iPhone SE (2016) iPhone SE or 8 ?

[AMSOS]

How does portrait mode work on the new iPhone SE? My understanding was they needed two cameras - the scene would be cropped by shifting from the wider to the narrower lens for that portrait look.
The SE has only one camera. Is it going to do portraits by cropping?

Will it have night mode like the iPhone 11?

Does the SE have the same battery as the iPhone 8? Given the two gen difference in the processors, how much improvement should one expect?

So, all this means I should sell my SE back to them if I need a camera and battery upgrade? Anything else?

Thanks!

 

[Abazigal]

How does portrait mode work on the new iPhone SE? My understanding was they needed two cameras - the scene would be cropped by shifting from the wider to the narrower lens for that portrait look.
The SE has only one camera. Is it going to do portraits by cropping?

Will it have night mode like the iPhone 11?

Does the SE have the same battery as the iPhone 8? Given the two gen difference in the processors, how much improvement should one expect?

So, all this means I should sell my SE back to them if I need a camera and battery upgrade? Anything else?

Thanks!

Switch from Android to iPhone

It’s quick and easy to switch from Android to iPhone. Trade in your smartphone for credit. And transfer your stuff with a few taps.

www.apple.com

There's a page where you can compare both models.

You are basically getting a faster processor, a better battery (if yours is already 2+ years old), dual-sim, portrait photos and better download speeds?

Quite marginal overall, but at least all your cases should still fit.

 

[QCassidy352]

You are basically getting a faster processor, a better battery (if yours is already 2+ years old), dual-sim, portrait photos and better download speeds?

not just portrait photos, a much better camera overall. But yeah, not a huge upgrade for people who have the 8.

 

[henry72]

Portrait mode works like the iPhone XR/11 and no night mode which is a shame. I’d get the new SE unless the 8 is really cheap like half the price of the new SE?

 

[AMSOS]

Switch from Android to iPhone

It’s quick and easy to switch from Android to iPhone. Trade in your smartphone for credit. And transfer your stuff with a few taps.

www.apple.com

There's a page where you can compare both models.

You are basically getting a faster processor, a better battery (if yours is already 2+ years old), dual-sim, portrait photos and better download speeds?

Quite marginal overall, but at least all your cases should still fit.

Thanks. But there doesn't seem to be any info on night mode.
Better battery, yes. But how much of a difference is one really looking at?
If I sell to third party sellers, I am getting up to $250 which means I need to put in just $149 more to get a new one. So, it's tempting.
My use is basic, though I am increasingly turning to the camera for all kinds of pics. What about RAM? IP 8 is 2 GB. Does SE have 3 GB?
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Portrait mode works like the iPhone XR/11 and no night mode which is a shame. I’d get the new SE unless the 8 is really cheap like half the price of the new SE?

What a disappointment. With night mode I would have got the SE.
I already have a year old IP 8. I may get up to 250 for it. Which means I'll need to put in just $149 to get the SE.
But then other than the processor and longer iOS support, I don't see any obvious improvements.
I am quite unclear how exactly the SE camera is superior to the IP 8.

 

[Abazigal]

The SE reportedly has 3gb of ram according to a post in this forum.

When I said improved battery, Apple is citing the same battery life as before, but given that your iPhone 8 has gone through 2 years of charging, its health is likely not as good as before. Rather than spend the money on a battery swap (Apple stores are closed anyways), may as well put that money towards the SE and get all the aforementioned benefits as well.

 

[henry72]

Thanks. But there doesn't seem to be any info on night mode.
Better battery, yes. But how much of a difference is one really looking at?
If I sell to third party sellers, I am getting up to $250 which means I need to put in just $149 more to get a new one. So, it's tempting.
My use is basic, though I am increasingly turning to the camera for all kinds of pics. What about RAM? IP 8 is 2 GB. Does SE have 3 GB?
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What a disappointment. With night mode I would have got the SE.
I already have a year old IP 8. I may get up to 250 for it. Which means I'll need to put in just $149 to get the SE.
But then other than the processor and longer iOS support, I don't see any obvious improvements.
I am quite unclear how exactly the SE camera is superior to the IP 8.

Ok the iPhone 8 is still an awesome phone. What’s the battery health? I guess it comes down to the camera. Is it important to you? Do you want portrait mode?

$150 isn’t bad to get a new phone.

 

[AMSOS]

The SE reportedly has 3gb of ram according to a post in this forum.

When I said improved battery, Apple is citing the same battery life as before, but given that your iPhone 8 has gone through 2 years of charging, its health is likely not as good as before. Rather than spend the money on a battery swap (Apple stores are closed anyways), may as well put that money towards the SE and get all the aforementioned benefits as well.

