iPhone 6, 6s, & 7 vs. iPhone SE: Should You Upgrade?

[MacBH928]

*Apple makes huge upgrades
Macrumors: Apple is evil, they use planned obsolescence

*Apple makes product last a long time
Macrumors: My iphone 7 is as good as day 1, I am not upgrading.

 

[philip_t]

A better question to ask is, if the battery on your 6, 6S, 7 or 8 needs to be replaced then the answer is Yes. If not you can hold off a little longer. Or even any physical damage effecting usability.

Battery replaced on my iPhone 6s a few months ago - cost £25 (at a shoe repair store) with 12 month warranty. Interestingly local Apple approved store would not replace battery because my phone was "not flat" - so saved £35 on their price (and they got no upsell). I might consider SE once 6s loses iOS support - or I might consider Android. Apple still living off past glories and failing to adjust to economic realities.

 

[NickName99]

iPhone 8 users for sure do NOT need to upgrade. Get real

If I still had an iPhone 8 I'd be tempted to get an SE for the camera/video updates. It would be cool to get portrait mode, 2nd gen smart HDR, extended dynamic range 4k 30fps video and stereo recording. It's looking like it takes way better photos all around than the 8, better photos than the XR, on par with the 11 in decent light.

 

[ian87w]

The thing is, iOS 13 still works fine even on the 6s. The only thing here is the aging battery on these older iPhones, especially the 6s since it has such tiny battery. I would say majority of people simply will upgrade because of that. I doubt lay users would notice significant performance improvements over the iPhone 7 or 8.

The new SE is definitely a good move from Apple, providing a fresh upgrade path for those users not looking for fancy features. $399 definitely will entice people to upgrade.

IPhone 5/5s/6 users definitely need to upgrade. Lucky for them, with the new SE out, prices of iPhone 7 and 8 would definitely drop, giving them even cheaper options.
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Battery replaced on my iPhone 6s a few months ago - cost £25 (at a shoe repair store) with 12 month warranty. Interestingly local Apple approved store would not replace battery because my phone was "not flat" - so saved £35 on their price (and they got no upsell). I might consider SE once 6s loses iOS support - or I might consider Android. Apple still living off past glories and failing to adjust to economic realities.

What economic realities did Apple fail to adjust to?
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*Apple makes huge upgrades
Macrumors: Apple is evil, they use planned obsolescence

*Apple makes product last a long time
Macrumors: My iphone 7 is as good as day 1, I am not upgrading.

Apple make a flagship phone: overpriced.

Apple make a cheap phone with latest internal: old and dated, no different than iPhone 6

 

[osta.doc]

Still waiting for my new SE to get here. I would love to have the 52mm f2.0 lens in it from the 11 Pro, but, that’s not going to happen.

It is sad that we can’t get that lens without buying a heavier, more expensive device.

 

[azentropy]

I’ve had my SE less than 24 hours but it is everything I thought it would be. It feels like a faster 8 with better camera system which I’m perfectly happy with that. I won’t get into the debate on the old design etc. other than say I prefer the old design - it just "feels" and works better for me as I'm primarily a one handed operator.

I wanted to upgrade from my 8 for a few reasons:
- Wanted the additional band 71 that T-Mobile uses (still need to do more testing to see if improves some dead areas around where I live).
- Battery was now at 90% and is starting get noticeable.
- A few months back my screen on my 8 broke. Apple would not just do the screen replacement because they said the frame was slightly bent (which probably caused it to break in the first place). So they wanted me to do the $349 replacement. I decided not to do that because rumors of the $399 9/SE were already swirling. Instead I replaced the screen myself however found it to be an inferior screen as it looks like there aren’t any 3rd party screens that support True Tone. Autobrightness didn’t work, 3D Touch doesn’t work and the view angles and ability to see the screen outdoors is inferior.
- Figured this is going to be the last and longest supported version of the design I like.

If my 8 was perfect I wouldn’t have upgraded and instead would have waited to see what the rumored 5.4” iPhone 12 ends up being and I still might end up getting that if it does end up being smaller/lighter than the SE.

One thing I’ve noticed about the speed is not just that it seems quicker, but it has made my Apple Watch 5 seem quicker as well!

 

[segfaultdotorg]

I have a 6S and use a £4 wireless adaptor that sits under my case...it works flawlessly.
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I looked at those, but I'd have to unplug it in order to connect a wired charger, use CarPlay / USB, etc.

 

[kittycat40]

The article over looked what for me would be the best selling point of the new SE: a 256GB flash option. But losing the headphone jack would be a royal pain. I've tried dozens of those 3rd party "charge + headphone" lightning adapters, and none of them work that well or last long.

