iPhone SE still the best one, obviously

shrug, I have an LG G7 which has a 6.1" screen and it fits in all my pants pockets fine. But then again I don’t wear jeans or own Apple products.

Forget the size, $999 for the pro is entering ludacris territory.

I bought a used SE several months ago rather than buy a new, giant phone. Looking for a small phone that can fit in my back pocket is the first thing that has caused me to look at non-Apple phones. I didn’t find an alternative, so I’m stuck with an old SE. I would pay much more for a small phone with a better camera, though. Still hoping

1 Like

giphy-lida

8 Likes

Actually they did get tinier – so tiny that they’re just a small chip on the board of your handheld computer.

4 Likes

The entire use case changed, that’s why. Back then, they were phones first. We talked on them, and maybe sometimes sent a text message. We were not really looking at them, so they might as well be smaller and smaller.

Today, “phone” is just an app on the super computer you’re carrying around, and probably the least used app too.

In my super unscientific sample set, after eco system lock in, the determining factor is how you carry the phone around. People who use pockets want a phone that fits in pockets. People who carry stuff in a bag of some type want a phone that fits in that type of bag (wristlet, clutch, purse, messenger bag, backpack, armband, belt clip, dedicated sherpa service dog). Combined with how big they needs things to easily read them.

PS:The kid with the sherpa dog should get off my lawn. :slight_smile:

8 Likes

I have an iPhone X but also my work-issued iPhone 7, so I average out to an iPhone 8 1/2

5 Likes

Glances down at still in very good condition iPhone 6, with battery health still in the 90%s and feels huge wave of smugness and superiority. :wink:

@mmascari is right, for most people, but I mostly use it in ways that are phone-aligned more than computer-aligned. So my use case has not changed much at all, really.

2 Likes

I’m kind of proud of my cheapness and my still working Moto E aka “shit phone” I’ll probably replace it when 5g comes around in a couple of years.

2 Likes

Yeah, what I mostly use my iPhone 7 Plus for is as an e-book reader. I specifically got a large phone, even though it doesn’t really fit in my pocket, so that it’s easier to read books on it. I’m willing to put up with the inconvenience of a larger phone so that I don’t also have to carry a big pile of really large books with me.

1 Like

Just waiting for some Apple fans to stop by to explain why we need to suck it up and buy the big phones… Apple doesn’t make mistakes, silly, you’re just doing it wrong!

I can’t even stand how big my 6s is… Couldn’t imagine the phablets or the associated price.

I just bought a refurb 128GB SE because my 64GB one (otherwise functional) is a little cramped space-wise. I was hoping that they’d introduce a new SE at the event this week but I expected they wouldn’t and that held true. Too bad, like may others I’d pay top dollar for a phone with current guts in the form factor of the SE (headphone jack included of course).

I find it amazing how much more durable the SE is compared to my wife’s 6S. The 6S seems to break if I look at it sideways but the SE is nearly impervious to my occasionally klutzy ways. I did manage to break a corner of the back glass just recently but that was after many other completely benign drops.

Also, who wants a paper thin phone? The size of the SE gives it a comfortable weight and a non-bendy-ness that is nice. If they just grew the phones a little bit then headphone jacks could come back, bending would be solved, and the battery could get huge and really boost run time.

SE FTW Forever.

7 Likes

Yes!!! I have kept my SE since upgrading from a 4s, and like the 4s it’s a tank. I have dropped it hard enough to shatter the screen twice (and many dozen times without) and it otherwise works just fine. I suspect I’ll have it until the screen physically burns out, at which point I’ll hopefully have a way to repair it.

1 Like

Same here. The only thing I would change about my SE is the dust behind the lens, but I rarely take photos so not a big deal. I just don’t understand the trend for large phones; easier to drop, more expensive, hard to fit in pockets, with UI where you have a gesture to bring buttons into tappable reach.

2 Likes

Maybe this is why no one actually puts the phone away, and folks just walk around holding them in front of their faces. There’s no pocket big enough to hold the phone.

7 Likes

Do you realize most of the people posting here are Apple fans? We like their products so much that we’ll continue to use a 3 year old device they made instead of switching to something newer that runs a different OS. Just because we’re fans doesn’t mean we can’t bitch and moan about the current product lineup.

12 Likes

If a phone can replace your computer, it can also occupy that line in your budget.

4 Likes

I think you know the types of commentors I’m talking about - the ones who don’t allow criticism of anything apple does or doesn’t do… The ones that tell you you are wrong to complain about some aspect of their products because Apple knows best… Sorry if you feel I lumped you in with those people - not my intention. I realize people here (including myself) enjoy and use Apple products.

2 Likes

Very true. Quite honestly, among folks I know with X-sized phones, they often just have data plans and use it for FaceTime. Actual phone calls are extremely rare. My SE gets used as my work phone, so it gets lots of talk time. I just think it’s fascinating the way the perception of a high-end phone went from “tiny = expensive” to “bigger than my head = ideal”.

1 Like

I recently snagged 3 new iPhone SEs when they appeared (briefly!) on Apple’s refurb store (use refurb-tracker.com for this).

The upgrade from 4S to 5 was huge, and I felt the incremental improvements with 5S and SE, but there’s nothing about the larger phones that appeals to me.

Cold, dead hands, yada yada…

2 Likes

Yeah, I’d like a little bigger screen size, but I’ll keep using my SE as long as I can get the current OS or at least security updates.It is a little tank, and still works perfectly. I love my iPad Air 2 as well, and I only wish it had Apple Pencil support. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when both devices were on the compatibility list for iOS13/iPadOS.

2 Likes