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iPhone SE (2016) So the SE been out a few weeks any regrets buying it?
- Thread starter Ixon2001
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Hugely better in my experience. I kept my iPhone XS in low power mode all the time to conserve battery. My iPhone SE2 lasts longer in normal mode than my XS did in low power mode.
I used some BB reward points to purchase an open box SE, and my wife is now using the 7, which was purchased 6 months ago (company phone transferred to my ownership as of 5/1).
I have no regrets at all, as it has a familiar form factor, and my daily usage is next to nothing. While a larger screen would have been nice, I can wait until the 12 or even later given we each have iPad Pros and MBAs with larger screens.
We are upgrading the cases, as Kohls has iPhone 7 Apple leather cases for $18. My current silicone case was on my 6, and I just cut a slightly larger camera hole in it when I got the 7. It is pretty battle scarred, but still works.
Now my only remaining related purchase decision is whether to buy apple care. $79 is not too bad, but the price of the phone itself is pretty low. I normally buy Apple care for MacBooks, but even have skipped that for the last two that we purchased.Below is the new kid on the block with the iPod Touch G1, which is typical Apple, still working after all these years .
I have no regrets at all, as it has a familiar form factor, and my daily usage is next to nothing. While a larger screen would have been nice, I can wait until the 12 or even later given we each have iPad Pros and MBAs with larger screens.
We are upgrading the cases, as Kohls has iPhone 7 Apple leather cases for $18. My current silicone case was on my 6, and I just cut a slightly larger camera hole in it when I got the 7. It is pretty battle scarred, but still works.
Now my only remaining related purchase decision is whether to buy apple care. $79 is not too bad, but the price of the phone itself is pretty low. I normally buy Apple care for MacBooks, but even have skipped that for the last two that we purchased.Below is the new kid on the block with the iPod Touch G1, which is typical Apple, still working after all these years .
I wouldn’t even consider Apple care for a $400 phone, unless you are highly inclined to drop it. Not worth the money.
Apple Out of Warranty Repair Costs for iPhone SE
$49 Battery
$129 Screen
$269 Others
AppleCare+ Service Costs
$0 Battery
$29 Screen
$99 Others
Financially, I don't think AC+ is worth it for the SE unless you're really clumsy.
Psychologically, having to pay $269+tax for an out of warranty replacement will annoy me *a lot* considering I only paid $249+tax for the phone. If something happens to the SE in its second year, I'll probably be crippled with indecision between getting it repaired or buying a newer iPhone.
Hence, I'll likely end up subbing to the $3.99 monthly AC+ before the 60 days are up just for peace of mind. I pay using discounted iTunes gift cards anyway so it ends up same or lower cost as the full 2 years upfront.
My iPhone XS had the original battery, with something like 85% life on it. Anandtech tested the 2020 SE to have more than an hour longer battery life than the XS. Combined, those two factors easily account for the much better battery life I’m seeing.
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This claims the SE is only an hour off of the 8+ web browsing time. That’s actually pretty impressive. The 8+ is middle of the road now days, but when the 7+ was new, people called that a 2-day phone. Funny how fast things change.
You don’t trust Anandtech? How about Tom’s Guide, they measured similar results for the XS and XS Max. The XS Max gets about one more hour of battery life than the XS, in their standard testing routine.
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-xs-iphone-xs-max-battery-life,review-5773.html
Or how about CNET, they measured the battery life of the iPhone 8 to be hours better than the iPhone X, which consistently edged out the iPhone XS in battery life. CNET claimed that the 2020 iPhone SE had 3 hours longer battery life than the iPhone 8, in their video playback test.
Here's how the 2017 iPhones compare in battery life
We take a closer look at the staying power of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X.
www.cnet.com
iPhone SE review: Apple's $399 iPhone lives up to the hype
The new $399 iPhone SE looks like an iPhone 8 but works like Apple's top-of-the-line iPhone 11 Pro.
www.cnet.com
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Actually I agree with you there. I bet the 2020 iPhone SE is competitive with the iPhone XS Max battery life, but I haven’t been able to find a direct comparison. Phone Arena seems to indicate the XS Max lasted 9:34 in a test that the 2020 SE lasted 9:05.
