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kazmac

macrumors G4
Original poster
Mar 24, 2010
10,102
8,658
Any place but here or there....
After swearing off iPhones and getting all Marvin the Martian about :apple: thanks to my December debacles, I was flat out surprised when my local Apple store leader contacted me today after reading my detailed email to Tim Cook and Angela Arendhts. He is willing to give me a discount or gift card, and do whatever is possible to repair our relations.

In the interim, I went Android (returning this phone tomorrow: not my cup at all) and family gifted me an iPad Mini 4 which I will keep.

I am veering toward an 64gb SE now for a variety of reasons, but I have questions:

How is WiFi/LTE reception?
Are calls louder than the 6s?
What is the screen like in comparison to the Mini 4? Granted, I won't be doing much reading on the SE with the Mini in tow, but I may text some.

If you were in the situation what would you choose?
 

MarkX

macrumors 65816
Sep 10, 2015
1,153
1,404
Fochabers, Scotland
If you are happy lugging your iPad mini about then the SE will make the perfect companion.

In regards to your questions, the wi-fi and LTE are just as stable as any other iPhone I've used. The LTE capabilities aren't as high as the 7+ but unless you need speeds in excess of 150mb per second you'll be fine.

The call quality on mine is as good as my 7+ so no worries there, lastly the screen, it has the same pixel density as the ipad mini (326ppi) so you should be happy enough.
 

Keukasmallie

macrumors 6502
Jan 30, 2011
331
36
WNY
I'm probably not the best person to respond to your ?'s because I'm far from familiar with the in's and out's of the different iPhones. So why respond at all, you ask; I've had an SE for about six weeks and I really love it. It is smaller than the 6, but has almost all of the 6's features. Sixty-four gig is the way to go even though as an old dude I'll never challenge the limits of even the lesser gig models. The screen is slightly larger than the iPhone 4s I was using for some time, and just fine with me as I don't want to schlep a large phone around.

I thought the texting would be very difficult, but the anticipation component of the keyboard bails me out of most of my errant key strokes. I slide the SE into my jeans pocket and get on about my bid'ness.

Good luck w/ your decision-making!
 

se95dah

macrumors regular
Dec 30, 2014
112
150
Personally I couldn't deal with the size of the 7+. The SE is fast, beautiful, and has extraordinary battery life - if you don't mind the small screen it's a gem of a phone. The icing on the cake is the price
 

nburwell

macrumors 603
May 6, 2008
5,541
2,450
DE
You have the Mini 4 already, so I think that unless you don't want to lug the iPad with you, a 7+ would be a bit overkill. I can't deal with the size of the 7+, and considering I have the SE, I would pick that any day of the week. You really will not be disappointed. And like @MarkX said, the SE will be the perfect compliment to your Mini 4.
 

danpass

macrumors 68030
Jun 27, 2009
2,742
557
Glory
I've had the 3 through to the 6 Plus.

Went BB and Samsung S5 until last week.

I now have the SE. It is the fastest phone I've had outside early cellulars that were just a phonebook and dial pad.

The screen is super sharp and I don't miss the Plus at all (I had given it to my dad who loves it). Because of the more efficient guts and small screen the battery life is the longest of any phone I've had.

As far as I can compare the only thing missing from the SE compared to the 7 models is 3D Touch. That's it.

An SE, which on ATT provides internet hotspot, is the perfect companion to my rMB.

A Mini4 is the perfect in-between.
 
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BeatCrazy

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2011
5,079
4,439
I have a 7, 7 Plus, and the SE. SE is fast, but 7/7 Plus are faster. Not a deal-breaker.

What is a deal-breaker is the slow touch ID and mechanical home button on SE, vs the ultra-quick TouchID and robust button on 7/7Plus. Once you get used to these things (which can be used dozens of times a day), it is hard to go back to the SE.
 

BarracksSi

Suspended
Jul 14, 2015
3,902
2,664
SE. Small phones are good for me.

Because you now have an iPad mini (which I don't), you don't need a bigger phone anyway. You have a better case for owning an SE than I do.
 

Septembersrain

Cancelled
Dec 14, 2013
4,347
5,451
Do you plan to keep the iPad mini with you? Do you have any reason for needing a bigger screen? Do you need more than 64GB of storage?

Depending on how you answer, that should be the decision you make. I've got a 7+ myself but my iPad Pro stays at home only.
 

