2022 iPhone SE review: Revving up a classic hot rod
- Thread starter JournalBot
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The true appeal of this phone is to prepaid carriers, who can offer modern performance and iPhone cachet for $150-$200 subsidized.
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I have the 2020 iPhone SE. As much as I appreciate its home button (it's all I know so far), and its easy one-handed use, I absolutely LOATHE its small battery.
This phone is really a gateway drug to more expensive iPhones, I think... the trial iPhone... The rental... I've been tempted to upgrade just for the battery, but I am stubborn about keeping the smaller screen (one-handed use, pocketable) and Touch ID.
Edit: Just needed to add that Apple is *milking* this iPhone form factor for all its worth... it essentially dates back to the iPhone 6, which debuted back in 2014, eight years ago. An eternity in technology years.
This phone is really a gateway drug to more expensive iPhones, I think... the trial iPhone... The rental... I've been tempted to upgrade just for the battery, but I am stubborn about keeping the smaller screen (one-handed use, pocketable) and Touch ID.
Edit: Just needed to add that Apple is *milking* this iPhone form factor for all its worth... it essentially dates back to the iPhone 6, which debuted back in 2014, eight years ago. An eternity in technology years.
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Seriously considering this as there are very few one-hand friendly android options (as in <70mm wide). Bezels don't bother me, and I can live without night mode.
Any recommendations for third-party iOS alternatives to twitter and reddit? Paid is fine, ads are not.
For twitter, tweetbot looks good, but it's unclear if it can be setup to show selected lists as separate tabs.
For reddit, I just need the ability to bookmark and read a list of subreddits (no need to login or post).
Any recommendations for third-party iOS alternatives to twitter and reddit? Paid is fine, ads are not.
For twitter, tweetbot looks good, but it's unclear if it can be setup to show selected lists as separate tabs.
For reddit, I just need the ability to bookmark and read a list of subreddits (no need to login or post).
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Uhm ok, but some of us were around for the first iPhone- or at least its 3G version in my case. iPhone 8 chassis is dated, but not *that* dated.
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j17robotdancer
Ars Praefectus
The design looks a little dated
Not everyone needs a ferrari they just want something that works.
Not everyone needs a ferrari they just want something that works.
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Seems like a pleasant but unremarkable tuneup for the SE2.
I’m a happy SE2 owner. It’s a breeze to live with and does its job well without making me notice the monthly payment. I could ask for better battery life, sure, but for the things I want to do with a phone it’s more than capable. The only thing the higher end models have to offer for me is the larger and sexier displays, but that aspect just isn’t worth the massively bigger price tags in my book. It’s a great product that represents a matured and polished experience. Only way I see myself buying a new phone is if my toddler kills the one I’m using to write this.
If you want a Nice Phone For Not Too Much Money, buy the SE and carry on happily.
I’m a happy SE2 owner. It’s a breeze to live with and does its job well without making me notice the monthly payment. I could ask for better battery life, sure, but for the things I want to do with a phone it’s more than capable. The only thing the higher end models have to offer for me is the larger and sexier displays, but that aspect just isn’t worth the massively bigger price tags in my book. It’s a great product that represents a matured and polished experience. Only way I see myself buying a new phone is if my toddler kills the one I’m using to write this.
If you want a Nice Phone For Not Too Much Money, buy the SE and carry on happily.
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In terms of performance uplift, I suspect most people who are replacing an older iPhone with this one aren't retiring a 2020 SE. They're upgrading from an 8 or a 7 or something like that. It's going to be a very substantial boost to performance, camera quality. battery life, etc. compared to a phone from 5 years ago.
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The secret is to use low power mode all the time! Gets me mostly through the day, anyway...
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Well, speak for yourself. I also have the iPhone SE 2020 and for my use case, the battery life was a big step up considering that I was upgrading from an iPhone 5s. I used settings on that 5s for maximizing battery life (i.e., limited background refresh, on-demand location services only, no push mail retrieve, etc.), and transferring them over to the SE 2020, I've never had issues with battery life.
The smaller form factor and Touch ID are big reasons why I went with the SE rather than any of the larger models. For me, the iPhone 6/6s/7/8/SE 2020 size is already larger than I prefer, so the SE 2020 (or 2022) would not be a gateway to anything, given that the larger models are non-starters for me.
The only option I would have considered was the mini. But, the mini came out after the SE 2020 did, and I didn't feel the need to spend the extra ~$300 when the SE 2020 already provided everything I needed and nothing that I don't.
It's an 8 year old external design, yet the phone itself will have a longevity that outdistances anything else on the market, except for other iPhones that share the A15 SoC.
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> The screen is a bit small for heavy media consumption
Sounds like a plus for small phone devotees.
