Changing smartphone religions to Apple, choose iPhone SE or 6

[iPodTouchOwner]

I'm going to take the leap and jump Moto-G/Cyanogenmod ship, into the welcoming arms of Apple. The reasons are many. I went with Cyanogenmod because I didn't like the idea of a carrier customization of an OS. However, there are so many phone models that a milestone version of Cyanogenmod didn't get released for a long time. I'm actually not sure if a milestone version ever got released. All I know is that, after a certain point, I needed to update my bootloader before I could get new nightly releases. That change happened shortly after the Motorola handset business was sold overseas. Since I didn't any visbility into how the business works, I no longer felt comfortable upgrading the bootloader. Result: Out-of-date and likely vulnerable phone.

So going to Apple means I don't have to personally walk down seedy allies to upgrade my OS. I also don't have to worry about Google Play taking over my phone just so that I can get a PDF reading app. I can trust the app store a bit more. I don't know if I can trust Apple more than Google, but we've all heard the claim that Apples sells devices while Google sells users. I know it's not that simple, and they have an business incentive to anonymize personal data and not compromise their user base too much. I know that there are doozers of evil done by both establishments, despite their privacy stances today. Be that as it may, I've decided to throw my lot with Apple.

I'm hoping that I can get some ideas as to the trade-offs between the models, given my usage. I don't do gaming, and I communicate by smartphone by exception, except maybe a bit more for texting. I use both data plan and WiFi to surf the web, sometimes accumulate some podcasts/MP3s (but rarely), take some pictures sometimes, take the odd video, listen to FM radio (not streamed as data), use voice recording on a rare basis, read PDFs, prefer to use webmail rather than a mail client, absolutely need to sync my calendar and contacts with Outlook on a Windows laptop (AkrutoSync does this for iOS and Cyanogenmod), eschew the cloud for all things, don't have much need for memory (hardly made a dent in my Moto G's 8GB), hate the idea of having no audio jack. I'm OK with a screen size like the Moto G, though a bit bigger might be nice (might also be a hassle for one handed typing). The 5" height of the Moto G is perfect for front pocket carrying, especially when driving manual shift. I will not have any other device besides my laptop and my smartphone.

I believe that I am looking at an iPhone SE or iPhone 6: http://www.koodomobile.com/phones

The SE has gotten good reviews, but the screen is smaller than my Moto G. I might get use to that. The iPhone 6 is a bit taller than my 5" ideal, not sure how that will feel after owning it for a while and driving around working the clutch. Apparently, Apple doesn't create plastic dummy phones for retail purposes (I remember getting plastic dummies of different phones to test them out before settling on the Moto G). A colleague indicated to me that the SE won't get many more OS updates (or maybe he meant that it won't get any more period), and he said that there were interesting features to be had with the upgrades. However, vulnerabilities will still be patched for a long time.

Given my modest usage, I wonder if there will be anything that I might miss due to the SE being left out in the cold, figuratively speaking, in terms of upgrades? It's probably hard to know what kind of future features one would like a lot. Are there any considerations that I should be mulling?

P.S. I owned one of the earliest iPod Touches many years ago, so I know how good they make their products. Even the soft keys respond more accurately on that Touch compared to the Moto G.

 

[bodonnell202]

Your colleague is misinformed, given Apples current trend of hardware support the SE should still get the latest software updates for another 3 years. The 6 will likely only be supported for another 2 years. The SE is superior to the 6 in basically every way other than screen size, and that's really a matter of personal preference since some love the 4" screen while others can't imagine living with less than 5.5".

Honestly I would avoid the 6 at this point as it's almost 3 year old tech. If you want something bigger than the SE go for a 6s if you can swing it.

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

Good to know. bodonnell202. Three years is a short time for me. But I'm told repeatedly that this is simply the pace of life of phones these days. Would you hold the same view as my colleague about the expectation that vulnerability patches will be provided well past the three years?

 

[madgibbon]

With Apple devices once they drop support for a device that's it. There will be no security patches etc. However Apple do deserve credit for supporting older devices. iOS 10 will install on the iPhone 5 upwards, the iPhone 5 was released in 2012. It will continue to get updates until iOS 11 which will be release later this year. That's 5 years of support, very few, if any, other phone vendors support there hardware this long.

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

That just boggles my mind. The current generation is essentially paying for a temporary product. In general, across the smartphone industry, the cost of an ephemeral "media platform" starts at about $100/year, in terms of price points. I guess that's fair, considering that it's a portable computer, and that one can always opt for a flip phone that is not as ephemeral (and cheaper). Thank you for dialing back my expectations in terms of the effective lifetime of the phone. And I understand what you say about five years being exceptionally long.

