New iPhone SE • Hacker News Board

Re: New iPhone SE

#221

Post by Spooky23 » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:52 PM UTC

bluedevil2k wrote: post #2

An upgraded iPhone 8 with a starting storage of 64 Gb at only $399. Seems like a great deal. Makes me seriously consider this model for my next phone instead of spending $1200 on an iPhone 11 Max.

My iPhone 8 was maxed out with storage and is going strong. But even as a tech person who loves phones, I don't see the value proposition... it feels like a fully loaded Honda Civic.

I'd love the fancy camera, but the cost of the flagship seems to be way out of line with the value. I'd rather have a phone + macbook. (I keep computers for 4-5 years and phones for 2-2.5 depending on the battery), so the annualized cost of a fancy iphone is basically the same as a $500 phone + macbook.

Re: New iPhone SE

#222

Post by beart » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:52 PM UTC

therealdrag0 wrote: post #166

nfellaby wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, it's a slippery bugger. I've had my iPhone 8 for almost 2 years and now I'm working from home I've taken it out of it's case to fully enjoy the design. Honestly, probably easier to hold a live fish than this bloody phone.

TBF how many people don't use cases? At least wit rounded edges the after-case size can be smaller.

I usually use the case that comes with the phone until it falls apart, then I don't use any case until the phone itself falls apart. ️

Re: New iPhone SE

#223

Post by yellow_postit » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:52 PM UTC

therealdrag0 wrote: post #166

nfellaby wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, it's a slippery bugger. I've had my iPhone 8 for almost 2 years and now I'm working from home I've taken it out of it's case to fully enjoy the design. Honestly, probably easier to hold a live fish than this bloody phone.

TBF how many people don't use cases? At least wit rounded edges the after-case size can be smaller.

I try and avoid cases because a non trivial part of the phone price is the industrial design of the object and a case immediately hides that.

Re: New iPhone SE

#224

Post by pmlnr » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:53 PM UTC

coldpie wrote: post #191

nfellaby wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, it's a slippery bugger. I've had my iPhone 8 for almost 2 years and now I'm working from home I've taken it out of it's case to fully enjoy the design. Honestly, probably easier to hold a live fish than this bloody phone.

Mid- and high-end Android phones (e.g. Google-owned Motorola era) used to have a soft-touch plastic casing which was incredibly grippy, and felt and looked great. Then some phone reviewers decided that in order to be "premium", a phone must be made of slipperiest materials known to man. And so here we are, with everyone covering up their "premium" phones with cases, so they're both uglier and thicker than they used t…

Nexus 5 was the pinnacle: the weight of the charger cable pulled it off with it, due to the insanely slippery glass front/back.

Re: New iPhone SE

#225

Post by skrtskrt » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:53 PM UTC

_bxg1 wrote: post #131

jseliger wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A while ago I quit buying new models and switched to refurbished ones. The 7 I had did more or less what its predecessor did (car services, chat, remote camera control) and the one I have now (X or Xs?) does more or less what the 7 did. I can afford the newer ones, but I don't see the value relative to the four-figure cost.

When I got my XS ($1000) it was because I planned to keep it for a long time. It's been a year and a half and I have zero complaints of degradation in speed, battery life, etc. Still feels like new. I plan on keeping it for four years at least. Compare that to the $500 phones of the past that would limp across the two-year mark and it's really not unreasonable.

Agreed, I upgraded from 7 to XS for the camera upgrade, and I can't really see myself wanting to upgrade again soon. I just paid the XS off and now I just pay for an unlimited plan at $60 a month, it's pretty nice.

Current iPhones still struggle in low light photography but I can't see myself caring enough to upgrade to a new flagship anytime soon just to maybe take better pics at night.

Re: New iPhone SE

#226

Post by nxc18 » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:53 PM UTC

ido wrote: post #62

JKCalhoun wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you have teenagers, these are the models you look for. I'll probably by a few.

Is it?? My kids aren't teenagers yet but if they were I wouldn't be buying them $400 phones.

What’s the alternative? You can buy cheap Android but if you go much below $399 you’ll be replacing it a lot more often.

iPhones have been shipping with processors a few years ahead of android performance for a while now, and that gives them serious staying power.

TCO is very likely lower for even premium iPhone, and this new model is a steal for the specs.

Re: New iPhone SE

#227

Post by DangerousPie » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:54 PM UTC

asiachick wrote: post #218

DangerousPie wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW I thought I would miss TouchID for a long time until I finally bought a new iPhone and realised that FaceID actually worked much better than I expected. Yes there are some occasions where it doesn't work well (when you're trying to unlock the phone without looking at it properly) but there are also many occasions where it works much better. Most of the time my phone now unlocks so smoothly that I don't even real…

How's it going with that face mask you're wearing? (of course I supposed you could be wearing gloves too in which case they both suck)

Easy - just stay at home and you don't have to wear a mask :p

But why would gloves cause trouble with FaceID? Apart from the fact that you probably shouldn't touch your phone with your gloved hand to begin with.

Re: New iPhone SE

#228

Post by cptskippy » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:54 PM UTC

reaperducer wrote: post #141

ivraatiems wrote: post #64

As a current iPhone SE user, here's my assessment: Pros: * Feature set in terms of processor, camera, etc., is exactly what I want * Continued presence of Touch ID is a huge plus, I don't like Face ID * Price point is, admittedly, fantastic Cons: * Lack of headphone jack is still unacceptable * Form factor is, candidly, still too big for my tiny hands * Color schemes aren't as nice as the SE's (can I contribute to CO…

can I contribute to COVID-19 research without getting a bright red phone? Yes. Write a check. Mail the check. Done.

Exactly. The entire point of the red phone is to shout at other people "look at me, I'm a good person because I supported a charity!"

Apple doesn't offer low key signaling. You're either a brow beater or a stealth support of charity.

Re: New iPhone SE

#229

Post by jdjrirkfkfk » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:54 PM UTC

andrepd wrote: post #214

I was itching for this announcement, not because I want to buy an iPhone, but because this will finally mean other manufacturers will start to make compact phones. It drives me up the wall that I simply cannot find a reasonably competent phone (i.e. mid/upper range from the past 4 years) which is not absolutely fucking huge. It's insane that the "phablet" standard from ~5 years ago is now not even the new standard, b…

Consumers voted with their wallet. The market for tiny phones is tiny. Apple can do it for the hipster factor, but that doesn't work with other producers.

Re: New iPhone SE

#230

Post by ashtonkem » Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 3:54 PM UTC

_bxg1 wrote: post #131

jseliger wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A while ago I quit buying new models and switched to refurbished ones. The 7 I had did more or less what its predecessor did (car services, chat, remote camera control) and the one I have now (X or Xs?) does more or less what the 7 did. I can afford the newer ones, but I don't see the value relative to the four-figure cost.

When I got my XS ($1000) it was because I planned to keep it for a long time. It's been a year and a half and I have zero complaints of degradation in speed, battery life, etc. Still feels like new. I plan on keeping it for four years at least. Compare that to the $500 phones of the past that would limp across the two-year mark and it's really not unreasonable.

I thought that too with my XS, but it’s been nothing but trouble since day 1. The LTE and WiFi modems (not antennas) just don’t work right, and require a hard reboot occasionally to work correctly.