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Hands-On With Apple's Most Lackluster Smartphone: The 2022 iPhone SE
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Funny, all those 5G phones w/o mmWave work just fine on Verizon and its MVNOs.
I don't know why this design keeps getting called an iPhone 8 design when it is essentially the iPhone 6 design that came out in 2014. All they did for the iPhone 8 was replace the aluminum back for glass but the design itself didn't change.
Sorry, guys, but this feels like comment-bait. (And here I am, falling for it).
It's the least expensive iPhone by a massive margin. It's an option for people who want a current processor and are willing to forego a lot of the extras to save hundreds of dollars.
So yeah, "lackluster" is just inflammatory crap designed to get people ranting in the forums. Please do better.
Given that C-band, or sub 6 5G is perfectly adequate for most purposes, and that Verizon 5G offers that in areas they have targeted for new business, I fail to see any need for mm 5G for consumers given it’s greatly diminished RF range that is not particularly useful for implementation of home 5G internet or smartphone usage. IMHO, pitching mm 5G usage is about as useful, as pushing 8K OTA broadcasting.
The real problem with the iPhone SE 2022 is that the iPhone 11 is only $70 more and if you don't care about 5G and really want dual lenses, FaceID and that full screen display, then you'll spend the extra money, especially if you are financing it monthly. The niche for the iPhone SE 2022 is smaller than for the original SE and for the SE 2 at this point mostly because Apple has expanded its lineup further back and down the price ladder. Unless you want or prefer Touch ID and you're fine with the smaller screen, most people will pony up for the iPhone 11. For those looking at the price and who aren't really as concerned with the different SoCs in each device, the bigger screen and the cameras is going to upsell people to the iPhone 11, whether paying in full or paying monthly on their mobile plan, it's as simple as that. The $30 price increase, as small as that really is, is significant to those who are really price sensitive. This price increase, plus the lack of colors, the smaller screen and the single camera lens is going to make people think twice. I'm not sure it's the "outdated" design as much as it is the feature set versus the iPhone 11. Just my 2¢.
I have a 13 Mini now, which I think Apple should keep instead of or as well as the SE. If the Mini had an update every 3-4 years, that would be a good enough refresh rate for those of us who prefer it to larger devices.
The smallest in the lineup is the 12/13mini.
the rest since the 6 series released in 2014 which already had the same body and display as yours was bigger.
You will notice the lack of mmWave coverage when you are in a crowded event and have no useable service. mmWave has capacity for those kinds of situations C Band does not.
Once again go to a crowded event and have no useable service. mmWave is a capacity layer that comes in handy when you go to a big event so you have usable service.
Wouldn't even say the 11, the SE 2 is still widely available from third party retailers, and for more like £350-370. Compare that to the SE 3 at £419 with few discounts available yet and it's quite a tough sell for a fairly superficial upgrade. 5G remains quite niche, certainly not likely to be a major selling point for a phone in this price bracket, the A13 vs A15 is an almost academic real-world difference, the battery boost is nice, but not night and day, and pretty much everything else is the same, so it's easy to see price sensitive customers grabbing a cheaper SE 2. Why pay the extra £50-70 (around 15% more at these prices) for a couple of nice to have features? As stocks of the SE 2 dwindle and more discounts for the 3 become available it will probably become a solid seller.
Lackluster phone? More like the reviewer has no idea what they are reviewing or the target of the new SE.
Garbage article.
Garbage article.
The reviewer does not give me confidence to take him seriously in future reviews, "the battery is pretty much the same", goes against what I have been seeing with real world Youtube review tests, some reporting over 7 hours of screen time, sounds like he just half a$$ed assessing the battery.
It's a perfectly fine device for people on a strict budget.
That might not be you, and that's okay. "Old, tired, reused" really only matters to people living in the online tech bubble; to all those people with a budget, this is going to be the nicest, shiniest new iPhone ever.
That might not be you, and that's okay. "Old, tired, reused" really only matters to people living in the online tech bubble; to all those people with a budget, this is going to be the nicest, shiniest new iPhone ever.
You could use the app "Neural cam" - it does the same thing but works on older devices. Kind of a bummer that apple does exclude the software from it's cheaper devices.All it's missing is night mode. But then again, all I miss on my 1st gen SE is night mode, so...
I've had a lot of people ask me over the last years what iphone to get. When they realize that for double the price of their android they could only get an 8 year old design with thick bezels, lackluster battery-life and half the camera lenses as their android, they are usually quite disappointed. Those people either tend to get a used xs or stay with their droid.
The app effect is far from the real Night mode. The sensor just doesn't capture enough light.
It may be boring, but I don't think this iPhone was made for us. This phone will be great for my grandparents and other older (or younger people), who don't want to have to re-learn Face ID or anything else that's changed. It'll be the same iPhone for them as it's been since essentially the iPhone 6 in 2014. Decently-sized screen, home button, and Touch ID. Very simple and no major external changes, which they are very glad about. They also want a phone to be very cheap, whether it's $12.49 per month for 3 years or just the $449 all at once, instead of $22.22 per month or $799 all at once.
You just said to do what the parent poster did - "calculate what Macs from 20 [or an iPhone from 2] years ago cost in todays dollars." Inflation is highly relevant. Electronics do tend to get cheaper (even Apple's devices), which is what is the case with this new SE. It's $429 in 2022 dollars. The previous version when released is $437 in 2022 dollars. Ergo, the new one is cheaper.
We’re disappointed because we remember when Apple used to excite and delight us. They had the opportunity to do that with any of these:
- An SE in the form of the mini.
- $329 price
- better camera sensor
- 128 GB starting storage
- touchID in power button
- Night Mode
- matching iPhone 13 colors
- white front bezels to match the starlight (?)
Bonuses:
- announced a new base iCloud storage amount (10GB? 30GB?)
What they actually got right:
- battery life improved (not great still, but better and good enough)
- “more durable glass”
- maybe others I’m not thinking of because it’s not important to me (e.g. 5g)
A quote to remember from the article:
“From the perspective of Apple enthusiasts who look forward to the latest and greatest each year, the iPhone SE is a disappointing phone, but that's not who it's for. Apple made the iPhone SE for the people who don't care about phones, those who just want a smartphone that's fast, simple, reliable, and most importantly, cheap.”
We are mostly tech enthusiasts of Apple, so yeah of course we’re disappointed. Haha
ok macrumors we get already you dont like the new SE... but your not the target audience for the device and maybe if you review it without that bios in mind then you might be able to review it properly.. if like you can give one to me to review I'll do it for you lol