[HN Gopher] New iPhone SE
___________________________________________________________________
New iPhone SE
Author : 0xedb
Score : 158 points
Date : 2022-03-08 18:21 UTC (4 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.apple.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.apple.com)
| politelemon wrote:
| Could the mods please consider grouping up all these announcement
| threads? We really don't need separate ones for every individual
| thing. Looking at the guidelines as well, these are more
| promotional and marketing in nature than something that
| "gratifies one's intellectual curiosity."
| htk wrote:
| I'm fine with different threads for different products. Each
| product merits its own discussion.
| simpss wrote:
| if anyone knows good android alternatives for a smaller
| smartphone (something like sony xperia compact series) I'd love
| to hear about it.
|
| Currently, it seems like the iphone SE is alone in the segment?
| hammock wrote:
| iPhone 13 Mini is even smaller than this (and lighter). And
| with a larger screen due to slimmer bezels.
| simpss wrote:
| According to this[0] iphone 13 mini is 5.4" and according to
| the OP new SE is 4.7"
|
| 0 - https://www.apple.com/iphone-13/
| hammock wrote:
| Yes screen size. Look at the physical dimensions. https://w
| ww.apple.com/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphone13mini...
| bena wrote:
| That's the screen size.
|
| The 13 mini as a whole is smaller than the SE because the
| SE has a top and bottom that's not screen.
| aidenn0 wrote:
| I'm typing this from a Unihertz Jelly 2. It's small enough that
| people make jokes about it when I pull it out.
|
| It cost $200 with 128GB of ram and a case included.
|
| Battery life gets me through the day, and no more, but it
| charges fast.
|
| I thought the keyboard would be bad, but it's quite usable
| after you get used to it. I'm probably 90% as fast as on a full
| sized phone.
|
| The camera, on the other hand is just bad. Like $200 Android
| phone from 2016 bad.
| aidenn0 wrote:
| I was adding info on how app use in it is when the edit-
| window closed...
|
| Most apps are actually fine, if a bit cramped. The exception
| is dialogs. I usually have to scroll to see all options. You
| get used to it, but it isn't great.
|
| Webpages are alright, but I do occasionally need to hide the
| keyboard while filling out forms to see feedback provided
| below the input (e.g. username already taken, passwords don't
| match, invalid CC #).
|
| I've never really gamed on my phones, so can't speak there.
|
| The one thing I did with a larger phone that I don't do on my
| Jelly2 is read things like textbooks and comics where images
| and text need to be laid out like print. It's too small to
| fit a whole page of legible text and images at once. 720
| horizontal pixels and a 5" screen is the minimum there IMO,
| though really this is what e-ink tablets were made for.
| nerdponx wrote:
| Does it run a non-Google/free OS? My primary qualm about
| switching to a budget Android phone from an iPhone is the
| security and privacy aspect, which seems _okay_ under Apple
| but atrocious under Google /Android.
| aidenn0 wrote:
| I'm not aware of one. The bootloader is unlockable from ADB
| and there's a TWRP image for it though.
| foresto wrote:
| I think the Samsung Galaxy S10e and some of the Google Pixel
| models are nearly hand-size, but I don't know of any that rival
| the (now unsupported) Xperia XZ1 Compact. The XZ2 Compact is
| (AFAIK) still supported by LineageOS, but it's chunky.
|
| I have read rumors that a new Xperia Compact model is likely
| within the next year. I don't want to get my hopes up too high,
| because this is unconfirmed and because the definition of
| "compact" seems to be expanding over the years, but I am
| optimistic.
|
| I doubt that we'll ever see the likes of the Xperia Mini Pro
| again.
|
| Edit: Here's a handy phone size comparison tool:
| https://www.phonearena.com/phones/size
| JamesAdir wrote:
| From about 2 weeks ago: Ask HN: Why is there no small Android
| phone? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30405011
|
| And another discussion from 3 months ago:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29287158
| wryun wrote:
| Sony Xperia 10 III (same width)
|
| Asus Zenfone 8
| technovader wrote:
| The Pixel 5 is perfect.
|
| It's the only phone that tore me away from the iPhone 7/8 SE
| form.
|
| The fingerprint sensor is arguable in a better position (on the
| back).
|
| Plus you get better battery, an OLED screen, 90hz.
|
| It sucks the Pixel 6 series went huge and bulky instead of
| continuing the successive wins of Pixel 3,4,5.
| sfblah wrote:
| I used to use a Motorola phone I got off Amazon for like $200.
| It was great, but various factors have caused me to return to
| using an iPhone. Looking online a bit maybe it was the G7 plus?
|
| My favorite "feature" of these Android phones is the price.
| It's like having insurance on your phone. If you lose or break
| it, it's not $1500 down the tubes.
| fouc wrote:
| > My favorite "feature" of these Android phones is the price
|
| Honestly that's my favorite feature of iPhones too. I've
| always bought used iPhones 2-3 generations behind. And
| they're often supported for many years.
|
| Current iPhone is 1st generation SE 2016, probably worth less
| than $80 and runs latest iOS.
| sokoloff wrote:
| I've usually bought 1-2 generations behind, often at the
| $250-400 price point, and then run them for 3-4 years or
| so. I just replaced the battery on my wife's X and that
| looks like it'll now go well past the 4 year mark.
| rchaud wrote:
| Nearly impossible, and I'm saying this as a lifetime Android
| user.
|
| Your best bet would be boutique OEMs like Unihertz, who have a
| 3.1-inch Jelly phone (underpowered) and a Blackberry style
| Titan Pocket with a hardware keyboard and 4-inch screen.
|
| Neither of these sound like what you want. In the Android
| world, one can only hope that another small-time OEM will swoop
| in to fill the gap, before inevitably disappearing.
| fragmede wrote:
| Since pocketability is a large component of the size
| question, the foldable Motorola Android phone is worth taking
| looking at (if you can afford it). Unfolded it's modern-sized
| but folded up it fits in more places.
