Hands-On With Apple's Most Lackluster Smartphone: The 2022 iPhone SE

[bondr006]

So what's your point? I'm an Apple shareholder,but the phone is still lackluster. Do you even realize how stupid that you sound? It's I about the profit margin for the company,who cares about if it comes from the lackluster SE. The discussion is about the SE,not Apple as a company. Then again,when the SE is trash,you have to deflect to something else. Oh and by the way,your math is wrong.

There is absolutely no reason to call someone stupid in a debate. At this point you are sounding like a mocking bird and nobody is buying your narrative. Saying the same thing over and over doesn't make it so. This debate will not be proven one way or the other until "The Fat Lady Sings" at the end of the year. Anything up until that point is pure speculation. Doesn't matter how many articles you link....It is all speculation!

As I and others have said, this phone is just for folks that want a smart phone that costs less, gives them a good enough camera, is smaller, and for many...still has the home button they have been used to. It is not for technophiles like the people here that want the latest and greatest. Several here know people in their own sphere that have bought them, myself included. My mom got one, my son got one. Heck, I noticed two of my clients have them. That's a lot of people in our own personal spheres that have them. On top of that, the other day when I went to the T-Mobile store to pay my bill, I asked the manager how well the new SE was selling. He told me that while it doesn't sell as well as the other iPhones, that it is selling in significant amounts and that they have had to reorder their local stock a couple times since its release. It was never made to be Apple's best seller, therefore it is no surprise that it is not.

Keep pasting all the articles and making all the speculative claims you want. I council you to not buy the SE and find a debate elsewhere that is actually relevant and useful to the tech crowd here.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

https://www.xda-developers.com/apple-iphone-se-3-review/Really outdated design with thick bezels

• Battery life won't be able to last all day
• Lack of ultra-wide or zoom lens limits camera versatility

Apple iPhone SE Review: A Phone for the Anti-Consumer

Why spend more if you don’t have to? The new $430 iPhone meets all the criteria of what most of us need in a smartphone.

www.nytimes.com

"In my tests, the iPhone SE took clear and vibrant photos in daylight, but it didn’t do as well in more challenging lighting conditions. In a photo of my dogs on a shaded path, the iPhone SE produced an image with less detail and unnatural colors compared with the $700 iPhone 13 Mini. The iPhone SE camera also lacks the special night mode found on the fancier iPhones for taking photos in the dark. Using flash is always an option, though."

Stop with the buffoonery. The SE's camera is lackluster.

Not sure what the problem is but the only person you need to convince here is yourself. It’s ok not to buy the same device as other people and have different needs and demands. That doesn’t make others wrong.

 

[bondr006]

Not sure what the problem is but the only person you need to convince here is yourself. It’s ok not to buy the same device as other people and have different needs and demands. That doesn’t make others wrong.

Absolutely...YES!

 

[DEman19901]

There is absolutely no reason to call someone stupid in a debate. At this point you are sounding like a mocking bird and nobody is buying your narrative. Saying the same thing over and over doesn't make it so. This debate will not be proven one way or the other until "The Fat Lady Sings" at the end of the year. Anything up until that point is pure speculation. Doesn't matter how many articles you link....It is all speculation!

As I and others have said, this phone is just for folks that want a smart phone that costs less, gives them a good enough camera, is smaller, and for many...still has the home button they have been used to. It is not for technophiles like the people here that want the latest and greatest. Several here know people in their own sphere that have bought them, myself included. My mom got one, my son got one. Heck, I noticed two of my clients have them. That's a lot of people in our own personal spheres that have them. On top of that, the other day when I went to the T-Mobile store to pay my bill, I asked the manager how well the new SE was selling. He told me that while it doesn't sell as well as the other iPhones, that it is selling in significant amounts and that they have had to reorder their local stock a couple times since its release. It was never made to be Apple's best seller, therefore it is no surprise that it is not.

Keep pasting all the articles and making all the speculative claims you want. I council you to not buy the SE and find a debate elsewhere that is actually relevant and useful to the tech crowd here.

