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Traverse

macrumors 604
Original poster
Mar 11, 2013
7,688
4,399
Here
I got mine from the Apple Store. It was my only option to trade in my old iPhone 5s and get the 64GB SE for $14.16/month.

You know what I don't like? Apple's site doesn't list the price of an iPhone 6 for SE trade in.
 

Channan

macrumors 68030
Mar 7, 2012
2,864
3,047
New Orleans
You know what I don't like? Apple's site doesn't list the price of an iPhone 6 for SE trade in.
If you trade in an iPhone 6 for credit, Apple will give you $250.

If you trade in an iPhone 6 for a 6s, you can get the 6s for $16/month. This suggests you would get $266 for your iPhone 6, so it appears you get a $16 bonus credit. I got a $9 and something cent bonus credit for my iPhone 5s when I got my SE.

If you trade in your iPhone 6, worst case scenario is you will have to pay $150/250 upfront for the 16/64GB and own it outright. Best case is you pay $134/234 or $5.58/9.75 per month for two years.

Call your local Apple store and ask them.
 
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drysdale86

macrumors newbie
Apr 25, 2016
12
11
England, United Kingdom
I've always been the type up until the 6 that always wanted Apple to bring out an iPhone that had a bigger screen. 4" always seemed just a little too small.

But then the 6/6+ came out. I loved the new design at first, but over the past year/18 months just felt like I wasnt comfortable with not being able to use a phone with one hand. I have pretty small hands and even the 6 meant I couldn't reach all areas of the screen.

Decided to buy an SE and I love it!

Genuinely think it has everything I would want or need. Definitely the best looking iPhone Apple have ever made, can use with one hand, isnt obtrusive, VERY fast with the A9, battery life is amazing, brilliant rear camera etc.

If you're not happy with the 6/6S/6S+ due to the size, don't hesitate to buy an SE.

On a full charge I'm getting well over a day of battery life with pretty heavy usage.

Can't see me upgrading for a while unless Apple release an SE "2".
 

3568378

Suspended
Dec 30, 2015
129
138
Orlando, FL
I love mine. Took a few weeks to finally get one (silver 64gb with black leather Apple case) but it literally replaced a 32gb silver in a black leather Apple case, so aesthetically no change!

I didn't think the camera on the 5S was bad and honestly can't tell much of a difference yet with the SE but I haven't done much video. Differences for me are just speed increase and storage space and then of course battery life. I was perfectly happy with my 5S so this is just a better 5S for me.

Note that I did own a 6S for all of 3 hours before I returned it. I wanted to like it and wanted to get use to it but I made the mistake of not selling my 5S on Craigslist or EBay immediately. For the 3 hours I had the 6S I kept holding the 5S in my hand right next to it and in the end just simply preferred the 5S way more.

Since the iPhone went 64 bit I really don't see monumental changes in anything. Apple Pay is cool, I guess--I use it at my local Mobil gas station but so far that's it! Not a deal breaker. Other than that, the speed differences between a 5S and 6S/SE, though on paper might be much faster, don't seem that much different in real world usage to me.

Like I said, I'm happy, but it's just a newer, slightly better version of what I used for over 2 years in the 5S. IMO.
 
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splitpea

macrumors 65816
Oct 21, 2009
1,133
395
Among the starlings
Pleased. Not over the moon.

I've had it for a week now. For my use patterns it's basically the same as the 5s I upgraded from. Differences are:

- slightly better battery life (by maybe 25%)... Though that possibly could be accounted for by wear on the 5s battery.

- more memory means I'm less likely to lose state when switching between apps, which is nice but wasn't a frequent problem with the 5s (unlike the 4s). Also, the bank's seriously crappy app no longer crashes every time I attempt to photograph a check for deposit.

- upgrade from 16 to 64 GB of storage means my entire music library fits easily on the phone without even decreasing the bitrate, and I no longer have to carefully curate apps and photos in order to leave enough room to take a new photo at need -- but that's not specific to the SE.

- the home button has a slightly different feel than on the 5s -- as if it depresses further.