| jazzyjackson wrote:
| I don't suppose there's any reason to expect a price cut on the
| 13 minis someday, is there?
| criddell wrote:
| Apple sells refurbished phones for around a 20% discount.
| SmellTheGlove wrote:
| Apple hasn't even put the iPhone 12 on the refurbished store
| yet. It's going to be a while.
| fckgw wrote:
| Apple doesn't cut the price on their phones, they stay the same
| price until replaced the next year.
|
| You can often find some retailer discounts later in the cycle
| but the Mini and SE are in different market segments as far as
| Apple is concerned.
| ceejayoz wrote:
| Sure they do.
|
| You can still buy an iPhone 11 for $499 at
| https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-11. Launch price
| $699.
|
| The iPhone 12 is similarly still available for $599 at
| https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-12. Launch
| price, again, $699.
|
| (The iPhone 13 mini is, unsurprisingly, $699. It'll almost
| certainly drop to $599 when the 14 comes out, and $499 when
| the 15 does.)
| loeg wrote:
| Oh, I want this. I "upgraded" from an iPhone 8 to an iPhone 12
| two years ago and dislike almost everything new about the 12 --
| the size (too large), FaceID (never as reliable as pressing the
| fingerprint button was). iPhone 8, but faster and with better
| battery life? Lovely.
| eisa01 wrote:
| What about the 13 mini?
| josefresco wrote:
| My wife has it.... chonky as hell. It looks and feels (not
| operates obviously) like a step back from her sleek and thin
| 6S.
| markdown wrote:
| > My wife has it.... chonky as hell.
|
| That's a feature, not a bug. I can't stand thin phones.
| loeg wrote:
| It also uses FaceID.
| deltarholamda wrote:
| I have the 2016 SE, and I love it. Hate FaceID, hate the _idea_
| of FaceID. I don 't use the fingerprint ID either. I don't even
| lock the phone.
|
| I really like the home button, and I was scared they were going
| to drop it. Glad it made the cut at least one more time.
|
| If I can't have my Blackberry Bold back, I'll take this. I
| tried the bigger iPhone 7 Plus to see if the larger screen
| helped with the crappy screen keyboard, but it didn't, so I'd
| rather have the smaller device.
| markdown wrote:
| I recommend the 13mini. I reckon the choice between the 13 mini
| and SE comes down to whether you'd prefer much better photos
| and videos.
| loeg wrote:
| TouchID vs FaceID is a bigger criteria than photo quality for
| me.
| amoorthy wrote:
| Wow, the home button reappears! Love this.
|
| On my iPhoneX I've had the touch screen get into a frozen state
| so many times and there is no way to unlock or dismiss apps. And
| then there's the face ID unlock issue when you're wearing a mask
| or not looking right at the screen... which is better solved with
| thumbprint unlock.
|
| I get that you lose screen real estate with bringing back the
| home button but I think it's the right call.
| nebula8804 wrote:
| I am not sure about iPhone X but I thought there was a new mode
| on the latest iOS that allows you to add a second Face ID
| unlock when wearing a mask? Its an additional setup you have to
| do I think?
| Tomte wrote:
| On next week's iOS 15.4
| babypuncher wrote:
| Just in time for most mask mandates/recommendations to
| finish disappearing.
|
| Where was this feature like 18 months ago?
| mkr-hn wrote:
| They'll be back with the inevitable next major variant
| just like Delta and Omicron. Some countries always had
| enough mask usage to justify a feature like this.
| melling wrote:
| The home button isn't reappearing.
|
| It's an upgrade to the SE, which always had the home button
| ComradePhil wrote:
| SE started as a copy of their previous models (iPhone 5) and
| then SE2 was a copy of iPhone 8.
|
| The SE series is not defined by its design because iPhone 5
| and 8 were very different design-wise.
|
| The thing that is different about the SE series is the lower
| price.
| dejj wrote:
| Do you know of any gimmick, e.g. case that brings the
| button and its tactile feedback to 11,12,13?
| amoorthy wrote:
| Ah silly me. Thanks for the clarification.
| [deleted]
| TAKEMYMONEY wrote:
| Giant bezels, no USB, and a _physical_ button? Feels very
| outdated compared to the rest of the lineup announced today.
| Fezzik wrote:
| I think what they're doing is super-smart: there is a giant
| section of the population that wants consistency over any other
| feature - my mom, 74, and her 5 siblings are always thrilled to
| have a phone that works exactly like their last phone; 54+
| million people in the United States are over the age of 65. I
| don't know if that plays in to their decisions, but it sure is
| appreciated.
| mholm wrote:
| Additionally, an A15 processor means this phone is going to
| stay solid and consistent for at least 5 more years. No
| issues with buying the cheaper phone and needing to replace
| it more often because the software phased it out faster.
| kcartlidge wrote:
| No USB isn't great, but personally:
|
| - Giant bezels => easy grip without touching the screen or
| covering it
|
| - Physical button => still works better for unlocking than
| FaceTime (especially with a mask)
|
| Virtually every other phone doesn't "suffer" from those
| "drawbacks" so this is probably my next phone when my current
| 2nd gen SE expires.
| 2muchcoffeeman wrote:
| USB C isn't exactly everything it's cracked up to be. You
| can't exactly just grab any USB C cable and plug it into any
| USB C port and it works. I still need to keep that one USB C
| cable with thunderbolt and charging specifically for my
| laptop. Except now I have to label it or be careful with
| cable management.
|
| I'd rather be able to just look at the connector and tell
| what it does rather than this silly game of "this USB C cable
| is fat, maybe I can use it to charge my laptop". USB C ports
| are harder to clean too.
| leetcrew wrote:
| I choose to look at it from a glass half-full perspective.
