The Smaller iPhone Shouldn't Be Treated Like a Second-Class iPhone

[Ledgem]

@fatalogic is right, unfortunately. It's the same on the iPad line, where the larger iPad Pro has better internal hardware than the smaller Pro, and where the mini hasn't been receiving regular updates and is generally kept a generation behind the other iPads. It's also similar with the iMac line, where you need to go to the larger screen to get the best internals.

I'm with you, though. It's frustrating that Apple does this. They're a company that seems to have made portability its absolute mission, yet they treat the most portable and most accessible devices like they're an "economy" option. I went with an iPad Pro (smaller version) to upgrade my iPad mini simply because Apple wasn't updating the mini. I went with the iPhone 7 Plus over the SE when I upgraded my iPhone 5S mostly for the camera; admittedly, the SE is a pretty nice phone, but it remains to be seen if Apple will continue to update it or even keep it around. I'd gladly pay more for an updated iPad mini or an iPhone SE-like device if they had feature parity with the larger devices in their lines.

 

[PortableLover]

Would be great if we could have feature parity on all three sizes including storage. I of course understand perhaps resolution differences. And of course battery sizes

 

[Givmeabrek]

Would be great if we could have feature parity on all three sizes including storage. I of course understand perhaps resolution differences. And of course battery sizes

Larger and more expensive phones will always have more features. Simply because the more expensive item has more profit and Apple want's to encourage the sale. Basic marketing.

Why would Apple want to encourage people to buy a cheaper phone?

 

[JayIsAwesome]

OP, why do you think the SE (the smallest phone in the lineup) is a 'second class phone'? because it dont have 3D Touch, dual camera, or coz of the "old" shape?



Thats your opinion, the normal 4.7" version is the flagship phone, the Plus version is something else, a Phablet. Maybe for your needs, mainly media consumption, the Plus fits your daily usage, and you dont mind sacrifice portability for that, others not.

In my opinion the SE is the best iPhone out there!

It's pretty clear that Apple has positioned the Plus as the flagship iPhone, especially this year. It's the iPhone that's in all the ads. And It's the iPhone with the more high end features. It's also the iPhone that Schiller gushed over at the launch event. I'm not saying that to down the smaller iPhone. At the end of the day, it's your money. Buy whatever phone you want. And I'm not sacrificing portability. My phone fits in my pocket and hands just fine

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

It's pretty clear that Apple has positioned the Plus as the flagship iPhone, especially this year. It's the iPhone that's in all the ads. And It's the iPhone with the more high end features. It's also the iPhone that Schiller gushed over at the launch event. I'm not saying that to down the smaller iPhone. At the end of the day, it's your money. Buy whatever phone you want. And I'm not sacrificing portability. My phone fits in my pocket and hands just fine

I get that impression from a marketing perspective too, but I also think most people don't really care. An iPhone is an iPhone and rarely do people judge which is best by its size if they don't know the finer details.

 

[Mike5254]

What? I'll never treat my 5/5s as second rate.

 

[macfacts]

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, OP, but I think the larger phone, with its extra internal space, allows for sooner implementation of technology and features before they are compact enough for the smaller phone. Not saying Apple isn't putting a finished product out there in the larger phones, but that the technological changes and innovations they make allow for more to be put in the same size or smaller sizes.

Samsung was able to put the same resolution screen and same camera in their 3 flagships this year (s7, s7edge, and note 7). It isn't about tech fitting in the small space. It is aboutu saving money for Apple.

 

[Mike5254]

No one calls my white mobile landline phone 2nd class.

 

[wproct]

I'm a current 5s user, and I am just totally liking the size as I carry my phone in my shirt pocket or front jeans pocket. Truthfully, the SE has all the features that I really need. I would never consider the + sizes, just way too big for my taste. For my next phone, the only reason that I would consider the 6s is that I have large hands and a slightly larger screen could be a benefit when texting, but that's the only reason I would consider it. I'm probably a couple of months away from upgrading, and I definitely want to handle a 6s before I buy, but right now I think I will probably wind up with the SE.

 

[macTW]

Samsung was able to put the same resolution screen and same camera in their 3 flagships this year (s7, s7edge, and note 7). It isn't about tech fitting in the small space. It is aboutu saving money for Apple.

What's the battery life of those phones? Heat release? Software lag?

Exactly. Pure, unoptimized features for the marketing sake of "having it" has its costs. As someone who isn't around a plug all day, I can't afford the 2-5 hour battery life because of the screen draw and software issues. Not to mention convenience of use for most people trumps brute specs...

 

[raqball]

I can get along with the fact that the differentiation between the sizes is a little stupid. When I heard that the SE was on the way as a new 4" iPhone, I was excited and I would've traded in my 6S for it, but having an outdated display missing the wider color gamut and 3D Touch, slow Touch ID, and lower spec Camera than the 6S, it just kept me away from it. The phone just turned into a "budget" phone, and it turned me away from it. Quite frankly it pissed me off pretty badly. I just hope that the next SE adds what is missing and actually gets the things that the normal flagship iPhone has at the time.

Have to disagree with everything you said....

Outdated display? 640p is perfectly fine on a 4" screen... From a spec warrior point of view I see the issue but from a real life one, the screen is crisp and clear.

3D Touch? Gimmick that most who have it don't even use.

Slow Touch ID? To me that's a bonus. Plenty of complaints that the new sensor unlocking the phone to fast if you just want to view the lock screen.

Lower spec camera? The rear shooter on the SE flat out rocks!

Budget phone? LOL! It has the internal of the 6S for the most part.. Is the 6S a budget phone as well?

Your entire post is meh! The SE is a fantastic phone! $449 for a 64GB, packing 6S internals and all wrapped up in the best iPhone design of all time.. Yup the SE is a serious win!

