My take on iPhone SE as Android fan

[LovingTeddy]

As Android fan, I enjoy using my Nexus 5X and it is priced lower than iPhone SE. Though, I have to admit that Nexus 5X is considerably lower end than iPhone SE. Design wise is OK and it is pretty thin, however the plastic build and uninspiring plastic slab just looks any organic phone.

I am fan of stock Android and I hate skinned Android. So my choice is pretty much Nexus line or Motorola. Though I do have couple Huawei, Xiaomi and Meizu phone, but Chinese Android phone are pretty much use iOS like Android.

So I brought iPhone SE to try out and see if I can live with iOS for long. I have iPad and iPod, so I know iOS quit well.

Here is my take:

1. Even with 4 years old design, iPhone SE looks more premium than any Android phone at this price range. It is just look more premium than, say, Nexus 5X, Motorola, OnePlus or any sub 500 dollar Android phone.

2. This phone is fast. It handles everything very well. Though, my Nexus 5X is not a slow phone, but it still stumbles once a while. Nexus 6P is very fast and responsive, but it also 699CAD.

3. One hand usability is awesome. Comes handy when other hand is occupied, like when you are on the bus or you need carry your shoppings.

That's being said, iPhone SE isn't without its shortfalls. And from those shortfalls, I can understand why this is $399 (or $579CAD) phone

1. The screen. The yellow tint is annoying sometime. Though, you really don't see it if you just use it. It become apparent when you compare with other phones, say, iPhone 6S. Though, Nexus 5X screen is just as yellow as iPhone SE.

Just a comparison with Nexus 5x.

2. TouchID is considerably slower than iPhone 6S. And it misread my fingerprints more than iPhone 6S even iPad Mini 4. This is undoubtedly first gen TouchID. Nexus 5X has better fingerprint reader than iPhone. It not only read fingerprint, but also wake up the device without you have to press it.

3. Even though 4 inch screen is great for one hand usability. But is its considerablely cramped. Typing is harder on smaller screen and typo is not uncommon on this phone. Website is more cramped on smaller screen, games aren't as enjoyable as on bigger screen. So if you really want use this phone as everyday phone and do lots of stuff with it, iPhone 6S is better choice imo.

4. Although everyone seems point out iPhone SE has better battery life, I just don't see it.

Here is my usage right now.

The standby time is awesome. Though actual usage time is not so awesome. As iOS count background process as usage time, the usage time shows does not actually reflects acutal screen on time. I highly doubt this thing can last for day with heavy usage.

5. iOS 9 still has its bugs and it is still iOS. With Android is more versatile than iOS, I high doubt I would enjoy use iOS for long period time. The limitation with iOS just become annoyances for long time use. This is also why I never able to use iPhone as daily driver for more than a month.

iOS isn't without its issue. Though iOS is fast and fluid for most time, but iPhone SE still stumbles occasionally. The phone became completely unresponsive twice during video recording. And it still shows wired bugs such as this:

So, what I am getting at. iPhone SE is great for people want iPhone for cheaper price. It is also a premium phone with premium looking. Smaller form factor allows easily one hand usability and it is fast.

Though, iPhone SE still has fair share of problems. Quality control isn't great as least from what I saw on the forum. iOS still annoying at time.

All in all, I am going to return this phone and continue use my Nexus 5X and 6P. iOS is not for me and iPhone SE reiterated this for me.

 

[MithrandirFIAE]

Ok,

I guess it's my turn now as someone who got deeply disappointed by Android and Google. I had a HTC One M7. Great phone, but after two years, it was nearly unusable. Mainly because the Google Play Service went wild from time to time, and I had to wait for ten seconds until I could answer a call. Did some custom rom thingy with - hm, forgot the name, the famous custom rom. It didn't work out. So, the other day, when I was really angry, and the 10-second-issue came up again - I smashed the phone against the wall. Of course, every sign of life left the device that day...

