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iPhone SE: What a little beast!
- Thread starter Populus
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Part of the improved the battery is the efficiency of the A9 Processor/Co-Processor.
Likewise, TSMC chip, 64gb and rose gold!!
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It wasn't too small before the 6 came out!?! Nor when it had the 3.5 inch screen from 2007 to 2011.
<---- iPhone 3 thru all the models to the 6 Plus.
Then Blackberry Classic to BB Passport. Both of which I liked but there were certain apps I just needed.
So ..... Samsung S5. Good phone and Marshmallow is fine.
But my purchase of a Macbook made me think long and hard again about an iPhone, what with Continuity and Handoff and so on.
Playing with them in store, along with price, made me go with the SE. Very fast and I love that.
Then Blackberry Classic to BB Passport. Both of which I liked but there were certain apps I just needed.
So ..... Samsung S5. Good phone and Marshmallow is fine.
But my purchase of a Macbook made me think long and hard again about an iPhone, what with Continuity and Handoff and so on.
Playing with them in store, along with price, made me go with the SE. Very fast and I love that.
Well, it's been more than half a year since I bought this little phone, my main and only smartphone, the iPhone SE.
Now I can state that my purchase was the best I could have done. One man handed use is wonderful, camera is great, iOS 10, I'm loving it. I can take my phone while on the go, on the city, and I don't have to stop doing other things. Recently I purchased a year of iTunes Match, and along with Spotify, I've got all my music with me. A very, very handy phone, with an impressive battery life (10 hours of usage, iOS 10.2)
The only thing I think could improve my experience are the AirPods, but I'm not sure about its sound quality.
Now I can state that my purchase was the best I could have done. One man handed use is wonderful, camera is great, iOS 10, I'm loving it. I can take my phone while on the go, on the city, and I don't have to stop doing other things. Recently I purchased a year of iTunes Match, and along with Spotify, I've got all my music with me. A very, very handy phone, with an impressive battery life (10 hours of usage, iOS 10.2)
The only thing I think could improve my experience are the AirPods, but I'm not sure about its sound quality.
I just upgraded a couple people (sister, stepmother) to the SE (32GB) from their now flakey 5c and 5. The 5 of which had a bulging battery.
Definite steps up. Expect longer support from now than the 6 which is also available on some prepaid services. And at just over $200 each, good price.
This eliminates the pressure on me to just hand down my current 7+ to one of them this fall, and buy the "8". Saving me money.
Definite steps up. Expect longer support from now than the 6 which is also available on some prepaid services. And at just over $200 each, good price.
This eliminates the pressure on me to just hand down my current 7+ to one of them this fall, and buy the "8". Saving me money.
How would you compare the Samsung S5's camera to the iPhone SE? I'm deciding between the two myself.
I’ve had mine for over a year. I use the Apple leather case-which gives it a little extra grip and very little extra bulk. Those can be had on eBay for 10 bucks, so I swap th,em out when they get dirty.
To me, it’s perfect. The iOS 11 Beta seems to shorten the battery life, but that’ll likely be addressed before the actual rollout of 11.
I’ve had every size iPhone, and this is my favorite. The screen isn’t near the quality of the 7/7 Plus, but that’s not a problem. It’s still a great screen.
Also, you’ll love the AirPods-totally seamless, and the sound quality is really good. If you’re an audiophile, I doubt they’d impress you-however, my experience with them has made them necessary in my life
I do not own an SE, but after spending some time with one last Friday, most of my worries about eventually shifting to that size phone again are gone. Love the weight, the screen (easier to read) and it's a fast phone. I regret not buying one in March, but that just means I will enjoy it even more when it comes time to retire the 7+.
Great review, thanks! How do you find the experience with the "normal" EarPods (the one included with the device)? Thank you
@peterpayne pretty good. You know what? I've been using Earpods for a long time, like 4-5 years, so I can't compare... They don't sound like headphones on ear or over the ear, obviously, but the sound is pretty good, and the controls are very convenient.
If the AirPods (you know, the wireless ones) have like a 20% more quality, 20% more bass, and 20% more volume, I'd buy them. But I haven't tried them yet. But yeah, EarPods are OK.
If the AirPods (you know, the wireless ones) have like a 20% more quality, 20% more bass, and 20% more volume, I'd buy them. But I haven't tried them yet. But yeah, EarPods are OK.
Is it worth upgrading from iPhone 5S to iPhone SE, due to battery usage and performance or just replace the battery on 5S and save money for what's coming next?
@pandi.ruvina Ok, I'll give you my opinion, but that's only that, my personal opinion as someone who has used a bit the 5S of my cousin, and use regularly an SE.
Performance-wise, it's not worth it, honestly. The 5S is a pretty fast smartphone, and yes the SE is faster, but mainly due to the apps of multitasking being hold in RAM, so the second time you launch them in the SE, they pop in instantly, and you are where you was before leaving the app. But this, as I said, is the good thing of having 2GB of RAM in iOS 10, a system that only requires 1GB to run. You're left with 600-700MB of free RAM in order to store all the apps you're using. So, in a certain way, it IS faster, but I don't know to what extent is worth selling your 5S and purchasing the SE.
If you plan to upgrade to newer OS, well, the SE is going to have a much larger lifespan. I've seen a video in youtube of iOS 11 running in a 5S and it runs pretty well, but surely it will lag more than a A9 powered 6S or SE (they are almost the same machine). And, forget about ARKit compatibility in the iPhone 5s, because ARKit is only available for A9, A10 and newer SoC.
