Apple Announces New iPhone SE With A15 Bionic and 5G Connectivity

I really dislike that they have only a black front instead of a matching fronts like the iphone 8 had back in the day. Im not a fan of the two tone. I would love a starlight color with startlight front.
 
Battery improvements:

1646772589469.png
 
Seems like no U1 Ultra Wideband...
I was looking forward to this new iPhone SE 3 having U1 Ultra Wideband for spatial awareness. Alas! It wasn't mentioned during the event and it is not mentioned in technical specifications in the Apple website. So it looks like this feature/hardware was not included in this iPhone SE3. Sounds like a silly decision as it makes a pretty decent phone less useful vis a vis Airtags. I was thinking about getting this new iPhone SE. Looks like I will skip it after all.
 
Is 5G really important to SE users?
The users? No. The carriers? Yes. The carriers only want to push 5G phones now and if Apple wants to keep a low end phone being sold they needed to add it. The $30 price bump seems to showcase how much more expensive the 5G modems are than the older LTE ones.
 
I have the 2nd gen SE and want to upgrade to a 5G phone. Would it be worth getting this or getting a refurbed 12 mini (I prefer the smaller form factor) for $400-$500?
 
Last edited:
I have the 2nd gen SE and want to upgrade to a 5G phone. Would it be worth waiting for this or getting a refurbed 12 mini (I prefer the smaller form factor) for $400-$500?
Can wait one week? Get the new iPhone SE 3d generation
Can't wait one week? Get that refurbed iPhone 12
Joking aside. I think it comes down to specifications. If there is something in the iPhone 12 you deeply care about, then get that one. For example, for me the U1 chip and spatial awareness is a feature I'd like to have so I am not getting the new iPhone SE and I am sticking to the one I already have. I use my phone 98% of the time with Wi-Fi so 5G is not a feature I care a lot about, but more accurate finding of lost keys with Airtags is, and apparently the new iPhone SE 3d generation can't do it. New iPhone can be in your hands in about a week and a half, so not much of a wait.
 
Can wait one week? Get the new iPhone SE 3d generation
Can't wait one week? Get that refurbed iPhone 12
Joking aside. I think it comes down to specifications. If there is something in the iPhone 12 you deeply care about, then get that one. For example, for me the U1 chip and spatial awareness is a feature I'd like to have so I am not getting the new iPhone SE and I am sticking to the one I already have. I use my phone 98% of the time with Wi-Fi so 5G is not a feature I care a lot about, but more accurate finding of lost keys with Airtags is, and apparently the new iPhone SE 3d generation can't do it. New iPhone can be in your hands in about a week and a half, so not much of a wait.
Haha I reread the article and edited my post when i realized it's coming out in 2 weeks. 5G is important for me. I don't use airtags and don't know what spatial awareness is. So I guess it really comes down the the display and processor. Is the super retina OLED significantly better than the SE's retina IPS?
 
I like to know more about the improvement in the “new camera system”, but the press release did not tell anything further.

The said feature enhancement like deep fusion, photographic styles and smart HDR should be the same old things borrowed from other models?
 
I like to know more about the improvement in the “new camera system”, but the press release did not tell anything further.

The said feature enhancement like deep fusion, photographic styles and smart HDR should be the same old things borrowed from other models?
I'm guessing just software improvements or improvements that are driven by the A15, not a new camera lens or sensor. I could be wrong, but I think it is just a marketing trick just to claim some improvement to photo capture abilities. A15 and half baked 5G is all that seems to be there for this new model. Still a good phone, don't get me wrong, and software and CPU improvements can make a real difference in overall experience.
 
I thought a refreshed design full screen with TouchID on the power button (like the iPad Air) would have been better.
The iconic home button is still a very welcome feature for many users, particularly those who find it harder to adapt to the ever-increasing complexity of iOS with its many swipes and gestures. It's reassuring for such users, if they ever get lost and don't know where they are, they can simply press the button and return 'Home'. This is a perfect example of where consumer choice is better than some notion of product-wide uniformity.

I really dislike that they have only a black front instead of a matching fronts like the iphone 8 had back in the day. Im not a fan of the two tone. I would love a starlight color with startlight front.
For what it's worth, I always disliked the white borders on those old phones—it meant I would have to buy a black phone just to have a coherent looking black screen. Strange that Apple now paints a white border on its iMacs though!
 
Haha I reread the article and edited my post when i realized it's coming out in 2 weeks. 5G is important for me. I don't use airtags and don't know what spatial awareness is. So I guess it really comes down the the display and processor. Is the super retina OLED significantly better than the SE's retina IPS?
Honestly, yeah. The OLED screens have such better blacks and punchier colours that I couldn't go back to LCD. Processor-wise, you won't be able to tell a difference, but the SE 3rd Gen will likely be supported by iOS updates longer down the road. I'd get the Mini, personally.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Back
Top