That's an interesting way to look at it. I see your point, but then how much is a new battery replacement for the IP8 anyway? $50 at the most, I guess?

Incidentally, I got the IP8 refurbished a little over a year ago and have looked after the battery. Which means charging from 40-80% etc. The result is I still see battery health as 100%!

 

[oVerboost]

To answer, even though it does say on the comparison chart, there is no night mode on the new SE. But the camera is by Apple's own claim "The best single camera ever on an iPhone". It's still not 100% clear on the camera specs but advancements in Apple's computational photography combined with the A13 processor should see it be up there with the best in anything but night time photographs.

MKBHD on YouTube, who is a trusted source for many, has said he thinks it is going to be up there with the Pixel in a very close 2nd place. That's good enough for most for the money combined with everything else your going to get.

 

[AMSOS]

Ok the iPhone 8 is still an awesome phone. What’s the battery health? I guess it comes down to the camera. Is it important to you? Do you want portrait mode?

$150 isn’t bad to get a new phone.

I've really cared for the battery and after a little more than a year of light to slightly heavy use I still see the health as 100%

On the other hand, $150 is quite a reasonable amount to be getting a replacement phone. I mean I really like the form factor, have no plans of getting a bigger phone, and will be set for the next 3-4 years if I get the A13 processor.

I guess the deciding factor should be the camera. And here I think upgrading does not make sense. First, portrait mode is really not a big deal because it is just the software tricks and not a real lens that will provide a compressed "portrait" angle of view.

Then, the absence of night mode is deal breaker for someone with the IP8. I am assuming that in the day there will be a negligible difference between the IP8 and SE cameras.

What say?
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To answer, even though it does say on the comparison chart, there is no night mode on the new SE. But the camera is by Apple's own claim "The best single camera ever on an iPhone". It's still not 100% clear on the camera specs but advancements in Apple's computational photography combined with the A13 processor should see it be up there with the best in anything but night time photographs.

MKBHD on YouTube, who is a trusted source for many, has said he thinks it is going to be up there with the Pixel in a very close 2nd place. That's good enough for most for the money combined with everything else your going to get.

Oh, another interesting comment. Now, you have me swinging to the other end ha ha!
Yes, if I see a visible improvement in the night photography - even if not up to the IP11 Pro standards - I wouldn't find paying the extra money for the upgrade.
At that point the A13 processor and improved camera performance would make a solid enough justification for getting the SE, especially given the small amount of money I will have to pay.

On the other hand, I am very happy with the IP8, and had planned on using it for the next few years. How about I wait another 2 years for the next SE upgrade, which will hopefully be all screen with an inbuilt touch ID?

 

[JPack]

SE2 doesn't have Deep Fusion for daytime photos nor Night Mode. Those are the two biggest advances since iPhone 8.

Portrait Mode on SE2 only works with people, not any object.

The power efficiency gains from A11 to A13 were not great. This is reflected by the fact Apple indicates the same battery life as iPhone 8.

Keep your iPhone 8 and invest in a new battery if needed. The SE2 was intended for those currently using iPhone SE or iPhone 6.

 

[oVerboost]

Oh, another interesting comment. Now, you have me swinging to the other end ha ha!
Yes, if I see a visible improvement in the night photography - even if not up to the IP11 Pro standards - I wouldn't find paying the extra money for the upgrade.
At that point the A13 processor and improved camera performance would make a solid enough justification for getting the SE, especially given the small amount of money I will have to pay.

On the other hand, I am very happy with the IP8, and had planned on using it for the next few years. How about I wait another 2 years for the next SE upgrade, which will hopefully be all screen with an inbuilt touch ID?

Are you ordering from Apple? If so order it and you get 14 days to try it out, if you don't think it's worth the upgrade return it no questions asked as long as its not marked or damaged.

Remember you also get another year of warranty, and possibly longer updates than the 8 as well as better re-sale value. If the price to upgrade isn't much, and you can afford it I would personally go for it!

 

[AMSOS]

SE2 doesn't have Deep Fusion for daytime photos nor Night Mode. Those are the two biggest advances since iPhone 8.

Portrait Mode on SE2 only works with people, not any object.

The power efficiency gains from A11 to A13 were not great. This is reflected by the fact Apple indicates the same battery life as iPhone 8.

Keep your iPhone 8 and invest in a new battery if needed. The SE2 was intended for those currently using iPhone SE or iPhone 6.

Quite persuasive, I must say. The thing is IP8 should get only two more iOS updates now. iOS 15 should be the last one and will come in Sept 2021. Do you think the IP8 hardware will still work well for basic tasks at that point?

I do see your points, but I was thinking that if I get the A13 processor, I would be set for the next 3 years plus.

