Apple iPhone SE Review & Comments

Well done apple. Giving customers what they want . Have one on order for the wife after she cracked the screen on her s9 and it's nearly £200 to repair.
 
A phone is just a computer and a computer is the sum of its parts, so while everybody is obsessing about the CPU in it; it cannot perform as the rest of the components don’t allow it to, and thus it has a performance equivalent to most Android phones at half the price. (If you love the Apple eco system (And why not) then you are used to paying extra for the privilege, but for most folks it is way overpriced)

Bill
 
I think this will be a great upgrade for my mum who wants to upgrade from her old SE. I think given the sum of its parts, it appears to be a great phone. Given it's mostly made up from Apple service parts, it's a good money maker for them. But it should also be a solid reliable phone, just wish they did something more with the screen size.

A phone is just a computer and a computer is the sum of its parts, so while everybody is obsessing about the CPU in it; it cannot perform as the rest of the components don’t allow it to, and thus it has a performance equivalent to most Android phones at half the price. (If you love the Apple eco system (And why not) then you are used to paying extra for the privilege, but for most folks it is way overpriced)

Bill
But that also means it can potentially take more and more CPU intensive updates since the way iOS works is much kinder to the CPU etc. I know it's something Apple people say, but it's true. It's like (and always has been), Apple are using lean efficient european engines as opposed to simple but underpowered american V8's. They keep up in power, but only through being bigger than they need to be. Same price difference too.
 
Would have been more appealing if they'd put it in a larger, more modern chassis, something akin to a 5" XR.
For just £200 more the XR with a much bigger screen and a much more modern look remains better overall value in my book.
The only reason I'd go for this over a XR is perhaps for someone with smaller hands. Also worth noting that the XR was the first iPhone with a decent battery life (other than the plus models) and I fear this would simply be the same as the 6/7/8, i.e. lucky to get a day out of it in the office.

Also worth noting that come September the iPhone 11 will probably take the price point of the current XR and the XR could drop a few notes.
 
A phone is just a computer and a computer is the sum of its parts, so while everybody is obsessing about the CPU in it; it cannot perform as the rest of the components don’t allow it to, and thus it has a performance equivalent to most Android phones at half the price. (If you love the Apple eco system (And why not) then you are used to paying extra for the privilege, but for most folks it is way overpriced)

Bill
Please stop trolling, thank you.
 
While I am sure still fast enough, the a13 processor is under clocked by all accounts and not in the same ballpark as the iPhone11 models. No mention of that in the review that I could see.

That said, there is definitely a market for smaller, near top flight, phones. My works iPhone 8 is very well made, just 'works' and I also like the home button ergonomics. It'll be interesting to see if the new Sony range will compete (brand loyalty aside) in the small but good phone market.
 
Sounds ideal for me. I'm not sure it replaces the old SE though. I know several people who still use the old SE because they had reached the limit in terms of phone size that they would put up with - the old iPhone 5S chassis. The move to the iPhone 6 chassis (which this new SE effectively is) was a step too far. I'll be intrigued to see if those people will buy a new SE or stick with their (increasingly old) supplies of old SEs.
 
Looks like a decent low-end, pocket-friendly iPhone for people without giant hands.

Will probably upgrade my 2016 SE to the 2020 SE later in the year, if only because the battery is starting to fade.
 
Completely pointless post
Please stop trolling, thank you.

Why is it that when somebody criticises an apple product they think it is an attack on their person, and under no circumstances should anything else be considered. (Talk about dictatorship)

If you do not agree with what I and others say about the phone, (There are plenty of reviews from all sides out there) fine, I and others have no problem with that at all, but to try and shut someone down because you do not like their opinion, well sorry, most western country’s believe in free speech and everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

Bill
 
Why is it that when somebody criticises an apple product they think it is an attack on their person, and under no circumstances should anything else be considered. (Talk about dictatorship)

If you do not agree with what I and others say about the phone, (There are plenty of reviews from all sides out there) fine, I and others have no problem with that at all, but to try and shut someone down because you do not like their opinion, well sorry, most western country’s believe in free speech and everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

Bill
In the previous iPhone SE thread you was invited to name example Android handsets with equivalent hardware specification for half the cost but declined to do so twice. Your third contribution to the Apple iPhone forum is to repeat the same line offering no useful buying information to the forum members. Banned
 
Sounds ideal for me. I'm not sure it replaces the old SE though. I know several people who still use the old SE because they had reached the limit in terms of phone size that they would put up with - the old iPhone 5S chassis. The move to the iPhone 6 chassis (which this new SE effectively is) was a step too far. I'll be intrigued to see if those people will buy a new SE or stick with their (increasingly old) supplies of old SEs.
My new SE has been delivered and will replace my original SE. The increase in size isn’t massive, unlike the jump to an 11. My work mobile is the same size as an 11 and I don’t find it comfortable to use. Appreciate it’s different for each person. My wife’s will replace a 5s. Amazed it’s still as usable as it is.

