[NA]Thinking about a new (Apple) phone[NA]

I see the home button has returned. Step backward. I don't like it.
 
I see the home button has returned. Step backward. I don't like it.
It hasn’t “returned,” it never left from certain lines. The iPhone SE is the iPhone 8 chassis (which is the same chassis design as the 6,6s, and 7) with the A13 system on a chip and more modern internals. Just like the original SE (from where I type this) is the 5s chassis with the guts of a 6s. The 10/10s/11 and soon 12 lines all had and will continue to have faceID.

They should be announcing the new round of 12 Pros and 12 in September (or possibly delayed to October due to COVID, it’s unclear). Depending on your use case/feature desires/budget you might want to see what those will offer and then decide.
That being said, the current SE is probably one of the best deals Apple has offered in a long time. It’s basically flagship internals (mean system on a chip, not camera system or faceID) in an old chassis. People are loving their SEs and I’ve heard nothing but positives for it. It will be my next phone likely although I am waiting to see what the 12 pro looks like as it is rumored to be smaller, in between sizes of the original SE and the new SE. small size is important for me.
 
If the SE works for you from a feature standpoint, I think it's a good phone. Like AKiss said - the internals are modern, so it should be fast and last you a few years' worth of the inevitable software bloat. :)
 
:popcorn:
Similar situation. Need to replace my aging 6s and don't want a large phone.
 
Looks like a nice phone. Would not be a bad choice. It’s a solid and proven design.

As to the home button, TouchID works just fine, and better than FaceID in many situations - like when wearing a mask. Then again, it robs you of just a bit of screen real estate for any given phone size.

If you can, the next generation of iPhones is expected in the next couple of months. That may change the landscape, even if you don’t need the latest and greatest and biggest phone out there.

Personally, I think I’ll keep going for the biggest phone they offer - up to a point. I spend so much time surfing the web on the phone that every little bit helps. Likewise, I’ve come to use my iPhone X as a navigator in my Sky Arrow, and again, a larger screen size there provides a real bonus.

All the iPhone cameras are excellent and more than enough for most uses. Still, the “Pro” model cameras are really spectacular, if that’s important to you.
 
I've heard great things about the new SE, the features-to-price ratio is quite high. Apple is selling a ton of them.

I'm still getting by with an iPhone 6, but plan to jump to one of the lower-end iPhone 12s once they come out later this year. My reasoning is that they are reportedly going to support 5G, which is of limited value now, but since I tend to keep phones for a bunch of years, I figure it's something I'll want within a year or two.
 
... TouchID works just fine, and better than FaceID in many situations - like when wearing a mask. .

slight hijack: I wonder if Apple will update FaceID to allow for masks. They've made a couple of other ios changes for COVID-19 (e.g., support for contact tracing), but FaceID just doesn't allow masks (at least not on my iphone)
 
It hasn’t “returned,” it never left from certain lines. The iPhone SE is the iPhone 8 chassis (which is the same chassis design as the 6,6s, and 7) with the A13 system on a chip and more modern internals. Just like the original SE (from where I type this) is the 5s chassis with the guts of a 6s. The 10/10s/11 and soon 12 lines all had and will continue to have faceID.

They should be announcing the new round of 12 Pros and 12 in September (or possibly delayed to October due to COVID, it’s unclear). Depending on your use case/feature desires/budget you might want to see what those will offer and then decide.
That being said, the current SE is probably one of the best deals Apple has offered in a long time. It’s basically flagship internals (mean system on a chip, not camera system or faceID) in an old chassis. People are loving their SEs and I’ve heard nothing but positives for it. It will be my next phone likely although I am waiting to see what the 12 pro looks like as it is rumored to be smaller, in between sizes of the original SE and the new SE. small size is important for me.

It eats up screen real estate though. I like the upswipe better than the mechanical button anyway. It took about thirty seconds to get used to it.
 
I wish I had been able to wait for the new SE, but I drowned my 6S last fall. Ended up with an 11 Pro. I love the camera, which would not be the same on the SE, but I don't love the size. I got used to Face ID but prefer the home button with fingerprint ID. Also, Face ID doesn't work with masks, which make Apple Pay take a couple seconds longer as I wait to enter my passcode, not to mention when I unlock the phone in the first place. I've also found Face ID to sometimes not work with sunglasses. If I didn't use the camera so much, I would consider switching. Note: I use the camera more than I use the phone as a phone. :)
 
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slight hijack: I wonder if Apple will update FaceID to allow for masks. They've made a couple of other ios changes for COVID-19 (e.g., support for contact tracing), but FaceID just doesn't allow masks (at least not on my iphone)

I think there was a question of whether there's enough 'facial data' available with a mask to allow for an adequate level of security.
 
