Target Returns iPhone SE Stock Ahead of Apple's Rumored March Event

[Gudi]

That's false, on the SE they upgraded the processor, camera, ram, battery, etc.

Nope. The iPhone SE uses the old A9 chip and 12MP camera from the iPhone 6s. Battery life is longer, because the battery design is even older than the processor. Not a single component was specifically developed for the SE. It's a repackaging of existing technologies from older iPhones to make it cheap.

 

[nt5672]

The purpose of the iPhone SE is to reuse old technology and production lines to make it cheap. It will never be updated.

Thank god. If they updated it they would make it thinner, with shorter battery life, less weight, fewer ports, and Apple only ports. Then they would not understand why people did not see the difference between the SE and the 7 (or 8). This is the impact of Ive. Make all of the products the same, thin multicolor, fashion accessories that get replaced every 2 years and fill the dumps.

 

[Porco]

Nope. The iPhone SE uses the old A9 chip and 12MP camera from the iPhone 6s. Battery life is longer, because the battery design is even older than the processor. Not a single component was specifically developed for the SE. It's a repackaging of existing technologies from older iPhones to make it cheap.

Cheap and awesome. Long live the SE.

 

[nt5672]

I am definitely not a stereophile purist

If you were, you would never use a wireless headset today. Will they improve tomorrow, who knows, but today they are only good for people that use music as background noise while they do other things.

 

[TallManNY]

Doubtful. I think memory is the only advancement, aside from a new color perhaps. Especially at this price point, I don't see any other changes until 2018, if Apple decides to upgrade the internals/externals.

You are probably right. I had forgotten that SE is pretty close to just being a 6S internals. I was thinking it was a 6 internals.

 

[Thunderhawks]

If you were, you would never use a wireless headset today. Will they improve tomorrow, who knows, but today they are only good for people that use music as background noise while they do other things.

Totally agreed.

The plantronics I just got are already not holding their charge, proving my point that wires are better.
I'd rather deal with the inconvenicne of wires than the inconvenience of charging.

Best charging product so far Eneloops for my rack pads.

 

[TallManNY]

All I really need is a better camera and I'd be set. I wish they could keep it the same size but increase screen size by removing bezels. I will not go back to a phone bigger than the SE no matter what features it has.
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I hear that all the time. I went from the 5 to a 6 plus, decided it was too big. Went to the 6s when that came out. Still found it to be too big. SE is a perfect fit for me. I wish they would go back to the 5c form factor. Best design they ever had. Could be used without a case with no fear of damage.

And flat sides that provide a good grip. I haven't taken my 6S out of its case yet because it seems slippery when I hold it without a case. If I buy a $1,000+ iPhone in the Fall, guess what, it will be in a darn case!

Meanwhile, my Android and Blackberry phones go naked because they are cheaper and they have plastic or carbon fiber backs that provide some cushion. If I used an SE I would use it without a case and the phone would be even more "pocketable".

Hmmm, maybe I skip the 8, hold on to my 6S until Spring 2018 and buy a new SE then.

 

[44267547]

You are probably right. I had forgotten that SE is pretty close to just being a 6S internals. I was thinking it was a 6 internals.

It's still a great iPhone and will be for quite some time. I think Apple will refresh it in 2018. I thought it was a brilliant idea that they re-introduced a 4 inch iPhone, when most cell phone manufacturers have moved Away from this.

 

[Christoffee]

Would love a MacBook SE.

Old form factor, ports, modern tech, fat battery.

 

[Wahlstrm]

Would love a MacBook SE.

Old form factor, ports, modern tech, fat battery.

If the 2016´s 76W battery = 10h then the old 2015´s 99,5W battery would be ≈13h instead.
..Or maybe a full day of actual work.

 

[ignatius345]

I love my SE...bump it to 128GB and I'd get another.

Same. I'm still using a nice leather case I bought for my 5S. It's nice when you're not forced to throw away your accessories to upgrade your phone.

 

[Mac 128]

And flat sides that provide a good grip. I haven't taken my 6S out of its case yet because it seems slippery when I hold it without a case. If I buy a $1,000+ iPhone in the Fall, guess what, it will be in a darn case!

Meanwhile, my Android and Blackberry phones go naked because they are cheaper and they have plastic or carbon fiber backs that provide some cushion. If I used an SE I would use it without a case and the phone would be even more "pocketable".

