB-C so I couldn't reuse the old charger(s).

As I have said before, this is a great kids phone, just not for me.

 

[Fred Zed]

Sounds to me like you worry too much about what other people think.

Read my signature line.

Do they do a bikini in that T shirt style?

 

[janeauburn]

There was hardly any improvement that I cannot gain from a simple $50 battery replacement on the iPhone 8.

Totally agree that people should look at a simple (and inexpensive) battery replacement before buying a new phone, assuming they're happy with their current phone. And yes, the real-world improvements between the 8 and SE 2002 are really minor.

I'm on the third battery for my iPhone 8 Plus. It's still my main phone. I got the SE for very specific reasons that required more portability than I get with the 8 Plus. I suspect I will slowly transition to the SE 2002 over the coming year. It takes me a long time to make these transitions, which is okay by me.

 

[rr23]

The battery life on my SE3 is incredible so far. I’m floored.

I can go the entire day without charging. Still have 20% battery life before bedtime.

Moderate usage. Mainly lots of texting, few calls, some browsing, and a handful of YouTube videos.

 

[5105973]

I’m loving my SE. And if they ever do this kind of upgrade to the 8 Plus design, I will throw my money at Apple again because its larger screen was one of my favorites Apple ever sold and I like the option for the optical zoom, modest as it is. (And I will use both the large and small phones, for different circumstances).

Even without being pwm sensitive, I realize this is the sort of upgrade path I really wanted to see, after all. iPhones actually changed too drastically and too fast and down a road I now think of as overkill and over priced (for me, not for everyone else). And overweight; the pro models are becoming way too heavy for my aging hands.

I was not enthusiastic about Face ID when it first came out. I came to grudgingly accept it, because it does usually work well for me. But I really prefer Touch ID. There are many reasons, but among them: Face ID lights do make my eyes feel dry and gritty when I have to authenticate into a lot of apps during setups. Meanwhile, there is no associated discomfort with having my fingerprint scanned. Also, it is apparently possible to be ugly enough to scare your iPhone; when I try to unlock my phone while sporting a resting b-face scowl, my iPhone really balks at unlocking for me. 🤣

So I really just wanted Apple to continue to refine what we had with the 8 series. But I understood the market demands drastic change and excitement. And fortunately that’s what they get with the Pro series.

I am wielding the SE and thinking this is what I wanted all along, after all, and so I am happy Apple made this phone for me and customers like me.

I am a tech enthusiast but I’m not a power user after all. So I can appreciate the cutting edge and read all about it. I’ll happily drool over the Pro iPhones my husband will own. He is a true power user.

But what I am happy carrying daily is more than adequate. And more affordable. I’m not going to be filming indie films on my iPhone. I’m not even doing any social media in a serious way. This SE will do fine. We’re finally where I needed to be on a budget IPhone.

If they don’t use the iPhone 8 Plus design, then iPhone XR or 11 is a nice alternative. I’d prefer to remain “old school” with Touch ID, but these models are a reasonable choice. I look forward to Apple continuing to address the budget fraction of their market with special editions like this one. I just hope they continue to consider it worthwhile to do so.

 

[Fred Zed]

I’m loving my SE. And if they ever do this kind of upgrade to the 8 Plus design, I will throw my money at Apple again because its larger screen was one of my favorites Apple ever sold and I like the option for the optical zoom, modest as it is. (And I will use both the large and small phones, for different circumstances).

Even without being pwm sensitive, I realize this is the sort of upgrade path I really wanted to see, after all. iPhones actually changed too drastically and too fast and down a road I now think of as overkill and over priced (for me, not for everyone else). And overweight; the pro models are becoming way too heavy for my aging hands.