It eats up screen real estate though. I like the upswipe better than the mechanical button anyway. It took about thirty seconds to get used to it.
I only challenged your use of the word "returned", not your reasons for liking the removal of the home button. Different strokes for different folks and thats 100% fine, just saying the home button never left; it's been here the whole time.
 
I only challenged your use of the word "returned", not your reasons for liking the removal of the home button. Different strokes for different folks and thats 100% fine, just saying the home button never left; it's been here the whole time.

Fine, I did not realize that.
 
I spend way more money on the plans than I do on the phone. It therefore makes some sense to get a higher end phone, since it won't go obsolete as quickly as a lower end phone, and the overall cost really isn't that great. To me cheaping out on a phone is penny wise pound foolish.
 
I spend way more money on the plans than I do on the phone. It therefore makes some sense to get a higher end phone, since it won't go obsolete as quickly as a lower end phone, and the overall cost really isn't that great. To me cheaping out on a phone is penny wise pound foolish.

While I agree in general, I will note that all of the current lineup* has the latest SOC in it, and it's really the SOC that limits the useful life of the phone. That being said, I am running the 1st gen SE, with a 5 year old SOC (A9 launched in Sep 2015) on the latest iOS and it is still doing well. It won't handle the latest in games I am sure, but for everyday messaging/audio/video/web needs it has been perfectly fine for me. Apple has been much better in the past few years for not EOLing hardware that quickly. My phone launched with iOS9 and will be supported for iOS14. 5 OS releases is pretty darn good in the phone world.

*the previous generation iPhone XR is still for sale which has the previous generation A12. Didn't realize it was still for sale.
 
I got a previous generation phone for my first one. It was always fine for a phone, but it got slow for just about everything else except maybe the calculator. Wasn't a battery thing, that didn't affect mine. Got really frustrating, and when I thought about what I was spending to feed the thing it made no sense. If all you do with your phone is make phone calls I guess it doesn't matter, but if all you do with your phone is make phone calls then why have a smart phone?
 
It won't handle the latest in games I am sure, but for everyday messaging/audio/video/web needs it has been perfectly fine for me. Apple has been much better in the past few years for not EOLing hardware that quickly. My phone launched with iOS9 and will be supported for iOS14. 5 OS releases is pretty darn good in the phone world.
All true, but on the other hand there still exist good reasons to go for the latest and greatest. For example, there is a noticeable improvement in picture/video quality from the newer cameras. Also, radio bands are ever changing and getting the latest phone ensures you're getting the best connectivity. For example, T-Mobile is rolling out their 600Mhz LTE band which would come in handy at GA airports that don't already have cellular base station antennas nearby. And don't forget that 5G is almost here.
 
Does the most current SE on the market have 5G capability?

Will I be getting the same camera as my old SE has?
 
I'm nursing along an iphone 6s which has outlasted every other smartphone I've had by a huge margin. Planning on upgrading to the latest and greatest this fall assuming they release a new one.

I got the 6s when it was released which makes it around 5 years old now I believe. Usually by 3 I'm itching to upgrade due to the newest iOS making the phone too slow to use easily. Not sure what it is about this model but it seems like a lot of us have been hanging onto them- still does everything well enough that the upgrade hasn't been worth it.
 
I'm nursing along an iphone 6s which has outlasted every other smartphone I've had by a huge margin. Planning on upgrading to the latest and greatest this fall assuming they release a new one.

I got the 6s when it was released which makes it around 5 years old now I believe. Usually by 3 I'm itching to upgrade due to the newest iOS making the phone too slow to use easily. Not sure what it is about this model but it seems like a lot of us have been hanging onto them- still does everything well enough that the upgrade hasn't been worth it.

Still have my 6S as well and am looking at the same replacement schedule as you maybe a little longer till around Christmas because the wife has a 6S as well so probably space out the upgrades a bit.
 
To me cheaping out on a phone is penny wise pound foolish.

Spending a lot for a piece of **** phone is foolish. And make no mistake ABSOLUTELY every smart phone is a piece of ****. iOS and Android

Want call quality? forget it
Want a capable/usable browser? forget it

The game of making them the size of a tablet hasn't really changed the fact that they don't do their primary function (phone) well at all, and the size is just to make the rest of the things they don't do well seem okay.

Note: iPhone 8 user. And is sucks every bit as much as the prior ones
 
I got the 6s... Not sure what it is about this model but it seems like a lot of us have been hanging onto them- still does everything well enough that the upgrade hasn't been worth it.
NVME>eMMC.
 
Does the most current SE on the market have 5G capability?