The main thing for us is the price. Don’t care about having the most modern-looking phone these days, it’s not a fashion statement or anything. Just want something that works to replace two ageing devices. The new SE ticks all the boxes, as the original one did for me a few years ago.

Just debating with myself how early we can get the kids off to bed so we can unbox the phones!
 
I have an I8 now and this SE does look tempting but only because i cannot justify the expense of the 11 or 11 Pro. 1K for a phone is just silly money in my eyes.
 
I’m really curious to know what this iphone can promise, the look does not convince me much, but we’ll see the first tests as soon as it will be out for sure by the price range we enclose the latest chip apple, it will certainly be performing
 
Just had a peek in both boxes. Wife’s white one looks really nice. Think I might possibly prefer to the black one that’s mine. Not enough to change it, though.

Doesn’t look remotely dated to me. But then I’ve had a phone with the same look for the last six years.
 
An Iphone SE plus. Now that would have been a good buy. I’d have replaced my 7 plus with it.

This one looks like an excellent phone, but I’m too used to the plus size now.
 
Shame they didn't try and get a higher capacity battery in it by today's standards.

MKBHD's review:

 
Iphone 8 user here, like others have said I can’t justify the premium for the top end iPhones and also don’t like the feel of those larger handsets so this new SE will do me nicely whenever the time comes to make a change
 
Received mine today which replaces my iPhone 6, bought new in 2014.
Am loving the speed and the improved camera/features (to me anyway lol) and it cost less than the 5+ year old phone it replaces!

An iPhone 11 would have been nice, but the price and frankly the notch put me off.
 
I’m very close to ordering to replace my 8.
Does anyone have any comments regarding photos? I read a fairly in depth hands on review, and it sounded like image processing was much better, colour, low light etc. but less detail at the edges than the 8.
I’m not a pixel peeper, and it hasn’t put me off the phone, but I’d like to hear more Views on this.
 
Sounds ideal for me. I'm not sure it replaces the old SE though. I know several people who still use the old SE because they had reached the limit in terms of phone size that they would put up with - the old iPhone 5S chassis. The move to the iPhone 6 chassis (which this new SE effectively is) was a step too far. I'll be intrigued to see if those people will buy a new SE or stick with their (increasingly old) supplies of old SEs.

I remember when I moved from the 5 to the 6 I didn't want the jump in size. I remember thinking the 5 was pretty much perfect (I still think the 6 is a little large - I use the "double tap to pull down the screen thing" a lot) but when I had to use my 5 again last year when I went to the US, I immediately realised I wouldn't want a 5 size screen again.

That said, I remember thinking the 4 was the perfect sized screen when I moved to the 5 :laugh:
 
A phone is just a computer and a computer is the sum of its parts, so while everybody is obsessing about the CPU in it; it cannot perform as the rest of the components don’t allow it to, and thus it has a performance equivalent to most Android phones at half the price. (If you love the Apple eco system (And why not) then you are used to paying extra for the privilege, but for most folks it is way overpriced)

Bill
It isn’t just the processor than has been upgraded. Cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity have been upgraded as well.
 
Would have been more appealing if they'd put it in a larger, more modern chassis, something akin to a 5" XR.
For just £200 more the XR with a much bigger screen and a much more modern look remains better overall value in my book.
The only reason I'd go for this over a XR is perhaps for someone with smaller hands. Also worth noting that the XR was the first iPhone with a decent battery life (other than the plus models) and I fear this would simply be the same as the 6/7/8, i.e. lucky to get a day out of it in the office.

Also worth noting that come September the iPhone 11 will probably take the price point of the current XR and the XR could drop a few notes.
Not everyone is obsessed with screen size. Given I have a MacBook Pro and iPad Pro I don't want or need a big phone. The original SE was ideal for what I needed from a phone as far as screen size/form factor and at a reasonable price. The new SE goes some way to offering me a decent solution as a replacement, but not sure at the moment it is enough to tempt me before my existing SE actually fails.
Oh and BTW I have quite large hands. I ruled out the XR as just too big for what I wanted.
 

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