I was not enthusiastic about Face ID when it first came out. I came to grudgingly accept it, because it does usually work well for me. But I really prefer Touch ID. There are many reasons, but among them: Face ID lights do make my eyes feel dry and gritty when I have to authenticate into a lot of apps during setups. Meanwhile, there is no associated discomfort with having my fingerprint scanned. Also, it is apparently possible to be ugly enough to scare your iPhone; when I try to unlock my phone while sporting a resting b-face scowl, my iPhone really balks at unlocking for me. 🤣

So I really just wanted Apple to continue to refine what we had with the 8 series. But I understood the market demands drastic change and excitement. And fortunately that’s what they get with the Pro series.

I am wielding the SE and thinking this is what I wanted all along, after all, and so I am happy Apple made this phone for me and customers like me.

I am a tech enthusiast but I’m not a power user after all. So I can appreciate the cutting edge and read all about it. I’ll happily drool over the Pro iPhones my husband will own. He is a true power user.

But what I am happy carrying daily is more than adequate. And more affordable. I’m not going to be filming indie films on my iPhone. I’m not even doing any social media in a serious way. This SE will do fine. We’re finally where I needed to be on a budget IPhone.

If they don’t use the iPhone 8 Plus design, then iPhone XR or 11 is a nice alternative. I’d prefer to remain “old school” with Touch ID, but these models are a reasonable choice. I look forward to Apple continuing to address the budget fraction of their market with special editions like this one. I just hope they continue to consider it worthwhile to do so.

We can thank Trump for Touch ID still being made, I think that much is true.

 

[LFC2020]

Both cameras take the exact same photos. 😂

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

Both cameras take the exact same photos. 😂

I think for a while now the main wide angle lens has been more than capable across the various phones in good lighting conditions. It’s when you lose the prime light that things go south for the SE and other single lens phones. Night mode is a game changer and has made so many photos usable, that wouldn’t be on a phone without it.

 

[HalfFullmoon]

Change battery on old phone or upgrade to SE 2022?

I am making this update for some in the same position as me. I returned my iPhone SE 2022, and asked for a battery change on my iPhone 8 while I was there. They stated my battery health was at 87% during change. Couple of issues.

Genius Bar broke my touch screen, which I only realized when I was loading my backup at home. Second, there was absolutely no improvement in the battery change. For every 10% with web browsing, I got about ~40min over Wi-Fi, and an abysmal ~30min over LTE. This is in line with my previous battery, making me question why even replace the battery? One would expect some change when replacing the four-year-old original battery, but nope. To compare with iPhone SE 2022, I got close to ~1:15hr with Wi-Fi web browsing for every 10%, and ~47min for LTE. Both phones were running the latest iOS.

I am not a happy camper here. What I have learned so far: 1) Phones carry high risk of damage during repair that even official technicians can’t escape it. 2) iPhones turn essentially to a brick after a few years, which makes the whole point of owning them to be a negative return unless you are constantly upgrading every two years, and that even a battery change won’t change anything.

I will be relaying my concerns to the Genius Bar appointment today at 12pm when the saga continues. I am thinking of asking them to replace the supposed new battery with my old battery and give me back my
money. This is just wasting time. God. 😤

 

[jimmy_uk]

Totally agree that people should look at a simple (and inexpensive) battery replacement before buying a new phone, assuming they're happy with their current phone. And yes, the real-world improvements between the 8 and SE 2002 are really minor.

I'm on the third battery for my iPhone 8 Plus. It's still my main phone. I got the SE for very specific reasons that required more portability than I get with the 8 Plus. I suspect I will slowly transition to the SE 2002 over the coming year. It takes me a long time to make these transitions, which is okay by me.

I'm torn still - SE 2022 or refurbished by Apple 8 Plus to replace my aged 7 Plus (on its 4th battery). I'm not a fan of the lower ppi + resolution of the XR, 11 and SE phones - but I am really feeling the age of my 7 Plus (buggy mail app, buggy iTunes app, Wifi issues, Safari reloads etc). The 8 Plus feels like an obvious choice as I cannot use any OLED phones (PWM sensitivity), but paying £489 for tech that is nearly 5 years old tech feels dumb.

If the SE 2022 didn't exist, would you stick with your 8 Plus? If you had my choice today, which would you take?

 

[SouthernFried]

Change battery on old phone or upgrade to SE 2022?

