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iPhone SE and the missing barometer

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blinkie

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Sep 7, 2007
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It's rankling with me that the barometer is missing from the SE. When I think of going cycling, sailing or hillwalking the size of the 6 phones is total overkill. I'd feel ridiculous carrying a phablet around the wilderness. But I do find having a smartphone in my pocket to be invaluable if I'm lost or want to rework a route. The SE was shaping up to be a perfect little phone for this, the perfect adventure phone. GPS and GLONASS (which my current 4 doesn't have). But no barometer! Apple you were so close to making this perfect.


Still considering it though. :confused:
 
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GPS can do altitude but barometer helps with weather, oncoming storm etc.
 
mattopotamus said:
How would this affect you if you are lost, but still have GPS?
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The combination of gps and barometer makes the the location more accurate. GPS is very good for determining location on a flat plane. GLONASS is even better. But when you start to introduce hight into the equation a barometer helps with the accuracy.
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1Zach1 said:
I don't see how it being missing would be an issue for your use case.
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More of a niggle than an issue.
 
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blinkie said:
The combination of gps and barometer makes the the location more accurate. GPS is very good for determining location on a flat plan. GLONASS is even better. But when you start to introduce hight into the equation a barometer helps with the accuracy.
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More of a niggle than an issue.
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It doesn't make your location more accurate, it makes your elevation more accurate, specifically indoors. I don't think you are going to have accuracy issues outside using global positioning on the SE.
 
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1Zach1 said:
It doesn't make your location more accurate, it makes your elevation more accurate, specifically indoors. I don't think you are going to have accuracy issues outside using global positioning on the SE.
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GPS accuracy is something like plus or minus 7 meters. GLONASS is more like 3 meters. Both are worse when it comes to height. (Unless you stand still for a very long time and allow the satellites to move about you). Now, imagine traversing a slope in bad weather, when you know there is a cliff up ahead. A scenario I often find myself in. Those few meters of inaccuracy can quickly become very important. Having a barometer help with the location would be useful. But. As I said, it's a niggle, not a big deal.
 
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Barometers measure changes in atmospheric pressure. Generally, the higher you are above sea level the lower the atmospheric pressure. Want to know how high you've climbed, whether a weather change is coming, or whether it's a good time to fish? Use a barometer. It's silly that Apple somehow left it out. It's keeping me from making what should be an easy decision.
 
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RC Mike said:
Barometers measure changes in atmospheric pressure. Generally, the higher you are above sea level the lower the atmospheric pressure. Want to know how high you've climbed, whether a weather change is coming, or whether it's a good time to fish? Use a barometer. It's silly that Apple somehow left it out. It's keeping me from making what should be an easy decision.
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Agreed. How much could it have saved them by not implementing it?
 
I though the barometer was built into the M8 and M9 chips? Are you sure it's been omitted from the M9 in the SE?
 
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kiranmk2 said:
I though the barometer was built into the M8 and M9 chips? Are you sure it's been omitted from the M9 in the SE?
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According to Apple's own specs page, it has been omitted. Which means that the A9/M9 is altered and not the exact one from the 6S.
 
zombiecakes said:
if you need accuracy down to the meter because you will fall off a cliff then maybe you should get a professional GPS device and not use a phone, I would not trust an iphone regardless of it having a baromoter or not
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It's odd that the professional GPS's have lagged behind the smartphones in terms of accuracy (not reception, which I don't have a problem with). It was years after smartphones included GLONASS that it became remotely affordable in the sort of treking and hiking units Garmin ect make.

It's not something I 'need' nor is it necessary, I just would have used it. And it's causing me some minor frustration that Apple omitted it.
 
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Q-Dog said:
Which iphones have a barometer? and what is it used for?
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I think all the 6's have a barometer. It's used for tracking your location more accurately. For the heath apps to help measure your activity. And for the mapping apps to help with accuracy.
 
Z3man said:
What does the barometer do?
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For the phone it measures elevation, so for instance it will track the number of floors you climbed, or how much you hiked (elevation wise).

I'm a bit bummed over the exclusion of the barometer myself, but I've reconciled the omission with the fact, I have not looked at any elevation type data on my 6 plus, so I don't think I'll miss it
 
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maflynn said:
For the phone it measures elevation
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It doesn't measure elevation. It does measure atmospheric pressure. Changes in elevation can often be assumed from changes in pressure, but the atmosphere is fluid. Where you're sitting right now, the pressure is different than it was yesterday, or a moment ago. Your elevation, if you're in the same place, is constant.
 
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