I see that reading comprehension is not your strong suit. I did not once call any body stupid.
I do see that there's a group of people who likes to make up things to fit their narrative. Read the reviews and the reports. The SE is a mediocre phone at best. Lackluster screen,lackluster camera and lackluster battery life. 3 of the most important things that buyers look for in a phone. The SE not a good phone. It's just a phone cheap on price. That's why the mini is usually recommended over the SE.
For the life of me,I do not understand the defence of a budget phone. They're called budget phones for a reason. A lot of important corners are cut to meet a price point.

 

[bondr006]

So what's your point? I'm an Apple shareholder,but the phone is still lackluster. Do you even realize how stupid that you sound? It's I about the profit margin for the company,who cares about if it comes from the lackluster SE. The discussion is about the SE,not Apple as a company. Then again,when the SE is trash,you have to deflect to something else. Oh and by the way,your math is wrong.

I see that reading comprehension is not your strong suit. I did not once call any body stupid.
I do see that there's a group of people who likes to make up things to fit their narrative. Read the reviews and the reports. The SE is a mediocre phone at best. Lackluster screen, lackluster camera and lackluster battery life. 3 of the most important things that buyers look for in a phone. The SE not a good phone. It's just a phone cheap on price. That's why the mini is usually recommended over the SE.
For the life of me,I do not understand the defence of a budget phone. They're called budget phones for a reason. A lot of important corners are cut to meet a price point.

My reading comprehension is just fine. Maybe you did not outright call him stupid, but you surely implied it. Not a big difference.

No one is making anything up. We are just not buying into your speculative narrative. But at least in this last post, you have proved our point quite nicely. It is a mediocre phone. It is a budget phone. And yes, they are called budget phones for a reason...They weren't made to be high end luxury phones! And yes, it lacks things that high end buyers look for in a luxury phone....Because it is a budget phone! Thank you for proving our point in this debate!

Lackluster is a matter of subjectivity, and a word you must really, really like. As the saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". What is ugly and lackluster to one, is shiny and beautiful to another. There are many in the latter group that will buy this phone and be perfectly happy with it. And then there will be the group that you seem to fit in to that will moan and complain that the SE is not the luxury device that you think it should be, when it was never made to be a luxury device. It was made to be an entry level device for people looking for a smart phone that is good enough, for which it perfectly qualifies.

This isn't about religion or politics. It is curious that you are trying to make it an issue of importance when it is not an important issue at all...except apparently to you.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I see that reading comprehension is not your strong suit. I did not once call any body stupid.
I do see that there's a group of people who likes to make up things to fit their narrative. Read the reviews and the reports. The SE is a mediocre phone at best. Lackluster screen,lackluster camera and lackluster battery life. 3 of the most important things that buyers look for in a phone. The SE not a good phone. It's just a phone cheap on price. That's why the mini is usually recommended over the SE.
For the life of me,I do not understand the defence of a budget phone. They're called budget phones for a reason. A lot of important corners are cut to meet a price point.

Reviews are opinions too though and often delivered by tech enthusiasts who prefer the best products available. Everybody has different preferences for what they look for in a phone and what is mediocre to you may not be to someone else. It’s ok to have a different opinion but don’t call people stupid and dismiss their opinions because you high handedly want to promote your own opinion as fact. It doesn’t work like that I’m afraid.

 

[stinkhorn9]

https://www.xda-developers.com/apple-iphone-se-3-review/Really outdated design with thick bezels

• Battery life won't be able to last all day
• Lack of ultra-wide or zoom lens limits camera versatility

Apple iPhone SE Review: A Phone for the Anti-Consumer

Why spend more if you don’t have to? The new $430 iPhone meets all the criteria of what most of us need in a smartphone.

www.nytimes.com

"In my tests, the iPhone SE took clear and vibrant photos in daylight, but it didn’t do as well in more challenging lighting conditions. In a photo of my dogs on a shaded path, the iPhone SE produced an image with less detail and unnatural colors compared with the $700 iPhone 13 Mini. The iPhone SE camera also lacks the special night mode found on the fancier iPhones for taking photos in the dark. Using flash is always an option, though."

Stop with the buffoonery. The SE's camera is lackluster.