Apple Air Pods are a great solution for that issue.
Glad that the headphone jack is gone from iPhone SE 2020.

Yeah the iPhone SE from 2016 originally launched with 16GB or 32GB options. Then in Fall 2017 Apple started offering the iPhone SE 2016 edition with double the storage with 64GB and 128GB options.

Now the iPhone SE 2020 edition takes things to news heights with the A13 chip, WiFi 6, Gigabyte class LTE, better camera, Express card with power reserve, NFC, Wireless charging, Stereo speakers, Dual sim (ESIM), and 3GB of Ram etc. Nevertheless ,it’s great Apple offers the SE 2020 edition in 64GB,128GB, and 256GB options.

 

[mi7chy]

Only upgrade from iPhone 6S if Apple forces you to do so by stopping bundled core iOS app vulnerability fixes otherwise you're losing high-fidelity low-latency 3.5mm jack and paying $399+ for pretty much the same thing.

 

[stinkhorn9]

“IPhone 5/5s/6 users definitely need to upgrade. Lucky for them, with the new SE out, prices of iPhone 7 and 8 would definitely drop, giving them even cheaper options.”

I have a 5 - yes, I’d have pre-ordered in a heartbeat if that was all I had.

I also have a 6 - it’s a world apart, and still good enough for me to be stalling...

I realise I’m probably quite a ‘light’ user...

 

[nordique]

If you're using any of those phones, you should upgrade.

7 may be good for another year, but the original SE, 6, and 6s are likely going to be left behind with iOS 14.

There was a report that SE/6s may get iOS 14

6 has already been left behind (it doesn't support iOS 13)



I would not be surprised if the 6s and SE got iOS 14, as the 5s supported 6 iterations of iOS software updates, and these A9 models have the same RAM and similar performance to the A10 and A11 for UI and most apps. Long gone are the days of iPhone 4 on iOS 7 or iPhone 4S on iOS 9 when typing a simple text would be a test of patience

The A9 devices run perfectly fine on iOS 13 - its more a question of do people want to upgrade because the have some money to spend, or are they feeling some practical aspect is affecting their day to day use i.e. the battery is a concern (the main recurrent complaint with the 6s for example, even with good battery health)

We will know in a month's time if iOS 14 will support the A9 devices or not; if they do not then this narrative changes but I think it is more likely that the SE/6s will support as many iOS updates as the 7 unless Apple wants to drop support. They have a similar performance profile and the 2GB of LPDDR4 ram at the same frequency goes a long way for iOS task support and functions.

One of the reasons the 6 was dropped at the same time as the 5s was because they had similar hardware from a CPU/GPU performance perspective, and most importantly the exact same type and frequency of 1GB LPDDR3 ram.
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If you have an iPhone 6,6S,SE 2016, 7, or even iPhone 8 than you should upgrade to the SE 2020.

No brainer for iPhone 6-8 users to upgrade to new SE who can't let go Touch ID. The Face ID is superior tech but for many, Touch ID has become so convenient that they would not like to let it go. Best part is better Spec with low price.

Why is it a no-brianer for iPhone 6 to 8 users? Why should you?

Upgrading from the iPhone 8 to iPhone SE 2020 is a very different experience from upgrading an iPhone 6 to the iPhone SE 2020, despite the hardware looking similar on the outside.

I think there's a spectrum of experiences that leads someone to upgrade, not everyone with a 6 will upgrade to an SE, and some people with an 8 will upgrade to an SE, but it makes more sense for more people with the 6 to upgrade to it than people who just picked up an 8 several months ago.

The experience offered by the SE is not a significant improvement over the 8, the way it is over the 6.

 

[stinkhorn9]

And this is what everyone is saying - but can you explain how the se experience will be so much better than the 6 experience?

 

[nordique]

I have the 6S now. Still works well overall. However on a day when I use the phone a lot the battery will not last all day. Plus the lightning port seems finicky now. If I wiggle the plug in the port the phone switches between charging and not charging. I do pick out the duct that can collect in the ports. A new SE would be nice but I would rather an XS or 11 Pro. Those are just a touch bigger than the 6S or new SE size iPhones and it has the bigger screen. Does it make any sense to get a used XS? The SE has nice specs but the design is getting tiring and boring.

The XS will offer a nice battery improvement over the 6s, but you're going form one subpar battery experience to another similarly subpar experience (relatively speaking)...if you really want a nice battery improvement consider the 11 series of devices or just hold on until this fall with the new phones and reevaluate the battery experience then. That extra 3-6 SoT offered by the 11 series over the 6s makes huge different throughout the day.