| any usbc cable is at least as good as a standard usb2
| cable. anything past that is a bonus. it's mildly annoying
| that some cables support high wattage PD and some don't,
| but it sure beats carrying around two dedicated cables all
| the time.
|
| but if it really bugs you that much, why not just find a
| cable that supports all the features you need, buy a few of
| those, and hide the rest? they're not that expensive...
| dartharva wrote:
| > - Physical button => still works better for unlocking than
| FaceTime (especially with a mask)
|
| There are better ways of doing this than a button below the
| screen unnecessarily eating up space; e.g. having the
| fingerprint reader on the side, or the back, like literally
| any modern smartphone.
| asimops wrote:
| If only it had android
| Nition wrote:
| The original iPhone SE (2016) is still the most powerful small
| smartphone ever made.
|
| Here's everything released since 2015 that's SE size or smaller:
| https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2015&nHeightM...
|
| This SE, and the previous one, are significantly larger. The
| iPhone 13 Mini is closer to original SE size but still larger
| (around 8mm longer and 6mm wider).
| incanus77 wrote:
| I agree. I'm an iOS developer (and Apple developer of 20 years)
| and I'm still using one.
| onemoresoop wrote:
| Currently using the original SE and I'm quite happy with it; as
| a device it still performs decently too. I don't need more than
| that for my use so I'm going to hold onto it till it dies out.
| One issue I've had with the small size is that a lot of
| websites are not rendering properly with this screen size and
| make the assumption that my phone's size is larger. It's not
| the device's problem the websites are broken but it's quite
| telling that the whole industry moved on to phablets.
| givemeethekeys wrote:
| Hows the battery life?
| aidenn0 wrote:
| I suppose it depends on your definition of small and powerful.
| My phone is smaller in width and height than the SE (which is
| what your gsm arena filters on), but has a larger volume due to
| being twice as thick and weighs 3g less.
|
| With 6GB of ram and a 8-core (4 big + 4 little) 2GHz MediaTek
| CPU, it's more powerful than the dual core A9. On the other-
| hand its 480x854 screen is much lower resolution.
| Nition wrote:
| Can I ask what phone that is?
|
| I admit I'm being a little unfair on "small", to suit my own
| preference. But you could fit a 5" edge-to-edge screen in
| original SE size (the iPhone 13 mini has a 5.4" screen), and
| it'd be fantastic. Hell you could do a 4" screen - same size
| screen as the original SE - but make it edge-to-edge and the
| phone would be tiny and just as functional (except maybe
| battery life...).
| aidenn0 wrote:
| Unihertz Jelly 2. 3" screen, Android 11.
| barbs wrote:
| I have a first-gen iPhone SE and it's been great, but the
| hardware is starting to wear out. I actually bought a
| Unihertz Jelly to migrate to but I'm waiting until the
| iPhone SE becomes unusable before switching over. How are
| you finding the Jelly?
| aidenn0 wrote:
| I commented here.
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30606598 TL;DR
| everything is "okay" or better except the camera, which
| is terrible.
| Nition wrote:
| That looks really neat and it's not on GSMArena for some
| reason, or else it would appear in my linked search. I
| kinda thought they had everything.
| [deleted]
| nerdponx wrote:
| I wish I still had my first-gen SE, because it actually fit in
| my small hands, and its nice solid rectangular body made it
| easy to hold and hard to drop. The home button on that unit was
| starting to give out after 4 years of heavy service and I
| didn't want to spend the money for an out-of-warranty repair.
|
| Unfortunately the Gen 2 is also mostly "non-repairable"; I had
| to get a total phone replacement for something as simple as a
| dying Thunderbolt port. According to the person at the Genius
| Bar, the 12 Mini is much more repairable, more like the first-
| gen SE in terms of its internals.
|
| This SE Gen 3 still has the rounded/slim iPhone 6 body style,
| so I would expect it to be equally non-repairable. So all
| things equal, I would still go for the 12 Mini over the SE Gen
| 2 if I could make the choice over again.
| Nextgrid wrote:
| I've swapped the case on my iPhone 8 - the Lightning port is
| on a separate board and I don't believe there's any active
| logic in it that would prevent replacement. It's quite a long
| process though that involves taking most of the phone apart -
| plan around 3 hours if you don't have previous experience.
| ummonk wrote:
| I didn't upgrade my original style iPhone SE until the iPhone
| 12 Mini came out. It's a little bit larger but still
| manageable, unlike most other phones that come out these days.
| No headphone jack though sadly.
| teejmya wrote:
| I held out as well until the 13 Mini. I still use my OG SE as
| a media device, since it has a headphone jack.
| dangus wrote:
| It's also the hardest to compute on. The screen real estate is
| truly just not enough.
|
| It's from an era where we didn't run our lives and businesses
| on our phones.
|
| About 70% of all website visits come from mobile phones:
| https://www.perficient.com/insights/research-hub/mobile-vs-d...
|
| The world has changed a lot since the original iPhone 4 and 5
| form factor hit the scene.
| GloriousKoji wrote:
| I would argue that the screen real estate is enough but with
| the ~2:1 screen ratio the iPhone X introduced and excessive
| UI whitespace bloat program UIs are just no longer space
| efficient and so the true area of importance ends up being
| the size of about two postage stamps.
| ydnaclementine wrote:
| Pretty sure that's a lightning port on the bottom unfortunately.
| Waiting for usb-c like the ipads
| onphonenow wrote:
| Lighting is a much firmer connector from what I've experienced.
| The latency on audio is also miles better if you do music. I
| returned an ipad with USB-C - unusable.
| paxys wrote:
| Even if/when they do introduce usb-c on iPhones, it will start
| with the high end models not the SE. The regular iPad doesn't
| have usb-c either.
| als0 wrote:
| Still not small enough. The 1st gen SE was perfect in size and
| easy to grip. The iPhone 13 mini is smaller but still easily
| falls out of my hand if I'm not paying attention. Alas, we live
| in the age of phablets.