On the other hand, I am also curious to see where they go with the SE in the coming years. It's safe to assume there will be no update to this SE in March 2021, and we will see something in Mar 2022. I could make do with my IP8 till then.

What do you say?

Thanks

 

[JPack]

Quite persuasive, I must say. The thing is IP8 should get only two more iOS updates now. iOS 15 should be the last one and will come in Sept 2021. Do you think the IP8 hardware will still work well for basic tasks at that point?

I do see your points, but I was thinking that if I get the A13 processor, I would be set for the next 3 years plus.

On the other hand, I am also curious to see where they go with the SE in the coming years. It's safe to assume there will be no update to this SE in March 2021, and we will see something in Mar 2022. I could make do with my IP8 till then.

What do you say?

Thanks

The price of SE2 can only drop so I wouldn't hurry to buy if you don't need one. The SE2 Plus is expected to be a thin-bezel design. That's far more exciting to me than SE2.

 

[rui no onna]

The price of SE2 can only drop so I wouldn't hurry to buy if you don't need one. The SE2 Plus is expected to be a thin-bezel design. That's far more exciting to me than SE2.

At least in the US, there are already awesome deals for postpaid customers.

Walmart:
$199 64GB
$249 128GB
$349 256GB

This works for upgrades while most other deals require new line and/or trade-in so jumped on this one.
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Quite persuasive, I must say. The thing is IP8 should get only two more iOS updates now. iOS 15 should be the last one and will come in Sept 2021. Do you think the IP8 hardware will still work well for basic tasks at that point?

I do see your points, but I was thinking that if I get the A13 processor, I would be set for the next 3 years plus.

On the other hand, I am also curious to see where they go with the SE in the coming years. It's safe to assume there will be no update to this SE in March 2021, and we will see something in Mar 2022. I could make do with my IP8 till then.

What do you say?

The newly released basic iPad has the Apple A10 chipset. I think the A11 iPhone 8 will be more than fine for at least the next 3 years. The only issue is multitasking with just 2GB RAM and possibly battery.

As for the next SE, reckon it'll probably look like the 11 or 12 with notch and people will be complaining about the antiquated design when the new iPhones are completely notchless.

 

[AMSOS]

The price of SE2 can only drop so I wouldn't hurry to buy if you don't need one. The SE2 Plus is expected to be a thin-bezel design. That's far more exciting to me than SE2.

Come on. Why will they drop prices for an already cheap phone? Unless you mean they'll drop by next year?

And what's this SE2 + ?
Is that also proposed as an entry level phone? Specs? Cost?

 

[eric89074]

Quite persuasive, I must say. The thing is IP8 should get only two more iOS updates now. iOS 15 should be the last one and will come in Sept 2021. Do you think the IP8 hardware will still work well for basic tasks at that point?

I do see your points, but I was thinking that if I get the A13 processor, I would be set for the next 3 years plus.

On the other hand, I am also curious to see where they go with the SE in the coming years. It's safe to assume there will be no update to this SE in March 2021, and we will see something in Mar 2022. I could make do with my IP8 till then.

What do you say?

Thanks

iPhone 8 will get at least another 4 updates and probably more than that

At least in the US, there are already awesome deals for postpaid customers.

Walmart:
$199 64GB
$249 128GB
$349 256GB

This works for upgrades while most other deals require new line and/or trade-in so jumped on this one.
[automerge]1587174515[/automerge]

The newly released basic iPad has the Apple A10 chipset. I think the A11 iPhone 8 will be more than fine for at least the next 3 years. The only issue is multitasking with just 2GB RAM and possibly battery.

As for the next SE, reckon it'll probably look like the 11 or 12 with notch and people will be complaining about the antiquated design when the new iPhones are completely notchless.

If Apple releases a 5.4” high end iPhone that will probably be the size for the next SE.

 

[AMSOS]

At least in the US, there are already awesome deals for postpaid customers.

Walmart:
$199 64GB
$249 128GB
$349 256GB

This works for upgrades while most other deals require new line and/or trade-in so jumped on this one.

That's amazing. I don't have a plan and also prefer unlocked phones. But, I will keep an eye on this or other such deals. All seems a little desperate, doesn't it? Are they worried they won't sell enough phones?

The newly released basic iPad has the Apple A10 chipset. I think the A11 iPhone 8 will be more than fine for at least the next 3 years. The only issue is multitasking with just 2GB RAM and possibly battery.

As for the next SE, reckon it'll probably look like the 11 or 12 with notch and people will be complaining about the antiquated design when the new iPhones are completely notchless.

I had no idea! My friend has a IP7 and I was telling her to get the new SE. But now I am wondering! So, in your opinion IP7 should get iOS 15 in 2021? Maybe one more?