Anyways, I was delighted by the Microsoft BUILD announcement 2014, and after the 2015 announcement, I first got a Lumia 550, and then the Lumia 930. At some point, I installed the Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview. It was really, really good. Everything worked smoothly, and the display of the 930 was - wow. Basically, when having a fullscreen app with white text and black background, you couldn't tell where the display ends. It was just - black. Of course, it's an OLED display, so this was expected. But it simply blew my mind.

Unfortunately, the "flagship" had some issues: First and foremost, ALL buttons tend to rattle. I was rather giggeling when I learned that the Lumia 950 still has this issue - somehow like the ratteling camera in iOS devices.^^ (Btw, the camera in the Lumia 930 was gorgeous.)

The big problem, however, was Windows 10 Mobile - the app ecosystem is basically non-existing. Which makes me sad, because W10M integrates so good with Windows 10. And Cortana > Siri - I'm sorry, I'm a gamer.

So I got an iPhone 4, as a replacement, after my Lumia accidentally hit the concrete floor (yepp, real accident this time). I was blewn away - the size was just perfect. I re-learned to type on the small screen, and the build quality was just great. And the battery - oh boy. It lasted for two days! A six year old phone! Try that with your droid device! And, to be honest - iOS and W10M are pretty similiar, at least from the idea.

So I came to the iPhone SE - and I love it. I have the camera ratteling, but despite from that, the device is just fine. I hope that it will keep on working as expected for the next four years. And after that - we'll see... If W10M is still around the corner, I might give it another shot.

 

[kiwipeso1]

Would suggest either the Moto X Play 2015, or the iPhone SE would be fine.
Play has the 2 day battery life and would mean you keep your apps running as is.
iPhone SE would do OK if you have a new contract.

 

[LovingTeddy]

Ok,

I guess it's my turn now as someone who got deeply disappointed by Android and Google. I had a HTC One M7. Great phone, but after two years, it was nearly unusable. Mainly because the Google Play Service went wild from time to time, and I had to wait for ten seconds until I could answer a call. Did some custom rom thingy with - hm, forgot the name, the famous custom rom. It didn't work out. So, the other day, when I was really angry, and the 10-second-issue came up again - I smashed the phone against the wall. Of course, every sign of life left the device that day...

Anyways, I was delighted by the Microsoft BUILD announcement 2014, and after the 2015 announcement, I first got a Lumia 550, and then the Lumia 930. At some point, I installed the Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview. It was really, really good. Everything worked smoothly, and the display of the 930 was - wow. Basically, when having a fullscreen app with white text and black background, you couldn't tell where the display ends. It was just - black. Of course, it's an OLED display, so this was expected. But it simply blew my mind.

Unfortunately, the "flagship" had some issues: First and foremost, ALL buttons tend to rattle. I was rather giggeling when I learned that the Lumia 950 still has this issue - somehow like the ratteling camera in iOS devices.^^ (Btw, the camera in the Lumia 930 was gorgeous.)

The big problem, however, was Windows 10 Mobile - the app ecosystem is basically non-existing. Which makes me sad, because W10M integrates so good with Windows 10. And Cortana > Siri - I'm sorry, I'm a gamer.

So I got an iPhone 4, as a replacement, after my Lumia accidentally hit the concrete floor (yepp, real accident this time). I was blewn away - the size was just perfect. I re-learned to type on the small screen, and the build quality was just great. And the battery - oh boy. It lasted for two days! A six year old phone! Try that with your droid device! And, to be honest - iOS and W10M are pretty similiar, at least from the idea.

So I came to the iPhone SE - and I love it. I have the camera ratteling, but despite from that, the device is just fine. I hope that it will keep on working as expected for the next four years. And after that - we'll see... If W10M is still around the corner, I might give it another shot.

The battery usage depends on how you use it. For casual users, who just text for a minute or receive phone call for a minute. Yeah, even iPhone 4 would last you 2 days.

