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If the chipmunk site is correct, my phone was made in February 2017. The phone is being delivered tomorrow. If the battery ends up being shot, I will get Apple to replace the battery under warranty. No way I will accept a dead battery on a new phone.
 
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If the chipmunk site is correct, my phone was made in February 2017. The phone is being delivered tomorrow. If the battery ends up being shot, I will get Apple to replace the battery under warranty. No way I will accept a dead battery on a new phone.

It's probably not dead. I bought one from eBay about 5 months ago that was manufactured in summer 2016. Coconut Battery showed zero cycles on the battery, but it was down to 90% of original capacity. Staying steady at 90% after 5 months of usage. But I would not blame you if you ask Apple to put a new battery in the device.
 
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My new Space Gray 128GB SE arrived this afternoon. It was (and still is) running 11.4.1. The battery was at 17% SN number says it was built in July of 2108. So it had probably been sitting on a shelf for awhile :(

Since this 128GB SE will primary be used a camera attached to a spotting scope for nature photography and videos….
— I removed the AT&T SIM prior to booting it up
— Spent awhile deleting/disabling/turning off stuff Apple thinks I can’t live without e.g Garage band, Stocks, iCloud, Siri, iOS sounds, etc.
— Meanwhile the SE began downloading iOS 12. So I killed that.
— I plugged the SE into my MacBook Pro running El Capitan & iTunes 12.6.5 and installed the photography and nature apps I use every day.

This 128GB SE replaces a 64GB 5s. The SE has twice the memory, and doubles the camera video specs of the 5s, e.g.1080p at 60FPS vs 30FPS and slow motion 720p at 240FPS vs 120FPS.

Yes I know the current iPhones have even better camera specs BUT they come at a price both in money and bulk. Attaching a larger smart phone to our spotting scope would require a new adapter and a lot more hassle to keep it mounted securely.

And as others have posted, I’ll keep the 5s as backup.

GetRealBro
 
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This battery stuff is concerning. Apple says to charge a phone to 50% every 6 months in order to avoid damage. Some of these phones are past 6 months, and we don't know how charged they were to begin with. A phone sold as new shouldn't have a degraded battery. I wonder if Apple will replace a battery under warranty, and if it's better to try it now or to wait and see if it has any shutdowns or throttling within the 1-year warranty period.

"If you plan to store your device for longer than six months, charge it to 50% every six months."

https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/

I ordered two with the intention of reselling one. I guess I'll hope at least one of them is new enough and I'll keep that one. (And disclose the date on the other one if I sell it.)
 
Verizon network is the primary parent carrier for US Cellular; there is a partnership with King Street Wireless that is vague in detail. Basically a CDMA network.

Edit: The good news is that it is not Sprint.

USCC is their own network. With roaming on other networks like Verizon for areas outside their service area.
 
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My new Space Gray 128GB SE arrived this afternoon. Battery was at 17% SN number says it was built in July of 2108. So it had probably been sitting on a shelf for awhile :(
(...)

That's not bad, with 17% on first boot means that it was never completely depleted, so there is a chance that the eventual wear is minimal.

This battery stuff is concerning. Apple says to charge a phone to 50% every 6 months in order to avoid damage. Some of these phones are past 6 months, and we don't know how charged they were to begin with. A phone sold as new shouldn't have a degraded battery. I wonder if Apple will replace a battery under warranty, and if it's better to try it now or to wait and see if it has any shutdowns or throttling within the 1-year warranty period.
(...)

Well there are no free lunches, the discount is thought to take into account that eventual shelf decay(among other aspects such discontinued and older models) and discourage eventual buyers from returning their devices because of that. They are charged at the factory with 60/40%, but the minimal energy used to maintain the internal clock depletes the battery in a matter of a few months. Bottom line, if the wear situation degrades rapidly within the warranty period there is the possibility to request a battery change, but this is far from ideal. Older stock (e.g. > one year of manufacture has passed) should have notices and/or further discounts since the chemistry of the batteries also ages, and the final experience may be altered/impacted.

Another sketchy aspect is the SIM free stock that preceded these unlocked carrier versions and the fact that they may be refurbished units. The original unlocked SIM free variants of the SE were not the A1662 model but the A1723 Global/Sprint model. But somehow Apple now sold the A1662 model without the carrier SIMs on clearance and told they were new units. I find that hard to believe since Apple never sold that model without a SIM card included in the slot(inside the box). Another fact that backs these claims is that I bought two of these clearance SEs, one from that SIM free stock(that was never sold that way originally) that was shipped via Middletown PA(which is the location of an AppleCare East Coast Repair Center) and another from this now carrier SIM stock(that was indeed sold originally) that was shipped via Mount Juliet TN(where Apple has a Distribution Center).
 