I am making this update for some in the same position as me. I returned my iPhone SE 2022, and asked for a battery change on my iPhone 8 while I was there. They stated my battery health was at 87% during change. Couple of issues.

Genius Bar broke my touch screen, which I only realized when I was loading my backup at home. Second, there was absolutely no improvement in the battery change. For every 10% with web browsing, I got about ~40min over Wi-Fi, and an abysmal ~30min over LTE. This is in line with my previous battery, making me question why even replace the battery? One would expect some change when replacing the four-year-old original battery, but nope. To compare with iPhone SE 2022, I got close to ~1:15hr with Wi-Fi web browsing for every 10%, and ~47min for LTE. Both phones were running the latest iOS.

I am not a happy camper here. What I have learned so far: 1) Phones carry high risk of damage during repair that even official technicians can’t escape it. 2) iPhones turn essentially to a brick after a few years, which makes the whole point of owning them to be a negative return unless you are constantly upgrading every two years, and that even a battery change won’t change anything.

I will be relaying my concerns to the Genius Bar appointment today at 12pm when the saga continues. I am thinking of asking them to replace the supposed new battery with my old battery and give me back my
money. This is just wasting time. God. ?

I personally never saw the point of doing maintenance on a phone. Especially one that’s already older. If a phone is worth $100 bucks, why invest $50-75 bucks in it? It’s similar to a car. If a car is worth 2 grand, would you pay 3 grand to rebuild the engine? Makes no sense to me. That’s how I’ve always seen it.

 

[jimmy_uk]

I personally never saw the point of doing maintenance on a phone. Especially one that’s already older. If a phone is worth $100 bucks, why invest $50-75 bucks in it? It’s similar to a car. If a car is worth 2 grand, would you pay 3 grand to rebuild the engine? Makes no sense to me. That’s how I’ve always seen it.

$50-75 is so much cheaper than investing in a new $400+ phone though.

 

[HalfFullmoon]

Back from my second Apple Genius appointment. Asked them why I am not seeing more battery life after battery replacement, and they said more battery life will only be noticeable if the battery health is under 80%. My previous battery had a battery health of 87%. Regardless, I don’t buy their justification. There should be some change when replacing original battery that had been used for four years, and with 87% health. The new battery should be able to hold charge better, and thereby, provide some increase in battery life. The battery change was a waste of $49. Seems like Apple is forcing me to upgrade by not increasing my battery life, because then people (like me) will just keep doing that. Jokes on you, Apple. I am not upgrading for two years at least. Have to get my $49 worth. 😅

Regarding Touch ID issue. Technician showed me the diagnostics Genius technician did before and after yesterday’s appointment, which showed that Touch ID was functional. They did the test again today, and again, the test showed that Touch ID was functional when it clearly wasn’t. Which means that not only was my Touch ID broken, but their diagnostic test was also not working properly. Turns out, the only way to fix the Touch ID issue was by replacing the entire front screen. Now I have a new front panel. This just shows how delicate the process of battery replacement is, and how expensive it can be if something breaks along the way. Let Apple handle it, and if something goes wrong, they will fix it.

Coming back to battery discussion. You will never gain back the previous new phone battery life, and will never be able to come close to the SE 2022 battery life with a simple battery change. If I had known this previously, I would have probably kept the SE 2022. But since I have invested in the new battery with time and money, I am going to run two more years with it because performance wise, I didn’t notice a difference with regular web browsing between iPhone 8 and SE 2022. Hope this helps someone.

