iPhone SE (2020) iPhone SE 2020 Replacement

[Tekguy0]

I have an iPhone SE 2020 model that I think will be reaching a critical point for replacement/repair need soon. The battery is about to dip below 80% life (which is bad considering the already short battery life of the 2020 SE) The rest of the phone is fine, but I know I am missing out in terms of camera, 5G, and battery life. I also know that the value of my 2020 SE, which is in perfect condition except for battery usage, will continue to decline. Even at 80% battery capacity, it just declines over the course of the day when I'm not even using it.

I have been considering:
-replacing the battery at Apple ($79)
-new iPhone SE ($429+case)
-refurbished iPhone from Apple Refurb Store ($?)
-other options y'all recommend?

My priorities for a new or refurbished phone are:
-5G support
-Battery life
-Camera (telephoto zoom lens would be nice, I don't really care for the ultra-wide angle lens)
I prefer the mini/SE size.

What do you all recommend/what would you do if you were in my shoes? Thanks in advance.

 

[MacPeasant123]

I'm in a similar situation. Given your priorities, would you consider an iPhone 13 mini, which has 5G, and is the size you said you prefer

 

[NoBoMac]

Was in a similar situation (battery getting close to replacement time) and got the 13 Mini.

Size and FaceID were the priorities. Since odds are that 13M will no longer be sold by Apple after September, no new SE for foreseeable future and it will be 6.1”, time to strike was now.

Really happy with it. The SE now feels huge when compared to Mini.

 

[webkit]

I think you may be a good candidate for a 12 or 13 mini. Apple offers certified refurbished minis for as little as $439 which are about as close to new as you can get. They don't appear to have any available right now, however.

There is also the option of going with a new 13 mini for more money. There may be carrier "deals" worth looking into as well.

 

[Andeddu]

If you’re happy with the phone, replace the battery and continue using it for a further 2 years. The SE 2020 is still a very competent phone in 2023 so you aren’t really missing anything by not upgrading.

 

[FeliApple]

Since battery life is your main issue, I wouldn’t replace the battery and I wouldn’t upgrade to the 3rd-gen SE. I agree with the other comments, I think upgrading to the 13 Mini is the best course of action.

 

[Tekguy0]

I like the mini series. What advantages does the 13 mini have over the 12 mini?

 

[Splitrail]

I like the mini series. What advantages does the 13 mini have over the 12 mini?

Battery is better, brighter screen, faster processor...........
Do a comparison between the two on Apples website.l

 

[Tekguy0]

Battery is better, brighter screen, faster processor...........
Do a comparison between the two on Apples website.l

Thanks. I think I will try and snag a 13 mini when they come up on the Apple refurb store.

 

[Splitrail]

Thanks. I think I will try and snag a 13 mini when they come up on the Apple refurb store.

I wanted a 13 Mini badly until I compared the screen size to the 13 Pro in person.
I have old eyes.
Got the Pro instead.

 

[arw]

I like the mini series. What advantages does the 13 mini have over the 12 mini?

I'm very happy I cancelled my 12 mini order in favor of the 13 mini:
- Better camera (sensor-shift optical image stabilization; Smart HDR 4 vs. Smart HDR 3)
- Higher PWM backlight refresh rate (510 vs. 250 Hz)
- Brighter screen (851 vs. 623 cd/m²)
- Smaller notch
- Larger battery (2.406 mAh vs. 2.226 mAh)
- More recent chipset so one future iOS update more (A15 Bionic vs. A14 Bionic)
- More efficient (idle 0,57 vs. 0,62 W)
- Higher performance (4.559 vs. 4.201 in Geekbench 5.4)

EDIT: Also having an SE 2020, the 13 mini's battery life is much better and the camera's night mode is just insane.
Performance feels exactly the same but Face ID and the larger display are great.
PM me if you want a direct comparison of something specific.

 

[ish4y]

13 mini or the SE 2022. 12 mini sucks.

 

[Andeddu]

13 mini or the SE 2022. 12 mini sucks.

I agree with the 13 Mini. Why is the 12 Mini worse than the SE 2022 though? Both have equally poor battery life but the 12 Mini is overall a superior phone. I used a MagSafe battery pack with the 12 Mini which is very convenient and added close to a full charge to the phone.

 

[tsupersonic]

I upgraded to the 13 after 3 years with the SE 2020. What an upgrade! FaceID is much better, the size is just perfect, 5G is nice, and best of all - battery is excellent. The SE 2020 is an awful phone- with my use case, I had to charge it twice a day and that’s when I got the phone new. It became charge 3x a day at the end (84% battery health).

 

[Dr_Charles_Forbin]

Going through this right now... or should I say my wife is. She has an SE 2020 that's been having intermittent problems making/recieving calls. Took it to Best Buy, passed Mobile Resource Inspector. She's to the point of replacing but she's debating between the SE3 and the 13 mini. Opinions??

 

[redcarlsen]

I have an iPhone SE 2020 model that I think will be reaching a critical point for replacement/repair need soon. The battery is about to dip below 80% life (which is bad considering the already short battery life of the 2020 SE) The rest of the phone is fine, but I know I am missing out in terms of camera, 5G, and battery life. I also know that the value of my 2020 SE, which is in perfect condition except for battery usage, will continue to decline. Even at 80% battery capacity, it just declines over the course of the day when I'm not even using it.

I have been considering:
-replacing the battery at Apple ($79)
-new iPhone SE ($429+case)
-refurbished iPhone from Apple Refurb Store ($?)
-other options y'all recommend?

My priorities for a new or refurbished phone are:
-5G support
-Battery life
-Camera (telephoto zoom lens would be nice, I don't really care for the ultra-wide angle lens)
I prefer the mini/SE size.

What do you all recommend/what would you do if you were in my shoes? Thanks in advance.

I'm with you on the camera thing. I use my telephoto all the time, and don't think I'm taken a single ultra-wide shot on my phone.
I hate that apple only puts the telephoto on their most expensive model. it's just another of their many slimy upselling techniques. which I why I have android phone with a telephoto camera.

 

[Dr_Charles_Forbin]

No one had ever accused Apple of generosity in favor of the customer. It looks like the problem with my wife’s phone is intermittent and they should see it in the diagnostic logs but since when they test it it, it works, I’m screwed.