| uxp100 wrote:
| It's a little bigger, but thinner, right? I also went 1st gen
| SE for 5 years, and am hoping my 13 mini lasts 5 as well (with
| a battery replacement at some point), but I drop this phone way
| more than my SE. I think the edges are slipperier.
| masklinn wrote:
| Yes at 7.3mm the 8 design reused by the SE2 and 3 is quite a
| bit thinner than the SE's 7.6mm, though it's at least a
| blessing they used the 8's shell because the 6 to 7 shell was
| only 7.1.
|
| The XR and 11 went way up to 8.3, but then the 12 went back
| down to 7.4, and the 13 back up a notch to 7.65.
|
| IME it's not just that the edges are slipperier (though they
| are), it's also that the rounded edges offer way less secure
| a grip than the flat edges of the 5S shell. And the phone is
| bigger and less well balanced, so holding it single-handed it
| always teeters on the edge.
|
| I currently have an 11, which replaced a 6S. I'd not seen
| they'd thinned the phones again so I'm quite dismayed, the 6S
| was an absolute horror show which I kept dropping. The 11 is
| _significantly_ better, though I still drop it way more than
| I'm comfortable with.
|
| I miss the 4S design. Not only do I still think it better
| looking, it was more safer, and easier to use: picking the 6S
| from a table was an exercise in frustration. The 11 is
| better, but it's not great. The 4S was easy, you just...
| gripped it. You didn't have to claw your fingers under so it
| didn't slip.
| Nextgrid wrote:
| Cynical me thinks that part of the reasons small phones died
| out is because you can't fit as many ads on those screens.
|
| Small phones are good for a lot of _functional_ purposes, but
| terrible at "growth and engagement".
| MandieD wrote:
| Also not as compelling for watching video, aka more ads.
|
| Current phone: SE 2020, purchased second hand last summer
| Previous: SE 2016, purchased second hand fall 2017
|
| Delighted to see this one hit the scene; would have been
| happier if it were in the 5/SE 2016 form factor, but
| satisfied with the internals. I'm looking forward to getting
| one in about two years.
| paxys wrote:
| There is no market for small smartphones. The mini line has
| consistently underperformed, and may get cancelled completely
| in the next refresh. People who complain about large screens
| online are unfortunately a vocal minority.
| ivan_gammel wrote:
| Women are the market for smaller devices and they are
| majority in many countries. Today is a good day to remind
| about it.
| harperlee wrote:
| Women tend to have more space for storing a big phone with
| them, as they use more bags and less pockets.
| mook wrote:
| Storing phones in bags don't help with the phone being
| too big to hold.
|
| (Incidentally, not all women store phones in bags; but
| then I used to see men storing phones on those things
| that clip into your belt too... probably not within the
| last few years though. Also, you're not storing
| _anything_ in women's pockets; they're mostly
| decorative.)
| ivan_gammel wrote:
| https://www.instagram.com/reel/CPdotquH6e-/
|
| Now, on the serious side, this is ignorant and sexist
| comment. It is sexist because it focuses on gender-biased
| fashion, emphasizing social gender inequality. It is
| ignorant because it does not take into account that women
| are usually physically smaller than men and they have
| smaller hands. They need a smaller device to have the
| same user experience as men, not because they want to
| carry it in their pockets (though surely they want it
| too).
| hombre_fatal wrote:
| All of the women in my life that I can think of have
| larger phones, often the plus sized models. They tend to
| use some form of a popsocket to make it manageable.
|
| This could very well be the reality of the phone market
| for women without trying to unmask anyone making the
| observation as sexist. Seems like you read their comment
| as a prescription of how things ought to be.
|
| I'm not sure what the fuss is about though. The people
| doing the market research have decided offer two small
| options in the current iPhone generation, so there's
| clearly a market for it whether that's women driving that
| market or not. There are all sorts of reasons anyone
| might want a smaller phone. I own a 13 mini myself and
| I'm a big guy.
| 2muchcoffeeman wrote:
| Didn't they sell 24 million SEs in 2020? Apparently more than
| any other iPhone model except the 11.
| oreilles wrote:
| This iPhone SE 2020 (and this new one) both have a smaller
| screen than the 12/13 mini. The mini line underperformed
| because it was in direct competition with the SE, not because
| people didn't want small screen. If that was the case, they
| wouldn't buy the SE either. You can see this very well in the
| sales share by model from this article:
| https://9to5mac.com/2021/07/15/iphone-12-line-accounted-
| for-....
| dogman144 wrote:
| Gets into interesting user design and accessibility topics.
|
| I have no idea what Apple did in this direction, but whenever
| I hear "no market for small phones," I think of the women in
| my life with small hands who bring up the lack of options
| voluntarily when phone size is discussed (especially when an
| older iphone SE that's small is seen).
| Dunedan wrote:
| Of course there is a market. Selling millions of devices
| proves that, no matter if that's considered "underperforming"
| when compared to the sales of larger smartphones.
| dijit wrote:
| The mini underperforming is unfortunately proof of very
| little.
|
| I didn't upgrade to the 6 because it was too big, the iPhone
| mini is the same size as a 6.
|
| https://imgur.com/a/W5b7RDF
|
| If you're in the market for a small phone: an iPhone mini is
| just taking you back to when they were already too big.
| mylons wrote:
| unfortunately it's proof that people do not want it.
| xboxnolifes wrote:
| That's not really true. If people want a 4" phone and you
| only give an option of 6" or 6.5", them picking one of
| the other here doesn't _prove_ they don 't want an actual
| small phone.
|
| I think it's true based on other evidence, but this on
| it's own isn't conclusive.
| mtalantikite wrote:
| Yeah, I had a 7 and held on to it for a while hoping a
| smaller form factor would come out. Then when the original
| SE launched in 2020 I just gave up hope on a small phone
| and bought it since my 7 was dying. A few months later the
| Mini came out, which was annoying timing. I'd be interested
| in the Mini, but I generally keep my phones at least a few
| years.
|
| iPhone 4 was my favorite form factor. I just want something
| I can use with one hand.
| mkr-hn wrote:
| The original SE was 2016. 2020 was the first update.
| mtalantikite wrote:
| Yeah, you're right, I guess I meant in this form factor.
| The first to use the SE name was definitely back in 2016
| with that other 5S design. Thanks for recalling that!
| memco wrote:
| I felt a little cheated when they launched the nini after
| the 2020 SE. I'm still using my 2020 SE and will probably
| update in the next year but I'm not sure whether I'll go
| for the 2022 SE or the mini. The cost of the SE and the
| Touch ID are very strong selling points, but the size of
| the mini and the squared sides are also appealing. I am
| hoping they'll make an SE-mini hybrid but I'm not holding
| my breath.
| mantas wrote:
| As 6 owner who upgraded to 13 mini... 13 mini fits in hand
| much better than 6. Love it.
|
| ... although 5/se form factor would be even better.
| fouc wrote:
| Yeah that's an interesting problem, if people refuse to
| buy/upgrade to newer phones because they're too big, it
| might be hard to see there's a market for smaller phones.
| testfoobar wrote:
| Nah. Lots of people I know have the a 2020 iPhone SE - both
| for its size and more importantly for the fingerprint reader.
| I have one and love it. I would consider the 13 mini - but I
| prefer fingerprint vs faceid.
| ako wrote:
| I'm afraid you're correct about it underperforming, but as an
| owner of an iphone 13 mini i can only say i'm very happy with
| it. As long as there is a mini available, i will not switch
| to a larger model.
| geoffjentry wrote:
| There are many stories out there that there will not be an
| iPhone 14 mini
| joshmlewis wrote:
| "They" said there would not be an iPhone 13 Mini either
| but they were obviously wrong there.
| holmium wrote:
| No, "they" didn't. An iPhone 13 mini was rumored ten days
| before the iPhone 12 was revealed [1] (see also in that
| same rumor the 2022 SE 3 launch). There were rumors
| through out following year that Apple was still going to
| have 13 mini even with poor sales of the 12 mini [2].
|
| The same people are saying that the mini is toast for the
| iPhone 14. It's gone. Maybe Tim Cook will do his Tim Cook
| thing and reuse the mini form factor as the next SE for
| the next half decade, but I wouldn't bet on it.
|
| -----------
|
| [1]
| https://www.macrumors.com/2020/10/02/iphone-13-lineup-
| rumore...
|
| [2] https://www.macrumors.com/2021/02/15/iphone-13-mini-
| expected...
| mholm wrote:
| I actually don't recall any popular opinions that there
| wouldn't be a 13 mini. Info I had seen over the whole
| span of the 12 indicated that the 13 mini was too far
| along to kill, and the 14 was going to get canned.
| legulere wrote:
| I would take a mini at the price point of the SE. At the
| current price it's simply too costly.
| cehrlich wrote:
| If I needed a new phone I'd probably get this - will get 5+ years
| of security updates, and does everything else ok.
| new_stranger wrote:
| I'm not a person with lots of free time that wants to update to
| the latest and greatest every year.
|
| I now appreciate apple phones knowing I can upgrade when I want
| and not in 1 year, 9 months when Google/Samsung drop support
| for my phone.
|
| Also, CalyxOS on Android provides that same concept of support
| for old pixels if you want to just keep using your phone as-is.
| JazzXP wrote:
| This is what pushed me back to Apple after a single Android
| device. After 18 months, it was running like crap, and when I
| bought it, it was considered one of the best flagship Android
| devices available (there was another that was equal, so it
| was a coin toss between them).
| duxup wrote:
| Yeah there's an Android Slowdown Syndrome that I don't know
| what it is... but Android has it. My wife's old iPhone 8
| still runs fine. All my old android phones from that time
| are a mess.
| rodgerd wrote:
| > I'm not a person with lots of free time
|
| > CalyxOS on Android
|
| Pick one.
| new_stranger wrote:
| Took about 10 minutes to install and most of that was just
| waiting for the os to transfer to the phone. Really easy
| install guide. Works great. I wouldn't ask grandma to do
| it, but the technical crowd here probably isn't scared of
| running a couple cli commands.
| Nextgrid wrote:
| That still doesn't address the issue that it's community-
| supported and can disappear at any time. Cyanogenmod used
| to be the main alternative ROM back in the day, and
| disappeared virtually overnight? It came back as
| LineageOS but it still meant that people had to reinstall
| (or somehow convert their Cyanogen install into Lineage,
| if that's possible) which takes time.
| MrBuddyCasino wrote:
| The 2nd gen SE is a nice phone, but battery life is terrible.
| Couldn't find any numbers, has this improved?
| pattyj wrote:
| Video playback up from 13 hrs to 15 hrs
|
| Streamed video playback up from 8 hrs to 10 hrs
|
| Audio playback up from 40 hrs to 50 hrs
|
| According to
| https://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphoneSE2ndg...
|
| It's the same thickness so who knows if the battery has more
| capacity. I would think it's more likely that going from A13
| 7nm to A15 5nm chip nets ~20% battery
| kemayo wrote:
| The announcement post does mention "better battery life" a
| bunch. No explicit numbers, though.
| npage97 wrote:
| From tech spec pages:
|
| iPhone SE (3rd gen) (https://www.apple.com/iphone-se/specs)
|
| Video playback: Up to 15 hours
|
| Video playback (streamed): Up to 10 hours
|
| Audio playback: Up to 50 hours
|
| iPhone SE (2nd gen)
| (https://support.apple.com/kb/SP820?locale=en_US)
|
| Video playback: Up to 13 hours
|
| Video playback (streamed): Up to 8 hours
|
| Audio playback: Up to 40 hours
|
| So looking like a ~25% improvement. For some reason Apple
| likes to hide the mAh... so not sure how much is the chip vs
| possibly a bigger battery?
| madspindel wrote:
| Could someone confirm it has the U1 chip needed for Airtag
| precision find?
| waffleiron wrote:
| It does not according to the apple.com compare between iphone
| 13 and new SE
| rchaud wrote:
| Is this still 16:9? Or has it gone the ultra-narrow aspect ratio
| of all the other phones?
| Synaesthesia wrote:
| Still 16:9
| azinman2 wrote:
| Interesting to me to see how few upvotes this has gotten in one
| hour (10). Perhaps not so popular HN? Which is surprising,
| because I feel like before the relaunch many people complained it
| didn't exist and wanted it.
| [deleted]
| newaccount74 wrote:
| People would upvote it if came with USB-C or brought back the
| headphone jack.
| bjoli wrote:
| You say this as a joke, but after seeing this phone my wife
| decided to buy an android phone. She wants a 3.5mm jack.
|
| She has been holding out for apple to change their mind and
| give her an update path from her 6s.
| newaccount74 wrote:
| I'm not saying it as a joke, I've switched to a Samsung
| phone myself because it comes with USB-C and a headphone
| jack. I miss some Apple things like iMessage, but I just
| got so sick of carrying extra cables and dongles
| everywhere.
| nebula8804 wrote:
| Its just a spec upgrade from last years phone no?
| [deleted]
| omgwtfbyobbq wrote:
| I'd say so. In my experience, different carriers have been
| discounting/clearing out many of Apple's 4g models at pretty
| good prices over the last year.
| stjohnswarts wrote:
| I wish my fingers weren't so fat :(
| ilamont wrote:
| My mom uses an old iPhone 5, and is only giving it up this year
| because the carrier will no longer support 3G. I am glad the new
| SE phone is available ... the button and small form factor are
| really important for her.
| Nextgrid wrote:
| Doesn't the iPhone 5 support 4G (LTE) though?
| meragrin_ wrote:
| Data, not voice over LTE. Lack of volte is the issue.
| MrRadar wrote:
| It does, but not Voice over LTE (VoLTE) for phone calls.
| brimble wrote:
| The single home button was such a brilliant UX move. It's been
| weird to watch them ditch it. Such a genius little safety
| blanket for ordinary users. "WTF is going on?!" Press home--the
| _only_ button visible on the face of the phone--and you 're
| back in familiar territory.
| Nextgrid wrote:
| Having a "safe" area to hold the phone by and be guaranteed
| it won't interact with anything is also nice. Yes, in my
| experience the touch rejection at the bottom for the new
| borderless iPhones is very good, but it's still a touch
| surface that under the right conditions could do something
| unexpected (and never underestimate non-technical users to
| break something you thought was bulletproof).
| ilamont wrote:
| The other thing I love about the button is the fingerprint
| reader. Far superior to facial recognition IMHO.
| ekanes wrote:
| yeah especially in an age of masks
| javajosh wrote:
| Better in the back of the phone IMHO.
| stjohnswarts wrote:
| Yeah I miss this from my Pixel phones. I wish Apple would
| build a model that uses this.
| brimble wrote:
| I was one of the people who could never get the damn thing
| to work right. And re-training it a few times a year just
| to get it _back up_ to a ~50% success rate, because of
| humidity changes, was no fun. Eventually I just started
| using a code again, since I 'd end up there more often than
| not anyway. But it seems like it was probably awesome for
| people who didn't have trouble with it.
| kiwijamo wrote:
| I'm also one of those who could never get the Apple
| fingerprint reader to work well--for me it was 50/50
| whether it worked or not. Like the parent I ended up
| switching back to code entry which was usually quicker
| anyway. So when I moved over to Android I was very
| suspicious whether the Android implementation would be
| any better--and in fact it is miles better. My Samsung
| S21 recognises my fingerprint around 9 times out of 10.
| It works even in situations (e.g. sweaty fingers) where
| the Apple implementation would not work at all. What
| makes me even more impressed is that the S21 has the
| fingerprint reader embedded into the screen, whereas
| Apple had the advantage of a dedicated space for the
| fingerprint reader without a screen getting in the way.
| YMMV of course but now I understand how nice it is just
| to press your fingerprint and it just works. Wonder if
| there are people who have unusual features in their
| fingerprint that causes Apple's implementation to
| struggle?
| brimble wrote:
| IIRC my touchID phone was one of the early ones to have
| it (a 7+, maybe? I don't recall for sure). I've used I
| think three different Apple laptops with touchID, and
| they've all worked fine. It could be that early versions
| of the hardware didn't like something about my skin, but
| later versions (by the time they started putting them in
| laptops) were fine. I hold on to phones quite a while, so
| my next upgrade after that had faceID. In fairness to
| Apple, I didn't try any of their later touchID-equipped
| models of phones.
| Someone wrote:
| > it is miles better. My Samsung S21 recognises my
| fingerprint around 9 times out of 10
|
| That second sentence doesn't imply the first one. The
| Samsung could have a lower false positive rate (letting
| the registered fingerprint unlock the phone more often)
| at the cost of a higher false negative rate (letting
| unregistered fingerprints unlock the phone more often)
|
| In the limit, if it rolled a ten sided die for any press
| of its button, and unlocked the phone unless it rolled a
| one, that would give users the impression that it
| recognizes their fingerprint 90% of the time.
|
| (Of course, "doesn't imply" doesn't mean the first
| sentence isn't true, either. It may be genuinely better,
| or Samsung might have chosen a different cut-off,
| sacrificing security for a gain in usability. I wouldn't
| know. Do any phone reviews test these things at all?)
| teekert wrote:
| Yeah for me it works great. I feel like now everything
| opens automatically as long as the thing is in the
| general direction of my face, whereas one used to have to
| constantly make a conscious action (push the fingerprint
| reader).
| brimble wrote:
| Yeah, to be clear, the fingerprint reader is what never
| worked well for me. 2-3x a year of re-training because
| it'd stop working at all if the air (and so, my skin) got
| too dry, or too wet. Pretty bad success rate even when it
| was "working". Masks aside, face unlock has worked great
| for me.
|
| [EDIT] But _if_ touch-to-unlock had worked for me, and
| _if_ I had to take one or the other, I might prefer it.
| DanTheManPR wrote:
| I wonder why fingerprint readers act up for some people,
| is there some sort of physiological reason? It works
| perfectly for me, but I've seen how much a tech-savvy
| friend of mine struggled with it (for them, faceid was a
| godsend).
| brimble wrote:
| I suspect it's got something to do with skin oils or
| natural variation in skin moisture. I know that big
| humidity swings were guaranteed to ruin it for me. Air
| gets dry in the winter, touch unlock drops to maybe 20%
| success rate at best. Fix it by re-training, then in late
| Spring it does it again when the air gets wetter.
|
| The ones on their laptops, however, have been reliable.
| Possibly there was a generational improvement in the
| equipment before it hit the laptops, and my problems were
| just because I had an early model on my phone.
| paxys wrote:
| I am that way with Face ID. Even under optimal conditions
| I can never get it to work more than 50-60% of the time.
| hombre_fatal wrote:
| Face ID, at least on the iPhone 13, is almost perfect for
| me once I rescanned my face from below since I'm usually
| peering down at it. Maybe try that.
| lelandfe wrote:
| As someone who used to feel similarly, I've acclimated to the
| touch system now. I think it's pretty brilliant - swiping up
| from the bottom gets you the same function.
| ginko wrote:
| Swiping up with your thumb is pretty awkward though.
| brimble wrote:
| That's a good point. It doesn't feel good with the case
| on, and it makes me feel like I'm gonna drop the phone
| with the case off.
| brimble wrote:
| It's fine for me--though I probably fail the swipe-up
| gesture in one way or another 10% of the time, say by
| accidentally engaging the task switcher instead, or not
| quite getting close enough to the edge, which basically
| never happened with the button--but the button was a great
| affordance for the less-tech-savvy.
| TheDudeMan wrote:
| Rounded sides are no bueno. But I do miss the fingerprint reader
| in the "better" models.
| BigComrade wrote:
| prototypeasap wrote:
| So, to summarize: perfect size for one handed operation; Physical
| button is also a fingerprint reader (but i don't see the
| confirmation everywhere, only on some sites). No 3.5 jack (sigh).
|
| I am still a very content user of 2nd gen SE. Thanks to the
| controversy with purposeful "slowing down" of aging phones, i was
| able to get a discounted battery replacement a few years back.
| So, my phone is holding up very well!
|
| But if it does break - i guess I'll be getting this one instead
| of 'smallish' Pixel.
| dstick wrote:
| Get the iPhone Mini, you won't regret it. I've used up 5 of the
| original SEs. The iPhone Mini's design is perfect and the
| actual SE in terms of usability. This SE has those round edges
| again which significantly lessens the grip.
| 1980phipsi wrote:
| I would love to get a 3.5 jack on an Apple product again
| temp0826 wrote:
| I replaced the screen of my last SE 4 times. Hard to beat when
| there are $25 replacement kits available. Not the case with the
| 12 mini I picked up recently - wish I would've held off for
| this new SE (granted I don't think we'll see cheapo replacement
| parts any time soon). Really prefer the smaller size and the
| headphone jack isn't a dealbreaker for me
| [deleted]
| idonotknowwhy wrote:
| What's it like in terms of camera app open speed?
|
| I made the mistake of getting a midrange android phone after
| phones became over 1 grand AUD. Missed so many photos due to
| the 2 seconds it takes to open.
|
| Ended up getting a $1500 phone again to get the >1 second
| camera opening speed, like my 5 year old flagship had.
|
| Are apple's cheap phones fast with opening the camera app and
| then taking a photo?
| smoe wrote:
| Not very scientific test, just pressing start stop on the
| stop watch on Google with one hand and opening the photo app
| and taking a picture with the other a couple of times. On my
| iPhone SE 2nd gen, after some practise, I can get .5 to .75
| seconds. When including unlocking the phone first, it's
| closer to 2s.
| dangus wrote:
| This updated SE model uses the exact same processor as the
| iPhone 13 Pro. So, it's fast. Even the old model was fast.
|
| Apple doesn't really sell slow phones at any price point.
| What you trade off on for their cheaper phones is usually the
| "everything else" part of the equation.
|
| You want the camera to open fast, and for that reason alone
| you should consider the iPhone 13, 13 mini, or 12. All of
| those phones have a dedicated button on the lock screen to
| open the camera, which I find easier than the swipe gesture
| on the iPhone SE and all iPhones in that form factor.
|
| What you're missing out on with this SE is:
|
| - For the most part the entire body is the iPhone 8
|
| - It has a far inferior screen, it's the old LCD iPhone 8
| screen, and it's the smallest phone screen Apple sells.
|
| - It has older cameras/sensors. You mentioned needing a fast
| camera, and that means you use your cell phone camera a lot.
| Maybe that means you also want a good camera, and you'll get
| better cameras in the rest of Apple's lineup for not much
| more money in some cases.
|
| - It has the worst battery life of any currently-sold iPhone,
| though it's been improved from the second generation. The
| physical battery size is smaller than more current iPhones,
| and there's no way around that.
|
| - The base model storage level is 64GB.
|
| It's for people who "just need a phone" and want an iPhone,
| I'd say the kind of people who have less than 2-4 hours of
| screen-on-time per day.