I am also now using the iPhone 8 without a case. Love how thin it is. 😎

 

[Fred Zed]

Back from my second Apple Genius appointment. Asked them why I am not seeing more battery life after battery replacement, and they said more battery life will only be noticeable if the battery health is under 80%. My previous battery had a battery health of 87%. Regardless, I don’t buy their justification. There should be some change when replacing original battery that had been used for four years, and with 87% health. The new battery should be able to hold charge better, and thereby, provide some increase in battery life. The battery change was a waste of $49. Seems like Apple is forcing me to upgrade by not increasing my battery life, because then people (like me) will just keep doing that. Jokes on you, Apple. I am not upgrading for two years at least. Have to get my $49 worth. 😅

Regarding Touch ID issue. Technician showed me the diagnostics Genius technician did before and after yesterday’s appointment, which showed that Touch ID was functional. They did the test again today, and again, the test showed that Touch ID was functional when it clearly wasn’t. Which means that not only was my Touch ID broken, but their diagnostic test was also not working properly. Turns out, the only way to fix the Touch ID issue was by replacing the entire front screen. Now I have a new front panel. This just shows how delicate the process of battery replacement is, and how expensive it can be if something breaks along the way. Let Apple handle it, and if something goes wrong, they will fix it.

Coming back to battery discussion. You will never gain back the previous new phone battery life, and will never be able to come close to the SE 2022 battery life with a simple battery change. If I had known this previously, I would have probably kept the SE 2022. But since I have invested in the new battery with time and money, I am going to run two more years with it because performance wise, I didn’t notice a difference with regular web browsing between iPhone 8 and SE 2022. Hope this helps someone.

I am also now using the iPhone 8 without a case. Love how thin it is. 😎

This is sad, I feel for you. So when they changed the battery it now shows 100% health? Maybe they didn't change the battery .

 

[turbineseaplane]

They really should make a plus model

I know a couple older relatives who still use and love their 8+ phones..
...but, they won't last forever

(phones or the people - lol)

 

[HalfFullmoon]

This is sad, I feel for you. So when they changed the battery it now shows 100% health? Maybe they didn't change the battery .

No, they did. Lots of people involved, and they even showed the cycle count in their iPad, which showed zero. Something fishy, but I don’t blame or question the technicians.

 

[MICHAELSD]

I'm torn still - SE 2022 or refurbished by Apple 8 Plus to replace my aged 7 Plus (on its 4th battery). I'm not a fan of the lower ppi + resolution of the XR, 11 and SE phones - but I am really feeling the age of my 7 Plus (buggy mail app, buggy iTunes app, Wifi issues, Safari reloads etc). The 8 Plus feels like an obvious choice as I cannot use any OLED phones (PWM sensitivity), but paying £489 for tech that is nearly 5 years old tech feels dumb.

If the SE 2022 didn't exist, would you stick with your 8 Plus? If you had my choice today, which would you take?

I would personally recommend iPhone SE over iPhone 8+ as you’re getting better hardware: even the display has a superior color calibration that makes it look fantastic for pictures and video. The difference in pixel density is still noticeable, but I think the benefits of a newer device outweigh that unless you really need a larger battery or form factor.

 

[MICHAELSD]

I think for a while now the main wide angle lens has been more than capable across the various phones in good lighting conditions. It’s when you lose the prime light that things go south for the SE and other single lens phones. Night mode is a game changer and has made so many photos usable, that wouldn’t be on a phone without it.

I feel like a lot of people only need to have one wide angle camera with an excellent sensor. The fact that the iPhone 8-era sensor holds up is a testament to how strong computational photography has become. While I’m still impressed by some of the pictures I’ve taken across all recent iPhone generations, there is a noticeable difference in overall detail and low-light shots with newer devices.

 

[Reno Raines]

I'm torn still - SE 2022 or refurbished by Apple 8 Plus to replace my aged 7 Plus (on its 4th battery). I'm not a fan of the lower ppi + resolution of the XR, 11 and SE phones - but I am really feeling the age of my 7 Plus (buggy mail app, buggy iTunes app, Wifi issues, Safari reloads etc). The 8 Plus feels like an obvious choice as I cannot use any OLED phones (PWM sensitivity), but paying £489 for tech that is nearly 5 years old tech feels dumb.

If the SE 2022 didn't exist, would you stick with your 8 Plus? If you had my choice today, which would you take?

I use both. My 8 plus is my daily driver and I use the SE 2022 on a secondary line mostly for streaming music etc.