 

[Scratch4]

I'm going to take the leap and jump Moto-G/Cyanogenmod ship, into the welcoming arms of Apple. The reasons are many. I went with Cyanogenmod because I didn't like the idea of a carrier customization of an OS. However, there are so many phone models that a milestone version of Cyanogenmod didn't get released for a long time. I'm actually not sure if a milestone version ever got released. All I know is that, after a certain point, I needed to update my bootloader before I could get new nightly releases. That change happened shortly after the Motorola handset business was sold overseas. Since I didn't any visbility into how the business works, I no longer felt comfortable upgrading the bootloader. Result: Out-of-date and likely vulnerable phone.

So going to Apple means I don't have to personally walk down seedy allies to upgrade my OS. I also don't have to worry about Google Play taking over my phone just so that I can get a PDF reading app. I can trust the app store a bit more. I don't know if I can trust Apple more than Google, but we've all heard the claim that Apples sells devices while Google sells users. I know it's not that simple, and they have an business incentive to anonymize personal data and not compromise their user base too much. I know that there are doozers of evil done by both establishments, despite their privacy stances today. Be that as it may, I've decided to throw my lot with Apple.

I'm hoping that I can get some ideas as to the trade-offs between the models, given my usage. I don't do gaming, and I communicate by smartphone by exception, except maybe a bit more for texting. I use both data plan and WiFi to surf the web, sometimes accumulate some podcasts/MP3s (but rarely), take some pictures sometimes, take the odd video, listen to FM radio (not streamed as data), use voice recording on a rare basis, read PDFs, prefer to use webmail rather than a mail client, absolutely need to sync my calendar and contacts with Outlook on a Windows laptop (AkrutoSync does this for iOS and Cyanogenmod), eschew the cloud for all things, don't have much need for memory (hardly made a dent in my Moto G's 8GB), hate the idea of having no audio jack. I'm OK with a screen size like the Moto G, though a bit bigger might be nice (might also be a hassle for one handed typing). The 5" height of the Moto G is perfect for front pocket carrying, especially when driving manual shift. I will not have any other device besides my laptop and my smartphone.

I believe that I am looking at an iPhone SE or iPhone 6: http://www.koodomobile.com/phones

The SE has gotten good reviews, but the screen is smaller than my Moto G. I might get use to that. The iPhone 6 is a bit taller than my 5" ideal, not sure how that will feel after owning it for a while and driving around working the clutch. Apparently, Apple doesn't create plastic dummy phones for retail purposes (I remember getting plastic dummies of different phones to test them out before settling on the Moto G). A colleague indicated to me that the SE won't get many more OS updates (or maybe he meant that it won't get any more period), and he said that there were interesting features to be had with the upgrades. However, vulnerabilities will still be patched for a long time.

Given my modest usage, I wonder if there will be anything that I might miss due to the SE being left out in the cold, figuratively speaking, in terms of upgrades? It's probably hard to know what kind of future features one would like a lot. Are there any considerations that I should be mulling?

P.S. I owned one of the earliest iPod Touches many years ago, so I know how good they make their products. Even the soft keys respond more accurately on that Touch compared to the Moto G.

I was in a similar boat as you. Had Android for the longest time (Samsung and Motos) and jumped ship 2 months ago (mostly due to my Galaxy S7 NOT surviving a water mishap at the pool). I went with an iPhone SE mainly due to price and the fact that it is nearly like a 6S in terms of specs thus more future proof. Some observations...

- The value you get is amazing. Everything runs incredibly smoothly and the rear camera is actually quite fantastic (indoors and out). Not to mention it has NFC so I can use Apple Pay
- This fact leads me to believe that the SE will be supported for many more years
- The size was a bit shocking when i first took it out of the box. It really felt like taking 2 steps backwards especially when i see my spouse, friends and colleagues rocking larger (and newer) phones, and I strongly considered exchanging it. BUT, after a month in, I've gotten to love how I can use the entire phone with one hand! I also installed Google GBoard so I can swipe the keyboard
- I actually feel my data is more safe with Apple. I never trusted Samsung and was always hesitant to install important apps (banking, brokerage, etc) on their phones. This is a purely subjective observation though
- I think notifications on the iPhone is still inferior to Android (though iOS 11 seems very promising to move it in a step in the right direction)
- As you're probably aware, iOS is very simple... so nowhere near any customization as on Android
- Not sure about FM radio

Overall, I think it's a well made product that just works.

 

[JustinRP37]

Apple currently supports their phones longer than any other manufacturer. Just read through these forums and you will see people that have recently received a battery (free of charge) from Apple because the battery was swelling. No other manufacturer would do this. As far as Apple dropping support and that's it, that is not necessarily true. If they do find a significant security issue, they will patch it and have done so in the past. However, typically once it is dropped, it is dropped (but still functional). The iPhone SE is a great phone and will probably be fully supported for at least 4+ years. It is basically an iPhone SE. One thing to note is it is not currently possible to listen to FM radio on current iPhones.