That's absolutely it for differences that I can detect. I even got the same case (though in a different color). Haven't used Apple Pay and have little interest in it. Don't use the phone camera for serious photography (though slightly better quality selfies wouldn't hurt.) Can't think off the top of my head of anything else major that's new.

I was pretty satisfied with the 5s. Very disappointed when they didn't release another 4" phone (I have no choice but to frequently use it one-handed, and my hands are too small to hold the 6 securely and reach even halfway across the screen.)

So I was hugely relieved to hear the SE announced, but in everyday use it's not nearly as much of an upgrade as the 5s was over the 4s.

I'm just glad to have something that will presumably be able to run the next iOS version well -- even with iOS 9 you could tell the 5s wouldn't be able to keep up much longer. Battery life especially took a huge hit.

In short, it's a good phone but I barely notice that it's not the old one.
 

stcizzle

macrumors regular
May 20, 2011
225
10
NH, USA
So, im currently using the SE after having the 6 then 6S+ and came to the conclusion that part of Apples genius had been making us think that to have the latest tech we have to get the latest model. Now with the SE, that's all changed that's just one of the reasons why I love the SE and I really hope they continue to carry a smaller updated device as well as the newest and greatest.

BUT on to the more important stuff;

THE BAD OF THE 6 and 6+;
As many polls have shown over the past 2 years, over half of iPhone users prefer the design of the iP5s and I completely agree.

The iP6 and 6+ Designs are slippery as hell and very difficult to pick up when sitting on a flat surface compared to the iP5 design because there's no flat surface to get a grip on,

The 6 & 6+ are almost impossible to use one handed unless you have larger than average size hands, the size of the devices are just too big.

Unless you almost exclusively use your iPhone 6/6+ not moving and with two hands, it just not a great device to manage in the hands without a case and cases makes it even larger and deletes the enjoyment of using the phone and the form of the design which is what we all love anyway lol, or most of us.

And with the 6 and 6+ the entire devices have curved and smooth surfaces, and I found they fell out of my pocket a lot more often than the 5S even rhough you would think a larger and beaver device would stay out better. The 5S and SE squared edges catch my pocket a lot better when getting in and out of the car. (Don't like cases much)

Protruding camera lens is not desirable

Fugly antenna lines are just hideous

Holding the iP6+ up to my face on phone calls could never be comfortable unless I was Shaq

The weight of the 6 & 6+ is just heavy for a phone. Period.

I do however agree the curved edges keep dirt and debris out better but the other drawbacks outweigh the good and if you know how to clean the edges of the 5S/SE you can keep it clean.

If you're a big mobile gamer or watch movies and videos constantly on your iPhone maybe the bigger devices are much better for you but I had no problem adjusting to the smaller size again and prefer it due to its "handability" I still and always will prefer to watch the 60" at home for movies and videos and do all my Gaming on that. I primarily use my iPhone for email, messaging and phone calls and browsing and directions when driving so the bigger acreen just isn't worth it to me.

Also I don't wear baggy clothing so the bulge in my pocket from the 6+ especially was just plain aggravating

Never felt comfortable in my palm either come to think of it.

Reachability in and of itself is a testament to the new design that the 6 & 6+ are just too big unless you've got huge hands and they anticipated it being too big but we're trying to keep up with the competition

THE PEEFECTION OF THE 5S/SE DESIGN

The weight of the SE is perfect. Not too light and not too heavy.

Comfortable to hold during calls.

Absolutely love the round volume buttons with the + and - labels. Easy to distinguish with the touch of your finger from the power button which is not true with the iP6 and up

Just looking at it is way more refined. Obviously this is subjective but I think most agree.