The camera is more than good enough for my needs. I don’t get through one battery cycle in a day. Does it infuriate you that my usage and priorities are different enough to yours that your own take on the SE doesn‘t align with mine?

 

[MacGekko]

Not the same thing. The iPhone X got off to a slow start because of the price. At the time it was the only $1K phone and people were reluctant to the price and the radical new design. The SE on the other hand is the same old tired design , cheap in price, and it still doesn't sell. Sales ain't going to miraculously change. It's a failure.

Calling this product a failure without knowing Apple's long term strategy is ignorant at best.

 

[MacBH928]

So what's your point? I'm an Apple shareholder,but the phone is still lackluster. Do you even realize how stupid that you sound? It's I about the profit margin for the company,who cares about if it comes from the lackluster SE. The discussion is about the SE,not Apple as a company. Then again,when the SE is trash,you have to deflect to something else. Oh and by the way,your math is wrong.

my point according to the article you showed it is predicted that the SE will sell 15 million units this year alone and with a $100 profit margin it will make $1.5B in profit which is something 99.999% of business will dream of making , how is $1.5 billion in profits is a failure? You should be happy as a shareholder because that extra $1.5 billion in profit makes the share go up, and if they cut out the SE it will lose it so the share will go down.

and my math is not wrong, 15 million X 100 is 1.5 billion

Clearly not ‘nobody’ otherwise the SE wouldn’t sell a single unit let alone the projected 30 million for this year.

The hardware isn’t ‘ancient’ either, it’s a very capable smartphone and will handle all the general tasks iPhones are required to perform. It may look an old phone with its classic design, but in terms of functionality the SE is as powerful as it needs to be to attract consumers who don’t want to spend more than £419 on a smartphone.

It may not be the phone you would personally use, me neither, but it has its market and that is impossible to dispute.

not only they are not spending more than £419 , but they are also paying £285 less than base iphone 13 that is serious saving especially if you are buying more than one say for your two kids.

Yup - in my own spehere I have one; two colleagues have them; a friend of mine has one: I (and presumably they) want nothing more than the great camera, home button; iOS, fast chip; small enough phone to use one-handed; reasonable price.

the small enough phone to use with one hand , home button and touchID are actually reasons I want to pay for the SE and NOT the flagship iphone 13, that means if both were priced similar I will stick pick the SE.

https://www.xda-developers.com/apple-iphone-se-3-review/Really outdated design with thick bezels

• Battery life won't be able to last all day
• Lack of ultra-wide or zoom lens limits camera versatility

Apple iPhone SE Review: A Phone for the Anti-Consumer

Why spend more if you don’t have to? The new $430 iPhone meets all the criteria of what most of us need in a smartphone.

www.nytimes.com

"In my tests, the iPhone SE took clear and vibrant photos in daylight, but it didn’t do as well in more challenging lighting conditions. In a photo of my dogs on a shaded path, the iPhone SE produced an image with less detail and unnatural colors compared with the $700 iPhone 13 Mini. The iPhone SE camera also lacks the special night mode found on the fancier iPhones for taking photos in the dark. Using flash is always an option, though."

Stop with the buffoonery. The SE's camera is lackluster.

I am not an instagram model nor do I have my own photo shooting business, I use the camera to snapshot things to remember them or send pictures to someone for clarification reasons (product type, how something looks like) . I had pictures taken on iphone 5s that I still think looks good.

I have many friends that are using iphone 13 and maybe the pro max stuff but I do not see their pictures are any better. The only noticeable difference would probably be shooting at night or dark places. Again, I have no reason to do this and if the occasion comes the SE camera ain't that bad.

Pre iphone 11 , all phone reviewers boasted how great iphone cameras were that goes for the X, 8, 7 and prior. Suddenly now the 1 lens camera is garbage? the 3 lens is better but not the 1 lens is not garbage for sure.

