iPhone 12 Need a new iPhone. Leaning towards the SE vs 12 Mini

[celo48]

I need to change my iPhone 7.
I don’t like Plus or bigger iPhones than 7/SE/12 Mini. I don’t like Face ID because Touch ID offers one press faster unlocking.

Yes, on paper 12 Mini is better but is it really worth $300 more plus it has Face ID.

I do like the fact it is even smaller than iPhone7 and has bigger screen.

Don’t care about 5G.

Which one to get?

 

[menist]

SE 2 should be a good buy, same iOS experience but with A13 and 3GB of Ram, your old iPhone 7 cases + accessories still works with it.

 

[celo48]

I wonder if Apple will come up with new SE 2021?

 

[Ixon2001]

Don't think so the SE 2020 will be around for about 2 years before they update it again, then they base it on the XR design.

The current SE is superb and is a decent upgrade over your iPhone 7.

 

[HarryWild]

12 has oled screen, two camera with sophisticated options like night taking capabilities, additional GB of RAM, no forehand and chin screen design, better battery?, A14, USB-C charging, more color choices, etc...

 

[Apple_Robert]

If money is a big concern outside of the size of the phone, SE is more than capable of doing all the basic day to day tasks. If battery life is the big concern, the new mini has a bigger battery than the SE.

 

[maerz001]

12 has oled screen, two camera with sophisticated options like night taking capabilities, additional GB of RAM, no forehand and chin screen design, better battery?, A14, USB-C charging, more color choices, etc...

Usb-C ? U are talking about the charger side of the cable which works for all phones

 

[clunkmess]

I say get the Mini. You’ll get used to Face ID and get more screen in a smaller body.

 

[Robbosan]

If money is a big concern outside of the size of the phone, SE is more than capable of doing all the basic day to day tasks. If battery life is the big concern, the new mini has a bigger battery than the SE.

not proven yet though

 

[e46m3gtr]

I need to change my iPhone 7.
I don’t like Plus or bigger iPhones than 7/SE/12 Mini. I don’t like Face ID because Touch ID offers one press faster unlocking.

Yes, on paper 12 Mini is better but is it really worth $300 more plus it has Face ID.

I do like the fact it is even smaller than iPhone7 and has bigger screen.

Don’t care about 5G.

Which one to get?

I am in the exact same position where the op is, and I am personally leaning towards the new SE. Here are the reasons why. To make it easier for you or anyone to decide, I'll break it into 3 sections, pros, cons and personal preference.

Pros of getting the SE

• Price (It costs pretty much half what unlocked 12 mini is, when you include new 20w adapter, earpods, case etc.)
• Still very powerful (A13 is only 1 generation behind 3gb ram is plenty if you're not a heavy user)
• Size (The phone itself is actually larger, however the screen isn't. Easy to pull notifications panel or reach top left back buttons easy)

Cons

• Display tech (750p lcd is pretty bad by 2020 standards, shows less content on the screen)
• Battery (This is horrible! Too small, any processor/graphics intensive apps will kill the battery by noon)
• Form factor (SE is based on iPhone 8 which is reminiscent of 2014 iPhone 6 minus the headphone jack. Also they market the SE is "budget" offering so there's that.)

Personal Pref.

• Lack of notch (I do not like the idea of having big cut out on top of the screen)
• TouchID (FaceID might be convenient for some, I prefer having TouchID)
• Home button (Gestures can be pain in the rear sometimes, I am not obsessed with "all-screen" idea)
• Accessories in the box (If you can find an SE from before the 12 launch, it will still come with 5w brick n earbuds)

Hopefully that make things clear. The below are few reasons to go for 12 mini over the SE;

• Latest hardware (a14 + 4gb/one extra year of updates over the SE if you're keeping it for long)
• Better display. (Brighter, Vivid, 1080p and shows more content in the same footprint of the SE)
• Cameras (SE camera is from XR from 2018 iirc, you have 2 better cameras to work with)
• Design (My favorite design of all time!)
• New colors (SE only comes in black/white and red, while 12 mini has blue and green options)
• Uniqueness (Probably the only true "compact" device close to a flagship, and will be for a while)
• Product positioning (Unlike SE, 12 mini is from the main lineup and the first of its kind)
• Money no object ($729 is not that high by todays' standards, $699 if you're buying from carrier)
• 5g (If you live in a area where 5g is widely available)

*EDIT* I missed the part where op said he got an iPhone 7. Its a pretty minor upgrade to SE from 7 overall except for newer soc and extra gig of ram.

 

[Significant1]

Unless you are running out of space, I don't see the need to upgrade from 7 to SE. It is too similar and when my 6s runs fine on ios 14, I am sure ip7 runs even better. Also note that apple has also removed the charger from SE unless you find a "old" box.

 

[Apple_Robert]

not proven yet though

True. The same people that stated battery ahead of time for the other phones were right. I believe the same will hold true here.

 

[ian87w]

I wonder if Apple will come up with new SE 2021?

Doubt it. Apple is still selling the XR, so i doubt that they will refresh the newer model below it so soon.

 

[celo48]

Just purchased the SE. I think it is the best one for the money. I agree with all of you but I always try to buy stuff according to their price performance ratio. I paid $280 after traded-in my iPhone 7 for $100 and got discount because of a family member (she can get 10% off). My iPhone 7 was 32gb. Double the space will be good too.



Thanks to all of you.



P.S. I used to be one of those people who would get the new iPhone every year. I stopped that after my 6s purchase. My last phone before the 7 was 6s. I just got the 7 from my uncle last May because my 6s was 16gb. He took mine since he uses the 6s as his second phone. Unless there is something really crazy from Apple, I will probably use this one for few years.



Ohh btw, mine came with the earbuds, cable and wall adapter.

 

[Thoradin]

Just purchased the SE. I think it is the best one for the money. I agree with all of you but I always try to buy stuff according to their price performance ratio. I paid $280 after traded-in my iPhone 7 for $100 and got discount because of a family member (she can get 10% off). My iPhone 7 was 32gb. Double the space will be good too.



Thanks to all of you.



P.S. I used to be one of those people who would get the new iPhone every year. I stopped that after my 6s purchase. My last phone before the 7 was 6s. I just got the 7 from my uncle last May because my 6s was 16gb. He took mine since he uses the 6s as his second phone. Unless there is something really crazy from Apple, I will probably use this one for few years.



Ohh btw, mine came with the earbuds, cable and wall adapter.

Enjoy the new phone!
The SE is a great little device and I’m sure it’ll give you plenty of reliable years of usage.

 

[glsillygili]

Ohh btw, mine came with the earbuds, cable and wall adapter.

Just curious did you buy it from Apple?

 

[celo48]

Just curious did you buy it from Apple?

Yes. Boca Raton, FL store.