Times have shifted where smaller phones are not the ‘Norm’ anymore. But why? Because smart phone manufacturers believe the consumer prefers larger displays for viewing content, photo’s, Ect, Which now they place All the latest tech into these larger phones, which seemingly cost more to the consumer because of the additional hardware and technology like Face ID, OLED panels, all that come to a cost to the consumer. It’s rather if the consumer chooses to support these prices by not upgrading or keeping an older device.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone SE (2016) This totally sucks. How do we convince Apple to keep making a 4" phone?
- Thread starter dan98
- Start date
-
- Tags
- iphone
- Sort by reaction score
Times have shifted where smaller phones are not the ‘Norm’ anymore. But why? Because smart phone manufacturers believe the consumer prefers larger displays for viewing content, photo’s, Ect, Which now they place All the latest tech into these larger phones, which seemingly cost more to the consumer because of the additional hardware and technology like Face ID, OLED panels, all that come to a cost to the consumer. It’s rather if the consumer chooses to support these prices by not upgrading or keeping an older device.
And this is where Samsung can have Apple beat, by producing a small version of the galaxy S that is thin and as powerful as the standard one. Apple have made a mistake turning their backs completely on small phones.
Yes, but as the industry moves on from small phones, why not at least try to adapt? An iPhone 8 isn’t that much bigger than an SE and will be supported for a good while. You may find you actually enjoy the slightly bigger screen if you give it a fair look.
[doublepost=1537522368][/doublepost]
I see your point, but Apple is likely totally fine with that. When you say Apple made a mistake, you mean because they lose market share when it comes to 4 inch phones?
I think it's always good to give new trends a fair try (I've just purchased a new Ipad Pro and it's beautiful). But I'm adamant on this one.
I appreciate the trend for more and more consumption of media and social media, and trying to fit everything into one device, but I DON'T want it in my every-moment existence - I want to do it properly in it's time and it's place. Eg. Ipad / Apple TV at home or work laptop whatever.
The SE brings same amazingly useful applications into a little discrete package which can easily be used in one hand, has huge battery life, and even bounces great when you drop it ; )
Sure, I don't fit Apple's ideal profile consumer who just wants more and more immersion into all this stuff 24/7 but still I have money, and will pay healthily for a product which fits.
(Btw every small android I've used has been total garbage.)
I don’t think the SE size is lost. Pretty sure in the next year we’ll have a third sized iPhone. Don’t give up hope!
I would say the current iPhone SE and its 4” form factor, price and overall size will never be what It once was, but could it be revamped to a 5 inch display with an OLED panel/face ID? I think that’s possible. But still, not trying to play the cynic role, but I really do think the SE was a one time offering device, and Apple won’t venture on to anything lower than a 6 inch device for the future.
Last edited:
Makes sense, that's totally fair. I have always felt that people should use what works best for the individual, but I just don't view .7 inches as the difference between discreet and not discreet. I have an iPad Pro, but I am considering selling it and just having an Xs Max and an Apple Watch (that's where discreet comes in for me). I use my iPad as my work computer though so it may be too challenging. I am hopeful that Apple eventually makes an X like design in the size of the iPhone 8, but I am not sure even that would be good enough for people that prefer the SE.
Couldn’t disagree more. Apple likes strutting new designs, it’s just they will make the most money going bigger right now. Besides an increase in screen size, there isn’t much they can do to sell phones. That is over. 6.5” is a ceiling. Next will be thinner, lighter, smaller designs. It’s what Apple loves to do.
Last edited:
They do? Is that why the SE retained a dated form factor when they introduced it in March 2016? Or is it because it was never meant to be anything beyond a limited release because the consumer market says otherwise? Apple seems to like to use the same design for suit some time before merging onto other design language. But you said it yourself, larger designs make money for Apple. If Apple wants to spend the millions of dollars on R&D, I don't forsee a revamped SE in the future. Especially given they just introduced two new iPhone designs.
As I mentioned, is it possible? Yes. Do I believe Apple has faith for a 5” smart Phone design coming? No. This is the most unpredictable Tech company in the world, Which I just don’t agree that a revamped SE has the nostalgia with the majority of smart phone owners today, its not that I don’t welcome the idea, its just I don’t believe it happen.
Yeah, I definitely tried.
My iPhone journey in the last few years: 5S to 6 to 6S to 7 to 8 to X to 8 to SE. After the X, I realized that even the 8 was a brick. A big slippery soap.