 

[MacBH928]

The SE is a mediocre phone at best. Lackluster screen,lackluster camera and lackluster battery life. 3 of the most important things that buyers look for in a phone. The SE not a good phone. It's just a phone cheap on price. That's why the mini is usually recommended over the SE.
For the life of me,I do not understand the defence of a budget phone. They're called budget phones for a reason. A lot of important corners are cut to meet a price point.

well obviously, what did you expect? to have the Pro Max options and still be sold for $420? it is a basic phone for people who want has no reason for 3 lenses and I got a mini and didn't find the iphone 13 screen to be any better honestly, in fact I was bothered of that huge screen that I can not operate one handed. In addition it has touchID which is an advantage over iphone 13 imo.

You sound like some guy looking at a Mac Pro to buy and think the Mac Mini is lackluster and should not exist, while its lackluster to you it is a great device for a great price point for many people. Just like so many people do not need the options of the Mac Pro and opt for a Mac Mini, so does many people do not need the options of the iphone 13 and opt for the SE and actually favour the screen size and touchID.

Is the design old? yes, but its functional, just like the Mac Mini that has been looking the same for the past 10 years or maybe more. If it was selling so bad why would Apple keeping releasing an updated version 6 years later? They should have quit on it at least 3 years ago.

Will the SE 2022 sales be a failure? Maybe we have to wait and see until the end of the year and if Apple would actually drop it out of their product line or opt for a refreshed design and keep selling it. Lackluster sales might be due to Apple's failure of estimating the demand, maybe they over estimated for some reason.

 

[bondr006]

 

[Euroamerican]

I love my iPhone 8 and will replace it only if the battery replacement I currently need to do on it turns out to be an issue.

I don't want a bigger screen, don't need 5g, and love still having lighting port and the home button. Actually, I don't want a larger form factor MORE than I do want a larger screen.

I'm looking an an SE prior edition, SE 2022 and whatever else is on super duper sale at the time I have to make the decision.

 

[MacBH928]

I love my iPhone 8 and will replace it only if the battery replacement I currently need to do on it turns out to be an issue.

I don't want a bigger screen, don't need 5g, and love still having lighting port and the home button. Actually, I don't want a larger form factor MORE than I do want a larger screen.

I'm looking an an SE prior edition, SE 2022 and whatever else is on super duper sale at the time I have to make the decision.

isn't it showing signs of being sluggish ?

 

[Connder]

3 weeks out of the gate and the Apple detractors are saying the 2022 SE is a failure. No surprise here.

Remember this:

"Yes, our good friends at Nikkei Asia are back with more tales of iPhone production cuts to astonish. Nikkei is the same outfit that four years ago told us Apple was cutting iPhone X production by a whopping 50 percent because it was such a loser. The iPhone X, as you may recall, went on to sell extremely well."

Let's have this conversation at the end of the year when we have the real facts on how well it sold. Until then, it is all nothing but speculation.

I couldn't agree more! I can't understand why so many people are missing the main point of this phone. I've said this before in a different thread but it bears repeating: the only reason why this phone even exists in 2022 is because of 5G. Otherwise, Apple would have waited until 2024 until the next SE in a different body (probably the current iPhone 11), which is going to happen anyway. In fact, this isn't really the SE3 - it's basically an update from the 2020 version because the phone carriers want to sell as many new 5G compatible phones as possible. The 2020 version didn't have 5G, so Apple updated it. Simple as that. So enjoy this phone (I am) and the home button while you can, because it may be the last time we see it.

 

[Diablo360]

These are great phone for someone who needs a simple phone. Both of my kids have one and The7 world great for what they are

 

[kp98077]

think it would be a good second phone to the Max!

 

[kp98077]

I honestly didnt thin it was that much worse than the mini... not sure what I am missing... sure the screen is smaller,but it packs a big punch in a small package!

 

[MacBH928]

I honestly didnt thin it was that much worse than the mini... not sure what I am missing... sure the screen is smaller,but it packs a big punch in a small package!

the smaller screen is an advantage, its not small, its smaller. iPhone 4(3.5) was increased to iphone 5 (4.0) size then to iphone 7 size(4.7), which the current SE size. Its 2 sizes larger than iphone 4. Its not "mini" or small.

People who want a 7inch phone are probably looking for a device to replace their computer, phone, and tablet all together. I can't blame them though, for $1000 it might as well do everything.

