iPhone SE (2016) Yes, I like small phone devices!

[AlanMarron]

I rather wear a shirt without a spot on it than a shirt with a spot on it. Plus, TouchID > FaceID. Imagine a movie theater screen with a notch or an island. Imagine watching TV with a notch or island on it. It's ridiculous. I will never buy a Mac with a notch. I'm holding onto my SE 3 until they release a full screen iPhone.

I had a difficult time going from SE2 to 13 mini, although after hating the notch, within two weeks, I found that it was no longer distracting.

I continue to prefer the older, full-width info “bar” because VPN status was continually visible. I would happily give up several mm of screen real estate to have it back beneath the FaceID apparatus instead of a notch.

I have dry skin—my fingers always look like I’ve just gotten out of a hot tub, so much so that the vehicle registration agency always gives up and switches to facial recognition—so I 100% prefer FaceID on my devices. I end up both redoing my thumb print every couple of weeks or just entering my passcode on my older devices.

Based on rumors, we may be a long way off from having a truly full screen iPhone. Even pinhole cameras continue to need dedicated space.

BTW, I installed iPadOS26 dev1 on my iPad 9th generation. It’s buggy as heck but not as visually alarming as the Keynote. Whew!

 

[Sippincider]

My days of using a tiny phone with a tiny screen and tiny keyboard ended the day the first ProMax was introduced.

Something is "off" with the ergonomics on the bigger phone keyboards. There have been threads here discussing this and I'd gladly have the smaller one back.

Have a personal SE3 and a bigger workplace-issue device. My typing isn't great on the SE, and is straight-out abysmal on the work phone. The current state of iOS' auto correction doesn't help any.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The current state of iOS' auto correction doesn't help any.

No kidding ... I swear this has gotten worse and worse.

Mine seems to fabricate new words and then try to "correct me" into using them.

 

[GioGiusi]

The big phone people do not understand why the small phone people get upset either. I was just stating my preference and why I preferred larger phone and a little phone person went on the attack! To each their own

Some people seem incapable of viewing both sides of a conversation. There are reasons why we are where we are, and there are valid arguments as to why that isn't the end of the story.

I've used nearly every iPhone (or at least one from each year) ever made. I've upgraded annually 17 years in a row and will again this year. I've gone back and forth between small phones and large phones since they started having multiple sizes. Here is what I can offer:

The utility of the phone does not actually increase as the display size increases. It is still the same device, performing the same tasks, and (most importantly) being used the same way. Utility does not increase until you start to get somewhere up around 10 inches, tablet size. At the point it has gotten big enough to change the way you use the device, which is why there are distinct size ranges for phones and tablets. Size however is an important factor to the limitations of physical technology. The larger phones are not really about the larger screens. They are about the larger battery, and to a lesser degree, the better cameras. As we go forward into high density batteries, it may be possible for Apple to make smaller iPhones that have acceptable battery life. But physics will always be a thing. No matter how good a small phone can be, a larger phone can be better, because there is more space for the better. Whether that is battery, camera, you name it. More space = more better.

This, along with price, have been the main driver for Apple. They can make a better product if it's bigger, and they can also charge more for it. This is unavoidable. Bigger almost always means more expensive for Apple products, and they couldn't resist pushing into higher priced iPhone territory.

That said, the upcoming iPhone Air gives a glimpse into the fact that Apple doesn't necessarily enjoy how bulky and heavy the larger iPhones have become in order to accommodate the largest displays, batteries, and cameras. They desire to reboot this somewhat, and start bringing iPhone design back to the thinnest and lightest possible version of itself. They are opposed to it getting too large.

I think the design goals of the iPhone Air tells us that this is the smallest iPhone (in terms of both height, depth, width, and weight) that they are comfortable with making at this point in time, to still deliver the minimum standard of quality they're looking for. Making a fat brick just to bring the screen size back down below 6 inches isn't in their heads at this point as an acceptable product, and I agree. But I think they will once they feel that they can.

 

[geta]

Some people seem incapable of viewing both sides of a conversation. There are reasons why we are where we are, and there are valid arguments as to why that isn't the end of the story.

I've used nearly every iPhone (or at least one from each year) ever made. I've upgraded annually 17 years in a row and will again this year. I've gone back and forth between small phones and large phones since they started having multiple sizes. Here is what I can offer:

The utility of the phone does not actually increase as the display size increases. It is still the same device, performing the same tasks, and (most importantly) being used the same way. Utility does not increase until you start to get somewhere up around 10 inches, tablet size. At the point it has gotten big enough to change the way you use the device, which is why there are distinct size ranges for phones and tablets. Size however is an important factor to the limitations of physical technology. The larger phones are not really about the larger screens. They are about the larger battery, and to a lesser degree, the better cameras. As we go forward into high density batteries, it may be possible for Apple to make smaller iPhones that have acceptable battery life. But physics will always be a thing. No matter how good a small phone can be, a larger phone can be better, because there is more space for the better. Whether that is battery, camera, you name it. More space = more better.

This, along with price, have been the main driver for Apple. They can make a better product if it's bigger, and they can also charge more for it. This is unavoidable. Bigger almost always means more expensive for Apple products, and they couldn't resist pushing into higher priced iPhone territory.

That said, the upcoming iPhone Air gives a glimpse into the fact that Apple doesn't necessarily enjoy how bulky and heavy the larger iPhones have become in order to accommodate the largest displays, batteries, and cameras. They desire to reboot this somewhat, and start bringing iPhone design back to the thinnest and lightest possible version of itself. They are opposed to it getting too large.