To each their own I suppose..

 

[dave2010]

If Apple don't update the SE and the camera specs fall too far behind; I'll be looking for a larger phone and just putting up with the inconvenience. It probably won't be an iPhone at that stage; the iPhone 7 and 7+ are too bulky for their screen size in my opinion.

 

[swingandamiss]

You guys are not thinking clearly.

The next SE needs to have a bigger display. Apple should ship an SE sized phone with Samsung like reduced bezel making it physically lighter and thinner while delivering a closer to iPhone 7 sized screen.

I'd trade in my 7 in an instant.

So would everyone else, that's why it won't happen. The SE is the budget option for the few would-be Android customers they can scoop up.

 

[C DM]

So would everyone else, that's why it won't happen. The SE is the budget option for the few would-be Android customers they can scoop up.

It's not just for that, it's also for plenty of iPhone (and other) consumers who might prefer a smaller phone (for whatever reason).

 

[swingandamiss]

It's not just for that, it's also for plenty of iPhone (and other) consumers who might prefer a smaller phone (for whatever reason).

True, but if they really cared about that wouldn't they just make a smaller version of their flagship model?

 

[raqball]

It's not just for that, it's also for plenty of iPhone (and other) consumers who might prefer a smaller phone (for whatever reason).

Agree!

Price is not a consideration for me.. I didn't buy the SE because it was the 'cheap' or 'budget' iPhone.. I prefer the smaller phones and am not into holding an iPad mini sized phone to my ear...

Not everyone wants a ginormous phone.. I had the iPhone 7 for a week and hated it. Slippery and cumbersome are the thoughts that come to mind..

The SE is one of Apples best sellers for a reason and it's not because a few budget Android shoppers are snapping it up..

 

[C DM]

True, but if they really cared about that wouldn't they just make a smaller version of their flagship model?

In many respects it is (or was, at the time it was released). If they would need to include everything it would require more new components and production lines and would also cost more, while this way the phone still gets a lot of the important updates as well as a nice price to add on to it.

 

[raqball]

In many respects it is (or was, at the time it was released). If they would need to include everything it would require more new components and production lines and would also cost more, while this way the phone still gets a lot of the important updates as well as a nice price to add on to it.

Part of the reason for buying the SE is the iconic design.. Many, including me, think it's the best design of all time..

I don't know if I would have purchased it if they had just shrunk the iPhone 6, 6S, 7 design down as I am not a fan of the slippery build and the camera bump.. Plus, like I said, in my mind the 5, 5S and SE are the best designs of all time..

 

[Steve686]

My personal preference is a bigger screen, a more advanced camera system, more RAM, and larger battery.

This equals a 7Plus.

I guess you are right about personal preference.

 

[raqball]

Apple was smart in this regard.. They made powerful phones in a variety of sizes.. Want ginormous? Get the Plus. Want standard size? Get the regular and if you want a compact powerhouse get the SE..

I was a long time Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and Z5 Compact user mainly because they were the only ones making a smaller phone with flagship'esk specs.. Now enter in the SE and boom, no more Sony for me..

 

[Jimmy James]

Larger and more expensive phones will always have more features. Simply because the more expensive item has more profit and Apple want's to encourage the sale. Basic marketing.

Why would Apple want to encourage people to buy a cheaper phone?

I think that's the OP's point. Why is there a more expensive phone based on size (perhaps save for a slight price adjustment). He wants a top spec phone and large is out.

It's like saying I need to upgrade my family car to a truck to get air conditioning. Features and size shouldn't be correlated so specifically.

 

[C DM]

I think that's the OP's point. Why is there a more expensive phone based on size (perhaps save for a slight price adjustment). He wants a top spec phone and large is out.

It's like saying I need to upgrade my family car to a truck to get air conditioning. Features and size shouldn't be correlated so specifically.

But they often do these very type of things with cars too actually, and has been around there for a long long time now. You want navigation in your car, or you want leather seats, or perhaps a moonroof? Well, you need to get the special "touring" model with a bunch of other things you might not care about for an extra $8K added to the price.

 

[macfacts]

What's the battery life of those phones? Heat release? Software lag?

Exactly. Pure, unoptimized features for the marketing sake of "having it" has its costs. As someone who isn't around a plug all day, I can't afford the 2-5 hour battery life because of the screen draw and software issues. Not to mention convenience of use for most people trumps brute specs...

When I had the Note 7, I regularly got 6 to 7 hours of Screen on Time, never overheated even when fast charging. Regarding lag, any badly written software can lag any hardware and imo Samsung's software keyboard sucks but under Android you can easily switch to the Google key board.

So "exactly" nothing.

And the term software optimised and unoptimised gets used so much by Apple users and they dont even know what they are talking about, just parroting that buzzword.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I think that's the OP's point. Why is there a more expensive phone based on size (perhaps save for a slight price adjustment). He wants a top spec phone and large is out.

It's like saying I need to upgrade my family car to a truck to get air conditioning. Features and size shouldn't be correlated so specifically.

Have Apple not realised there is a huge market for the 4.7" version then? It's the most popular one you see in the street so why not reward that market with the pretty inexpensive extra features? The major negative of their perceived better phone is its cumbersome size. A better camera is not going to get me to forget the thing is incredibly inconvenient to carry around day to day. No amount of marketing overcomes that detail lol. Then again I doubt Apple really care about that.

 

[MICHAELSD]

But they often do these very type of things with cars too actually, and has been around there for a long long time now. You want navigation in your car, or you want leather seats, or perhaps a moonroof? Well, you need to get the special "touring" model with a bunch of other things you might not care about for an extra $8K added to the price.

Right, but you're not required to get an SUV to make up for the features missing in the sedan.