Iphone SE Cost

[techigramps]

Look I really like Apple products. Own a few Ipads in fact I just bought a new Ipad pro and really enjoy my MAC mini but I'm astounded at the interest in the Iphone SE for what it costs! I went to my local Apple store and looked at the SE and came away scratching my head. 400 bucks for a 16gb phone is out of the question and when you start evaluating the 64gb model for 500 bucks with a tiny low resolution screen I'm wondering do folks look past the Apple branding? Sure, it's got a decent CPU and it should have for 500 bucks but to do what on a 4 inch low resolution screen? Texting seems impossibly awkward unless you have the tiniest hands so whats am I missing? If this was an Android brand phone it would be 200 bucks?

 

[Newtons Apple]

Look I really like Apple products. Own a few Ipads in fact I just bought a new Ipad pro and really enjoy my MAC mini but I'm astounded at the interest in the Iphone SE for what it costs! I went to my local Apple store and looked at the SE and came away scratching my head. 400 bucks for a 16gb phone is out of the question and when you start evaluating the 64gb model for 500 bucks with a tiny low resolution screen I'm wondering do folks look past the Apple branding? Sure, it's got a decent CPU and it should have for 500 bucks but to do what on a 4 inch low resolution screen? Texting seems impossibly awkward unless you have the tiniest hands so whats am I missing? If this was an Android brand phone it would be 200 bucks?

You are looking at a 4" screened phone. It is going to be tiny! It is for the few who do not like larger phones. You need to look at the 6, 6S or 6S+ and bring $$$$$$.

Apple products cost more and if money is the most important thing then Apple might not be your brand.

 

[bufffilm]

A lot of people liked the 4" phone and were happy that Apple updated it after nearly 2 years.

Apple makes phones in 3 different sizes...buy the one which suits you.

 

[umbrokhan]

Iphone SE front camera should have been 5MP wide selfi camera. not 1.2MP. 1.2MP is to less for this day and age.
and the minimum storage should have been 32Gb.
Apple should know 16Gb is to less for 4K video. what are Apple thinking? Apple its 2016 not 2012.
Price is to high for a 16Gb model.

 

[Ugi]

Look I really like Apple products. Own a few Ipads in fact I just bought a new Ipad pro and really enjoy my MAC mini but I'm astounded at the interest in the Iphone SE for what it costs! I went to my local Apple store and looked at the SE and came away scratching my head. 400 bucks for a 16gb phone is out of the question and when you start evaluating the 64gb model for 500 bucks with a tiny low resolution screen I'm wondering do folks look past the Apple branding? Sure, it's got a decent CPU and it should have for 500 bucks but to do what on a 4 inch low resolution screen? Texting seems impossibly awkward unless you have the tiniest hands so whats am I missing? If this was an Android brand phone it would be 200 bucks?

This is what I started to think after I had returned my 6s plus. Using my old Galaxy s2 I noticed that my smartphone needs are astonishingly low.
I had ordered the se twice during the last few weeks and cancelled my orders some days later each time. I went to an electronics stores and realised how dull the iPhones are , especially the se. With the gained mental distance to the iPhones I realised how beautiful some android phones are. I bought the Samsung Galaxy a5 2016 edition two days ago and totally love the glass build and the vibrant full hd display. I miss the iOS smoothness though but using other launchers, the price tag of only 329€, customization and possibility to expand storage is really compensating small micro lags appearing sometimes. I might get the s7 when it gets cheaper in the future. Otherwise I might have found a phone to keep for at least 1-2 years. I Won't pay 700 € or more for any phone Ever again coz at the end of the day it's just a gadget, nothing more. I don't mind waiting a bit longer for an app to boot, if I can save 380€.
[doublepost=1463182475][/doublepost]Oh and battery life is impressive. I'm getting 6-9 hours of screen on time. Absolute great.

 

[Pjrufus]

A few months ago, I was thinking of buying a refurb 6 as a gift for a friend. Last month, saw that the price of the SE was actually much less than a 1 1/2 yr. old refurb model. I was thrilled (and so was my friend.)

Like anything else in life, you buy what suits your needs and budget.

 

[Tycho24]

You are DEFINITELY tripping.
It has almost the same specs as a 6S, so if we're comparing 64gb models that's $500 rather than $750... so $250 off for a slightly smaller screen, no 3D Touch & a slightly less impressive "selfie camera", but with an extra hour of battery life.
Seems quite reasonably priced to me.

