iPhone SE - is it any good?

I have the 2020 SE, seems to be good so far, 4 years in, I would say get the SE 2022 for the 5g capability.

Does all the vpn etc things I need, makes calls etc. £400 from argos, but I would consider CEX/Musicmagpie etc and they come up quite cheap.

I was always an SE fan, got a 13 mini last time (2021) probably because there wasn't an SE at that time. I like the pocketable size and they always seemed a solid build.

I have the SE 2, bought maybe 3 years ago?

I just wanted a small, basic iPhone and it works fine.

I have a 12-mini (don't like large phones) and it does everything I need it to do.

I'm a fan, all the benefits of the latest iPhone tech in a smaller and more convenient size. If you're gaming or watching a lot of telly on it, I'd go for a bigger screen, but if you don't do much of that, the smaller size at least fits more comfortably in pockets (especially on MTB gear). I've a 2020SE which will probs need an upgrade soon-ish, but I'll get another or the 2022 version. I think the industry as a whole has decided that while smaller flagship phones get pretty good reviews, they don't sell as well as the more larger versions, so I think they're a dying breed, which is a shame.

I had a 5 SE from work (as we weren't allows grown-ups phones ).

I always assumed SE stood for Shit Edition.  Completely frustrating to use.

iPhone12-mini here too, same reason as above, I don't want to be putting a PC/tablet in my pocket every time I go out.

My work issue is an SE 3 (the latest one). Perfectly good phone, not noticeably slower than my personal iPhone 15 Pro, although obviously things like the screen and the cameras aren’t anywhere near as good. Sounds like it’d be ideal for your use case, although I wonder why you don’t just get a Pixel 7 for both phone and music if you’re used to the Android eco-system?

Three in our household (wife and 2 of my kids), the smaller form factor works well. Seem to work well

Only real world downside is the camera not being as good

Apple are meant to be working on a new SE though likely to be next year before they release it. Have you tried looking on Apple refurb? They did have some 12 mini’s in there. All their refurb phones come with new batteries fitted.

I’ve got an SE and had it for around 3 years. It does everything well, pictures not as clear as my wife’s 14/15 something but very good. I had a new battery fitted at Apple this year and I get two days from it now. Robust, it lives in my pocket whatever I’m doing, I clean the charge port occasionally with a cut down cotton bud. I couldn’t really justify spending any more. Like my car probably use 20% of it’s capabilities!

although I wonder why you don’t just get a Pixel 7 for both phone and music if you’re used to the Android eco-system?

I was an early adopter of the iPod and iTunes for my music and everything is on there.

I never went with an iPhone as they were (and probably still are...) over priced and only seemed to have a 2 year life on them (which now has greatly improved).

I’ve got an SE for work and an iPhone 13 mini for personal. The 13 mini is a lot better for me - still small / has facial recognition rather than the thumb print reader / is still small / better camera (s) / wireless charging etc.

I don’t actually know what I’m going to do when the 13 mini dies as they’ve decided not to make a smaller iPhone anymore. My wife has one of the large iPhones (maybe a 12 or 13) and the thing is absolutely enormous once you w put even a slim ish case on it. Going to hang in there as long as I can.

i've had all 3 generations of SE. All have been excellent.

I use my phone for messages, odd phone call, music and a bit of internet browsing. I dont use social media or watch films on it. So suits my needs. And i can fit it in my pocket without drama.

Isnt the latest version basically an iphone 14 in a smaller case?

I am a fan of Apple, so like how it works. But i havent got an Iphone 27 super pro ultra A+ to compare it to. Ignorance may be bliss?!

I have a 2022 SE following an 8.  I prefer the smaller form and the finger print home button.

speed is fine.  no complaints really.

I never went with an iPhone as they were (and probably still are…) over priced and only seemed to have a 2 year life on them (which now has greatly improved).

Pricing maybe, but 2 year life is nonsense, I get four years out of each phone then they go to the in-laws who get another few years out of them, then they go back to Apple to be recycled...

MIL currently is using my old 6S and it works just fine for her.

Yeah Apple have previously delivered security updates for their phones for 5 years after release, and since Covid have extended that to six years.

I’d probably look at a 12 or 13 Mini from the Apple Refurb store over the SE, if for no other reason than Face ID. I think the screen might be bigger on them too but the overall size smaller?

