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iPhone SE (2016) So the SE been out a few weeks any regrets buying it?

oVerboost said:
Which is pretty obvious in itself. A larger battery is going to give better battery life. If anyone is expecting an SE to give better battery life over the XR, 11 or 11 Pro models then quite frankly they're stupid.
Besides, that isn't the target audience of the device, like you said it's the people with the older devices who are most likely to upgrade to the new SE.

My comment was simply based on the poster saying battery life on the SE was "terrible", when they had a faulty unit so shouldn't be stating that SE's in general have bad battery life when they don't, theirs did fair enough - but that's not the popular opinion.
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It may be partially due to defective hardware (or software, seems like something's stuck processing/downloading).

However, poster was coming from the 11 Pro Max, afaik. That's bound to color expectations although it really is unrealistic to expect the iPhone SE with 1821 mAh battery to come anywhere near close to the 11 Pro Max with 3969 mAh battery. That's potentially half the battery life right there. Maybe more if using dark mode, etc. despite the larger resolution and screen size.

The SE is more for light to moderate users. It's not for users who spend a lot of time on their phones.
 
So the question I have is: one the new SE can you quick reply to texts from the lock screen? If so how? Thanks. Other than that absolutely no regrets
 
I had no regrets buying it or using it, but I got an opportunity I couldn’t pass up for an XR. My father and law passed away the end of last year and he and his wife had XRs on a buy one get one free deal. He hated the phone and thought it was way too big and smartphoney. It currently has 100% battery life and was able to be sold to me for 350$ - so I sold the SE to my best friend who’s mom really needed a new phone.

That being said I’ll miss it and maybe some day I’ll pick up something similar. It feels kind of neat to be able to keep my father in laws phone. Sort of made me laugh because he always made fun of me for my phone obsessions.

Sorry for the long winded reply. The SE is definitely worth it all around. I didn’t have enough time with it.
 
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Marty_Macfly said:
Good question Ixon!

Interesting reading everyone's experience.
My experiance is bit of a mixed bag, overall positive though.


Cons:
1. Bigger physical size is getting some use to. I have come from the original SE.
2. Bigger screen is getting some use to as well - the icons arrange from the top, so top ones are out of reach!


Pros:
1. Change has been good for me. I'm being forced to improve my iphone experience by actually spending some time customising the iphone for myself. Examples of this are:

1.1 Ad Blockers enabled (See my other posts)

1.2 Created a shortcut - 1st time ever (See my other posts)

1.3 Trying new tech - wireless chargers (See my other posts)

1.4 Icons re-arranged - 1st time ever, since iphone 3gs! (My key apps were mixed in with years of accumulated crap apps never used, and actually not still working!)

1.5 Back onto internet forums - nice to read up other people's experience and advise etc.


2. Photos are so much better - plus can see better on bigger screen
3. Sounds much better, actually playing music around house as i go.
4. Bigger font, and Zoom, set on a bigger screen - less of a struggle reading small script!


Regards
Martin
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i did the same change you did from original se to 4,7 screen and yes it’s much better for browsing and reading forums and even watching pictures
 
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kkh786 said:
Is there a real difference on the front glass of the iPhone SE from the iPhone 8?
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no. They’re literally identical displays. Apple didn’t make really any physical changes to the chassis/display, that was mainly internal and with the camera.
 
Actually the front glass has a slightly different curvature.. enough for iPhone 7/8 screen protectors not fitting properly.
Relentless Power said:
no. They’re literally identical displays. Apple didn’t make really any physical changes to the chassis/display, that was mainly internal and with the camera.
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Mel8899 said:
I actually returned mine yesterday. The battery just doesn’t last long enough for me, back to my 11 Pro.
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If I had an 11 or 11 pro I wouldn’t have gotten the SE. The battery life is about the same between my iPhone X and the SE. couple that with dual sim capability and better one handed use, 256g compared to 64 and a price of $350 where I sold my X for $450. I’m good.
 
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parker5011 said:
If I had an 11 or 11 pro I wouldn’t have gotten the SE. The battery life is about the same between my iPhone X and the SE. couple that with dual sim capability and better one handed use, 256g compared to 64 and a price of $350 where I sold my X for $450. I’m good.
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I really missed finger print ID and wanted a smaller phone. Thought I’d could deal with the battery.
 
I'm having trouble loving this phone. I bought this because my older SE was having some battery issues and I really missed having a modern camera like my iPhone Xs had. The Xs was uncomfortable/dangerous to use one-handed and I didn't love FaceID. I had used a 6s for a few years, and while I remember it feeling a bit big compared to my 5, I didn't remember *hating* it for one-handed use. But holding this new SE feels like holding a wet bar of soap.

I could buy a matte case for it and/or some stupid loop or popsocket for the back, but I shouldn't have to.

I was just at a grocery store and needed to tap on something on my phone and it almost slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor. I had it for all of a few days and it almost got destroyed because of the stupid "wet bar of soap" design that Jony Ive or whoever thought was such a great idea.
 
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hipnetic said:
I'm having trouble loving this phone. I bought this because my older SE was having some battery issues and I really missed having a modern camera like my iPhone Xs had. The Xs was uncomfortable/dangerous to use one-handed and I didn't love FaceID. I had used a 6s for a few years, and while I remember it feeling a bit big compared to my 5, I didn't remember *hating* it for one-handed use. But holding this new SE feels like holding a wet bar of soap.