The seamless transition of the back of the phone from the glass to the metal is awesome and gives it some contrast as well

The beveled edges make it look and feel premium while also adding grip to the phone

The antenna lines are limited to the sides of the devices and are hardly noticeable because they look like just part of the design whereas on the 6 and up, they just look out of place like someone put tape over the back of the phone. Fugly

The flat edges of the phone make it incredibly easy to pick up and not slippery at all. Also it's incredibly easy in and out of the pockets.

the device is small enough to palm one handed which feels a hell of a lot more secure than the newer design and sizes- with the 6+ especially I felt like if I wasn't using it is have to pocket it so I wouldn't drop it

As far as the bottom of the phone goes, personally I prefer the two rows of speaker holes on a flat surface rather than one row on a curved surface

The SE design also hides scratches from drops better in my experience as it tends to land on a corner and rest on one side or another whereas the round edges cause the device to slide and scrape more

One hand texting. WOW IVE MISSED THAT A LOT. Didn't even remember this until I picked up the SE. I was almost always limited to free up both hands and atop whatever I was doing to respond or compose anything. Forgot how easy it I with the smaller design to keep sipping on coffee while texting or keep a pen in my other hand or even MY MOUSE at my desk. If you work at a desk that's a huge plus.

The lock button. Oh how I love it on the top. For one reason mainly; at night in bed when it's dark watching movies and the home button isn't clearly visible, I can NEVER figure out which side is the lock button and which is the volume keys and almost always hit the wrong buttons. probably not a wide spread problem just another plus for me.

FEATURES WISE
As far as the haptic vibration, I don't miss it. Battery life seems better on the SE to be honest, maybe the smaller screen uses a ton less energy. I dunno. Calls and wifi all fine. Touch ID isn't quite as fast as the 6S and 6S+ but a lot faster than the 5S where I thought I was just holding my finger there forever waiting. Performance is definitely on par with the 6S. Really haven't missed a single thing about the larger iPhones from switching back to the smaller device only remembering why I loved the 5S so much.

CONCLUSION,

Just wrote all that pretty quickly on the SE HAHAHAHA but I did think of 2 things which sum it all up for me,

1
SJ has been mocked A LOT when saying about the sizes of phones that the 4" screen is the perfect size and while that maybe true for some, I really think he may have been dead on correct. If you really watch that many movies and stuff and demand a bigger screen you're really not using a phone, it's a small iPad with a phone on it.

And 2
This is kind of nostalgic, but as great as they make the paddle shifters and tiptronic shifters on the newer cars, there's really nothing like getting into an old sports car and driving a real stick shift and having all the control and intimate feeling of controlling the road and NOT feeling like the computers are doing all the work is awesome and switching back to the smaller device made me feel exactly like that. Not saying it's outdated but it does exactly what I want how I want without exceeding necessity. And that's exactly what I feel the iP6 and 6+ especially did- exceeded necessity. Which in many fields of life is a good thing. But for a phone, I still want it to be a phone, not an iPad. But I don't want an iPad in any way either. Hahaha that's why I have a Mac. Using iPads has always felt like I want to use a computer but am settling for this tablet because i can't have a computer. But I do have a computer. So why do I have an iPad? For the kids to watch YouTube and Netflix. Exactly.

I am a heavy iPhone user for work and have 6 kids who all text me all day so I'm constantly using my phone all day long almost by the minute and the SE really has made me a lot happier user even though I was completely satisfied with the 6 and 6+.

Just my (long) 2 cents.
 
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Channan

macrumors 68030
Mar 7, 2012
2,864
3,047
New Orleans
I love mine. Took a few weeks to finally get one (silver 64gb with black leather Apple case) but it literally replaced a 32gb silver in a black leather Apple case, so aesthetically no change!

I didn't think the camera on the 5S was bad and honestly can't tell much of a difference yet with the SE but I haven't done much video. Differences for me are just speed increase and storage space and then of course battery life. I was perfectly happy with my 5S so this is just a better 5S for me.

Note that I did own a 6S for all of 3 hours before I returned it. I wanted to like it and wanted to get use to it but I made the mistake of not selling my 5S on Craigslist or EBay immediately. For the 3 hours I had the 6S I kept holding the 5S in my hand right next to it and in the end just simply preferred the 5S way more.

Since the iPhone went 64 bit I really don't see monumental changes in anything. Apple Pay is cool, I guess--I use it at my local Mobil gas station but so far that's it! Not a deal breaker. Other than that, the speed differences between a 5S and 6S/SE, though on paper might be much faster, don't seem that much different in real world usage to me.