Now, I am not saying iPhone's battery is not good. It is not that good. Surely, it could go for a day for someone, which is more than enough.

Here is my detailed iPhone SE usage. For what it is, it is pretty good. Mainly on LTE for most of my day, unplugged from last night and 2% around 11:30PM now.

As you can see, about 5 hours of screen on time. This is not bad but not really amazing.

As for Android devices, if you do a factory reset, it will be fine. Google account will back up lots of stuffs for you. Your apps will be automatically redownloaded, your setting and wallpaper will be back as usual. Your contact will be back as well. There are programs allows you to back up call logs and call history.

I am not too worried about my Android phones. As for it stand right now, both Nexus 5X and 6P are great. I passed my Nexus 5 to her, beside battery life is pretty poor, it is good enough for her just occasionally check her WeChat messages.

 

[MithrandirFIAE]

The battery usage depends on how you use it. For casual users, who just text for a minute or receive phone call for a minute. Yeah, even iPhone 4 would last you 2 days.

I'm a software developer. I wouldn't call myself "casual user".

Anyway, from my wall of text, the battery life was just a small portion. Even if the battery would only last a day - so what. I've got power cables at my working place, in my car, at home - chances are that I wouldn't run out of battery.

I'm talking about the whole system. From a developer point of view, I prefer W10M > iOS > Android, mainly because Microsoft is proven to provide good backward compatibilty, while Google will kill the API in the next release (and forgets to update the documentation. Ouch.)

And, no, doing a "Factory Reset" didn't help, because that didn't fix the stuff Google is doing with the almighty "Play Services". For some reason, they are building a monolithic service which features "everything". Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. I won't be too surprised if Google announces in the next few years that they split up the service in several smaller parts. I'm sorry, but Google managed to run me off Android.

 

[Abstract]

As Android fan, I enjoy using my Nexus 5X and it is priced lower than iPhone SE. Though, I have to admit that Nexus 5X is considerably lower end than iPhone SE. Design wise is OK and it is pretty thin, however the plastic build and uninspiring plastic slab just looks any organic phone

Me too! Just bought a iPhone SE, and so far it has been fantastic. I have had a Nexus 5X for 6-7 weeks, and came from 3 years of WP8.1 use, so I'm not a fanboy of either iOS or Android. I haven't had an iPhone since the 3GS.

1. Even with 4 years old design, iPhone SE looks more premium than any Android phone at this price range. It is just look more premium than, say, Nexus 5X, Motorola, OnePlus or any sub 500 dollar Android phone.

More premium? Sure, but only because it's made of aluminium, and for whatever reason, consumers have been trained to associate aluminium products with "luxury".

The Nexus 5X build and feel is just as good as the iPhone SE, except for the fact that the SE is small and actually fits my hand well. The materials are plastic, but it's soft, sturdy, and grippy. I bought the "Ice Blue" model (or whatever it's called), which is the aqua blue. It's a stunning colour. I wish Apple offered better colour options, because the iPhone SE looks hideous in "gold" (which is more like "champagne"), and boring in silver and "space grey".

However, I like the iPhone SE's design more, and definitely enjoy its size.

2. This phone is fast. It handles everything very well. Though, my Nexus 5X is not a slow phone, but it still stumbles once a while. Nexus 6P is very fast and responsive, but it also 699CAD.

Yes, the iPhone SE is fast and smooth. So is my wife's current iPhone 5C, and so is the 6S. So was my Nokia 930 and 925. Android is just laggy, even if it's stock Android. It's like running everything through a fast CPU, followed by honey.

I have all the updates on my 5X, which fixed a lot of speed issues and 5 second stutters, but the camera's AF is unbelievably slow, and will likely be unbelievably slow for years. It's so slow, I can't even use it to photograph my daughter. This was less of an issue with my Nokia 930, and is no issue at all with the iPhone. Even my friend's 6P is laggier than I'm used to, but not as slow as my 5X. The iPhone SE is blazing fast. I cannot believe it. All the hype surrounding iPhone cameras is true?