People moving from the 11 Pro to the new SE need to keep in mind that the Pro models are 4x4 MIMO. The new SE is only 2x2 MIMO.
The only benefit I can see is the battery replacement. If you live in a hot environment year around, the heat just kills batteries. So if the AppleCare+ is less then the cost of a new battery, get it.
I don’t think Apple will replace it unless it’s under 80%, which would be difficult for most people to hit within a short period of time. I’ve never had apple care, but I assume it’s 2 years?
You get two options nowadays:
1) $79 for 2 years
2) $3.99 month-to-month, ongoing
That's the price for the SE. The cost is higher for more expensive models although there's no increase for storage upgrades.
I think my iPhone 7 started requiring battery service just outside the 2 year mark.
I had never purchased AppleCare for any device up until I did Apple's IUP, and when that first started, it automatically came with AppleCare, so I had it on my phones.
Then my 3yo grandson stepped on his iPad screen and popped it clean in two (he's on the Autistic spectrum, lest anyone think we would just let kids jump on iPads over here), and I had to pay for a screen. Not long after that, the charging port in my other grandson's iPad quit working, and I basically had to pay for a new iPad (in fact, I did just buy him a new iPad and sell the broken one for parts on eBay). Now, EVERYONE gets AppleCare - we do the monthly through iTunes on all new devices.
I did it on my SE because I figured as sure as I didn't have it on there, I'd break the darn phone. ;-p
Had mine since last Thursday and no regrets, I thought my Pixel 4 battery was fine, just about lasted me a day on around 15-30% but the SE has like 60% left when I go to bed. Didn't realise how much I missed TouchID.
No regrets. Was fully ready to return it on the assumption that it wouldn’t wow me more than my 6 - but it does - it’s great, it’s quick, and the battery is noticeably better. (FOR NOW, MWOHAHAAA!)
I think Apple hit it on the nose with the new SE and their theory of Android owners moving over.
My mother has moved from the original Nokia 6, to the SE 2020. The Nokia had just turned 3 years old and been showing problems for the last year.
So far her comments on the SE have been very impressive and she wonders why she never made the jump to an iPhone previously as everything so far has ‘just worked’.
Due to the UK’s current lockdown and shielding situation, it is also the first smartphone she has setup alone and I’ve only had one phone call for advice on how to use Apple Music. With Android I had been providing tech support service every few weeks and had to setup each new phone for her.
My mother has moved from the original Nokia 6, to the SE 2020. The Nokia had just turned 3 years old and been showing problems for the last year.
So far her comments on the SE have been very impressive and she wonders why she never made the jump to an iPhone previously as everything so far has ‘just worked’.
Due to the UK’s current lockdown and shielding situation, it is also the first smartphone she has setup alone and I’ve only had one phone call for advice on how to use Apple Music. With Android I had been providing tech support service every few weeks and had to setup each new phone for her.
I got the SE last week, used it for a week and returned it. The SE ergonomics felt very dated compared to my Note10 especially the screen. I missed the OLED screen more than I had imagined.
However, it wasn't all bad, the SE reminded me what I was missing on the iOS side in the last couple of years. So I am actually looking forward to the 12 Pro to jump back to iOS fully.
However, it wasn't all bad, the SE reminded me what I was missing on the iOS side in the last couple of years. So I am actually looking forward to the 12 Pro to jump back to iOS fully.
I am loving mine even more since my Loopy case finally arrived yesterday. Though I have been really enjoying the size, not having a Loopy on it has made me more concerned about dropping it when trying to use one-handed. The Loopy case makes it absolutely perfect, and the black/white check looks so good on my white/black phone (for those of you who care about coordinating case/phone). ;-p
None at all, great device for the money. This is going to be my mum's phone (as soon as I can set it up for her after lockdown), I'll wait to see the size of the 12 before making a decision on whether to replace my 11 with a 12 or a larger capacity SE (the 11 difficult for me to hold, due to an illness).