Like I said, I'm happy, but it's just a newer, slightly better version of what I used for over 2 years in the 5S. IMO.
This reflects my experience. I owned a 5s before the SE (actually traded my 5s in to get the SE) and it honestly doesn't feel that much different. The biggest change for me is just the storage, since I went from 16GB to 64GB, so now I store all my music and a bunch of videos on my phone.

The difference in camera quality isn't as big as I thought, and neither is the speed. Getting the iPhone SE just made me realize how awesome the iPhone 5s was.
 

bubulol

macrumors 6502a
Mar 7, 2013
967
273
I am not really happy for now since i got huge bug with app store, i cant do anything, its really frustrating.
The first thing about SE, i love its design over the features on latest iPhone
4 inches is a bit small for me, i am coming from Z3 Compact which has 4'6 inches.
However Z3C has similar size as SE, nearly same height but wider, thicker and heavier
Its difficult for me to get used to use iPhone again
Things i dont like on iPhone SE:
- Back menu is on the upper left corner which is really hard to reach, i prefer mostly sweep function
- Unlock button is on the top of iPhone, i prefer unlock button on the side which is easier to press
- Apple is not bug free anymore, its the first device i have annoying bug, i am back on Apple for many reasons but one of first, i believe iOS is more stable than Android, i am a bit disappointed for now, hope there is a fix for my issue
- Interface/menus are freaking has-been, icons are huge, not really ergonomic
- Battery life, i am disappointed, its worst than my Z3 Compact, i mean according reviews, some people claims it has amazing battery life, i reckon its better than 5/5S but nothing really good, for my use, i reach 2 days but its not enough (i can reach up to 4 days on my Z3C)

Things i like on SE:
- Most brilliant iPhone design all time, piece of art
- Optimized apps (i ve downloaded a few before the bug came), i love it, i see why people claim iOs app are better than Android apps
- iOS looks simplest, dont worry about anything (unless bugs and issues coming lol)
 

Z3man

macrumors 6502a
Feb 19, 2012
781
397
UK
Had two SE's now and sent both of them back.

The first one had the rattling power button and quite a bad yellow band across the top of the screen, the home button was a bit clicky and cheap feeling as well but i could live with that, it was the yellow band that bothered me the most, so i sent it back and ordered another one hoping it would be of better quality as it would be newer stock, the first one was a launch day phone.

The second one turned out to be worse, the yellow band across the top of the screen was still there but was only slight and hardly noticeable so i could have quite easily lived with that. But the power button was even worse and it also had a terrible rattle coming from the camera lens as well that the first one didn't have, add the home button rattle and the camera lens rattle together and this thing was like a rattle snake. But what was even worse was it had an amazingly loud home button as well, every time i pressed it it felt like is was going to break. This thing just felt so cheap it was unreal, i cant believe Apple can release such cheap garbage to the market place. This is not why i started buying Apple products about twelve years ago, i started buying them because if their high build quality and attention to detail which made them very desirable, this has totally gone out of the window with the SE.

I am going to go back to using my 6s, luckily i didn't sell it straight away after getting the SE, i hung on to it just in case and i am glad i did now. I do prefer the smaller size of the SE, but i cant put up with the appalling build quality. In hindsight i probably should have kept the first SE, i didn't think the second one would be worse. I might try another one in a few months if i hear reports that Apple have improved the bull quality.

Apple did a good job of putting a lot of the latest 6s specifications into the SE, but they have just cut costs in too many other areas, my 5s never had any of these problems.

Just for the record i think both of the SE's i had were from totally different factories as the serial numbers were totally different.

First SE = F17RCONKH2XN

Second SE = C39RLOAPH2XN, this one had appalling build quality

All the SE's i have checked out in the shops while checking to see if they are all of poor build quality, all begin with F17 or F18, never seen another one beginning with C39.

Apple really need to get their act together and start producing high quality products again like my 12" rMB.
 

drysdale86

macrumors newbie
Apr 25, 2016
12
11
England, United Kingdom
Already posted my thoughts but having owned my SE for a
few days now, I just wanted to reiterate how amazing the battery life is.