Yes, I know multitasking can be an issue, but I've those issues come up when opening multiple tabs with Safari. Otherwise, it's fine for my use.

So, can you confirm that the SE has 3 GB RAM? I don't see that spec anywhere...

 

[rui no onna]

I had no idea! My friend has a IP7 and I was telling her to get the new SE. But now I am wondering! So, in your opinion IP7 should get iOS 15 in 2021? Maybe one more?

Yep, I expect it to get at least iOS 15. Quite possibly 16 or later unless they cut off 2GB RAM devices earlier.

So, can you confirm that the SE has 3 GB RAM? I don't see that spec anywhere...

There's no confirmation yet but with the 2019 iPad 10.2 getting 3GB, I expect that will be minimum for the SE2. If we get lucky, it might even get 4GB same as the 11.

 

[JPack]

Come on. Why will they drop prices for an already cheap phone? Unless you mean they'll drop by next year?

And what's this SE2 + ?
Is that also proposed as an entry level phone? Specs? Cost?

See example from @rui no onna. You can expect plenty of carrier deals for the SE2.

The SE2 Plus is expected to be 5.5" or 6.1" with thin-bezels. No specs or cost. But it's expected to arrive late 2020 or 1H21.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I’d have to say SE as it’s essentially an updated iPhone 8. My wife’s iPhone 8 is less than 2 years old and on its last legs. Shuts down, freezes and the battery life is appalling.

 

[macintoshmac]

I’d have to say SE as it’s essentially an updated iPhone 8. My wife’s iPhone 8 is less than 2 years old and on its last legs. Shuts down, freezes and the battery life is appalling.

That is most likely due to a battery that needs replacing. Do that and the phone might surprise you. It is definitely not on its last legs just yet.

 

[tt061282]

The honest answer to this question is how badly do you “want” a new phone? You’ve said your iPhone 8 is still at 100% Battery Health. This means that it must be running great still. The A11 chip is no slouch. It still faster than A lot of SD chips. Compare the A11 to the SD 675 and I’d bet the A11 is faster.

We pretty much know that iOS 14 will support every device that supports iOS 13. With that being the case I would expect the iPhone 8 to get all the way thru iOS 16 and be dropped at iOS 17. That’s just observation, but it seems like it could be accurate.

I did get the new iPhone SE. I do also have iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X and an iPhone XR. However, the difference between the SE and 8 in terms of speed in the real world is negligible. The SE is faster but in real world it’s very negligible.

I do however believe the SE camera is much better than the iPhone 8. I believe it takes better photos than the iPhone X and right up there with the XR. I know the SE technically has the same sensor has the iPhone 8, but the photos to me are more crisp and less blown out. I just think even without night mode and Deep Fusion from the 11 series the iPhone SE still has a much better camera than iPhone 8. That’s my opinion...

The SE does has 1GB of RAM more than iPhone 8 as well. It’s really a toss up as to what you really want to do.

 

[macintoshmac]

The honest answer to this question is how badly do you “want” a new phone? You’ve said your iPhone 8 is still at 100% Battery Health. This means that it must be running great still. The A11 chip is no slouch. It still faster than A lot of SD chips. Compare the A11 to the SD 675 and I’d bet the A11 is faster.

We pretty much know that iOS 14 will support every device that supports iOS 13. With that being the case I would expect the iPhone 8 to get all the way thru iOS 16 and be dropped at iOS 17. That’s just observation, but it seems like it could be accurate.

I did get the new iPhone SE. I do also have iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X and an iPhone XR. However, the difference between the SE and 8 in terms of speed in the real world is negligible. The SE is faster but in real world it’s very negligible.

I do however believe the SE camera is much better than the iPhone 8. I believe it takes better photos than the iPhone X and right up there with the XR. I know the SE technically has the same sensor has the iPhone 8, but the photos to me are more crisp and less blown out. I just think even without night mode and Deep Fusion from the 11 series the iPhone SE still has a much better camera than iPhone 8. That’s my opinion...

The SE does has 1GB of RAM more than iPhone 8 as well. It’s really a toss up as to what you really want to do.

That additional gigabyte is a big help. Plus the dual-SIM capability. Battery life is same as 8, they say. Since you have a plethora of devices, what’s your take on battery life of an 8 and SE?

 

[tt061282]

That additional gigabyte is a big help. Plus the dual-SIM capability. Battery life is same as 8, they say. Since you have a plethora of devices, what’s your take on battery life of an 8 and SE?

Honestly, when compared to the iPhone 8 I find the SE to last up to an hour longer ... as far as SOT ... that’s with my battery health at 100% on both devices. The iPhone SE has a small battery. There is no way around it lol. I honestly wish the battery had been 2500 mah then the battery life would be immaculate. It’s still not that terrible though.