My new Space Gray 128GB SE arrived this afternoon. Battery was at 17% SN number says it was built in July of 2108. So it had probably been sitting on a shelf for awhile :(

Since this 128GB SE will primary be used a camera attached to a spotting scope for nature photography and videos….
— I removed the AT&T SIM prior to booting it up
— Spent awhile deleting/disabling/turning off stuff Apple thinks I can’t live without e.g Garage band, Stocks, iCloud, Siri, iOS sounds, etc.
— Meanwhile the SE began downloading iOS 12. So I killed that.
— I plugged the SE into my MacBook Pro running El Capitan & iTunes 12.6.5 and installed the photography and nature apps I use every day.

This 128GB SE replaces a 64GB 5s. The SE has twice the memory, and doubles the camera video specs of the 5s, e.g.1080p at 60FPS vs 30FPS and slow motion 720p at 240FPS vs 120FPS.

Yes I know the current iPhones have even better camera specs BUT they come at a price both in money and bulk. Attaching a larger smart phone to our spotting scope would require a new adapter and a lot more hassle to keep it mounted securely.

And as others have posted, I’ll keep the 5s as backup.

GetRealBro

I will pick-up my SE 128GB next week and it will come with a T-Mobile sim card. Like you, I will not be using it's phone capabilities; for me, it is an iPod Touch "upgrade".

I have no experience with sim cards. Why did you remove the sim card before booting your SE up? Can't it stay in place and be dormant? Will something undesirable occur with the sim card during the setup process which I will do with home WiFi?. I have just finished researching sim cards and feel confidant that I will be able to remove it.

Thank you for any info to help me learn something....
 
I will pick-up my SE 128GB next week and it will come with a T-Mobile sim card. Like you, I will not be using it's phone capabilities; for me, it is an iPod Touch "upgrade".

I have no experience with sim cards. Why did you remove the sim card before booting your SE up? Can't it stay in place and be dormant? Will something undesirable occur with the sim card during the setup process which I will do with home WiFi?. I have just finished researching sim cards and feel confidant that I will be able to remove it.
Even though the phone is unlocked, I believe he may have been concerned that if the device was booted with the SIM in, he might have to go through some unnecessary red tape if he wanted to put in a different SIM etc.
 
Even though the phone is unlocked, I believe he may have been concerned that if the device was booted with the SIM in, he might have to go through some unnecessary red tape if he wanted to put in a different SIM etc.

Ok, thank you. Setting up a device is tiresome enough without it. I will remove the sim card beforehand to prevent any additional hassle that may occur.
 
Ok, thank you. Setting up a device is tiresome enough without it. I will remove the sim card beforehand to prevent any additional hassle that may occur.
BasicGreatGuy is correct. I removed the SIM before i booted the iPhone, so that I could avoid the hassle of NOT activating the AT&T SIM as part of the initialization process. As you noted, since Apple expects an iPhone to be used as a phone, changing the default settings can be tedious.

If I ever want/need to use this iPhone as a phone, I can just install an already activated AT&T SIM from one of our other iPhones. All it takes is a small paperclip to eject the SIM holder.

GetRealBro
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...Another fact that backs these claims is that I bought two of these clearance SEs, one from that SIM free stock(that was never sold that way originally) that was shipped via Middletown PA(which is the location of an AppleCare East Coast Repair Center) and another from this now carrier SIM stock(that was indeed sold originally) that was shipped via Mount Juliet TN(where Apple has a Distribution Center).
The Space Gray 128GB SE I received today had an AT&T SIM card installed, is an A1662 with a Model number of MP932LL/A and shipped from ONTARIO, CA.

GetRealBro
 
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Picked mine up today. Pretty quick turnaround, having just ordered yesterday. Last week I had to return one I ordered in an earlier wave due to a broken headphone jack. Today, the new one came out of the box with the battery at 0%. Didn't even turn on. I had to charge it for a while first to even set it up. So much for Apple's famed, easy set up process. Everything else seems to be good this time around. Major functions like headphone jack, camera, Wi-Fi, etc. all working as expected. Anyone know what else I should be checking? I don't even know if it's worth returning again for a different one just because of the battery...maybe I just have bad luck. I don't want to return and repurchase (because they wouldn't let me switch it for a new one in-store for w/e reason) if the issue is not that serious, and having the store think I'm a rip off artist or something.
 
BasicGreatGuy is correct. I removed the SIM before i booted the iPhone, so that I could avoid the hassle of NOT activating the AT&T SIM as part of the initialization process. As you noted, since Apple expects an iPhone to be used as a phone, changing the default settings can be tedious.

If I ever want/need to use this iPhone as a phone, I can just install an already activated AT&T SIM from one of our other iPhones. All it takes is a small paperclip to eject the SIM holder.

GetRealBro

I am glad that I jumped over to this forum to see what was new from yesterday. Thanks to your post I received a good tip for my SE installation and I learned from the web the details of sim cards.

Enjoy your nature photography with its upgraded equipment! For myself, the SE will replace the iPod Touch for taking pictures and videos when I am out in Nature's world. I often meet folks with an iPhone attached to a scope.
 