Get at least 128GB.

keeping phone & music separate as I currently do.

Other option is just get an iPhone and have one device for both.

Why?

Does your iDevice do something your Pixel doesn't?  Have you got everything in iTunes?

I've just upgraded from a 2020 SE to a refurbed 13 mini, the only reason I upgraded was the SE only had 64Gb of storage and it was near capacity for the last few months.

I’ve still got a fully functioning 2016 SE as a spare and occasional navigation device. It’s running iOS 15 something. An ex work phone.

Only has a small amount of memory which is a limitation these days.

If only they would take a memory card!

Work phone is a 2020 SE, works nicely but lacks some of the features and storage of my personal phone which is a 12 mini.

The longevity and build quality of the hardware is impressive. I did replace the battery in the 2016 se a few years ago.

Thanks all.

Any idea on how much life is left on the 12's?

Notice it was released in 2020.

To me refurbished from the Apple Store is the way to go. New screen and battery, full warranty

For me face recognition and a better camera are worth something. So look at the 12

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/refurbished/iphone?afid=p238%7CsQtNe3TB9-dm_mtid_187079nc38483_pcrid_658305724686_pgrid_148297122959_pntwk_g_pchan__pexid__&cid=aos-uk-kwgo-refurb--slid---product-

I use a 128gb iPhone 6s for music duties. Cost me £60 and is great.

Ps my wife has a work se and it’s great

The 12 mini is a brilliant phone. Again, nice form factor for those not wanting a tablet in their pocket. If I were you, I'd buy a 12 or a 13 mini.

Apple refurbs have got black 12 minis for around 350 quid, which is pretty decent overall. I think the mini's are worth the extra cash over an SE for various reasons (camera, 5g compatibility, useful face lock function, larger screen but same size).

The main advantage the 13 has over the 12 is a much longer battery life.

Not sure about the SE but we buy second hand iPhone 12s for our staff (there’s a mini that is about the size of an SE). Work well paying an average of £260 per phone in very good or excellent condition with 128gb memory. Will save you a bit on having two devices.

“(camera, 5g compatibility, useful face lock function, larger screen but same size)”

The 2022 SE does 5g. Just realised my work phone is a 2022 not 2020.

I probably sound like an Apple fan. I’m not particularly, we’ve had Samsung and Motorola work phones and they are a lot less reliable.

My 12 mini was a gift, I still keep an old Motorola as one of the Apps I use that's fairly obscure and not available on iOS.

Any idea on how much life is left on the 12’s?

Notice it was released in 2020.

IIRC you get 4 or 5 years of SW updates guaranteed, and after that it probably can't take them.

It will still work, for years after that though....

Still running a 2020 SE here and it's only just starting to feel a bit sluggish - I do have a lot of stuff on it though.

Battery is still good for a full day of use even though it's battery health is in the low 80s. Camera is not so bad either - guess I'll feel the upgrade more when I do get a new one, but I don't really feel the need to yet.

I had a 2016 SE for 6.5 years. It was still getting security updates then but I wanted a better camera. I’d recommend Apple stuff for longevity and length of support cycles in particular, though it’s worth buying a recently released model if that’s a priority for you.

Rumour has it the older SE wont be compatible with the new ios if that maters to you

Same, not a fanboy but having had a string of Samsungs and Motos, they don't seem to last anywhere near an iPhone. In another year, I'll replace the battery for my 12 and hope it to get another 3 years out of it.

Just realised, my wife is still on an Iphone 6S with the original battery. Needs charging a lot and the camera is a bit shonky, but it works just fine and is still getting all the security updates.

seriousrikk

Full Member

Just realised, my wife is still on an Iphone 6S with the original battery. Needs charging a lot and the camera is a bit shonky, but it works just fine and is still getting all the security updates.

Three hundred quid for a three year old device for the OP to play mp3s?

I have an iPhone SE bought new in 2020 or 2021. It’s been excellent, I will get another one when it dies

“Three hundred quid for a three year old device for the OP to play mp3s”

The Op asked if a specific phone was any good and got replies mostly to the positive.
As I understand they want a device that works with their car and iTunes.