Sounds like a plus for small phone devotees.
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As a guy who carries his phone in his front pocket, the iPhone SE may be the last remaining small-framed smartphone available at a reasonable price.
It's easy to carry, easy to use and has by far the largest ecosystem of apps available for the mobile platform. There's nothing like it anymore on the Android platform that fits in a pants pocket without having to constantly say "No, I'm not all that happy to see you."
I use Mac and Windows PCs, have an iPad and kept my smartphone with Android so I could cover all the most common computing platforms. Since I can't find a small-chassis Android smartphone anymore, this is enough to send me over to the Dark Side.
It's easy to carry, easy to use and has by far the largest ecosystem of apps available for the mobile platform. There's nothing like it anymore on the Android platform that fits in a pants pocket without having to constantly say "No, I'm not all that happy to see you."
I use Mac and Windows PCs, have an iPad and kept my smartphone with Android so I could cover all the most common computing platforms. Since I can't find a small-chassis Android smartphone anymore, this is enough to send me over to the Dark Side.
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Thanks, any idea if it can be setup with lists on their own tabs? As in one tab is your timeline, a second is a list etc?
[edit] nvm, just found that fenix can do this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fenix-for ... orm=iphone
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I know you don't need all of the features, but Apollo is a pretty great Reddit client for iOS.
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"But Touch ID still works great most of the time."
With my iPhone 7 TouchID works great all of the time. Maybe once in a month my fingers are wet or too dirty and it doesn't work at the first try.
I would love Apple to integrate TouchID into the power button as with the iPad and make the screen bigger, but in itself TouchID is just great.
With my iPhone 7 TouchID works great all of the time. Maybe once in a month my fingers are wet or too dirty and it doesn't work at the first try.
I would love Apple to integrate TouchID into the power button as with the iPad and make the screen bigger, but in itself TouchID is just great.
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The 2020 iPhone SE had a 1821 mAh battery.
That is really small.
I would prefer they made the 2022 model a little thicker and gotten one at least 2400 mAh in there.
New out of the box the battery life may be acceptable but by the 18 month mark of daily use it goes downhill fast and will require recharging throughout day.
That is really small.
I would prefer they made the 2022 model a little thicker and gotten one at least 2400 mAh in there.
New out of the box the battery life may be acceptable but by the 18 month mark of daily use it goes downhill fast and will require recharging throughout day.
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I'm tempted to replace my SE 2020 with the SE 2022 to add the extra couple of years of OS and application support, as well as 5G. The SE 2020 still has decent resale value, or I can pass it onto my daughter who indeed uses an iPhone 7.
If the rumors about the mini being phased out are true, then this is indeed the last hurrah for those of us who prefer the smallER iPhones (I never viewed the 6/6s/7/8/SE 2020/SE 2022 form factor as small, given that I was upgrading from a 4" model). In that case, buying the SE 2022 sooner than later will maximize the value of the purchase.
Going back to the original 4" model, the iPhone SE is not like the regular line iPhones, whose prices go down by $100 every year until they are discontinued. The SE 2020 carried the same price for 2 years, so its comparative value went down every year as the other iPhone models' prices went down.
The SE 2020 shares the A13 SoC with the iPhone 11, yet when the SE 2020 came out it was $300 cheaper. Six months later, the SE 2020 was $200 cheaper. And as of last September, the SE 2020 was only $100 cheaper. For a lot of people, the larger screen, larger battery, Face ID, and multi-lens camera system on the iPhone 11 aren't worth the extra $300. But, those features might be worth the extra $200 to some consumers, and worth a $100 premium for still more consumers.
The SE 2022 now resets the bar. With the iPhone 13 mini also available, you now have a similarly small budget model available for $220 less (when comparing 128 GB configurations), and $320 less than the iPhone 13. Come September, that price difference will adjust yet again.
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If you're looking to immerse yourself in movies or video games, and you're expecting a phone of any size to give you that experience, you're f**king up.
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Touch ID is fast and it works even when I'm not looking at my device, which is a benefit when I'm using my phone in the car for navigation or music. I mount the phone up high using a dock, and don't want to fuss with Face ID every time I want to take a quick look at my updated ETA. With Touch ID, it's one quick action to power on and unlock, and the device stays secured at all times.
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Having a proper home button on the front does serve a few purposes, but the massive bezel is just so unnecessary.
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Complaining that the iPhone SE’s design looks dated is like complaining that a screwdriver or a chef’s knife looks dated. It works well, and feels comfortable in the hand. That’s what matters.
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Plus, what even looks dated about it? It's a flat rectangle with rounded corners, just like any other phone.
I suppose if the screen is on, you can see that it's smaller than average. Or if you count the lenses on the back. These seem like technicalities.