Another sketchy aspect is the SIM free stock that preceded these unlocked carrier versions and the fact that they may be refurbished units. The original unlocked SIM free variants of the SE were not the A1662 model but the A1723 Global/Sprint model. But somehow Apple now sold the A1662 model without the carrier SIMs on clearance and told they were new units. I find that hard to believe since Apple never sold that model without a SIM card included in the slot(inside the box). Another fact that backs these claims is that I bought two of these clearance SEs, one from that SIM free stock(that was never sold that way originally) that was shipped via Middletown PA(which is the location of an AppleCare East Coast Repair Center) and another from this now carrier SIM stock(that was indeed sold originally) that was shipped via Mount Juliet TN(where Apple has a Distribution Center).

There’s no chance these were refurbished units. They were in sealed original retail packaging, and Apple doesn’t sell refurbished product that way. Mine was manufactured in August 2018, and shipped from Mount Joliet. A distribution Center makes perfect sense as a location from where these would ship, especially considering they’ve been pulled off of Apple Store shelves since September and warehoused somewhere.

And no, the original unlocked SIM-free versions were A1662. I know because I have two unlocked sim-free models purchased directly from Apple on day one. I have a third purchased a year later to replace a stolen one which also came sim free. There was another unlocked model, which may have also been SIM-free, but that is not the one I ordered.

These new previously Carrier-locked SEs are shipping with the original carrier SIM.

So I’d say you’re wrong here.
 
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Be sure to check the model number of the SE to see how it works in Canada. The ones being sold on discount are model A1662. According to this article, the A1662 doesn't have band 7 which is used for high speed networks in Canada.

Not quite. The problem with PCMag is they’re a pc focused publication first n foremost. Not cellular.

Also a band is just a collection of frequencies. 700mhz was heavily used by Rogers at the beginning of 4G/LTE other carriers initially used 1700mhz/1900mhz.

Band 7 is just 2600mhz yet for 700mhz 3 separTe bands use that frequency.

Much better article here:
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.androidcentral.com/everything-you-need-know-about-4g-lte-canada?amp

Or I’d personally check GSMarena which has been around longer than any N.American GSM carrier or 3G network. Like myself.
 
Those devious devils! You've outed them. But, a little problem with your conspiracy theory is that they don't report sales anymore or percentage growth. Oops! Another problem with your theory is that they do report ASP-average selling price, which would go down by putting more lower priced phones! Oops again! Oh well,try try again. There's got to be something evil Tim Cook is up to that you can expose!
Nice debunking :)

But a small correction, Apple won’t be reporting ASP. With ASP one could calculate units sold from the total iPhone revenue number.
 
I wonder how many more pallets they have in stock.
I don't know how many they've held for future sales, but you can actually check how many they're selling now. I put a T-Mobile 128GB gray in my cart, then tried to change the quantity to 999 but it will only let me buy 419 of them. (At a price of $188,131.00) Just remember to change the quantity back to "1" before you check out, or you will have a bad day.
 
I don't know how many they've held for future sales, but you can actually check how many they're selling now. I put a T-Mobile 128GB gray in my cart, then tried to change the quantity to 999 but it will only let me buy 419 of them. (At a price of $188,131.00) Just remember to change the quantity back to "1" before you check out, or you will have a bad day.
Could be just a programming dud on TMO's end, since they're pretty crap for being the "uncarrier" carrier. I just wished for all the hot air they spew they did something worthwhile.

Someone in this thread mentioned their last purchase of the phone showed a 2015 or 2016 production date and then someone else say early 2017. It makes no sense given how Tim Cook made adjustments at Apple when Steve was alive and even when he passed away to limit stock on hand to minimize Apple's costs. The SE is a popular phone and will continue being one. So I can't imagine how they keep finding pallets of the stuff.

Even at 419 phones in your example, that's a lot of space to be taken up. There's no way they've missed them in huge quantities. This is the fourth or fifth sale on the SE they've had in months.
 
If the 128gb gold or silver Verizon is still available tonight, I’ll order one.

Really need a headphone jack and the larger text would be nice too. If so, I’ll put this 8+ back in box as a back up.
 
I don't know how many they've held for future sales, but you can actually check how many they're selling now. I put a T-Mobile 128GB gray in my cart, then tried to change the quantity to 999 but it will only let me buy 419 of them. (At a price of $188,131.00) Just remember to change the quantity back to "1" before you check out, or you will have a bad day.
no way! that's awesome, lol. I just tried this and now there's 407 left of the T-Mobile 128GB Space Grey.

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If the 128gb gold or silver Verizon is still available tonight, I’ll order one.

Really need a headphone jack and the larger text would be nice too. If so, I’ll put this 8+ back in box as a back up.
It doesn't matter which carrier sim is loaded in the phone -- they're ALL unlocked. So as long as the size and color of your choice is available, enjoy!
 
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Even though the phone is unlocked, I believe he may have been concerned that if the device was booted with the SIM in, he might have to go through some unnecessary red tape if he wanted to put in a different SIM etc.

Do phones have to work for 911 even if they have no SIM card, or did I just dream that?
 
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