I loved the 6s, one of my favourite iPhones of all time, and I think its one of the best smartphones made in the last decade. I have an 11 Pro now and its a significant leap in user experience due to the battery life, much more improved over the X/XS, plus all the other improvements you get over the 4 years of iterative updates to the flagships.

The current Pro lineup will most likely be dropped in the fall, as has been the case with the XS/X lines, and this fall they will also be cheaper/carriers will be discounting them to move them out in place of the new models.

If the SE is not a device for you right now, then at this point in time, just wait until the fall. If battery if your main concern, the SE may not be enough of an upgrade over the 6s in that department. The performance gap between the A9 and A13 is not significant for stock apps, for example comparing opening messages and typing a text on the 6s is more or less the same as it is on the 11 Pro, or opening the phone app and making a call, or checking your email.

 

[nordique]

if at how cheap the iPhone SE 2020 edition is priced at?

I mean if someone has a 6,6s,7,8 they can use the trade in credit to further reduce the cost of this iPhone from $399 to much less. It is a steal in my view.

Are they a "steal" though? Like if your iPhone 6s works perfectly fine, the trade in only counts on the 399+ tax, and it's 80$ off that...

...Wouldn't getting an iPhone 6s for 80$ that does 95% of everything the new SE does at significantly less than 400$ be considered more of a steal?

In Canada, it's 599 + tax (~660$ give or take) and trading in the 6s here gives you 50$ (!!) off (here Apple also takes credit off the final price, not before). So you're spending 610$ for what exactly that the 6s was not giving you?

I mean if you're spending 50$/month on your phone bill, and you are getting the SE for 100$ net upgrade with no extra fees (incl connection fee), and only a renewal of the 2 yr contract or a 2 yr contract that ends up being the same as your Month-to-month, and you don't have to spend any more or upgrade your plan, and you're going to be with that carrier for the next 2 years any ways, then that same 50$ trade in makes more sense - then you're getting a solid value for an extra 50$ + tax

(But I have not seen any plans like that up here, not even on my corporate plan)


If anything, for me I would rather take the 50$ iPhone 6s than the 600$ iPhone SE for what both give you - that's arguably more of a steal
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why?

Just get on the apple upgrade program.

Done and Done

Some people like to own their phones though. That's a monthly fee for what is essentially a rental service - doesn't make it bad, just not for everyone

It is good for some people, but not for everyone
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I have my trusty 6S (battery replaced last year) with it's headphone socket and an 11 Pro. For most things that I do there is no noticeable performance difference between the two. Benchmark graphs often look dramatic but in the real world it is anything but.

This has been my experience as well
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Anyone with an iPhone 6S or older have a great opportunity for a significant upgrade and a great price-point. If I was rocking an iPhone 7, I would probably hold onto it until 2021 and an iPhone 8 should work great for a few years yet.

Let's see what Apple has in store for the 2021 iPhones.

What significant upgrades are you getting going from a 6s to the new SE?

Keep in mind, we're talking about significant upgrades

 

[oschrenk]

One of the things that got me excited (as an iPhone 6s owner) was the addition of NFC enabling me to do Apple Pay and fun NFC home automation via Shortcuts.

 

[nordique]

And this is what everyone is saying - but can you explain how the se experience will be so much better than the 6 experience?

Exactly - you can't really say why it is "so much better"

That depends on the user, for example if you're opening texts and using it to make phone calls, or watching youtube videos, your SE experience will not really be any different. True tone or P3 gamut or a solid state home button or wireless charging don't really change that.

But if you're someone who is at recurrent risk of water damage to their 6 or takes tons of portrait style pictures, or you need iOS 13 for work or for your app support or something for example, then arguably your SE experience may then be "better" - you can now use your supported app if its that important or you can take all those dozens of portrait pictures per day that you never could before, or you no longer need to risk water damage the same way

But even then you'd have to ask is it worth the price difference for you? It's one thing for a YouTuber to say "yeah, duh upgrade!" while they're making enough money to buy every single colour of every single new iPhone that comes out and depend on people clicking and watching their videos, but for most people it really only depends on their needs and wants, and if they can afford it and deem it to be a worthy expense. At the end of the day it's your money.
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One of the things that got me excited (as an iPhone 6s owner) was the addition of NFC enabling me to do Apple Pay and fun NFC home automation via Shortcuts.

The 6s supports Apple Pay and has NFC though?