Hmmm, maybe I skip the 8, hold on to my 6S until Spring 2018 and buy a new SE then.

Those flat sides make it easy to stand up for taking timed photos, or watching videos. I use my SE without a case specifically because it has a slim profile in my pocket, and slips in and out easily. However, I don't tend to drop my phones much.

 

[Bart Kela]

You are probably right. I had forgotten that SE is pretty close to just being a 6S internals. I was thinking it was a 6 internals.

Indeed, much of the iPhone SE's internals are the same as the 6S: same A9 SoC, same rear camera.

The main differences: the front-facing FaceTime camera on the iPhone SE is 1.2MP, whereas the 6S has 5MP part. There is no Touch 3D nor barometer/altimeter on the iPhone SE. iPhone SE's Touch ID sensor is first generation, so a little slower. It also lacks LTE Advanced, so a little less capable for cellular data, but not by much.

The iPhone SE is a great package for a reasonable price and far more capable than the higher-priced iPhone 5S that it basically replaced.

I doubt if Apple will update the internals, probably just a storage bump if they do anything.

 

[LovingTeddy]

Indeed, much of the iPhone SE's internals are the same as the 6S: same A9 SoC, same rear camera.

The main differences: the front-facing FaceTime camera on the iPhone SE is 1.2MP, whereas the 6S has 5MP part. There is no Touch 3D nor barometer/altimeter on the iPhone SE. iPhone SE's Touch ID sensor is first generation, so a little slower. It also lacks LTE Advanced, so a little less capable for cellular data, but not by much.

The iPhone SE is a great package for a reasonable price and far more capable than the higher-priced iPhone 5S that it basically replaced.

I doubt if Apple will update the internals, probably just a storage bump if they do anything.

The only thing came from 6S is the SOC and Camera. Battery, screen, front facing camera, casing are bsacially reused from 5S, while the wireless chips are from 6. SE is basically mixed bag of phone from 5S, 6, 6S.

This is only reason Apple charge 399.

 

[DrumApple]

Would like internal spec bumps, 2nd gen touch ID, a darker gray or black color. Couldn't care less about 3d touch, totally useless feature for me.

 

[nutriousmitten]

I didn't figure stores sent back stock of Apple devices, and instead discounted and waited to sell them. There are a couple Walmart stores nearby that still have 64 GB IPad Air 2's and 16 Gb Mini 4's, which were no longer sold 6 months ago by Apple.

To that end, I assume Walmart then determines the price of those discontinued models? Both of the above were just $50 less then what they retailed at, and double the storage for $50 more didn't make them worth it, though I assume that price gets cheaper the longer it stays unpurchased.

I assume phones, which at Target probably have to be tied to a carrier in store and can't be sold outright, aren't going to be flying out the door.

 

[neoelectronaut]

Well damn, I was just about to buy an iPhone SE to replace my iPhone 5C from 2013. I'm glad I waited it out now.

 

[Commentist]

So you don't ever use noise-cancelling headphones then?

I've had some. They still work if the battery is flat, just without noise cancellation. Likewise with Phiips Bluetooth headphones (separate cable, so can still be used with a flat battery). This is essential if you travel a lot and want to listen to music.

 

[oldmacs]

Nope. The iPhone SE uses the old A9 chip and 12MP camera from the iPhone 6s. Battery life is longer, because the battery design is even older than the processor. Not a single component was specifically developed for the SE. It's a repackaging of existing technologies from older iPhones to make it cheap.

When it was released it had the specs to match the most recent (6 month previous iPhone), so it had pretty much the best specs (in terms of RAM, GPU and CPU) possible at the time, same as the camera technology.

We get you hate it, but I've found the SE to be the best iPhone ever. Hopefully it gets a RAM/CPU spec next year.

 

[geta]

They'll make the best phone even better with 32\128GB storage update!

 

[manu chao]

are you for real? As "new tech" becomes old it will trickle down into the SE model so your claim that it will never be updated is false. As prices fall on storage and componets etc, they are re-hashed in the SE and still sold at a profit

There is the question how you define what is an 'SE'. If you define it as the iPhone 5/5s shell (possibly including front assembly, aka display, touch sensors, home button, Facetime camera) with updated components, than I think it is clear that Apple will not be selling it forever. I'd even say there is no chance they still sell the same shell in five years from now (that would be ten years of the same shell). They might squeeze in one more update and then sell that model for at most another two years. But I'd say it is at least as likely that the SE won't get another update (besides very simple things like more storage).