I'm getting over a day of heavy use easily.

Love the SE!

The 6 and 6+ are just too big for most people IMO. Unless youre female and can put it in your bag, but for a guy a 6+ just isnt practical to carry or put in a pocket.
 
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Zari

macrumors regular
Nov 3, 2015
215
273
UK
never seen another one beginning with C39.

Just checked mine and it starts C39 and luckily my phone is solid with no issues with build quality.

I changed from the 6+ to the SE and form factor was one of the biggest deciding factors for me.
I've had mine since launch day and have not regretted the change.

Each time I see someone with one of the plus models I just can't get over how big it looks.
 
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Channan

macrumors 68030
Mar 7, 2012
2,864
3,047
New Orleans
I am not really happy for now since i got huge bug with app store, i cant do anything, its really frustrating.
The first thing about SE, i love its design over the features on latest iPhone
4 inches is a bit small for me, i am coming from Z3 Compact which has 4'6 inches.
However Z3C has similar size as SE, nearly same height but wider, thicker and heavier
Its difficult for me to get used to use iPhone again
Things i dont like on iPhone SE:
- Back menu is on the upper left corner which is really hard to reach, i prefer mostly sweep function
- Unlock button is on the top of iPhone, i prefer unlock button on the side which is easier to press
- Apple is not bug free anymore, its the first device i have annoying bug, i am back on Apple for many reasons but one of first, i believe iOS is more stable than Android, i am a bit disappointed for now, hope there is a fix for my issue
- Interface/menus are freaking has-been, icons are huge, not really ergonomic
- Battery life, i am disappointed, its worst than my Z3 Compact, i mean according reviews, some people claims it has amazing battery life, i reckon its better than 5/5S but nothing really good, for my use, i reach 2 days but its not enough (i can reach up to 4 days on my Z3C)

Things i like on SE:
- Most brilliant iPhone design all time, piece of art
- Optimized apps (i ve downloaded a few before the bug came), i love it, i see why people claim iOs app are better than Android apps
- iOS looks simplest, dont worry about anything (unless bugs and issues coming lol)
The App Store bug is not an issue with the phone. It's a server-side bug. I've been having problems on my iPhone SE, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 2 lately.
 
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Sampple

macrumors member
Aug 2, 2012
53
29
Super pleased! I hope they continue to keep this form factor for years and years. To me, the SE is THE iPhone and the other giant updates are tech flavors of the year. So very happy, bought a few of them as back-up should Apple ever stop making this model.
First time I've been this happy about an iPhone since the 5S.
 
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Phone Junky

macrumors 68020
Oct 29, 2011
2,431
4,240
Midwest
Just checked mine and it starts C39 and luckily my phone is solid with no issues with build quality.

I changed from the 6+ to the SE and form factor was one of the biggest deciding factors for me.
I've had mine since launch day and have not regretted the change.

Each time I see someone with one of the plus models I just can't get over how big it looks.
C39 here also solid with no issues.

Also changed from 6+ to the SE and couldn't be happier.
 
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Ugi

macrumors regular
Mar 15, 2016
124
51
Super pleased! I hope they continue to keep this form factor for years and years. To me, the SE is THE iPhone and the other giant updates are tech flavors of the year. So very happy, bought a few of them as back-up should Apple ever stop making this model.
First time I've been this happy about an iPhone since the 5S.
Lol really ? Like how many?
 
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radiohead14

macrumors 6502a
Nov 6, 2008
873
42
nyc
finally gave up on it. went through 4 exchanges and all had bad yellow screens. the one that was the most acceptable ended up having a down volume button that was finicky. I feel like Apple is scraping the bottom of the barrel with the SE displays, and that's how they are able to get the price lower. I can ignore the rattling buttons, but the jaundicey whites on the display are just terrible, and I couldn't overlook it anymore. It was really obvious when reading. really turned off with Apple right now. I'm gonna wait a few weeks and try again one last time. hopefully I'll have better luck then. if not, then back to Android I go.
 

matt_on_a_mtn

Suspended
Mar 25, 2016
189
186
The SE is the first phone I've been truly happy with since the 5. Zero complaints, and planning on using it at least two years, maybe longer depending on future iPhone offerings.
 