This "adjustment" to a smaller screen that you and others often reference takes about a day. We are human beings. We adjust to all sorts of things. Of course, some of us are more adaptable than others. That's just a fact. Just as some of us can go live abroad and adjust to other cultures. But many cannot.
You learn to appreciate the smaller screen for what it is, while at the same time limiting or eliminating your exposure to social media and all other BS that you may be overusing. I only need a phone that can send emails, answer iMessages, make a phone call, and take some photos. I don't play games or send idiotic animojis or really need the big screen for anything.
In truth, I thought that Face ID worked very well on my X. However, I personally found the inability to unlock my iPhone from any position extremely inconvenient. Half the time I lay my phone flat on the desk and I want to unlock it quickly from a distance without having to point it at my face.
My biggest gripe with the larger iPhones is that, more often than not, you don't actually see more content on a bigger screen. Instead, everything is just bigger. So many times you're utilizing the extra screen real estate for size and not content. And if your eyesight is good, the SE's smaller screen will not bother you.
My iPhone journey in the last few years: 5S to 6 to 6S to 7 to 8 to X to 8 to SE. After the X, I realized that even the 8 was a brick. A big slippery soap.
This "adjustment" to a smaller screen that you and others often reference takes about a day. We are human beings. We adjust to all sorts of things. Of course, some of us are more adaptable than others. That's just a fact. Just as some of us can go live abroad and adjust to other cultures. But many cannot.
You learn to appreciate the smaller screen for what it is, while at the same time limiting or eliminating your exposure to social media and all other BS that you may be overusing. I only need a phone that can send emails, answer iMessages, make a phone call, and take some photos. I don't play games or send idiotic animojis or really need the big screen for anything.
In truth, I thought that Face ID worked very well on my X. However, I personally found the inability to unlock my iPhone from any position extremely inconvenient. Half the time I lay my phone flat on the desk and I want to unlock it quickly from a distance without having to point it at my face.
My biggest gripe with the larger iPhones is that, more often than not, you don't actually see more content on a bigger screen. Instead, everything is just bigger. So many times you're utilizing the extra screen real estate for size and not content. And if your eyesight is good, the SE's smaller screen will not bother you.
I see this on every SE thread. The phablet fan boys just can't restrain themselves from telling those of us who PREFER THE SE FORM FACTOR...YOU better like the phablet...OR ELSE!!! Sneering, almost derogatory smugness. Sales suck...nobody wants a small phone any more...you Luddite...blah blah blah.
This may be hard for you phablet smugsters to understand. But not everybody wants a phablet sized phone. Pssst...and some of us even want a headphone jack and home button. Is that so hard to understand? I'm glad you guys got what YOU wanted. Some of us did not.
Just bought a SE and am loving it. Classic retro form factor. Compared to my 4S it is HUGE and FAST!!!
Bigger is better. Unfortunately, that's the American mentality nowadays.
Phablet fanboys are desperately trying to instill this mentality in those of us who still use and prefer the SE. Reminds me of all the recent ads with overweight models. I believe I saw a few of these for dating websites. They literally used fat (yes, I said fat) people to market the heck out of it, as though it's perfectly normal and acceptable to be overweight nowadays. Beyond ridiculous that we have given up on society and accepted laziness and bad diets as the norm. This is how I view those who want everyone to convert from a small phone to a phablet sized phone.
The 4.7 inch phones were not updated this year either. Could it be that Apple has no plans for it in the future? Tim did say last year that the X with its notch was the future..ugh. Last year I took that as meaning the notch was the future but perhaps he also meant all smaller handsets?
I already have an 8 and that will hold me for a few more years but after that I have no clue. If Apple has abandoned both 4 and 4.7 inch devices, then where do we go from here? I have never had an Android phone nor do I want one. I sure hope I am wrong.
I already have an 8 and that will hold me for a few more years but after that I have no clue. If Apple has abandoned both 4 and 4.7 inch devices, then where do we go from here? I have never had an Android phone nor do I want one. I sure hope I am wrong.
It's abundantly clear the form factors of the future are: 5.8", 6.1" and 6.5".
Slogan: "Welcome to the big screens." Apple's iPhone comparison collage no longer includes 4.7" or 4" models.
The competition isn't making anything smaller than 5.8" either. I'm not sure what else Apple needs to do to make the message more clear.
Do we know what percentage of iPhone 8 purchases bought a plus versus a regular? That might be an indicator of how much Apple stands to lose if they just abandon 4.7 phones.