 

[stinkhorn9]

Exactly - you can't really say why it is "so much better"

That depends on the user, for example if you're opening texts and using it to make phone calls, or watching youtube videos, your SE experience will not really be any different. True tone or P3 gamut or a solid state home button or wireless charging don't really change that.

But if you're someone who is at recurrent risk of water damage to their 6 or takes tons of portrait style pictures, or you need iOS 13 for work or for your app support or something for example, then arguably your SE experience may then be "better" - you can now use your supported app if its that important or you can take all those dozens of portrait pictures per day that you never could before, or you no longer need to risk water damage the same way

But even then you'd have to ask is it worth the price difference for you? It's one thing for a YouTuber to say "yeah, duh upgrade!" while they're making enough money to buy every single colour of every single new iPhone that comes out and depend on people clicking and watching their videos, but for most people it really only depends on their needs and wants, and if they can afford it and deem it to be a worthy expense. At the end of the day it's your money.
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Thank you Nordique- I appreciate the considered opinion 🙂

 

[Eorlas]

why would you share a screenshot of a performance graph without indicating what the numbers mean?

im assuming that's for multi & single core performance benchmarks.

 

[I7guy]

Exactly - you can't really say why it is "so much better"

That depends on the user, for example if you're opening texts and using it to make phone calls, or watching youtube videos, your SE experience will not really be any different. True tone or P3 gamut or a solid state home button or wireless charging don't really change that...

You’re alluding to the intangibles. When I updated my 6s to an Xs max my user experience changed dramatically. Part was speed, display, new features, camera and others. Especially YouTube videos.

 

[iTurbo]

I have an iPhone 7 that I bought the day it launched. It still works perfectly and always has, even on iOS 13.4.1. It never feels like it's slowed down, and the battery is still at 81% (battery health).

I don't see any reason to spend that much money to upgrade. I will hold out upgrading phones until 5G is firmly established in my local area.

 

[BornAgainApple]

Yeah sorry I and many other people aren't going to upgrade their phones considering it meets all basic functionality. I have an iPhone 7 that runs with zero lag or delay. I see zero reason to upgrade. When the batteries dies, I'll upgrade the battery first. Macrumors also does a lot of paid promotion of products, and biased coverage of Apple products in return for favorable treatment by Apple - so obviously it's going to push for a new phone when people's iPhone 6s and 7 are plenty fast for many more years.
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Just replace your battery and also use low battery mode.
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No thanks.

I would also add that to further extend battery life, put your phone in airplane mode when you have solid WiFi (like at home) and use WiFi calling instead of the cell network. I don’t care how close you are to a cell tower, using two modems will always drain the battery quicker.

 

[Craig5355]

Yes, just ordered 2 and expecting them from Verizon around 5-1. Upgraded from the 6s. If you are eligible for an upgrade, check it out, as they have a great deal on the SE.

 

[QCassidy352]

What significant upgrades are you getting going from a 6s to the new SE?

Keep in mind, we're talking about significant upgrades

"Significant" is a subjective word, so whether any particular upgrade is "significant" to a particular user will depend on how that person uses his or her phone. That said: the performance and camera improvements are both massive. The water resistance and dual-SIM will be a great help to some though maybe useless to others. And battery life is measurably longer, even if the 6s has a brand new battery.
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I have an iPhone 7 that I bought the day it launched. It still works perfectly and always has, even on iOS 13.4.1. It never feels like it's slowed down, and the battery is still at 81% (battery health).

I don't see any reason to spend that much money to upgrade. I will hold out upgrading phones until 5G is firmly established in my local area.

Curious about your experience with that battery because the battery on my 7 is at 87%, and it basically can't make it through the day with normal usage anymore.

 

[bigpoppamac31]

A used XS would be a fantastic upgrade for you. They’re going for like $450 used, just be really careful about who you buy it from - you don’t want a locked one, a stolen one, a financed one, or one that’s had the screen replaced by a 3rd party shop and therefore doesn’t have TrueTone working anymore.

The swipe UI is awesome, FaceID is awesome unless you’re wearing a mask, the taller screen is really fun. The XS has the same extended dynamic range 4K 30fps video feature as the new SE. The SE has a better standard wide camera, but the XS is still decent. The processor speed difference is negligible.

Well a used XS here in Canada goes for around $800 or more depending on how much storage it has.

 

[Victor Mortimer]

I see no reason to downgrade to this. I've got a 6s+, and Apple still hasn't put.the headphone jack back on anything newer.

At least this has a home button. That makes it far better than the rest of Apple's current phones.