3. One hand usability is awesome. Comes handy when other hand is occupied, like when you are on the bus or you need carry your shoppings.

This is the main reason I switched. I wanted something smaller, and figured I'd go all the way and get the SE (instead of the 6S). I probably use my phone one-handed ~30% of the time, and this wasn't do-able with my 5X. Actually, it was, but I always felt like I was going to drop it.

That's being said, iPhone SE isn't without its shortfalls. And from those shortfalls, I can understand why this is $399 (or $579CAD) phone

1. The screen. The yellow tint is annoying sometime. Though, you really don't see it if you just use it. It become apparent when you compare with other phones, say, iPhone 6S. Though, Nexus 5X screen is just as yellow as iPhone SE.

I've looked for the yellow screen because it was reported by others, but haven't noticed it.

2. TouchID is considerably slower than iPhone 6S. And it misread my fingerprints more than iPhone 6S even iPad Mini 4. This is undoubtedly first gen TouchID. Nexus 5X has better fingerprint reader than iPhone. It not only read fingerprint, but also wake up the device without you have to press it.

Definitely slower than Nexus 5X, 6P, and iPhone 6S.

3. Even though 4 inch screen is great for one hand usability. But is its considerablely cramped. Typing is harder on smaller screen and typo is not uncommon on this phone. Website is more cramped on smaller screen, games aren't as enjoyable as on bigger screen. So if you really want use this phone as everyday phone and do lots of stuff with it, iPhone 6S is better choice imo.

I find the keyboard a bit cramped using 2 hands, but oddly, my typing accuracy is better than on the Nexus 5X. I rarely need to hit the backspace button to fix an error.

Typing accuracy was an issue for me on both WP8.1 and the stock Google keyboard. Actually, the WP8.1 keyboard was the worst in terms of accuracy, but I liked the layout most, and the "Swype"-like feature, and the predictive text. The stock Google keyboard has a good layout, and had good accuracy, but isn't the best at anything.

The iOS keyboard has the worst layout, but I was most accurate typing on it with 2 hands. With one hand, the difference was even greater, because I couldn't really type on either the Nokia 930 or Nexus 5X with one hand.

4. Although everyone seems point out iPhone SE has better battery life, I just don't see it.

I can DEFINITELY tell the difference between the 5X and SE. The SE's is definitely better so far.

However, since I charge every night anyway, the difference isn't a big deal. With the 5X, I'd come home from work with roughly 30% battery. I commute by train and tram for roughly 1 hour, so I use the internet on LTE often, or play games.
With the iPhone, it looks like I'll get home with around 45%. It's better, but not to the point where I'd change my charging habits.

Ok,

Anyways, I was delighted by the Microsoft BUILD announcement 2014, and after the 2015 announcement, I first got a Lumia 550, and then the Lumia 930. At some point, I installed the Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview. It was really, really good. Everything worked smoothly, and the display of the 930 was - wow. Basically, when having a fullscreen app with white text and black background, you couldn't tell where the display ends. It was just - black. Of course, it's an OLED display, so this was expected. But it simply blew my mind.

Unfortunately, the "flagship" had some issues: First and foremost, ALL buttons tend to rattle. I was rather giggeling when I learned that the Lumia 950 still has this issue - somehow like the ratteling camera in iOS devices.^^ (Btw, the camera in the Lumia 930 was gorgeous.)

The big problem, however, was Windows 10 Mobile - the app ecosystem is basically non-existing. Which makes me sad, because W10M integrates so good with Windows 10. And Cortana > Siri - I'm sorry, I'm a gamer.

That's what I was afraid of, because on WP8.1, the 930 was very fast, very smooth, and very trouble-free. No lag. Very few freeze-ups. I really like the OS.