Battery-wise, I think the SE is worth it. But maybe is just because I have a TSMC A9 system on chip. Or because I turn on battery saving mode each time it runs below the 20% of the battery. Or because I'm on iOS 10.2, and haven't upgraded to 10.3.3 yet. But I DO have an extraordinary battery-life of 10-11 hours of usage. The 5S is, I think, over 6-7 hours of usage.
I don't know, it is up to you, and if you get a good deal with the iPhone SE, well, it is a better smartphone, so it could be worth it.
Man, i've been asking this question to many many forums, asking even friends who currently have SE, but this one, this your "personal opinion", gave me everything and the most decisive answer! Thank you for sharing it with me, and thank you for your time!
Speaking as someone who replaced the battery on my iPhone 4 after the 5 was released and before upgrading to the 5S (and I now own an SE)...
If you're hesitant about what might be introduced this fall, I'd strongly consider a new battery -- or live with your 5 being plugged in more often.
Then, if you like the size of the 5/5S/SE enough (like I did) and Apple drops the SE from the lineup (God forbid), hurry and snap up one of the final SEs, and keep it for a few years for as long as the OS supports it.
(fwiw: my iPhone path has been 3G -> 4 -> 5S -> SE. I skipped several iterations and never wanted a big chassis)
Funny thing about the keyboard. I'm faster and more accurate on the smaller phone.
It probably depends on what you pay for the SE. I just upgraded 2 people to the SE (a 5c, and a 5). Performance improvement. Enhanced LTE bands. Better camera.
I was able to buy these for around $200. One didn't need to be unlocked since the user moved to GoPhone along with it. The other was a cricket that to unlock I had to buy $60 worth of coverage. Still considerably cheaper than the $400 Apple price.
If the additional bands don't give you benefit on your carrier, and you can't get it for $200, then the replacement battery would be a cheaper option.
I stick with the SE because trying to maneuver the big ones would be too much like trying to pocket a ping-pong paddle.
I'm already excited for iPhone SE2 next year.
The iPhone SE and the AirPods are far and away my two favorite Apple things in the last 5-6 years
The iPhone SE and the AirPods are far and away my two favorite Apple things in the last 5-6 years
Apple drops the SE from the lineup (God forbid), i wish not! Don't know man! 5S is doing pretty fine on iOS 10 for performance, except for the battery, so i'm thinking only to replace the battery and maybe just wait what will come for the next launch, if really disappoints me, I will switch to an SE 128 gb.
Just got a great deal on the SE and I think it's awesome... Always loved the form factor of the 5 for easily carrying around anywhere... My habits are such that I use the iPhone for most daily uses, then iPad for evening reading, surfing, streaming movies... I carry the iPad to the office, and in suitcase on trips... . I don't know that I would be happy carrying around a big phone all day long, the smaller powerful SE that i can control in one hand works best for me for that purpose.. .. And I don' t know that I would be happy reading news, watching videos, with the smaller screen of the 6+ or 7 in the evenings compared to the iPad .... So the smaller SE for everyday use and IPad for more casual evening use or movies works for me. I haven,t even thought about using the pro for more work-related tasks, but am thinking about it ... That's another story altogether, but for me, small powerful everyday SE and larger iPad combo works best...
I think Apple should consider bringing out a small iPhone in the future it's obvious there is a good market for it as not everybody like myself want to have a large smartphone anymore.
I think the iPhone Mini same design & inner workings as the 7S but on a smaller scale with a screen increase to say 4.2" @ 750p would still be tiny but very powerful.
I think the iPhone Mini same design & inner workings as the 7S but on a smaller scale with a screen increase to say 4.2" @ 750p would still be tiny but very powerful.
That's an understatement.
The iPhone SE has a 3 generations newer processor... and twice the RAM !!!
It's a beast of a phone. I'm sure they appreciate the upgrade!
My mother-in-law's iPhone 5 just got killed after being doused by water. My wife wanted to get her an iPhone 6 for the bigger size, but it turns out the inexpensive refurbished ones had scratches and were 16 GB. (The MIL doesn't have a big budget. Actually, her budget was only for a used 5S, but we are bumping her up with some extra funds as a gift.) So I finally convinced my wife to let her go with an SE, which makes me happier as an Apple geek, because it comes with A9 and 2 GB RAM. What convinced her was the fact that people are reporting the iPhone 6 is quite laggy on iOS 11.
Ordered a carrier locked gold 32 GB SE for CAD$395 (US$306). Unfortunately, in Canada a new SE is $579 (US$450).
I figure the iPhone SE is good for at least 2 more iOS generations, maybe even 3. I think it will work out this way:
iPhone 5S last OS: iOS 11.x (2018)
iPhone 6 last OS: iOS 12.x (2019)
iPhone 6s last OS: iOS 13.x or 14.x (2020 or 2021)
iPhone SE last OS: iOS 13.x or 14.x (2020 or 2021)
But just as importantly, even if the SE doesn't get iOS 14.x, I suspect the iPhone SE will run iOS 13 better than the iPhone 6 runs iOS 12. Doubling the RAM is a huge jump.
Any hopes of an improved iPhone SE this year? I haven't heard any rumors, but if the 8 is too expensive or i'm just not really impressed then I wouldn't mind getting an SE. I have had my 6 Plus for three years and i'm wanting to go back to a smaller phone.