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is iPhone SE worthy for long term use?

K

kuranyi13

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 22, 2016
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Kedah, Malaysia.
I currently using an android 4,3" phone for 3 years
And now im thinking about change to iPhone,the problem is,is the iPhone SE worth for 3-4 years? (im a loyal phone owner and dont spend money easily lol)
And, Is it worth to use a 4" phone for that long time?
Or should I go for 6s?
 
kuranyi13 said:
I currently using an android 4,3" phone for 3 years
And now im thinking about change to iPhone,the problem is,is the iPhone SE worth for 3-4 years? (im a loyal phone owner and dont spend money easily lol)
And, Is it worth to use a 4" phone for that long time?
Or should I go for 6s?
Click to expand...

The SE will be updated for at least 4 years from now, just like the 6s. You should go to a store to compare the sizes of the two phones. If you can spend the extra bucks, I would advise the 6s because of the larger screen, higher resolution display, force touch and better front camera. For someone with average sized hands, it's still perfectly usable with one hand too.
 
Size is a preference, personally I love the 4" size and want to go back to it. The SE should work fine for years if you want it to, although like any phone newer software may start to big it down after a few years.
 
Go to a Apple or bestbuy store and try both the SE and the 6s. Especially try the FFC on the 6s as that may be important if you take many selfies.

The SE will be supported for a good long while...have no fear. One thing about Apple, they support all their phones way better than Android, esp. if your phone was an older model.
 
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Before the 6, people were using this form factor for many years and in fact had hung onto their 5s wanting a smaller phone, so to answer your question. Yes, I believe its something that will be viable for years to come - provided that form factor fits your needs as it stands now.
 
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AintDutchNotMuch said:
The SE will be updated for at least 4 years from now, just like the 6s. You should go to a store to compare the sizes of the two phones. If you can spend the extra bucks, I would advise the 6s because of the larger screen, higher resolution display, force touch and better front camera. For someone with average sized hands, it's still perfectly usable with one hand too.
Click to expand...

mrkramer said:
Size is a preference, personally I love the 4" size and want to go back to it. The SE should work fine for years if you want it to, although like any phone newer software may start to big it down after a few years.
Click to expand...

bufffilm said:
Go to a Apple or bestbuy store and try both the SE and the 6s. Especially try the FFC on the 6s as that may be important if you take many selfies.

The SE will be supported for a good long while...have no fear. One thing about Apple, they support all their phones way better than Android, esp. if you phone was an older model.
Click to expand...

maflynn said:
Before the 6, people were using this form factor for many years and in fact had hung onto their 5s wanting a smaller phone, so to answer your question. Yes, I believe its something that will be viable for years to come - provided that form factor fits your needs as it stands now.
Click to expand...

thanks for the thoughts
do y'all think the large smartphone trend will continue for years?
 
maflynn said:
Before the 6, people were using this form factor for many years and in fact had hung onto their 5s wanting a smaller phone, so to answer your question. Yes, I believe its something that will be viable for years to come - provided that form factor fits your needs as it stands now.
Click to expand...
My wifey is using my old 5s, acquired nov 2013. She still is happy with it.
 
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kuranyi13 said:
I currently using an android 4,3" phone for 3 years
And now im thinking about change to iPhone,the problem is,is the iPhone SE worth for 3-4 years? (im a loyal phone owner and dont spend money easily lol)
And, Is it worth to use a 4" phone for that long time?
Or should I go for 6s?
Click to expand...
Just my personal experience…

I own an iPhone 5. That's the model of iPhone that the SE is based off of. Between the iPhone 5 and the iPhone SE Apple also released the iPhone 5s.

My iPhone 5 is still going strong and I got it on launch day 2012. If you factor in the advance in tech since 2012 this may give you a good idea as to how long the iPhone SE will last.
 
Yes, the SE is a viable phone and will be supported for years to come. Phone size is strictly a preference, what is more important to you, screen size or pocketability? For me it is the latter. I currently own a 5s and will replace it in time with an SE, and the only reason I am doing so is that I will buy the 64g size to replace my 16g 5s iphone.
 
As someone who uses 3D Touch a lot, then absolutely not. But if you don't use it and don't mind having a design from 2 generations ago, then yes.
 
The SE *should* be supported as long as the 6s line. After all, it's the same CPU and same 2GB RAM as those devices, and the only real day-to-day interactions functionally different being 3D Touch.

Personally, I love 3D Touch (best thing ever for moving the cursor when typing, for one thing). As long as Apple doesn't forcibly obsolete the SE early, it really should work with every OS unless.... Apple forces 3D Touch as an integral part of the OS where it's 100% necessary or you can't use the device!
 
It's an overpowered phone with a low resolution screen, it should have no problems for years to come. Had Apple went cheap and gave it an a8 processor, I'd think differently.
 
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As an Android user you may want to try 3-D touch out in the store, as I think it's a feature that will give you some similarity to what people seem used to in Android. Also the size of the 6S might be less of an adjustment for you. It's about the same size as a Samsung S7.

If you're not interested in 3-D touch then the SE is a really nice iPhone. It's what I chose as my daily driver and put my 6S Plus aside for. It is just so easy for me to carry. But some people find the 6S easy to carry, too. I'm a short female so pocket size is limited.

If you wear polarized sunglasses a lot, the 6S screen is better for you. You can still see am SE screen but it looks a bit strange through polarized sunglasses. I notice this most when driving and using the iPhone as a GPS.
 
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I went from 4s to SE just this month. Just like you, it took me a lot of thinking since I buy my phones unlocked upfront, I keep my phones for years.

What finally made me choose the SE as opposed to 6s+ are numerous, here are a few.
1. 4s to SE similar in size, and portability. I've become very accustomed to small screens. I keep my phones in my pocket or small purses. I move around a lot, the grip is important, I just can't hold and baby a 5.5 in in my hand.
2. I still love the old boxy design. The SE feels great in my hands, and personally I think it's so beautiful I don't even use a case with mine.
3. 3D touch is still new, I can wait a few years.
4. Except for the case, all the inside specs are comparable to the 6s. And SE's longevity will be just like the 6s. A very happy 3-4 years.
5. For basic comparison using 16gb models: $399 for SE and $749 for 6s+. I can't justify the huge price difference.
6. Yes, I prefer screen real estate, but for $350 more? No thanks. I think I'll use the money towards my next Mac.
7. I use my phone primarily as a phone, so SE fits the bill.

I was too lazy to upgrade my old 4s until I realized despite all the updates, my phone is functioning very slowly and really, it's been so many years, I want to get a new Apple product again and not feel like a cave woman. And I've been very happy with my purchase. :):):)

PS: originally got the 16gb SE, a week later I exchanged it for the 64gb.
 
Tough to guarantee anything on the antler for 3-4 years, but it's a solid contender. I think three years down the road you will really feel the screen to be lacking, but only when comparing it to others in ther market. depending on your usage patterns you may need to replace that battery around that time too.
 
AintDutchNotMuch said:
The SE will be updated for at least 4 years from now, just like the 6s. You should go to a store to compare the sizes of the two phones. If you can spend the extra bucks, I would advise the 6s because of the larger screen, higher resolution display, force touch and better front camera. For someone with average sized hands, it's still perfectly usable with one hand too.
Click to expand...
4s, 5, 5s, 6, SE and 6s are all the same resolution. Even the iPod Touch 5/6 are the same resolution. Only the 6+/6s+ are higher resolution.
 
Aston441 said:
4s, 5, 5s, 6, SE and 6s are all the same resolution. Even the iPod Touch 5/6 are the same resolution. Only the 6+/6s+ are higher resolution.
Click to expand...

As you can see in the image below, the PPI's of the 4, 5 and 6 are all the same at 326. But that doesn't mean that the resolution is the same. The 5/5S/SE all have a 480p (edited: 640p) screen, where the 6 and 6S have a 750p screen. You can notice the difference in resolution while reading text on the 6/6s compared to on the 5s or SE. Also images are crisper on the 6/6s than the SE. The biggest advantage of the higher res 6/6s is that you can watch YouTube videos in 720p, while on the 5s/SE you can only watch up to 480p and that difference in quality becomes VERY obvious when you put them next to each other, it's even a more noticeable difference than 1080p vs 720p.

Schermafbeelding 2016-07-23 om 11.31.08.png
 
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AintDutchNotMuch said:
As you can see in the image below, the PPI's of the 4, 5 and 6 are all the same at 326. But that doesn't mean that the resolution is the same. The 5/5S/SE all have a 480p screen, where the 6 and 6S have a 750p screen. You can notice the difference in resolution while reading text on the 6/6s compared to on the 5s or SE. Also images are crisper on the 6/6s than the SE. The biggest advantage of the higher res 6/6s is that you can watch YouTube videos in 720p, while on the 5s/SE you can only watch up to 480p and that difference in quality becomes VERY obvious when you put them next to each other, it's even a more noticeable difference than 1080p vs 720p.

View attachment 641415
Click to expand...
Where did you get 480 from? It's 640.

The difference between 750 and 640 isn't THAT much, especially when you're watching on such tiny screens.
 
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Channan said:
Where did you get 480 from? It's 640.

The difference between 750 and 640 isn't THAT much, especially when you're watching on such tiny screens.
Click to expand...

I got that 480p because of the YouTube example later in my comment, so I already had that in my head. Of course the resolution is 640p of the smaller iPhones, I know that. Just a small mistake. I'm only human:)
 
AintDutchNotMuch said:
I got that 480p because of the YouTube example later in my comment, so I already had that in my head. Of course the resolution is 640p of the smaller iPhones, I know that. Just a small mistake. I'm only human:)
Click to expand...

You can select 720p resolution on an SE - see screenshot

IMG_20160723_150023.PNG


The DPI on an SE and 6S is identical - the main difference is you see less info on the SE rather than it being lower quality
 
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