I think the design goals of the iPhone Air tells us that this is the smallest iPhone (in terms of both height, depth, width, and weight) that they are comfortable with making at this point in time, to still deliver the minimum standard of quality they're looking for. Making a fat brick just to bring the screen size back down below 6 inches isn't in their heads at this point as an acceptable product, and I agree. But I think they will once they feel that they can.

Larger device ≠ better device. Also, the rumored iPhone Air should be thinner and lighter which is not equal to a smaller device.

 

[GioGiusi]

Larger device ≠ better device. Also, the rumored iPhone Air should be thinner and lighter which is not equal to a smaller device.

You really just didn't even try with this response, did you?

Go and re-read the comment, for your own sake, because is more to learn there.

- Larger will always equal a better device, even if what you personally prefer is a smaller screen. You don't prefer the worse battery or worse cameras or worse thermal performance or <insert any other thing limited by physics>. Larger = better. And they unsurprisingly do not shy away from making something better, if they can.

- iPhone Air will in fact be a smaller device in all dimensions except 1. This is significant, because like I said, it shows that Apple is interested in making a smaller device, and that this is the smallest they can make it at this point without compromising it totally. If they made the iPhone Air as is, with a 5.8" display, it might have half day battery life, or no room for a camera at all.

I've now repeated points that you chose to ignore the first time. Hopefully this time you read them, and understand there is more to this conversation than "I want".

 

[turbineseaplane]

Larger will always equal a better device, even if what you personally prefer is a smaller screen.

Your argument fails right here.

The size of the device is the #1 criteria of importance for many owners of SE1/SE2/SE3/Mini12/Mini13.

We are willing to accept tradeoffs to get that smaller size.

The "better" device for this user is the smaller one.

Better ≠ Best component specs necessarily

 

[vvvvvv]

You really just didn't even try with this response, did you?

Go and re-read the comment, for your own sake, because is more to learn there.

- Larger will always equal a better device, even if what you personally prefer is a smaller screen. You don't prefer the worse battery or worse cameras or worse thermal performance or <insert any other thing limited by physics>. Larger = better. And they unsurprisingly do not shy away from making something better, if they can.

This is the same argument from the people who initially **** all over the 16e as being "garbage" because its specs aren't up to par with others' on paper.

Meanwhile, plenty of people like myself prefer it because of the simplicity, lighter weight, and price.

"Better" in terms of specs and features? Yeah, sure. But '"better" is subjective, and the 16e, 13 mini, etc are better for me.

To that end, grown adults walking around with the rectangular imprint of their "better" tablets crammed into their pockets will never not be funny.

 

[geta]

You really just didn't even try with this response, did you?

Go and re-read the comment, for your own sake, because is more to learn there.

- Larger will always equal a better device, even if what you personally prefer is a smaller screen. You don't prefer the worse battery or worse cameras or worse thermal performance or <insert any other thing limited by physics>. Larger = better. And they unsurprisingly do not shy away from making something better, if they can.

- iPhone Air will in fact be a smaller device in all dimensions except 1. This is significant, because like I said, it shows that Apple is interested in making a smaller device, and that this is the smallest they can make it at this point without compromising it totally. If they made the iPhone Air as is, with a 5.8" display, it might have half day battery life, or no room for a camera at all.

I've now repeated points that you chose to ignore the first time. Hopefully this time you read them, and understand there is more to this conversation than "I want".

LOL. My tiny phone can easily hold two days with my daily use, or a full day if I push it hard, but at the same time it's comfortable to use and carry around.

 

[GioGiusi]

This is the same argument from the people who initially **** all over the 16e as being "garbage" because its specs aren't up to par with others' on paper.

Meanwhile, plenty of people like myself prefer it because of the simplicity, lighter weight, and price.

"Better" in terms of specs and features? Yeah, sure. But '"better" is subjective, and the 16e, 13 mini, etc are better for me.

To that end, grown adults walking around with the rectangular imprint of their "better" tablets crammed into their pockets will never not be funny.

Sorry, better is not subjective. You're choosing to prioritize 1 aspect and accepting everything else as worse in trade. That's fine. There is nothing wrong with that choice if it means that much to you. But I don't expect Apple to make the same choice.

 

[GioGiusi]

Your argument fails right here.

The size of the device is the #1 criteria of importance for many owners of SE1/SE2/SE3/Mini12/Mini13.

We are willing to accept tradeoffs to get that smaller size.

The "better" device for this user is the smaller one.

Better ≠ Best component specs necessarily

That's right. And I don't expect Apple to make the same choice, because prioritizing the size of the display (not the entire device) and at the expense of every other important aspect, is not something I expect Apple to agree with or pursue. Once they feel that the battery, camera, thermals and other aspects can meet a minimum standard, I think they will go for a 5" display again.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

That's right. And I don't expect Apple to make the same choice, because prioritizing the size of the display (not the entire device) and at the expense of every other important aspect, is not something I expect Apple to agree with or pursue. Once they feel that the battery, camera, thermals and other aspects can meet a minimum standard, I think they will go for a 5" display again.

Is it worth the effort to argue over semantics? Wanting a smaller phone isn't a character defect!

I understand the appeal of a smaller phone, I was resistant to larger phones for a long time until my eyes said enough. My brother is clinging to his 12 mini until it dies. After that he might just abandon smartphones altogether, and one of those new old Nokias, and rely on his iPad to fill in on the 'smartphone' role.