I could buy a matte case for it and/or some stupid loop or popsocket for the back, but I shouldn't have to.

I was just at a grocery store and needed to tap on something on my phone and it almost slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor. I had it for all of a few days and it almost got destroyed because of the stupid "wet bar of soap" design that Jony Ive or whoever thought was such a great idea.
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Get a case for it already. You keep complaining that it is slippery. Get a minimalist case that you can grip, so that you don’t keep almost dropping it.
 
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My wife and I both got the base model. We both have been enjoying them. Really snappy navigating and opening/closing apps. She was excited about getting portrait mode (we have 4 boys). Wireless charging is a really nice feature. We each have a Qi charger on our night stands and one in the living room if we are burning through the battery. Speaking of the battery. It’s not amazing but not bad. Really would’ve expected to get better battery life. It’s still fine as I make it through the day unless I’m on it a ton or watching a lot of video.
 

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We didn’t have regrets with ours, but they got returned

but we didn’t feel it was much or enough of an upgrade over the phones it replaced to warrant keeping (almost 1400$ CAD with tax for both)

they were intended to replace an iPhone 6s and an iPhone 7

so regret is not the correct word. Instead the SE 2020 is a great phone but was not worth the price for us
 
Got mine on launch day, moved over from an 11 Pro.
This is absolutely my favorite Apple purchase. The quality, features, and comfort for the price are just fabulous. Battery life is obviously considerably lower than 11 Pro, but with my usage and charge patterns it works out the same in practice.

I also really feel the quality of night shots is improving the longer I own it. Noise has reduced to much more reasonable levels, given you have a still subject and can focus in on it. Check out these photos taken in considerably low "simulated candle" lighting. Second photo was in very low light.

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primarycolors said:
Got mine on launch day, moved over from an 11 Pro.
This is absolutely my favorite Apple purchase. The quality, features, and comfort for the price are just fabulous. Battery life is obviously considerably lower than 11 Pro, but with my usage and charge patterns it works out the same in practice.

I also really feel the quality of night shots is improving the longer I own it. Noise has reduced to much more reasonable levels, given you have a still subject and can focus in on it. Check out these photos taken in considerably low "simulated candle" lighting. Second photo was in very low light.

View attachment 914609
View attachment 914611
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I am sorry, I just have to say your cat is adorable.
 
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Mel8899 said:
I actually returned mine yesterday. The battery just doesn’t last long enough for me, back to my 11 Pro.
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I thought I wouldn’t care about the battery either because I’m home all the time anyway, but it’s actually been bothersome. I’m considering returning it and just getting an 11. I’ll use both in the coming weeks and see which one sticks.
 
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tonybarnaby said:
Does the SE camera really match or exceed the 3a? I haven’t heard that yet.
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Pixel 4a is due in 3 weeks, it will smoke the SE camera and cost less with a better display and design.

aohus said:
thinking of getting the samsung galaxy a71 over the se. bigger screen and good battery life and quality camera has me excited over the se

its also a little bit cheaper too. $365 on amazon
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looks like a better design and the pixel 4a is due soon at less cost as well.
 
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primarycolors said:
Got mine on launch day, moved over from an 11 Pro.
This is absolutely my favorite Apple purchase. The quality, features, and comfort for the price are just fabulous. Battery life is obviously considerably lower than 11 Pro, but with my usage and charge patterns it works out the same in practice.

I also really feel the quality of night shots is improving the longer I own it. Noise has reduced to much more reasonable levels, given you have a still subject and can focus in on it. Check out these photos taken in considerably low "simulated candle" lighting. Second photo was in very low light.

View attachment 914609
View attachment 914611
Click to expand...
That cat is better than the iPhone any day.!..so so cute and smart looking.
 
I’m surprised that people who have any of the 11 phones purchased the latest SE as a replacement phone without realizing that the phone is essentially an iPhone 8 with a few updates and understanding what that meant. Apple isn’t selling a device for a $400+ price difference without compromises. To take that on as your main mobile, an 11/Pro/Pro Max owner would be giving up features and would need to be at peace with it.

Not sure why 11 (any model) owners would switch down to the SE at all given the features and newness of the current models, unless for financial or TouchID reasons, which are both perfectly valid, but again, the SE is basically a 3 year old device and Apple was going to only improve it so much with a $399 price tag. It was never meant to live up to the 11 models, probably not even the Xs/Xr models either.

There’s a place still for the SE with 6/6s/7 upgraders and TouchID fans, but it’s misplaced as a replacement for those with newer models who value their newer features.
 
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SmugMaverick said:
Pixel 4a is due in 3 weeks, it will smoke the SE camera and cost less with a better display and design.
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Why would you feel the need to compare the Pixel to the iPhone SE? What relevance does an android phone have from a completely different operating system the with the SE? Consumers are choosing the platform, they’re not choosing the hardware with a entry-level smart phone.
 
Relentless Power said:
Why would you feel the need to compare the Pixel to the iPhone SE? What relevance does an android phone have from a completely different operating system the with the SE? Consumers are choosing the platform, they’re not choosing the hardware with a entry-level smart phone.
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That and the pixel 4a will not be less than the SE. it will most likely be the same price but definitely not cheaper.
 
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