 

[Channan]

The whole purpose of the iPhone SE is to offer a small iPhone to those who want a small iPhone. You're complaining about the screen being too small, but that's exactly what some of us want.

If you want a bigger iPhone, go buy an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus.

 

[bufffilm]

This is what I started to think after I had returned my 6s plus. Using my old Galaxy s2 I noticed that my smartphone needs are astonishingly low.
I had ordered the se twice during the last few weeks and cancelled my orders some days later each time. I went to an electronics stores and realised how dull the iPhones are , especially the se. With the gained mental distance to the iPhones I realised how beautiful some android phones are. I bought the Samsung Galaxy a5 2016 edition two days ago and totally love the glass build and the vibrant full hd display. I miss the iOS smoothness though but using other launchers, the price tag of only 329€, customization and possibility to expand storage is really compensating small micro lags appearing sometimes. I might get the s7 when it gets cheaper in the future. Otherwise I might have found a phone to keep for at least 1-2 years. I Won't pay 700 € or more for any phone Ever again coz at the end of the day it's just a gadget, nothing more. I don't mind waiting a bit longer for an app to boot, if I can save 380€.
[doublepost=1463182475][/doublepost]Oh and battery life is impressive. I'm getting 6-9 hours of screen on time. Absolute great.

I'm glad that you found an android phone that suits you for the price.

My experience with android though leaves me wanting.

My first taste of android was the tab pro 8.4 on Kitkat. Battery life s*cked big time and the overall experience was less than stellar. The idea of freezing unused apps and then uninstalling them, along with other things I needed to do just to get the tablet running decently just became somewhat onerous over time.

Second taste of android was the Motorola E on 5.1

Granted, not anywhere close to a flagship phone, but I don't have the interest to spend many hours to get the phone tweaked. Finding the best launcher, Adblocker, etc...just too much time and effort to spend. And just the thought that each tab opened w/Chrome was "its own instance" (and I tend to have about 40-50 windows open in my browser) and that those windows would now be managed thru the app switcher in addition to the other apps opened...it's more fiddling that I don't want to deal with anymore.

Android keeps getting better and better, but right now...Apple suits me.

The S7 is gorgeous though...in black onyx... why can't Apple make something that sexy?!

But in 2 years time, I may reevaluate and give Andoid another try. Especially if Apple doesn't produce an amoled display by then.

 

[Channan]

I'm glad that you found an android phone that suits you for the price.

My experience with android though leaves me wanting.

My first taste of android was the tab pro 8.4 on Kitkat. Battery life s*cked big time and the overall experience was less than stellar. The idea of freezing unused apps and then uninstalling them, along with other things I needed to do just to get the tablet running decently just became somewhat onerous over time.

Second taste of android was the Motorola E on 5.1

Granted, not anywhere close to a flagship phone, but I don't have the interest to spend many hours to get the phone tweaked. Finding the best launcher, Adblocker, etc...just too much time and effort to spend. And just the thought that each tab opened w/Chrome was "its own instance" (and I tend to have about 40-50 windows open in my browser) and that those windows would now be managed thru the app switcher in addition to the other apps opened...it's more fiddling that I don't want to deal with anymore.

Android keeps getting better and better, but right now...Apple suits me.

The S7 is gorgeous though...in black onyx... why can't Apple make something that sexy?!

But in 2 years time, I may reevaluate and give Andoid another try. Especially if Apple doesn't produce an amoled display by then.

I also have a Tab Pro 8.4 and I never thought the battery life sucked. Not nearly as good as the iPad, but I'd still get around 6-7 hours SOT. That's not awful to me.

You're not required to freeze unused apps. It's just an option Android allows that iOS doesn't. You also don't need to spend hours tweaking the phone. You could just run it like it comes, which is your only option on iOS. Then later, if and when you want to tweak something a certain way, you have that option.

Chrome tabs in task switcher was such an awful idea, which is why it's just being completely removed, but you always had the option to turn that off.

Just some things to consider if and when you want to try Android again. I've been using iOS for 8 years now and Android for 6, and most of the time I've felt like Apple was catching up to Android. Google needed to work out the smoothness and looks in Android (which they addressed long ago) and Apple still needs to add features, but overall I'm happy to use either OS on my main device.

 

[bufffilm]

I also have a Tab Pro 8.4 and I never thought the battery life sucked. Not nearly as good as the iPad, but I'd still get around 6-7 hours SOT. That's not awful to me.

The fact that the battery drops 4-5% every 24 hrs even when doing nothing but sleep, in my book...not something to write home about.