However, if you define the SE as a 4" phone (or more generally a smaller phone) with somewhat older specs (even releasing it half a year after their flagship phone means that for half of the year it will have older generation innards) and lower price, then I think we there is a decent chance of getting updates to that line.

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

are you for real? As "new tech" becomes old it will trickle down into the SE model so your claim that it will never be updated is false. As prices fall on storage and componets etc, they are re-hashed in the SE and still sold at a profit

Considering the launch of the SE, it came with the latest hardware. 6S-Hardware to be precise. Let's also consider the device size and reduced features -especially lower resolution, the SoC will deliver better user experience than on the 6S, putting it just behind the iPhone 7, probably even ahead of it in games due to a.m. resolution. So, even now, one year after launch, I wouldn't call the SE old or outdated.

 

[Katert]

I really hope they upgrade some of the SE's specs, but just a 128GB option would be fine for me also. I got the 7 Plus when it came out, mainly for the camera and waterproofing, but I recently picked up my old iPhone 5 and it feels so good to be able to actually handle a phone with one hand. I came to the conclusion that, for me, the Plus-model is too big to carry around, and as soon as Apple releases an upgraded SE this year, I will definitely sell my 7 Plus to get it in exchange. Also, having a headphone-jack again is a big plus (after all).

 

[gnasher729]

I've had some. They still work if the battery is flat, just without noise cancellation. Likewise with Phiips Bluetooth headphones (separate cable, so can still be used with a flat battery). This is essential if you travel a lot and want to listen to music.

Got Sony. Always connected via cable. Good batteries last about 80 hours. With batteries the sound is quite decent, without batteries you can listen, but the sound isn't very good at all. Still better than no sound
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She used this for many months, but would get annoyed that all her low-income clients that she did psycho-therapy for as a social worker, all had brand new phones, while she had a cracked screen on hers. She carried on for a while with her cracked phone, but when the SE came out, I surprised her with the 64GB one.

Plus, an Otterbox defender case.

I always get a transparent gel case for my phone. Just £1.99, protects quite well if the phone falls on the side or the back, and because there is an edge around the sides it also protects most of the time if the phone falls flat on its face on a hard surface. And it's almost invisible and adds very little to the size.
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make it waterproof!! while you at it.

There was an article saying that the iPhone 6 already had significant improvements in that area. Just not enough to give it any official rating, but enough to decrease the number of unlucky customers. Even more because they didn't tell anyone, so customers kept treating their phones carefully. I wouldn't be surprised if the next iPhone 5 is improved in that regard, but not to the point where it would be officially advertised.
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I'm currently on a 5S with a slightly cracked screen and a failing battery. Virgin Mobile has the 16GB SE on special for $179 for an unknown amount of time. Im trying to figure out what's going on with the SE at the moment to pull the trigger on a cheap update, 16GB is enough for me. VM only has a 7 day return window though.

I'd say find out what the _real_ price of the 5SE is (will you have to stay longer in your contract for example). If $179 is the real price, that's only a bit more than replacing a cracked screen. Or just assume that there will be a better 5SE very soon, for $399. So you'll pay $220 extra for having the new SE vs. the old SE. If you buy now, you still have a better phone than your 5s, with a new screen and a new battery.

 

[S14Drvr]

I really hope they upgrade some of the SE's specs, but just a 128GB option would be fine for me also. I got the 7 Plus when it came out, mainly for the camera and waterproofing, but I recently picked up my old iPhone 5 and it feels so good to be able to actually handle a phone with one hand. I came to the conclusion that, for me, the Plus-model is too big to carry around, and as soon as Apple releases an upgraded SE this year, I will definitely sell my 7 Plus to get it in exchange. Also, having a headphone-jack again is a big plus (after all).

The SE is a frankenstein phone and its great. It offers a mix of current and older tech which appeals to a lot of people and keeps them in the apple echo system. I love the SE because I don't consider it a lower end phone although it is. The 5C was a low end phone. The idea with the SE is that keeping it 50/50 new, old. This keeps the price down while giving some current tech