Most lacklustre = most bang for buck. It’s all diminishing returns when you go up the chain.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Hands-On With Apple's Most Lackluster Smartphone: The 2022 iPhone SE
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My mother (who's 81) wanted a new phone. She had the iPhone 8 and was having problems with it. She lives in a bit of a hole for cellular service and relies on wifi calling. I made her wait a week or two until this new version was released, rather than just buy the previous generation, in the hopes that updated radios will help her out. Not sure yet if it is making a difference or not. It's hard to know when her problems are a result of user error, bad cellular service, or the older phone itself. Oh, and she needed the faster processor to boost her gaming skilz (jk).
Related
TSMC says demand for smartphones, PCs starting to slow - Niekki Asia
HSINCHU, Taiwan -- Consumer electronics demand is showing signs of slowing amid geopolitical uncertainties and COVID-related lockdowns in China, the chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said on Wednesday.
The slowdown is emerging in areas "such as smartphones, PCs, and TVs, especially in China, the biggest consumer market," TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said.
A key Apple supplier, TSMC is the world's biggest contract chipmaker and a barometer of global electronics demand.
Later it says
There are already signs of slowdown in consumer demand. Nikkei Asia reported on Monday that Apple has reduced orders for its recently released iPhone SE by up to 3 million units.
So this whole lackluster thought is against the whole industry instead of just a mistake assuming the iPhone SE 3rd gen isn’t selling as well if you read this article concerning current world conditions like Ukraine war and macroeconomic uncertainty in a number of countries per article.
So having the fastest chip on the market running the most advanced mobile OS in the world doesn’t make the phone even moderately modern, but removing the home button (something the less-than-tech savvy consumer appreciates having) and maybe altering the shape of the slab ever so slightly would?
Not just the less tech savvy, but those with motor impairment including the elderly may appreciate having a stationary button to press as well. As well as people who just like buttons in general. Hell, I'm an able-bodied 20-year-old and I prefer the button compared at least to Android's version of the touchscreen interface. At least there is a version more reminiscent of a more traditional layout with digital buttons, but my mom insists on using the new one, and it's way too finnicky for even me when I need to set our waypoints for a trip or something. And opening the opened apps carousel sucks with the modern Android interface.
Last edited:
Not if they watch YouTube or a lot of video in general.
SE 2 and 3 lack the most with screen-on hours per charge.
Lack of 1080p display. Lack of dual-cameras which means no Night Mode and no optical zoom. No image stabilisation for video. 2018 mAh battery. No U1 chip. Sub 5" display with huge bezels.
All in all, it's just a bunch dated components frankensteined into 2022 with A15 and the "must-have" 5G.
Worst value iPhone ever out of context and in particular in comparison to most other iPhones in the same price-range.
This is also exactly why Apple isn't doing heavy marketing for it: SE 2022 is the iPhone that the sales rep can show your Dad when he asks for something less expensive than the $699+ latest and greatest. He sees how little $429 gets him and understands how much value he gets even if he just stretches the budget to $499.
SE 3 is a decoy for those who can afford more and need a gentle push to stretch their budget up to an 11 or newer, and a good value option for those who can barely afford a smartphone at all. Well, at least good value by comparison to other sub $500 options from other brands.
Stop with all this nonsense about huge segments of consumers wanting Touch ID and pragmatic tech -The average consumer wants the biggest display, shiniest exteriors, fastest everything, most cameras, most high-tech authentication(Face ID), fastest Wifi/cellular, smallest bezels, newest designs, etc.
Apple knows this and has planned out all releases and yearly line-ups to make sure you understand exactly which models are low-tech and low value and which are the opposite, and do everything in terms of marketing and presentation to nudge you up to a Pro model.
SE 3 is at the bottom of this price/tech-spec/value/social capital hierarchy. End of story.
SE 3 is laughably dated and low-value by comparison on every spec except A15, 5G and RAM.
But don't get tricked by Apple's A15 marketing -It's only 20-40% faster than A13 on graphics, single-core, multi-core.
Every other spec on iPhone 11 is better. All of them.
“More durable glass”.
and If you were a restaurant reviewer, sushi would be “just uncooked fish with a bit of rice that was sticking together”?
and If you were a restaurant reviewer, sushi would be “just uncooked fish with a bit of rice that was sticking together”?
