iPhone 7 upgrade with new iPhone SE or used iPhone 12 or 13?

[beta2k]

My girlfriend has an upcoming birthday and I want to buy her something useful. Some friends suggsted an Apple Watch but I don't see the features being useful to her.

So, in 2020 she bought a used iPhone 7 which still works fine, but an upgrade wouldn't hurt (and the occasion of the birthday is a good one).

Therefore, I see several options:

• buy a new iPhone SE (2022)
• buy a used iPhone 12
• buy a used iPhone 13

Each of these options is around the 500$ mark (EDIT: actually the iPhone 13 is a bit pricier, so I'd opt for the iPhone 12 except there is something really bad about the 12), so that's the budget limit. I am just wondering if there are any hard pro/cons for any of the alternatives. Bear in mind that she is currently used to the iPhone 7. So using an SE might feel like a downgrad? Not sure.

 

[mmkerc]

In my experience the difference between the phones are minimal and only "noticed" if the user is using it for photographs, or videos. There are other differences but less noticeable (i.e. battery life, screen resolution, etc). Given this I would get the 13. Although you mentioned the price point which I am assume if for the same amount of memory I would go with the iPhone with the most memory if there is a difference.

Lastly regarding the iWatch, I struggle to describe a useful or "killer" feature, but I find that it just makes things easier. I am more likely to notice a call or message in silent mode, the health and fitness features I use constantly. There are many other little things that makes the watch a great gift.

 

[SalisburySam]

We made the transition from an iPhone7 to an iPhone13mini last year, and love the differences: new battery, longer battery life per charge, much faster interface, and so on. The SE could be a good replacement also at lower cost. I’d skip the iPhone12 at this point. Our carrier is offering the 12 at the exact same price as the 13…makes no sense but there it is. So no savings for the older phone which seems to have issues that have been resolved in the 13. Do a search and see lots of threads on this. You can also likely get away with minimal RAM coming from the iPhone7 which had much less than the 13.

Good luck and happy birthday to the GF.

 

[Pointillism]

I suppose one thing to consider is how they feel about Touch ID vs. Face ID. If they're already used to and like the iPhone 7's Touch ID then the SE might be a better choice.

 

[beta2k]

Good point. She has an ipad with Face ID though. so that shouldn't be a problem.