|
| Still, I do think that someone who can spend a few more bucks
| should consider the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, or iPhone 12.
| I'd skip the iPhone 12 mini because the 13 mini gives you
| extra battery life that I'd say it needs.
|
| With all of those models you're going to get better cameras,
| better battery life, more screen real estate, OLED screens.
|
| If you're really into taking photos, the iPhone 13 Pro really
| does have an amazing camera system. I didn't think it would
| blow away my iPhone 12 mini but it really does. You get what
| you pay for and the top-end is very good. If you're on a
| postpaid carrier and don't plan to leave for 2-3 years, you
| might as well take the subsidy and get a high-end phone.
| [deleted]
| ihuman wrote:
| > Physical button is also a fingerprint reader (but i don't see
| the confirmation everywhere, only on some sites).
|
| Apple's page says it has Touch ID
|
| > iPhone SE features the familiar Home button with Touch ID
| leetcrew wrote:
| reminds me of a feature I loved on my droid x. it had a
| dedicated physical button that would wake the phone and
| simultaneously open the camera app. inside the app, it would
| function as the shutter, so you didn't mess up the shot trying
| to tap on the screen.
|
| I wish that had carried over to modern devices. I guess it's
| "too intimidating" to the user to have an extra physical
| button.
| falsenapkin wrote:
| > vile shenanigans by Apple with slowing down of SEs
| purposefully
|
| Wasn't this more a poor communication of performance throttling
| to preserve battery that affected all phones?
|
| And haven't Google/Samsung/others(?) also been caught doing the
| same thing? I thought just this past week Samsung backpedaled a
| change to throttle apps for battery performance.
|
| I'm asking more generally because this is my understanding and
| I'm sure if someone has better info they'll reply, but to me
| "vile shenanigans" is a bit much. They could have done a better
| job of communicating a feature with some negative impact, that
| seems to be a not-uncommon problem for them.
| jeffbee wrote:
| Anyone who describes active voltage and frequency scaling in
| order to keep the cpu from crashing as "vile shenanigans" outs
| themselves as a person without worthwhile opinions on the
| topic.
| prototypeasap wrote:
| Ok, yes - i remember them being fined and they did pay for my
| battery replacement; So, i assumed it was an admission of
| guilt. But now after some googling, you have a point here;
| "vile shenanigans' is not a fair description (edited).
| Nextgrid wrote:
| The problem is that there was no notification to the user
| that the CPU was slowed down on purpose because the battery
| can no longer keep up, misleading them into thinking their
| device suddenly developed a mysterious fault and/or passive-
| aggressively annoying them into upgrading.
| dartharva wrote:
| Well, if you'd just let people replace the damn phone's
| batteries by themselves, you won't have to resort to slowing
| them down in the first place.
| freeqaz wrote:
| What's the camera like on this one? I owned the last-gen SE and
| it's camera was the main reason that I upgraded to the 13 Mini.
| It was truly awful -- it made my Pixel 2 XL's camera seem WAY,
| WAY better than what the SE had.
|
| Looking at the press release, I don't see anything about any
| "new" camera tech. The lens looks pretty similar too. Is anybody
| able to confirm if this is the same camera as the last gen model?
| plaidfuji wrote:
| Agreed, everything else I love about my current SE, but the
| camera was near zero improvement over my 6. If it's single lens
| it's likely to still be a significant shortcoming. They try to
| workaround it with better image processing algos but it's not
| the same.
| [deleted]
| jcoder wrote:
| It's in the sub-headline, and there's an entire section about
| it: iPhone SE features an all-new camera
| system powered by A15 Bionic, with a 12-megapixel f/1.8
| aperture Wide camera that offers incredible computational
| photography benefits, including
| Wiseacre wrote:
| If there any confirmation on if this new version is compatible
| with no sim card? One of the things I enjoy about the pixel
| budget phones is that it's simless but I was thinking of
| switching.
| ThePhysicist wrote:
| Yes it is, see spec.
| Wiseacre wrote:
| I had trouble finding it on the product page, even after
| scrolling through all the animations.
| 0x38B wrote:
| The second-gen iPhone SE supports eSim - I use a SIM card for
| Verizon and then another carrier with eSim. I can have both
| active at once, make calls, etc. Uses more battery but is super
| practical.
|
| Is this what you were talking about?
| Wiseacre wrote:
| Yes, thank you.
| [deleted]
| throwawayboise wrote:
| Too big. Too expensive.
| JamesAdir wrote:
| Another mini iPhone with premium features, and still the Android
| ecosystem doesn't have a comparable size/features competitor
| although there are dozens of manufacturers.
| [deleted]
| wryun wrote:
| Sony Xperia 10 III? (same width)
|
| Asus Zenfone 8
| websap wrote:
| Zenforce....lol
| mackrevinack wrote:
| samsung's s10e is only slightly bigger than the SE and its
| still a decent phone and has a fingerprint sensor on the side
| where god intended for it to be. wireless charging. lots of
| things you dont get on a lot of "premium" devices these days,
| sd card slot, headphone jack, extra programmable button.
|
| sony's XZ1 compact is smaller than the SE and still works
| great, but i only use it as a music player so im not exactly
| doing anything that taxing.
|
| phones plateaued for me a few years back so keep that in mind.
| all the new "features" that phones have these days dont really
| seem like anything i need
| krzyk wrote:
| Pixel 4, and previously Pixel 1, 2, 3.
|
| All had smaller (non-XL) versions that had the same hardware
| except the screen/battery.
| paul7986 wrote:
| I wish they just include a modern Touch ID in their latest phones
| that's what keeps me away from the latest and almost greatest.
| Love to have a better camera but it's Touch ID or nothing!
|
| I bought the X and loathed the unlock UX especially if you ever
| might need to use your phone in the car.
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(page generated 2022-03-08 23:00 UTC)