Firstly, you really don't need any more PPI on a screen this size.
There IS image stabilization for video, and in my experience iPhone cameras even as far back as the IP7 still stack up well against most sub $400 Android devices in terms of speed and quality, so far it looks like the camera is much improved over the quite capable SE2020, which given my use case will do me just fine for a couple of years.
Small, lightweight, robust, fastest iPhone processor, 5G (I have proper 5G coverage) and Touch ID.
Sure if you use your phone for hours on end the battery might not be enough for you, its not a do-all phone.
All-in-all its the upgrade I expected, no more, no less
Last edited:
Fortunately, all those features you listed are actually available across a wide range of iPhone's and price points from Apple. This being the lowest-cost phone, it does not have ALL the most advanced features, which completely stands to reason given each additional feature adds cost.
You can buy an older model iPhone that's closer in cost to the new SE and get some of the features you listed, but you'll lose the fastest processor available and probably also 5G. So it really depends on what you value most.
I'm honestly baffled as to why having this much choice in what you can get for what you spend on an iPhone bothers people so much.
Came here to say pretty much the same thing. It's a completely cromulent phone for the masses, though I think it should be even cheaper. I, for one, have the previous generation SE as my work phone provided by my 133k-employee company. It does everything a work phone needs to do, except the the battery sucks and it's a little small to type on. The former was solved with a batter case, the latter with 3gen AirPods and Siri dictation.
I think they should have sucked up the $30 and kept it at $399. Being marginally over $400 might be a conscious tactic to push users to their higher end devices / get rid of the remaining 11's
I'll add that I predict the price WILL go down to 399 again when the IP14 gets released. Also reckon the 11 gets discontinued at the same time and the 12 takes its place.
Right, and in a couple of years people will complain about the outdated and ugly iPhone-12 design of the SE6.
Had the SE 1 and SE 2 before my current 12 mini. Will be selling the mini soon and getting the SE 3
Why? Touch ID + home button is a far better interface than the swipe and Face ID. Swiping sux. Touch ID works without requiring you to aim your phone at your face
Also the rounded corners with rounded edges are more hand and pocket friendly than the squared edges.
The better camera will be fine too. The 12 mini camera is great, but it's overkill for most people.
5G is marketing hype and nobody needs it. I keep it turned off on my 12.
When the SE 4 comes out with under-display Touch ID and bigger screen, I'll get that too.
It'll have improved battery life and camera too. ALL GOOD.
The only thing more would be a Mag-safe antenna for better signal in the boonies.
Why? Touch ID + home button is a far better interface than the swipe and Face ID. Swiping sux. Touch ID works without requiring you to aim your phone at your face
Also the rounded corners with rounded edges are more hand and pocket friendly than the squared edges.
The better camera will be fine too. The 12 mini camera is great, but it's overkill for most people.
5G is marketing hype and nobody needs it. I keep it turned off on my 12.
When the SE 4 comes out with under-display Touch ID and bigger screen, I'll get that too.
It'll have improved battery life and camera too. ALL GOOD.
The only thing more would be a Mag-safe antenna for better signal in the boonies.
LOL My 14yo has one of my old iPhone 5's. I'm not trusting him with something that costs US$500!
In the year or so that he's had it, he's lost it TWICE, and luckily for him, first time a customer at the mall handed it in to security, and second time a little old lady down the road saw it after it fell out of his school bag and kept it safe. He's also I suspect damaged the charging port as it's become pretty dodgy lately, so rarely charges properly. Not to mention he was using his small data allowance to hotspot to his school laptop late at night after he was meant to be asleep...
He will get my iPhone 8, or my wife's 8 Plus, with a new battery for $75 at some point this year when we upgrade... but - I'm not getting him a new iPhone any time soon. He'll be old enough to get a job soon, so he can save his own money for one if he so desires.
The SE is however a great phone for people like my mother, who at 75yo has adapted fairly well to using an iPhone, but doesn't need a huge display, nor the swathes of tech bundled into the newest and bestest.
And the SE may well suit me too, at 44yo, and not really caring if I have something with all the bangs and whistles.
(I mean... sure... you got $500 US to drop on your kid for something they'll likely lose, go for it. I don't.)
Tiny holding an eraser all day to prove she can be responsible enough to get a semi expensive smart phone...
Last edited:
