My SE simply feels old and dull

[Ffosse]

Glancing at it sitting on the sofa it could be 2012 again.

I liked it for about 3 days then something changed. I'm not sure why I bought it only that I'd never bought a new iPhone before; I had a second-hand 5 and quite liked it at the time. I know it's powerful and has a great camera but I prefer my budget Xperia XA (although there wasn't a huge difference in price - £119) although I did waste £30 on the midnight-blue leather case, so the SE set me back £389. I bought the Sony the day after purchasing the iPhone on impulse and, 10 days in, I know which one bores me. But it's strange - I love my iPad Mini 4 even though it only has the A8.

I prefer the Sony for it's looks, elegance, bezel-free (almost) screen at the sides - it's modern.

At least I'll get a good price on the SE if and when I can be bothered selling it. Will keep it for now as a beater. The Sony has a gold case on - it's even narrower naked.

This is coming from an Xperia Z3 Compact which fell off my hospital bed one too many mornings, and a 5.5" Ulefone Power I moved on because of its audio and BT issues. I always have 2 phones but have never taken a dislike to a new one quite so quickly.

 

[iFalcon]

Hey there. I was thinking about getting the SA as well. Saw it a Best Buy and loved the size and build.

What is your honest opinion of it?

Thanks.

 

[Ffosse]

The XA is the nicest, most elegant phone I've ever held. Performance is average given its chipset and the battery is not bad. It's much better than the reviews would suggest.

People see my iPhone and ask, 'Is that the 5 or 5S?' When they see the Sony they ask 'WTF is that?' and are most impressed when shown. I've gone down the Chinese route with cheap devices with great specs (but they always have flaws, some multiple) and wouldn't go back there. Sony, when it puts its mind to it, knows how to build a device.

It won't sell much, though, as the price isn't competitive but I consider it £240 well spent. Yes, it will come down but I wanted it as soon as I picked it up in the shop.

 

[BeeGood]

I think that happens pretty frequently with impulse purchases.

 

[iLuis]

The SE can be all powerful and good but looks like a 2012 phone, you should sell it now before it lost value.

 

[Ffosse]

The SE can be all powerful and good but looks like a 2012 phone, you should sell it now before it lost value.

I think that's the problem: it looks old despite being a very powerful phone.

 

[Channan]

I love my iPhone SE, and it replaced an iPhone 5s I had since 2013. It's a bit shallow, but it does bother me a little to know that most people just think it's an iPhone 5s. Even when I tell people it's an iPhone SE, which is technically the newest iPhone out, they don't understand that because they've never heard of it before.

But that doesn't cause me to like it any less. I love the design. I love the size. I love the power and the camera. I would buy it again if I had to.

 

[Ffosse]

I love my iPhone SE, and it replaced an iPhone 5s I had since 2013. It's a bit shallow, but it does bother me a little to know that most people just think it's an iPhone 5s. Even when I tell people it's an iPhone SE, which is technically the newest iPhone out, they don't understand that because they've never heard of it before.

But that doesn't cause me to like it any less. I love the design. I love the size. I love the power and the camera. I would buy it again if I had to.

Yes, it has its fans and has sold pretty well I've heard. Can you suggest some good apps I might try out that take advantage of that A9?

 

[bufffilm]

I find it hilarious that you like the XA.

Sell the SE then, you don't appreciate it.

 

[Channan]

Yes, it has its fans and has sold pretty well I've heard. Can you suggest some good apps I might try out that take advantage of that A9?

Nope. I use the same apps I used on my iPhone 5s. Just things like opening apps, browsing the web, etc. are much faster now, and the extra RAM keeps background apps from closing so much.

 

[Ffosse]

I find it hilarious that you like the XA.

Sell the SE then, you don't appreciate it.

Your hilarity doesn't affect me; you don't own an XA.
[doublepost=1471969394][/doublepost]

Nope. I use the same apps I used on my iPhone 5s. Just things like opening apps, browsing the web, etc. are much faster now, and the extra RAM keeps background apps from closing so much.

Shows how much I know - I thought the 5S had 2GB RAM, didn't realise that came a year later.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

It’s ironic that some people accuse Apple of mostly being a fashion accessory company now and yet so many people on this forum are leaving the iPhone or considering it because they think other phones look better. They may claim the other features are drawing them in too but if they are going to be honest a good percentage of switchers wouldn’t even consider it if it wasn’t for the physical design they are enamored with.

 

[BrettApple]

Your hilarity doesn't affect me; you don't own an XA.
[doublepost=1471969394][/doublepost]

Shows how much I know - I thought the 5S had 2GB RAM, didn't realise that came a year later.

Two actually. The iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 6 and 6 Plus all have 1GB of RAM. Kind of silly for the 6 and 6 Plus in my opinion.

I'm back and forth between devices all the time and I just picked up an SE last week. So far I'm actually liking it a lot. It's not even close to my HTC 10 but I'm okay with that because it isn't supposed to be. I wanted something that I wouldn't be using all day long for no good reason, and so far it's helping a bit with that. I just want the device to get out of my way and let it be a communications tool rather than a pocket computer that I'm using all the time. Just trying to pay more attention to the world around me.

 

[Channan]

Shows how much I know - I thought the 5S had 2GB RAM, didn't realise that came a year later.

Two years later. The iPhone 6 had only 1GB of RAM as well.

 

[Ffosse]

I'm not anti-Apple, I own a few of their devices; this is just my experience of two different phones on different OS's at different price points.

But, yes, the XA looks better to me.
[doublepost=1471969810][/doublepost]

Two years later. The iPhone 6 had only 1GB of RAM as well.

Right - I was confused because my iPad Mini 4 has the specs of the 6 but 2GB of RAM.

But even my iPad Mini I put in a Moleskine cover - it literally looks like a thick Moleskine notebook. This is as much because I think the design could do with a refresh (but probably won't get one anytime soon) as the fact that I like and use Moleskines. Design does matter to a lot of people.

 

[geta]

Good we having choices, enjoy your Sony that somehow reminds me TV remote from the 90's, and i will stay with a 2012 design iPhone and the latest specs.

I love my iPhone SE, and it replaced an iPhone 5s I had since 2013. It's a bit shallow, but it does bother me a little to know that most people just think it's an iPhone 5s. Even when I tell people it's an iPhone SE, which is technically the newest iPhone out, they don't understand that because they've never heard of it before.

The biggest plus is that people thinking its "old" model...

 

[urkel]

I think that's the problem: it looks old despite being a very powerful phone.

Well, it kinda is old.

As much as we'd all like to pretend that we are so tech savvy that we look beyond aesthetics... it really does feel good to have a "new" design.

This has been the problem with Apple lately. They are churning out upgrades by riding on a legacy of amazing design and looking at profits to prove that they're on the right track. But to many users then Apple is now being seen as lazy and boring. And that's a shame. They have the talent to really push the industry but their leadership doesn't seem to care about anything but saturation and profits.

(BTW. I have an SE. It's a nostalgically fun second device but I really would love to see the great minds at Apple try re-imagining what a 2016 "small phone" would look like. )

 

[Channan]

The biggest plus is that people thinking its "old" model...

How is that a plus? Lol

 

[ActionableMango]

I prefer the Sony for it's looks, elegance, bezel-free (almost) screen at the sides - it's modern.

I've used both "straight" and "Edge" Galaxy phones, and had problems accidentally touching the screen on the sides when I was just trying to hold it. I think the iPhone's bezels are as small as phones should go on the sides. Any smaller and they might look better, but they perform worse.

The iPhone top and bottom bezels however are way too big compared to most other premium phones.

 

[Channan]

As much as we'd all like to pretend that we are so tech savvy that we look beyond aesthetics... it really does feel good to have a "new" design.

I agree.

This has been the problem with Apple lately. They are churning out upgrades by riding on a legacy of amazing design and looking at profits to prove that they're on the right track.

I disagree, at least as far as the iPhone is concerned. The iPhone 6 is hardly an amazing design, IMO. I'd flat out call it ugly. Some don't mind it and some people might like it, but I think most people would agree it doesn't compare to the elegance of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5.

I wouldn't mind Apple making something similar to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 if all it meant was the design was a bit boring. I'd take boring over ugly.

 

[Ffosse]

Good we having choices, enjoy your Sony that somehow reminds me TV remote from the 90's, and i will stay with a 2012 design iPhone and the latest specs.


The biggest plus is that people thinking its "old" model...

Latest specs for a few weeks then it's the old one while the 6s and + are older still. Specs don't bother me much, as long as the screen is decent enough. But it's a good 2nd device for me, one I needn't care about much.

 

[Channan]

Latest specs for a few weeks then it's the old one while the 6s and + are older still. Specs don't bother me much, as long as the screen is decent enough. But it's a good 2nd device for me, one I needn't care about much.

Performance is much more important to me than a good quality screen. I don't need the fastest processor, but I want something good enough to stay smooth and quick.

 

[Ffosse]

Performance is much more important to me than a good quality screen. I don't need the fastest processor, but I want something good enough to stay smooth and quick.

I know Android always needed more RAM, but aren't 5s's still fast enough even with 1GB of RAM?

 

[Phil A.]

I absolutely love my SE - I had a 6S Plus after getting caught up in the bigger and bigger phone trend. It was great when the weather was cold and I had a jacket to put it in, but once the better weather came, it was a bit of a pain carrying it around in my jeans or shorts pockets (OK stood up, but had to take it out to sit down).

I realised then that I didn't actually need a phone that size on me all the time and going to the SE was like a breath of fresh air: I can carry it around without noticing it; it's very fast and the screen is more than big enough for me

 

[RedOrchestra]

I liked it for about 3 days then something changed.

Yeah, you realized you bought a 4-year old looking iPhone.