 

[Mainsail]

Good review. I like the part where he says, as a content creator, that he can do everything he needs to with the SE and other “budget” devices (e.g. iPad 9, MBA M1, etc..) in Apple’s lineup. He might choose to have higher end tech, but there is plenty of power at the entry level. This is certainly true for my situation, and I feel like I am kind of a typical tech consumer.

I just don’t get all of the hate on the 2022 SE. It is a good phone for those that want to participate in Apple’s ecosystem, but don’t want to drop a lot of money into a phone. Some people like a smaller phone that fits in their front pocket and can be used with one-hand. Some people just prefer the home button and Touch ID.

My brother-in-law got a free iPhone 13 on some kind of carrier promo, and he hates the swiping. He just prefers the home button on his old 2020 SE. I should mention that he holds a PhD and works in investment banking, so he is comfortable with tech and can afford to buy whatever he wants….just a personal preference thing.

 

[kp98077]

Good review. I like the part where he says, as a content creator, that he can do everything he needs to with the SE and other “budget” devices (e.g. iPad 9, MBA M1, etc..) in Apple’s lineup. He might choose to have higher end tech, but there is plenty of power at the entry level. This is certainly true for my situation, and I feel like I am kind of a typical tech consumer.

I just don’t get all of the hate on the 2022 SE. It is a good phone for those that want to participate in Apple’s ecosystem, but don’t want to drop a lot of money into a phone. Some people like a smaller phone that fits in their front pocket and can be used with one-hand. Some people just prefer the home button and Touch ID.

My brother-in-law got a free iPhone 13 on some kind of carrier promo, and he hates the swiping. He just prefers the home button on his old 2020 SE. I should mention that he holds a PhD and works in investment banking, so he is comfortable with tech and can afford to buy whatever he wants….just a personal preference thing.

my other half has a mini, which is nice but honestly side by side you can see the same amount of text etc with the SE and in fact the SE is a tad bit longer and WAYYYYY thinner which I like! It literally can do everything my 13 Max can do!

 

[Phone Junky]

my other half has a mini, which is nice but honestly side by side you can see the same amount of text etc with the SE and in fact the SE is a tad bit longer and WAYYYYY thinner which I like! It literally can do everything my 13 Max can do!

If 3% thinner and that ten thousandths of an inch difference is your definition of "WAYYYY thinner".

 

[FreakinEurekan]

"arguably Apple's most lackluster iPhone" - I'm not sure what the point of that statement is. It's the basic, budget, entry-level phone. So, yeah, it would INarguably be the most "lackluster" I suppose.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[MacBH928]

my other half has a mini, which is nice but honestly side by side you can see the same amount of text etc with the SE and in fact the SE is a tad bit longer and WAYYYYY thinner which I like! It literally can do everything my 13 Max can do!

I actually had mini and SE side by side and noticed the extra screen on the mini is not even used filled with black or some colour on any app. Usable space is same. At least in the apps I tried.

Plus, I WANT bezels. Its a place for me to put finger/s and not have the phone do something I did not meant for. Full Screen phone will interactive any where you touch the screen so you have to keep holding it uncomfortably from its borders.

"arguably Apple's most lackluster iPhone" - I'm not sure what the point of that statement is. It's the basic, budget, entry-level phone. So, yeah, it would INarguably be the most "lackluster" I suppose.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think they meant its hardly updated, It basically is iphone 7 with updated chip so yea...It could have used a refresh on the design.

 

[ratspg]

iPhone SE 2022 is a wonderful phone. I have a 14 Pro Max and I have another line for the iPhone SE 2022... I bought it in excellent condition used for $200. Its a wonderful phone to own when purchased used.

 

[nutmac]

iPhone SE 2022 is a wonderful phone. I have a 14 Pro Max and I have another line for the iPhone SE 2022... I bought it in excellent condition used for $200. Its a wonderful phone to own when purchased used.

I think a better used iPhone is iPhone 12 mini in excellent condition for $300.

If you prefer Face ID to Touch ID, iPhone 12 mini is superior to SE 3 in so many ways. Better and bigger screen, MagSafe, smaller footprint, better camera system, and ultra wideband.