And with about 6.5 hrs SOT, and that's w/the wifi off...my ipad2 ran rings around the tab pro in stand-by time and SOT. With wifi on, the battery drops even quicker.

The one thing that I did like was the default keyboard. Why Apple doesn't have arrow keys on the iPad is nutty.

 

[dontwalkhand]

This is what I started to think after I had returned my 6s plus. Using my old Galaxy s2 I noticed that my smartphone needs are astonishingly low.
I had ordered the se twice during the last few weeks and cancelled my orders some days later each time. I went to an electronics stores and realised how dull the iPhones are , especially the se. With the gained mental distance to the iPhones I realised how beautiful some android phones are. I bought the Samsung Galaxy a5 2016 edition two days ago and totally love the glass build and the vibrant full hd display. I miss the iOS smoothness though but using other launchers, the price tag of only 329€, customization and possibility to expand storage is really compensating small micro lags appearing sometimes. I might get the s7 when it gets cheaper in the future. Otherwise I might have found a phone to keep for at least 1-2 years. I Won't pay 700 € or more for any phone Ever again coz at the end of the day it's just a gadget, nothing more. I don't mind waiting a bit longer for an app to boot, if I can save 380€.
[doublepost=1463182475][/doublepost]Oh and battery life is impressive. I'm getting 6-9 hours of screen on time. Absolute great.

Then you aren't the target market for flagship devices.

 

[Michael Goff]

Look I really like Apple products. Own a few Ipads in fact I just bought a new Ipad pro and really enjoy my MAC mini but I'm astounded at the interest in the Iphone SE for what it costs! I went to my local Apple store and looked at the SE and came away scratching my head. 400 bucks for a 16gb phone is out of the question and when you start evaluating the 64gb model for 500 bucks with a tiny low resolution screen I'm wondering do folks look past the Apple branding? Sure, it's got a decent CPU and it should have for 500 bucks but to do what on a 4 inch low resolution screen? Texting seems impossibly awkward unless you have the tiniest hands so whats am I missing? If this was an Android brand phone it would be 200 bucks?

No, there is no Android phone with a high end processor for 200$.

 

[Ugi]

Then you aren't the target market for flagship devices.

Might be but I realised this when I let the iPhone go. Sure having a flagship is certainly nice in dayly life, but most of the iPhone users I see in my environment don't need them either. But I don't care anymore, I'm currently really relieved to not bother about the iPhones screens issues or anything. I have a beautifully designed phone looking totally like a flagship but costing the half and being more than sufficient for my daily life right now. I've an iPad Air 2 for everything Else. If my mind changes I can still get another phone in the future.so that's not the problem.

I'm glad that you found an android phone that suits you for the price.

My experience with android though leaves me wanting.

My first taste of android was the tab pro 8.4 on Kitkat. Battery life s*cked big time and the overall experience was less than stellar. The idea of freezing unused apps and then uninstalling them, along with other things I needed to do just to get the tablet running decently just became somewhat onerous over time.

Second taste of android was the Motorola E on 5.1

Granted, not anywhere close to a flagship phone, but I don't have the interest to spend many hours to get the phone tweaked. Finding the best launcher, Adblocker, etc...just too much time and effort to spend. And just the thought that each tab opened w/Chrome was "its own instance" (and I tend to have about 40-50 windows open in my browser) and that those windows would now be managed thru the app switcher in addition to the other apps opened...it's more fiddling that I don't want to deal with anymore.

Android keeps getting better and better, but right now...Apple suits me.

The S7 is gorgeous though...in black onyx... why can't Apple make something that sexy?!

But in 2 years time, I may reevaluate and give Andoid another try. Especially if Apple doesn't produce an amoled display by then.

You might be right with the time customization take because I don't like the Samsung overlay at all. It took me like two days to have the phone how I like it. I have even made the phone to turn on the display when I receive notifications while the phone is locked just like in iOS.

Now I need to find a decent wallpaper

[doublepost=1463221208][/doublepost]I just wanT Samsung to deliver android 6, because I'd like to have the app authorisation management like in iOS and I hope for an speed burst with the update.

 

[bufffilm]

View attachment 631223

[

That looks pretty good! What launcher, etc is that? Finding a good wallpaper shouldn't be too hard.
.
.
.
For me, I was lucky to have news that a jail-break was released when I got my iPhone. With some JB tweaks added, I have the best of iOS with customizations.