 

[Newtons Apple]

My iPhone is like carrying a small computer, address book, phone, remote security camera for house and office, remote banker, health tracker and has practically replaced my other digital cameras. It can even adjust the thermostat at both my office and house.

It does way more and when you think about all the stuff it does, it is a bargain for me, even at $1500

 

[8692574]

That just boggles my mind. The current generation is essentially paying for a temporary product. In general, across the smartphone industry, the cost of an ephemeral "media platform" starts at about $100/year, in terms of price points. I guess that's fair, considering that it's a portable computer, and that one can always opt for a flip phone that is not as ephemeral (and cheaper). Thank you for dialing back my expectations in terms of the effective lifetime of the phone. And I understand what you say about five years being exceptionally long.

The price / lifetime thing is what moved me to Android, i mean...

Get 1 iPhone 700$ (if lucky) and it wil last 5 years....(again..battery might need replacement so count an extra 100$)
Total cost 800$ and a slow device at the end of its lifetime.

Get 1 Android at 200$ (there are plenty great phones at that price) change it 2 years later
so get 2nd Android spend again 200$ and change it 2 years later
3rd Phone other 200 $ and other 2 years


At the end you have spent 600$ for 6 years (1 more year than the iPhone) with a new battery life every 2 years always up to date OS always same level of performance, improved camera, storage / fingerprint scanner / bluetooth (you get the idea) and saved 200$

Used to be either iPhone or nothing, but I grew up

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

@Scratch4: Thanks for the vote of confidence, I hear you about one-handed operation. I just didn't think I'd have to scale down from the Moto G to get it. But based on reviews of the SE, I am hopeful that I will get use to it and learn to like it. As for customizability, I really only customize simple things like sound volumes and brightness. With rare exception, I eschew the Play store just because I don't have the time to research the nines out of a product or seller.

@JustinRP37: Thanks for the detail about the FM radio. I'm a bit miffed. I move up to an iPhone and I have to start carrying around a separate portable radio?? It just seems so backward. The electronics exist in the pone for FM radio, it's just the games that are played to maximize profits from streaming. The simple decision just got complicated.

@Newtons Apple: Appreciate you vote of confidence. I won't be using it nearly the way you do, but I get it.

@ppcebay: I get the price argument, but my decision to move iPhone was not based on price. With their refusal to enable the FM radio, though, that's getting me p.ssed. What was a smiple decision just became an indecision.

 

[bodonnell202]

Good to know. bodonnell202. Three years is a short time for me. But I'm told repeatedly that this is simply the pace of life of phones these days. Would you hold the same view as my colleague about the expectation that vulnerability patches will be provided well past the three years?

It could always change, but as of now Apple seems to be supporting iPhones for 5 years from the day they are first released. The SE is a bit of a unique case since it was released mid cycle but it's internals are mostly the same as found in the iPhone 6s, which was released in fall 2015, and as such it will most likely be supported for the same amount of time as the 6s, which will likely receive iOS updated until fall 2020. Based on past behavior it is very unlikely that Apple would continue to support the device even with basic security updates once it is no longer able to update to the latest version of iOS.

For laptop and desktop computers I seem to be able to get 5-6 years out of a device, but cell phones seem to be on a 2-3 year cycle. I can understand wanting to get your money's worth though!

 

[Reno Raines]

I would suggest the SE. The 2gb of ram versus 1 in the 6 is enough to make it much more future proof. That little thing is fast and is essentially a 6s in a 5s body.

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

@bodonnell202: Thanks for the perspective on lifetime. I get several more years out of a laptop than you, but I don't do anything fancy. As for phones...sigh....I will have to get use to the short cycle. I am definitely not into the throw-away culture, and I can't say that it's all that much about money. It's just a bit perverse. Maybe the rumoured levelling out of Moore's Law will curtail this.

@Reno Raines: Thank you for the detail about the SE's greater amount of RAM, and its speed.

 

[8692574]

@ppcebay: I get the price argument, but my decision to move iPhone was not based on price. With their refusal to enable the FM radio, though, that's getting me p.ssed. What was a smiple decision just became an indecision.

It is not just price, it is what you get for what you pay, the features, the no jailbreak need, the freedom....heck my phone has an IR blaster (with I use as a remote for my tv and stereo) the radio as you suggest, NFC that I can use for everything NFC and not Apple Pay only...

Again, the iPhone is a great phone, but a little "limited" for the price and the edge it had with competitors (with was huge till a year or 2 ago) is now very little!

2 years ago I would have not touched an Android with a stick, and not because of the brand, but after Kitkat, things changed massively and now Android is as usable / good as iOS.

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

I agree it's a capable phone. I described my motivations for switching in my original post.