iPhone SE vs Budget phone

[FilipeTeixeira]

My old smartphone decided to die, so I'm currently searching for something new and I seem to get a bit stuck between an iPhone SE (around 450 euros) and a Motorola Moto E (90 euros).

I usually use my cellphone for calls and texts, and occasionally for facebook or Instagram. More importantly when I travel and I need to check something on a wifi, it comes handy to check my mails. But aside of that I still rely on my Fuji camera for photography and videos, and so on.

The question here is if you guys believe that it's worth it, (longevity, thoughness, etc...) to go for an iPhone or a budget phone will do? I don't mind to invest on something which will last at least for 5 years, but to have a smartphone which will only last 2 years like the last one I had (motorola) then I'm not really keen on spending a lot of money.

Thanks for your opinions

 

[dj1891]

The SE will last the distance and will get updates. The Moto E won't in fact Motorola have said it won't get any further updates. The SE has a decent camera and battery life. It's no contest really get the SE

 

[Retired Cat]

The SE will last the distance and will get updates. The Moto E won't in fact Motorola have said it won't get any further updates.

Because the Moto E no longer receives updates, I advise people to stay away from it no matter how low the price.

Lack of updates means no security patches, which leaves the phone open to malware.

 

[FilipeTeixeira]

Because the Moto E no longer receives updates, I advise people to stay away from it no matter how low the price.

Lack of updates means no security patches, which leaves the phone open to malware.

Makes sense, but on the other hand I don't browse much, and I don't have many apps as well. Maps.me, mail and I guess that's it.
I have for example a 2 year old Moto G, which still works, if it wasn't for one of the buttons to break. Actually it came off the logicboard, and I would have to pay around 40 euros to fix it. That's basically my point with durability and longevity.

 

[QCassidy352]

I love my SE, but for your very limited use case, I'd go with a budget phone at 1/4 the price. Not necessarily the Moto E if it no longer gets updates, but there are lots of good budget/mid range phones that will easily handle the tasks you want.

 

[JustJoshua]

Se is a great budget phone that will most likely be around for a while. If we ever get a new Se we can only hope 32gb is the base amount of storage. There are a lot of less expensive options for your list of needs I would look at first if I were the OP.

 

[sunking101]

You can always put internet security software on any Android phone, so security updates (which most don't get anyway) aren't such a dealbreaker. With your usage pattern there is no need to splurge on an iPhone IMO.

 

[Channan]

My old smartphone decided to die, so I'm currently searching for something new and I seem to get a bit stuck between an iPhone SE (around 450 euros) and a Motorola Moto E (90 euros).

I usually use my cellphone for calls and texts, and occasionally for facebook or Instagram. More importantly when I travel and I need to check something on a wifi, it comes handy to check my mails. But aside of that I still rely on my Fuji camera for photography and videos, and so on.

The question here is if you guys believe that it's worth it, (longevity, thoughness, etc...) to go for an iPhone or a budget phone will do? I don't mind to invest on something which will last at least for 5 years, but to have a smartphone which will only last 2 years like the last one I had (motorola) then I'm not really keen on spending a lot of money.

Thanks for your opinions

If you need it to last 5 years, the Moto E isn't going to cut it.

BUT, the iPhone SE is 5x more expensive, so you could buy a Moto E-priced phone every year for the next 5 years and you wouldn't need it to last as long.

 

[Retired Cat]

If you need it to last 5 years, the Moto E isn't going to cut it.

BUT, the iPhone SE is 5x more expensive, so you could buy a Moto E-priced phone every year for the next 5 years and you wouldn't need it to last as long.

I discourage people from buying lots of disposable mobile phones. That's just adding to pollution and putting more junk in landfills.

Better for everyone IMO to buy a quality product that will last longer and be more pleasant to use.

 

[FilipeTeixeira]

If you need it to last 5 years, the Moto E isn't going to cut it.

BUT, the iPhone SE is 5x more expensive, so you could buy a Moto E-priced phone every year for the next 5 years and you wouldn't need it to last as long.

I discourage people from buying lots of disposable mobile phones. That's just adding to pollution and putting more junk in landfills.

Better for everyone IMO to buy a quality product that will last longer and be more pleasant to use.

I have to agree with Retired Cat here (btw awesome name ). Sometimes I feel like an hoarder as I don't like to throw away stuff.

Actually now I have the change of buying an extremely cheap iPhone 5s as they have a massive discount where I live. Only 300 euros and they are brand new. From what I saw so far online, there isn't much difference if you're only browsing and doing basic stuff. Or am I wrong here?

And btw, thank you to all the replies so far, it's always great to get some constructive feedback from others.

 

[Channan]

I discourage people from buying lots of disposable mobile phones. That's just adding to pollution and putting more junk in landfills.

Better for everyone IMO to buy a quality product that will last longer and be more pleasant to use.

I didn't tell him to buy a new phone every year. I'm saying it's a possibility without being any more expensive. If he buys a phone and it performs badly after a year, he can get a new one. By making any phone last longer than a year, he'd actually save money.

And what do you mean disposable? A phone that's used for an entire year is not a disposable phone.

 

[AustinIllini]

If you're comparing the SE to any phone, compare it to the middle-premium market.

I would recommend a OnePlus 3 or OnePlus 3T over iPhone SE.

 

[Retired Cat]

I have to agree with Retired Cat here (btw awesome name ). Sometimes I feel like an hoarder as I don't like to throw away stuff.

Actually now I have the change of buying an extremely cheap iPhone 5s as they have a massive discount where I live. Only 300 euros and they are brand new. From what I saw so far online, there isn't much difference if you're only browsing and doing basic stuff. Or am I wrong here?

And btw, thank you to all the replies so far, it's always great to get some constructive feedback from others.

Thanks!

The 5s is still a good phone. 64-bit support and same amount of RAM as the 6 and 6+ should assure it a few more years of software support, though there is no guarantee.

 

[mpavilion]

Actually now I have the change of buying an extremely cheap iPhone 5s as they have a massive discount where I live. Only 300 euros and they are brand new.

300 Euros for how many GB?

 

[sunking101]

Thanks!

The 5s is still a good phone. 64-bit support and same amount of RAM as the 6 and 6+ should assure it a few more years of software support, though there is no guarantee.

Although it's worth noting that the i6 and 6+
had insufficient RAM...
I wouldn't buy a 5S now, not new anyway. I'd go SE or 6S, otherwise Android. This is all subjective though isn't it. We all have different requirements from a phone.

 

[Tech_User]

I saved a few hundred and got a 128GB OnePlus 3T. Nice device. Enjoy all the options and customization. Like having the freedom to root and flash things if I want. More than likely I will not though.