When my 930 was stolen, I tried the 950 and 950XL, which had W10. Both were slower. They looked like WP8.1, but everything I did felt a bit laggier, much like Android does to me.

 

[maxsix]

As Android fan, I enjoy using my Nexus 5X and it is priced lower than iPhone SE. Though, I have to admit that Nexus 5X is considerably lower end than iPhone SE. Design wise is OK and it is pretty thin, however the plastic build and uninspiring plastic slab just looks any organic phone.

I am fan of stock Android and I hate skinned Android. So my choice is pretty much Nexus line or Motorola. Though I do have couple Huawei, Xiaomi and Meizu phone, but Chinese Android phone are pretty much use iOS like Android.

So I brought iPhone SE to try out and see if I can live with iOS for long. I have iPad and iPod, so I know iOS quit well.

Here is my take:

1. Even with 4 years old design, iPhone SE looks more premium than any Android phone at this price range. It is just look more premium than, say, Nexus 5X, Motorola, OnePlus or any sub 500 dollar Android phone.

2. This phone is fast. It handles everything very well. Though, my Nexus 5X is not a slow phone, but it still stumbles once a while. Nexus 6P is very fast and responsive, but it also 699CAD.

3. One hand usability is awesome. Comes handy when other hand is occupied, like when you are on the bus or you need carry your shoppings.

That's being said, iPhone SE isn't without its shortfalls. And from those shortfalls, I can understand why this is $399 (or $579CAD) phone

1. The screen. The yellow tint is annoying sometime. Though, you really don't see it if you just use it. It become apparent when you compare with other phones, say, iPhone 6S. Though, Nexus 5X screen is just as yellow as iPhone SE.

Just a comparison with Nexus 5x.

2. TouchID is considerably slower than iPhone 6S. And it misread my fingerprints more than iPhone 6S even iPad Mini 4. This is undoubtedly first gen TouchID. Nexus 5X has better fingerprint reader than iPhone. It not only read fingerprint, but also wake up the device without you have to press it.

3. Even though 4 inch screen is great for one hand usability. But is its considerablely cramped. Typing is harder on smaller screen and typo is not uncommon on this phone. Website is more cramped on smaller screen, games aren't as enjoyable as on bigger screen. So if you really want use this phone as everyday phone and do lots of stuff with it, iPhone 6S is better choice imo.

4. Although everyone seems point out iPhone SE has better battery life, I just don't see it.

Here is my usage right now.

The standby time is awesome. Though actual usage time is not so awesome. As iOS count background process as usage time, the usage time shows does not actually reflects acutal screen on time. I highly doubt this thing can last for day with heavy usage.

5. iOS 9 still has its bugs and it is still iOS. With Android is more versatile than iOS, I high doubt I would enjoy use iOS for long period time. The limitation with iOS just become annoyances for long time use. This is also why I never able to use iPhone as daily driver for more than a month.

iOS isn't without its issue. Though iOS is fast and fluid for most time, but iPhone SE still stumbles occasionally. The phone became completely unresponsive twice during video recording. And it still shows wired bugs such as this:

So, what I am getting at. iPhone SE is great for people want iPhone for cheaper price. It is also a premium phone with premium looking. Smaller form factor allows easily one hand usability and it is fast.

Though, iPhone SE still has fair share of problems. Quality control isn't great as least from what I saw on the forum. iOS still annoying at time.

All in all, I am going to return this phone and continue use my Nexus 5X and 6P. iOS is not for me and iPhone SE reiterated this for me.

I must say that it's impressive how much effort you've put into revealing the biased thinking behind this missive...

 

[LovingTeddy]

I must say that it's impressive how much effort you've put into revealing the biased thinking behind this missive...

I think you should realize that when the title said from Android fan's perspective. I measure iOS at level of Android and if iOS cannot match Abdroid, I will hardly use it. That is being said, I still love Apple's hardware design and iPhone SE looks great.