 

[Ugi]

That looks pretty good! What launcher, etc is that? Finding a good wallpaper shouldn't be too hard.
.
.
.
For me, I was lucky to have news that a jail-break was released when I got my iPhone. With some JB tweaks added, I have the best of iOS with customizations.


View attachment 631226

Thx man. The launcher is nova launcher with the icon pack clix, both independently downloaded from the Google store.
You're lucky, I wasn't able to jailbreak during the time I had the 6s/+

 

[Armen]

Look I really like Apple products. Own a few Ipads in fact I just bought a new Ipad pro and really enjoy my MAC mini but I'm astounded at the interest in the Iphone SE for what it costs! I went to my local Apple store and looked at the SE and came away scratching my head. 400 bucks for a 16gb phone is out of the question and when you start evaluating the 64gb model for 500 bucks with a tiny low resolution screen I'm wondering do folks look past the Apple branding? Sure, it's got a decent CPU and it should have for 500 bucks but to do what on a 4 inch low resolution screen? Texting seems impossibly awkward unless you have the tiniest hands so whats am I missing? If this was an Android brand phone it would be 200 bucks?

It's insane that people are spending $400.00 on an iPhone in 2016 that has less hardware than last year's iPhone 6S (no force touch screen, no barometric pressure sensor) and comes in a smaller screen size with a new iPhone coming in only a few months.

iOS 10 is coming this year and I'm almost certain Apple will introduce a lot more force touch enabled features with it. my iPhone 6+ (which will be 3 years old) will not be able to take advance of those features and neither will the SE (current year release).

I guess some people are willing to sacrifice a lot just to have a small phone.

 

[Channan]

It's insane that people are spending $400.00 on an iPhone in 2016 that has less hardware than last year's iPhone 6S (no force touch screen, no barometric pressure sensor) and comes in a smaller screen size with a new iPhone coming in only a few months.

iOS 10 is coming this year and I'm almost certain Apple will introduce a lot more force touch enabled features with it. my iPhone 6+ (which will be 3 years old) will not be able to take advance of those features and neither will the SE (current year release).

I guess some people are willing to sacrifice a lot just to have a small phone.

I don't give two ***** about having a barometer in my phone. Also don't really care about 3D Touch. If and when Apple adds necessary 3D Touch features, I might consider upgrading to a phone that has it, but at the moment I just don't care about that either.

I paid $250 less for my iPhone SE and got a phone with a much better design (opinion obviously), one that's much easier to use one-handed, a Touch ID sensor that is still quick enough but allows me to wake my phone without always unlocking it, and I get better battery life.

What I sacrificed to get this phone doesn't really matter to me.

 

[bufffilm]

It's insane that people are spending $400.00 on an iPhone in 2016 that has less hardware than last year's iPhone 6S (no force touch screen, no barometric pressure sensor) and comes in a smaller screen size with a new iPhone coming in only a few months.

iOS 10 is coming this year and I'm almost certain Apple will introduce a lot more force touch enabled features with it. my iPhone 6+ (which will be 3 years old) will not be able to take advance of those features and neither will the SE (current year release).

I guess some people are willing to sacrifice a lot just to have a small phone.

You talk as if force touch is a game-changer.

I -NEVER- use it on my 6s.

It remains to be seen how widespread the support will be (beyond the apps that are Apple) and what features are offered when they do..

Being able to force-touch the weather app and seeing the weather of a different city isn't exactly a big deal. Heck, even force touching the Mail app and choosing New Message isn't really saving me many touches.

Most of the time, you are in the app and on the screen, so what can it really offer?

In other words, doing tasks from the home screen basically never happens. Most, if not all of the time, the home screen just transitions you to the app you want to launch. At least, that's what's its been like with all the iOS versions up to now.

We shall see if it really develops into something beyond basically, what I consider, a gimmick.

And don't overlook the fact that 3D Touch is absent from the iPad Pro line. Not a good harbinger if you ask me.

Are those users expected to upgrade yet again, to see those benefits...hard to see 3D Touch as anything but a gimmick, right now.

 

[jdiamond]

when you start evaluating the 64gb model for 500 bucks with a tiny low resolution screen

It's not low resolution. It's a retina screen with over 300 dpi. And there are a lot of people like me who need extensive one handed use of their phone, which is just about impossible with a 6/6S. Many times electronics that are smaller cost MORE than those that are larger, because you are paying for the portability of a small form factor. When I see people using their phones with 2 hands for the most trivial tasks it seems nightmarish to me - for that I use an iPad.