Someone in a previous post mentioned that they don't consider 4.0 to 4.7 a significant jump, and there may be enough people that do think that. It's not a whole inch. After all, the original 3.5 to 4.0 was only a half inch jump. So give people two years to jump from 4.0 to 4.7 and it's not bad. But now they start at 5.8? That's over an inch jump. I think it'd be a bad idea to abandon that completely.
I think/hope what we'll see is that iPhone 8 or something similar to it sticks around as the low price entry point for Apple iPhones.
"There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will."
- Steve Jobs, January 2007
- Steve Jobs, January 2007
Look at where phablets are going, they're expected to overtake regular smartphones next year.
Phablets to Overtake Regular Smartphone Shipments by 2019, with Phablets Expected to Hit 1 Billion Units by 2021, According to IDC
Some of the numbers out there show the U.S. sales mix of the iPhone 8 vs. 8 Plus at about 50/50. Every year, phablets are gaining ground. We don't know if 4.7" buyers are buying because of price sensitivity or love of the form factor. But with the Max and XR, it's pretty clear Apple is betting on large screens - both high and mainstream.
Last edited:
I agree with what JPack said above, Apple has made it very clear the shifts are the changes with having large displays from 4.7 to 5.5 to 6.5, they’re not getting any smaller, the iPhone SE was a _limited_ time offering and I think Apple always intended it That way, even though there are those who have these hopes that the SE would have been updated this year or next year, all of which I don’t believe will happen. Apple knows there’s a demographic for the smaller form factor iPhone, but does it make them money is the big question. My thoughts are Apple is investing into the larger displays for the future, and phones like a 4 inch and 4.7 inch are clearly nonexistent for the future.
There Probably is still much of a demographic for the 4.7 inch iPhone, because it is rather more affordable, but when you factor in battery longevity and larger displays, Apple is purposely rationing their best features for the larger phones, which is shifting the demographic to want larger phones. Not everybody will respond to this type of marketing, but it is becoming a trend, aside from the price point Increases with smart phones, which obviously can be for offputting for some.
Same here. I haven't lost hope yet, although I've become pretty disillusioned with Apple in general. Makes more sense to invest in Apple stock rather than Apple product these days.
I bought a backup, and even though I’m using the Xs Max right now, my sim is staying in the SE. Just keep using the SE and when Apple needs us to upgrade they will update the SE.
1. So much lighter.
2. Do much more convienent to carry
3. Fits in my phone pockets in Tac Pant and shorts
Has the sleep button in the right place
4. Easier to 1 hand
5. Has the headphone jack when needed. (We won’t get that on the update though)
6. Perfect for remote control apps for EUCs, scooters, Flashlights, cameras, etc as it is easy to pack around.
7. Easy to handle naked or naked with some e-grip anti slip pads.
Luckily, all reports say SE works great on iOS 12. I’m still being cautious on updating as 11 was such a disaster. I put 12 in an iPad and the Xs ships with it.
1. So much lighter.
2. Do much more convienent to carry
3. Fits in my phone pockets in Tac Pant and shorts
Has the sleep button in the right place
4. Easier to 1 hand
5. Has the headphone jack when needed. (We won’t get that on the update though)
6. Perfect for remote control apps for EUCs, scooters, Flashlights, cameras, etc as it is easy to pack around.
7. Easy to handle naked or naked with some e-grip anti slip pads.
Luckily, all reports say SE works great on iOS 12. I’m still being cautious on updating as 11 was such a disaster. I put 12 in an iPad and the Xs ships with it.
When I picked up my XS at the Apple store today I asked the staff what they were doing with their unsold stock of the discontinued phones. He said they all get sent back to Apple to get "recycled" or for service replacements.
Looks like going through a carrier or a third party seller is the only way to get an SE now.
Looks like going through a carrier or a third party seller is the only way to get an SE now.
I suspect that next year, we’re going to get a new ‘SE’ which will be a hybrid 7/8 4.7 inch phone.
4.7 inches will be the new 4 inches, much the same as 4 inches was the new 3.5 inches.
It really sucks, I know.
For the moment, the SE is a great phone and I suspect it’ll be supported for another two years at least.
Let’s hope that as the Touch ID component gets smaller (it will) that we’ll get a version of the 6-8 phones that will be the same size as the SE (roughly). I think now that’s our only hope.
4.7 inches will be the new 4 inches, much the same as 4 inches was the new 3.5 inches.
It really sucks, I know.
For the moment, the SE is a great phone and I suspect it’ll be supported for another two years at least.
Let’s hope that as the Touch ID component gets smaller (it will) that we’ll get a version of the 6-8 phones that will be the same size as the SE (roughly). I think now that’s our only hope.