I think you can stream your iTunes on an android device. Dunno never tried it, I don’t really use iTunes myself.

iPhone mini form factor is great but the battery life is compromised.

Mrs_oab has had SE v1 and now has SE 2022. Cracking phone. Really good pictures. Slick and fast to use. No issues with battery if you're not a 12 hours a day on your screen.

It. Just. Works.

Small size is teh shizzles.

The Op asked if a specific phone was any good and got replies mostly to the positive.
As I understand they want a device that works with their car and iTunes.

I missed the later post which mentioned iTunes.

IME, jumping ship from Android to Apple, or from Apple to Android, rarely ends well.  This is a bit of an odd case in that the OP has a foot in both camps.

Same scenario as @robertajob , SE for a work phone and it's rubbish.

Not sure why everyone praises it's small form factor because it's got a massive chin and forehead taking up half the low res screen. It takes me right back to my iPhone 4S and not in a good way.

“IME, jumping ship from Android to Apple, or from Apple to Android, rarely ends well. This is a bit of an odd case in that the OP has a foot in both camps.”

Yeah, bit of an arse ache, at work we went Samsung, Apple, Motorola then Apple again.
Takes a while to get used to each.
I have a fairly equal like and dislike of iOS and Android.

Thanks all.

I've ordered a cheap iPod touch for the time being and will see what the new SE has to offer when that comes out later in the year.

I have a 12-mini (don’t like large phones) and it does everything I need it to do.

iPhone12-mini here too, same reason as above, I don’t want to be putting a PC/tablet in my pocket every time I go out.

The 12 mini is a brilliant phone. Again, nice form factor for those not wanting a tablet in their pocket.

Me too. I did look at the SE but decided on an "excellent" refurbished iPhone 12 from Backmarket. It looks new. Very pleased.

johnnystormFull Member
Same scenario as @robertajob , SE for a work phone and it’s rubbish.

Not sure why everyone praises it’s small form factor because it’s got a massive chin and forehead taking up half the low res screen. It takes me right back to my iPhone 4S and not in a good way.

So what makes it rubbish? Just that the screen only covers 85% of the front of the phone?

slowoldman

Full Member

I have a 12-mini (don’t like large phones) and it does everything I need it to do.

iPhone12-mini here too, same reason as above, I don’t want to be putting a PC/tablet in my pocket every time I go out.

The 12 mini is a brilliant phone. Again, nice form factor for those not wanting a tablet in their pocket.

Me too. I did look at the SE but decided on an “excellent” refurbished iPhone 12 from Backmarket. It looks new. Very pleased.

Decent, I've also been lucky with SmartFoneShop, I think it was an unused shop return, it was pristine.  What puts me off those places in general though, is they only guaratee battery health of 80% (or similar).

My experience is that the battery is pretty marginal at that point and sometimes won't last a day.

At least if you buy one from the Apple shop it has a new battery in so you'll probably get at least a couple of years out of it before it gets to that point (can't wait for that replaceable battery law to kick in...)

@Mashr yeah the screen is the main downside, it's more like 65% screem to body and its only HD. The cameras are so so, there's no back button, daft fragile cables, tiddly keyboard because of the tiddly screen... my daughter has a Redmi 9 I think I paid £85 for new that's no worse an experience.

Current SE is has the A15 chip that's in the iPhone 13 and 14 so will be supported for ages. 5G too.

About the only thing against it is TouchID / home button rather than FaceID and swiping. You might prefer that but everything else iPhone has moved on now.

It is of course horses for courses but I did check the specs for 13 12 minis and SE before going for the 12 mini. Yes it's an A14 chip but it's a larger/higher resolution screen than the SE and a slightly smaller/lighter case.

I’ve got one, wife is on second. My only issue with it is the battery life. I’m quite a heavy user though, and came to it from a larger iPhone 11. I think I’ll probably get rid before long now and go back to a bigger phone. I’ve still got almost a year left on the contract but it doesn’t really work for me.

my daughter has a Redmi 9 I think I paid £85 for new that’s no worse an experience.

A web search suggests the Redmi 9 stopped getting updates last July. Having (the nightmare scenario of)  a published exploit used to empty your bank accounts would suck hugely as an experience. Even having your social media accounts stolen is very disruptive. Be very wary what you use devices that no longer get security updates for.