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skinniezinho

macrumors 65816
Jan 1, 2009
1,084
91
Portugal
I am not really happy for now since i got huge bug with app store, i cant do anything, its really frustrating.
The first thing about SE, i love its design over the features on latest iPhone
4 inches is a bit small for me, i am coming from Z3 Compact which has 4'6 inches.
However Z3C has similar size as SE, nearly same height but wider, thicker and heavier
Its difficult for me to get used to use iPhone again
Things i dont like on iPhone SE:
- Back menu is on the upper left corner which is really hard to reach, i prefer mostly sweep function
- Unlock button is on the top of iPhone, i prefer unlock button on the side which is easier to press
- Apple is not bug free anymore, its the first device i have annoying bug, i am back on Apple for many reasons but one of first, i believe iOS is more stable than Android, i am a bit disappointed for now, hope there is a fix for my issue
- Interface/menus are freaking has-been, icons are huge, not really ergonomic
- Battery life, i am disappointed, its worst than my Z3 Compact, i mean according reviews, some people claims it has amazing battery life, i reckon its better than 5/5S but nothing really good, for my use, i reach 2 days but its not enough (i can reach up to 4 days on my Z3C)

Things i like on SE:
- Most brilliant iPhone design all time, piece of art
- Optimized apps (i ve downloaded a few before the bug came), i love it, i see why people claim iOs app are better than Android apps
- iOS looks simplest, dont worry about anything (unless bugs and issues coming lol)

Thanks for your feedback.
I have a Z3C which I like due to size, battery life, waterproof but somehow hate because of camera and some apps like tapatalk being slow as hell (I have root, rom ,etc etc) and was thinking of an SE, but battery life was one of thing I didn't want to loose.
 

Tthomas612

macrumors 65816
Aug 24, 2013
1,309
285
My iPhone se I absolutely love. Probably more than any iPhone I've ever owned. I have the 6s and 6s Plus, but stay on the SE anyway ...
 

xAnthony

macrumors 65816
Mar 2, 2010
1,174
143
I absolutely LOVE Apple Pay. Here in Canada, tap is accepted almost everywhere. It's rare that you run into a store that does not accept tap (cough Walmart - But who shops there anymore with the removal of Visa). Anyways, I use it everywhere I go and it's amazing. I'm happy I upgraded to the iPhone SE.

Came from an iPhone 5. I do miss the slate colour option...
 

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
15,539
16,253
Did anyone get a 16 SE and is happy?

Im test driving one right now and digging it, I could afford 64 but $500+tax psychologically puts it beyond a good deal for me and I have a. 6s plus 64 to sim swap

That and already went through two, and compared to the third which is my work 5s, my current gold 16 SE has the best screen-- still not perfect, but able to cope with and dont want to go through swap hell but still debating 64

Also leveraging Spotify handful of apps, and iCloud music/iPhoto cloud
 
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adam_fox

macrumors member
Mar 27, 2016
42
17
Orlando, Florida
I'm mostly happy with my SE. The battery lasts longer than expected, which is nice. I get about two days of casual use before I need to charge it. I pretty much charge it every other night.
 

MultiFinder17

macrumors 68030
Jan 8, 2008
2,719
2,037
Tampa, Florida
I purchased a 64GB SE to replace a 32GB 5 that I've had for the last three years. A few things that I've noticed in the upgrade:
1. The battery life is phenomenal. It is far and away better than my 5 was, even when new.
2. I still really enjoy the design and feel of my 5, and the SE is, well, that.
3. The performance blows every other phone I've used out of the water. This phone is fast.
4. The sleep/wake button rattles if I violently shake the phone next to my ear; I suppose that I can live without the ability to do that ;)

At the end of the day, this phone is exactly what I wanted - it's my iPhone 5 with the latest internals and some more storage. I purchased mine unlocked from Apple, so that way I can use it while out and about traveling (I try to save up to get out of the country at least once a year). It's a wonderful phone, and I look forward to getting another 3+ years out of it like I did my 5!
 
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