Mylo130

macrumors member
Sep 28, 2012
46
15
I'm rockin' the SE (super fast, pocketable, battery life has been great), and a mini 4. Both are great, and seem to compliment each other for the usage plans you've described.
 

rillrill

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2011
839
650
New York
I loved my SE, but that camera is no where near as good as the 7's. I have serious problems with the 7's build quality and flimsiness, but the 7's camera is the best. If you take a lot of photos, the 7 series really is the best.
 

Retired Cat

macrumors 65816
Jun 12, 2013
1,210
380
I selected the SE for a number of reasons:

The SE is much more portable. It has a headphone jack. Cases and extra screen protectors that I had for my old iPhone 5 are compatible. The A9 chip is more than fast enough. Battery life is similar to the Plus phones. Total cost for moving to the SE 64GB was about 57% what it would have cost to move to a 32GB 7+. The only 7/7+ feature I wish I had is IP67 water resistance.

Subjectively I also prefer the 5/5s/SE design to the 6/6s/7 design. I don't like the 6/6s, but the 7 is nice. However, it wasn't nice enough to make it worth the extra money. Apple is going to have to do a lot better with the 8 to get me to upgrade from the SE.
 

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
15,987
16,897
The SE is an incredible phone, and its value cannot be overstated,

$450 for a 64gig, that people say is as fast if not faster than 7 haha-- prolly 400 or somewhere 300's for a used one too

mine on 9.3.3 jailbroken is a marvel, and just starting using it again today after a few weeks of 7 plus bender

its fun to grow into each one, they both feel weird when u get used to them,

but I love my SE, if u aren't worried about downsides I'd say its a no brainer and way cheaper,
 
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44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,494
I'm rockin' the SE (super fast, pocketable, battery life has been great), and a mini 4. Both are great, and seem to compliment each other for the usage plans you've described.

If you defintely like the smaller form factor, the SE is a winner. I owned one and I had zero complaints about it. And the SE is one of the only phones on the market that still offer a 4 inch form factor.
 

kazmac

macrumors G4
Original poster
Mar 24, 2010
10,102
8,658
Any place but here or there....
Many thanks for the multiple replies. I probably would have gone for the SE were it not for the nasty surprise mentioned below.

I love this forum and it'll be a massive bummer to no longer discuss the good and bad of Apple tech with folks. :oops: Thank you all again.

To my surprise, my iTunes account no longer detects new Apple hardware when hooked up to my iMac That included the gifted iPad Mini 4. I troubleshot everything and my USB ports work (they're accepting my external peripherals). As Apple zapped my usage and standby time in any Apple device that came into my possession (including this iPad Mini 4), I suppose I should not be surprised.

As a result, the iPad Mini had to be returned (much to my chargrin - I felt so bad telling my mom and sisters I had to return their gift). And there goes this Apple store leaders'a attempt to get me back in the fold. If this iMac and my iTunes cannot accept new Apple hardware, my leaving Apple is settled.

I actually started laughing last night when the Mini wouldn't sync with my iMac/iTunes. After three years of constant stress and such with Apple products, what else can I do?

Thank you all for being so awesome with your suggestions. I hope whatever Apple tech you buy in the future works wonderfully for you.
 
Last edited:

Septembersrain

Cancelled
Dec 14, 2013
4,347
5,451
Many thanks for the multiple replies. I probably would have gone for the SE were it not for the nasty surprise mentioned below.

I love this forum and it'll be a massive bummer to no longer discuss the good and bad of Apple tech with folks. :oops: Thank you all again.

To my surprise, my iTunes account no longer detects new Apple hardware when hooked up to my iMac That included the gifted iPad Mini 4. I troubleshot everything and my USB ports work (they're accepting my external peripherals). As Apple zapped my usage and standby time in any Apple device that came into my possession (including this iPad Mini 4), I suppose I should not be surprised.

As a result, the iPad Mini had to be returned (much to my chargrin - I felt so bad telling my mom and sisters I had to return their gift). And there goes this Apple store leaders'a attempt to get me back in the fold. If this iMac and my iTunes cannot accept new Apple hardware, my leaving Apple is settled.

I actually started laughing last night when the Mini wouldn't sync with my iMac/iTunes. After three years of constant stress and such with Apple products, what else can I do?

Thank you all for being so awesome with your suggestions. I hope whatever Apple tech you in the future works wonderfully for you.

I'm sorry to hear that. What device are you going to use?
 
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