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I remember when the gateway/trial/rental/prepaid iPhone was the 5S, and judging from the 13 Pro Max in front of me, it worked. It was cheap enough that my curiosity overcame me. Once the unsuspecting victim realizes that iOS isn't as bad as all their Android-using friends (and anonymous strangers on the internet) have been telling them, they'll start wanting better cameras and longer battery life, and eventually they'll talk themselves into the big leagues, and then it's all over, lol.
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I have a 2-year old SE 2020, and even with the battery down to 86% I have not found myself needing to recharge the thing throughout the day whenever I'm away from a charger. Since I was upgrading from a 4" iPhone 5s, I'd already set a lot of the settings to reduce battery usage (i.e., location services, background refresh, push mail, etc.).
The whole point of the SE is to extend the life of a production line whose costs were amortized years ago. Reusing the same form factor and internal parts, while keeping the processor and modem current is the whole point of iPhone SE. It's all about minimizing costs while offering up a budget iPhone that will have the same service life as any other A15-powered iPhone.
A thicker phone with a larger battery would entail actual physical changes more akin to a new model. Yes, you'd end up with a phone that has better battery life, but it would no longer be a budget-priced iPhone SE. It would be something else. Since you're now updating the "outdated" design, someone will inevitably suggest that it should also include Face ID with a full-bleed screen. And while you're at it, why not throw a better camera for low-light pictures into the mix as well? Before you know, you end up with an iPhone 13.
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If the bezel is a dealbreaker, then the iPhone 13 mini will (hopefully) be available for $100 less this fall (and only $170 more than the 64 GB iPhone SE and only $120 more than the more equivalently spec'd 128 GB iPhone SE).
Reusing the same form factor with the 4.5" screen is a big reason why Apple can sell the iPhone SE at a comparatively low price (while maintaining the same high margins as the rest of the iPhone lineup). If you want something with a full bleed screen, then you're asking for something different than an iPhone SE.
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Heck I do that by default.
I crank up the battery saver mode to kick in ASAP or on iOS have a shortcut automation do it.
Longer battery, never see any problems.
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Yep. To conserve battery life on my old 4" iPhone, I switched off the push mail retrieve, made location services on-demand for all apps, and turned off the background refresh. I carried those same settings over to my SE 2020, and I've never run into situations where I needed to change those settings even on a temporary basis.
Same reason why on my Windows laptop, I switch off the turbo boost. The PC doesn't run noticeably slower, but the battery life is noticeably longer and the fan vents no longer feel like a hair dryer.
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The Toyota Camry/Ford Escort/Honda Civic of cellphones. Gets the job done and is reliable.
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Here's my advice, as an iPhone SE user since it debuted: Put the phone in battery mode at all times.
My phone lives in battery mode. It is annoying to deal with the fact that Apple automatically shuts it off at 80% charge, but this can be lived with. I never take the phone out of battery mode because I never need to. It runs everything perfectly and it runs things quickly.
With the 2016 iPhone SE, I could tell the difference between battery mode on and battery mode off, as far as performance. With the 2020, I can't. And leaving battery mode engaged makes a huge difference to battery life.
I haven't formally measured for a long time and of course all measurements will be use-dependent, but the last time I checked, I got something like 1.3x more battery life from using battery mode, at no noticeable impact to performance or stream quality. This was while streaming Netflix, so YMMV.
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I'm part of the target market for this phone. I want an economical, secure, and small phone with power where it counts. My phone is a jack of all trades - I don't need all the bells and whistles - I have dedicated devices for specialized tasks.
I still use my 1st generation SE. It still performs great for my needs, and Apple still provides software updates. As long as those updates keep coming, I'll probably keep using it. But if they stop later this year, this 3rd gen SE will be at the top of my shopping list.
I still use my 1st generation SE. It still performs great for my needs, and Apple still provides software updates. As long as those updates keep coming, I'll probably keep using it. But if they stop later this year, this 3rd gen SE will be at the top of my shopping list.
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OK, but the Mini has a smaller overall form factor with a larger screen, better cameras, etc. I know it's more money, but you're future proofing a bit more.
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Well, using the 8+ body instead of the 8 would allow bigger screen and battery, an additional camera (which is why I'm on the fence on replacing my 8+ with an SE)
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You can view two lists using the bottom tar bar. The leftmost tab can be configured to show either your full timeline or any single list. That first tab can easily switch between lists by tapping at the name at the top of the list name at the top of the screen.
By default, the two rightmost tabs are configurable and you can set one of them to display a second list of your choice. I do this.
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The new SE is literally everything I want in a phone. I finally realized I just don't use all the bells & whistles of the latest hotness, and I missed the home button, so I have the 2020 model and the most compelling reason for me to upgrade is improved battery life.
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