Will I be getting the same camera as my old SE has?
No, no iPhone is currently 5G capable. The 12 series likely will be (perhaps only the 12 Pros, not sure what the current rumors are), but the SE is not.

The New SE has the same camera platform as the iPhone 8, so 3 generations newer than the old SE.
 
No, no iPhone is currently 5G capable.
Haha, Timmy Cook is milking the iphone crowd dry. At least the widgets come this year, only 6 years after the competition mastered the widget.
 
My son has the new SE. We got that for him when his Iphone 6 screen broke (he dropped it.) I have to admit that the iPhone SE is pretty good for the money. I think it's worth buying and using for 2 years or so until the 5G capable iPhone is released and bugs worked out. Performance is good, screen clarity is way better than the iPhone 6, camera far and away better, and it's quite fast... maybe nearly as quick as my iPhone X.
 
Haha, Timmy Cook is milking the iphone crowd dry. At least the widgets come this year, only 6 years after the competition mastered the widget.
Yes yes you’re so superior and we are all sheep we know. :rolleyes:
 
Yes yes you’re so superior and we are all sheep we know. :rolleyes:
Actually inferior I am. I dont have the kind of money to waste on technology that's been available for many years just to be able to say i have an iphone. My poverty lifestyle dictates that I have to buy things that are less prone to planned obsolescence. I wish I could be on the iphone train they just don't have a product that is suitable for time we live in yet.
 
I’m rethinking this.
To go from my legacy SE to the 2020 SE;

-$650 (rough- after tax, shipping)

-4x the capacity (there’s some value in that)
-new batt (mine is showing its age)
-a working ear speaker (mine is dead; have to use speakerphone)
-better camera (how?)
-esim which might improve ability to buy overseas plans while traveling (true?)

-1/2” larger in one dimension (a downside for me)
-no better functionality or speed
-no better connectivity
 
I have a iPhone 8, the latest up grade is crap. they played with the photo program and now it is horrible.
 
Spending a lot for a piece of **** phone is foolish. And make no mistake ABSOLUTELY every smart phone is a piece of ****. iOS and Android

Want call quality? forget it
Want a capable/usable browser? forget it

The game of making them the size of a tablet hasn't really changed the fact that they don't do their primary function (phone) well at all, and the size is just to make the rest of the things they don't do well seem okay.

Note: iPhone 8 user. And is sucks every bit as much as the prior ones

This is the internet version of “Get off my lawn”

Here’s the last phone you liked:
0698a5bb4cdb42b3387ae9c50510ace2.jpg
 
When my wife “upgraded” to an X, I hated it. Nothing seemed intuitive, face recognition sucked.
I anxiously awaited the new SE and did upgrade from my 6, and really like it. Miss the headphone jack for playing music through my nonBluetooth stereo but found a Lightning to 3mm adaptor that works.
Can’t teach this old dog too many new tricks.
 
The game of making them the size of a tablet hasn't really changed the fact that they don't do their primary function (phone) well at all, and the size is just to make the rest of the things they don't do well seem okay.

For me, phone hasn´t been the primary function anymore for a number of years. It´s my calender, camera, scanner, browser, email/messenger tool, navigation device, logbook, exercise tracker, wallet, bank clerk, music box. And then I sometimes use it for a call or two.
 
For me, phone hasn´t been the primary function anymore for a number of years. It´s my calender, camera, scanner, browser, email/messenger tool, navigation device, logbook, exercise tracker, wallet, bank clerk, music box. And then I sometimes use it for a call or two.

You forgot “Game Boy”.

But other than that it’s completely useless. ;-)
 
I’m rethinking this.
To go from my legacy SE to the 2020 SE;

-$650 (rough- after tax, shipping)

That's for a 256GB iPhone SE? I don't know if you have an Apple account, but if you store your photos on the cloud, you can do the $128GB for $100 less. And if you are a Costco member, I think you can order the phone for a little less also ($10 less?)
 
^^^ yah, Sux that with the 8 you have to buy an adapter to get to the mini plug for headphones. Although I do need to complement the Airpods.
 
^^^ yah, Sux that with the 8 you have to buy an adapter to get to the mini plug for headphones.

ok I have modified my list.
Will all my current power cords & chargers work?

xxxxxx
To go from my legacy SE to the 2020 SE;

-$650 (rough- after tax, shipping)

-4x the capacity (there’s some value in that)
-new batt (mine is showing its age)
-a working ear speaker (mine is dead; have to use speakerphone)
-better camera (how?)
-esim which might improve ability to buy overseas plans while traveling (true?)

-1/2” larger in one dimension (a downside for me)
-no better functionality or speed
-no better connectivity
-five audio plugs will no longer work, need adapters
 
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