Basically, take the iPhone 5S, which is an awesome phone and was a huge hit, super-update it, then cut $250 off the price, and you have the SE. Just because you think a 4" phone isn't cool doesn't mean everyone does. If form factor didn't matter, everyone would carry around 6s+ phones, but form factor DOES matter. (BTW, I'm guessing in the past you weren't one of those people who paid $850 for an iPhone with a 3.5" screen.)

And BTW, don't price the 16GB models if you don't want 16GB. Compare the 64GB models instead. $500 for a *NEW* iPhone is insanely low - it's hard to find used iPhones that cheap. Compare it to a $1,300 iPad Pro and it's a real bargain...
[doublepost=1463324220][/doublepost]

It's not low resolution. It's a retina screen with over 300 dpi. And there are a lot of people like me who need extensive one handed use of their phone, which is just about impossible with a 6/6S. Many times electronics that are smaller cost MORE than those that are larger, because you are paying for the portability of a small form factor. When I see people using their phones with 2 hands for the most trivial tasks it seems nightmarish to me - for that I use an iPad.

Basically, take the iPhone 5S, which is an awesome phone and was a huge hit, super-update it, then cut $250 off the price, and you have the SE. Just because you think a 4" phone isn't cool doesn't mean everyone does. If form factor didn't matter, everyone would carry around 6s+ phones, but form factor DOES matter. (BTW, I'm guessing in the past you weren't one of those people who paid $850 for an iPhone with a 3.5" screen.)

And BTW, don't price the 16GB models if you don't want 16GB. Compare the 64GB models instead. $500 for a *NEW* iPhone is insanely low - it's hard to find used iPhones that cheap. Compare it to a $1,300 iPad Pro and it's a real bargain...

OK, that was really just rehashing what other posts have pointed out - that in the context of iPhones, the SE is a really good deal, not overpriced. But I think your real question was more saying "iPhones shouldn't cost this much." Well, we all know from BOM that Apple is only charging about 40% over the raw cost for the phone. So Apple isn't padding the prices much. (Except for flash, of course). So what you're really asking is should Apple drastically change the quality of their materials so they can make a similar profit selling iPhones for half the current price. Where the main draw would just be for people that have to use iOS software, so they need an iPhone instead of an Android phone. Well, I'm not sure I would want that, but some people would, and the entire concept of an SE phone is the first step Apple has ever taken in that direction (since the iPhone 5c that is.) The problem there is Apple will not stop making higher end, expensive phones, so people will always look at the low cost iPhones and say "yeah, but I want the GOOD one to be cheap".

 

[Armen]

You talk as if force touch is a game-changer.

I -NEVER- use it on my 6s.

It remains to be seen how widespread the support will be (beyond the apps that are Apple) and what features even are offered.

Being able to force-touch the weather app and seeing the weather of a different city isn't exactly a big deal. Heck, even force touching the Mail app and choosing New Message isn't really saving me many touches.

Most of the time, you are in the app and on the screen, so what can it really offer?

In other words, doing tasks from the home screen basically never happens. Most, if not all of the time, the home screen just transitions you to the app you want to launch. At least, that's what's been it's been like with all the iOS versions up to now.

We shall see if it really develops into something beyond basically, what I consider, a gimmick.

And don't overlook the fact that 3D Touch is absent from the iPad Pro line. Not a good harbinger if you ask me.

Are those users expected to upgrade yet again, to see those benefits...hard to see 3D Touch is anything but a gimmick, right now.

The smaller screen must really be important for you to give up 2 hardware features and not be able to run iOS 12 as well as the iPhone 7 which is also going to be released this year. If that's the case whatever floats your boat.

 

[bufffilm]

The smaller screen must really be important for you to give up 2 hardware features and not be able to run iOS 12 as well as the iPhone 7 which is also going to be released this year. If that's the case whatever floats your boat.

The SE will run iOS 12 just as competently as the 6s......just w/o the force touch, of course. And assuming Apple doesn't block it.

 

[umbrokhan]

The SE will run iOS 12 just as competently as the 6s......just w/o the force touch, of course. And assuming Apple doesn't block it.

time will tell.

 

[bufffilm]

time will tell.

I can tell you there will be many, many peeved people if it (the SE) doesn't!

 

[Armen]

The SE will run iOS 12 just as competently as the 6s......just w/o the force touch, of course. And assuming Apple doesn't block it.

Ok.

[doublepost=1463354789][/doublepost]

I can tell you there will be many, many peeved people if it (the SE) doesn't!

Apple is not going to do anything about that. They want you to buy a new iPhone .