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iPhone SE (2016) iPhone SE is too fast! What’s the catch?

S

s54

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Original poster
Sep 25, 2012
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With 12.1, my SE is so darn fast, it literally feels like a brand new release from Apple.

I don’t get it. Like, it’s lightening fast. I don’t see the need for a new phone.

Switching between screens and overall navigation and typing and everything else is so incredibly smooth, I am in total disbelief.

I compared it to the new XS in the store and, believe it or not, my SE felt faster. I kid you not. Maybe the store model had more crap loaded, which made it feel slower. I dunno. I did side by side swipes between screens and notifications and my SE was quicker. I am not exaggerating.

I’m not saying the SE is a faster phone. I’m saying that it truly felt quicker.

Anybody else feel their SE performance is out of this world, considering that it’s a 4 year old design?
 
I’m also mentioning RAM management is really good for how old the iPhone SE is. Apple encourages people to keep their iPhone longer to cut down on waste. Maybe that’s why their goal was to speed up older devices.
 
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I have a 6s with the same processor and RAM and I agree that it is fast. I compared it to both an 8 and X in the store and the speed at which apps open as well as general movement around the OS is not noticeably different. The new phones are certainly capable of more, but if you're not a user of apps/games that require the extra power it's not something you would notice in day to day activities. The 6s/SE should work well for a while especially if you're able to keep it on IOS 12.
 
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The catch is that older devices get very poor battery life on iOS 12.
 
aakshey said:
The catch is that older devices get very poor battery life on iOS 12.
Click to expand...

Wrong. Mine improved in IOS 12. You're a very negative poster when it comes to tech that wasn't produced in 2018 or doesn't fit your high standards. Maybe instead of spreading misinformation/crappy opinions, you should keep quiet occasionally. Your opinions are usually not shared by others and have been downright insulting in threads. (Xr is for poor people for example). Maybe it's just time you kept quiet.
 
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I have the 6S, and I reconsidered from upgrading to the XR after installing iOS 12. The 6S wasn’t a slouch with iOS 11, but it feels like a brand new phone with iOS 12. All because Apple tweaked the OS’ scheduler. Even my iPad mini 2, which became a slow dog under iOS 11, got some rejuvenation with iOS 12.

Next thing I would advise you to do is to get your SE’s battery replaced before the end of the year while the promo price is still in effect. This will give extra longevity to your SE.

iOS 12 shows that Apple can actually optimize iOS for older devices if they want to. I just hope this won’t be a temporary thing. I don’t want iOS 13 suddenly turn my 6S into a crawl just because of some heavy handed requirement (eg. requiring HEVC hardware encoder for smooth performance ).

Here’s to the amazing A9 chip (and 2GB if RAM). Hope it can last a few more years before being retired.
 
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Upgraded from my SE recently but the performance improvements were instantly noticeable after iOS 12. Was really impressed.
 
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s54 said:
With 12.1, my SE is so darn fast, it literally feels like a brand new release from Apple.

I don’t get it. Like, it’s lightening fast. I don’t see the need for a new phone.

Switching between screens and overall navigation and typing and everything else is so incredibly smooth, I am in total disbelief.

I compared it to the new XS in the store and, believe it or not, my SE felt faster. I kid you not. Maybe the store model had more crap loaded, which made it feel slower. I dunno. I did side by side swipes between screens and notifications and my SE was quicker. I am not exaggerating.

I’m not saying the SE is a faster phone. I’m saying that it truly felt quicker.

Anybody else feel their SE performance is out of this world, considering that it’s a 4 year old design?
Click to expand...

Nothing gives, Apple just finally concentrated on clearing all the crud out of iOS, fianally. And it flys on older iPhones, but it also shows how powerful Apples A chips have been and still are!
[doublepost=1541196624][/doublepost]
pika2000 said:
I have the 6S, and I reconsidered from upgrading to the XR after installing iOS 12. The 6S wasn’t a slouch with iOS 11, but it feels like a brand new phone with iOS 12. All because Apple tweaked the OS’ scheduler. Even my iPad mini 2, which became a slow dog under iOS 11, got some rejuvenation with iOS 12.

Next thing I would advise you to do is to get your SE’s battery replaced before the end of the year while the promo price is still in effect. This will give extra longevity to your SE.

iOS 12 shows that Apple can actually optimize iOS for older devices if they want to. I just hope this won’t be a temporary thing. I don’t want iOS 13 suddenly turn my 6S into a crawl just because of some heavy handed requirement (eg. requiring HEVC hardware encoder for smooth performance ).

Here’s to the amazing A9 chip (and 2GB if RAM). Hope it can last a few more years before being retired.
Click to expand...

I’d second the battery swap if you want to keep an SE, take it whilst you can. Then make damn sure you read up on how any new iOS release runs on the SE before upgrading.

I’ve moved up to the XR but am sad small phones are dying out. The XS I think are little too big to be called small now, Sony kinda still makes one, and that seems to be it now the SE is no longer in production.
 
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bambooshots said:
What’s the catch?

You can’t get them from Apple anymore.
Click to expand...

This can actually be a benefit though. I decided to get one after they stopped offering it and got a great deal on eBay. No taxes as well, lol...got it activated through my cellular provider for free. Saved a ton of money compared to if I did a regular upgrade/purchase a few months ago.
 
The catch is, you get enjoy a device with 60% screen to body ratio while the rest of the world has moved to 80% or better.
 
Newtons Apple said:
I am not so sure about that.

They also like to sell new phone.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about that any more. They are reducing the emphasis on units in their sales figures, to overall values instead.

So they appear to be selling fewer phones at higher prices, which still shows a growth in revenue. And they also intend to increase revenue from other streams such as services (iCloud being an obvious example).
 
Battery life has taken a big hit for the fast performance, my battery Health is at 88% after having this for 2.5 years but it feels lower than that charging it through out the day to keep it going.
 
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