I got an iPhone SE last year (my first iPhone) and so far it has been a great phone. Probably one of the best phone's I've had and well worth the value. I've had some of the flagship Pixels, and they were fine. For my own use case, cost for flagship models versus what I use it for don't match up very well. The iPhone SE is great in this area. It isn't an expensive phone and powerful. Sure it has less features than the flagship iPhones, but they are features I wouldn't use anyways.
The Best iPhone
421–430 of 484 posts
Re: The Best iPhone
#422I have had my iPhone 6S for six years now, and it’s still going strong. I’ve replaced the battery a couple of times and the screen more than a couple. I can do everything I need with it, and it’s the perfect size. So I have no desire to upgrade until I must.
Original SE for me, also six years old. One screen replacement, original battery. Only things I'd change about it if I could would be more space and a better camera. I suppose the OS upgrade treadmill will move on sometime in the next year and I'll have no choice but to replace something that's otherwise perfectly serviceable, and it's too bad there will be nothing with a headphone jack.
As someone in the same situation, I plan on keepng the SE as a music player after it loses support.
Re: The Best iPhone
#423Earlier quoted context omitted.
Out of curiosity, why? USB-C offers no marked improvements over Lightning, none whatsoever, plus it's more fragile and the port size is significantly larger.
If you're just going to declare all of that to be factual, what response should anyone give? If there is "no improvement, none whatsoever" then obviously Lightning should win! But that's not the case at all. Lightning places the springs inside the port, instead of on the cable. So, when the springs wear out, you need a new phone instead of a new cable. Lightning directly exposes the pins on the cable to the environme…
> Lightning places the springs inside the port, instead of on the cable. So, when the springs wear out, you need a new phone instead of a new cable.
In practice I've never had a Lightning port fail while the USB-C port on my Macbook loosened so much that it wouldn't hold any cable.
Re: The Best iPhone
#424Earlier quoted context omitted.
It took me a long, long time to get used to having an expensive device on me that is bulky, fragile, not waterproof (includes iPhones after you drop it once), requires daily charging, and not durable in general (due to battery or sabotage by update). Jewelry is more expensive but has none of these issues. They are certainly very useful, but I don’t think the current standard is the best compromise.
I bought iPhone 11 when it came out, never wear a case and dropped it numerous times. It still works fine, with the original screen intact(not counting some scratches). It survived even flying from an e-scooter after I’ve hit a bump on 15 km/h and sliding couple meters on asphalt afterwards. And after all that it still had no problem when I dived into the pool with it and shot how I’m riding on a water slide. Maybe I…
Perhaps we were unlucky. Fyi: the standard iPhone warranty does not cover water damage (and it was just a spill, not submerged). Found out the hard way.
Re: The Best iPhone
#425The best 'cheap' phone that was ever released in the US was the $499 Google Nexus 6P by Huawei in 2015. It was an octa-core phone that made Apple's dual core iPhone 6s (also released in 2015) look like an overpriced joke. The 6P's aluminum body was lighter and thinner than the iPhone 6s, its camera took much better pictures _by far_ especially in low light conditions (restaurants, evening travel, etc), the iPhone's o…
I don't agree with you, since a friend and had the iPhone 6s Plus and 7 Plus (Me) and a friend if mine the Huawei P9 Plus and the 6P, 6P was nowhere. The best shot was taken in black white with the Huawei P9 Plus and it literally beat my iPhones and I still use that picture for several things.
I'm a bit confused. If you're trying to say that Huawei's P9 (released in 2016) took better pictures than Huawei's 6P (released in 2015) and than the iPhones, then I don't think there's anything to disagree over. They both took better pictures than the iPhones, seeing as they're both Huawei phones released shortly one after the other.
Now that I think about it, you might be saying that P9 was more wide-spread in the US than the 6P, which would also be confusing, because I don't think the P9 was officially sold in the US.
Re: The Best iPhone
#426Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's no replacement for Google Maps and Google Photos in the current world IMO. That feels hyperbolic, but any alternative to Map that I've seen were either: - strongly platform limited (e.g. only works on android/iOS, and you lose bookmarks, preferences, or even finding consistent info when using any over device) - use inconsistent apps (e.g. OSM will have different clients on different platforms, which crosses t…
>not going into the Yahoo part of it. Flickr hasn't been owned by Yahoo for a number of years at this point. I've had a paid Flickr account for quite a few years but I admit I don't use it a lot these days. I find Google Maps is in a different category than Photos. I use Photos from time to time for image identification but that's pretty much it. (And there are a lot of alternatives for that these days.)
Flickr is now independent, but it was part of Yahoo for so long I’d guess most people having all their photos in it probably used a Yahoo account. I’ll confess I tried accessing mine after a years long hiatus and it didn’t work (endless password resets)
On alternatives, which storage/sync and management service do you see working at the same level as Photos ? I’m genuinely curious and would move if it matches up (Basically, what is the Gmail->Fastmail like go to alternative for Photos ?)
Image identification looks to me like a very fringe use for a photo storage service, or perhaps you’re referring to searching all your photos for specific keywords ?
PS: Reminds me of the photos services curse from “The Prompt” podcast, where every time they’d present a competitive photo service, like Everpix, it would go out of business or something horrible happen to it a few months in.
Re: The Best iPhone
#427Earlier quoted context omitted.
i have a 6S and only had 1 battery change, and that was on apple, since mine was recalled for a defective battery problem. as noted in my other comment, i'd be ok with a full screen version of this phone if they put the home button on the side and keep the fingerprint scanner (in button or in screen) and leave off the front facing camera (pinhole camera is acceptable too, but not a notch). i'd prefer to keep the head…
You’d rather have big iPhone 6s bezels than a notch? I agree that a hole punch is preferable to a notch. I really wish they’d put a fingerprint scanner in the Apple logo on the back of the phone.
i don't want the bezels, but it's what i have, and the notch is just as unappealing to me, along with faceID and no home button. i'm hoping to skip the notch when i upgrade.
the back would be ok, but one of the reasons i like the side button with fingerprint sensor (or in-screen) is that it can be face up on a surface and you can still actuate the sensor. it's not that big a difference, but it is slightly better UX.
i also like the fingerprint version over faceID because it's not 2 steps to open the phone most of the time, but still gives you the option to see the preview screen when desired (pressing the home button with the fingernail/fingertip).
Re: The Best iPhone
#428Earlier quoted context omitted.
i have a 6S and only had 1 battery change, and that was on apple, since mine was recalled for a defective battery problem. as noted in my other comment, i'd be ok with a full screen version of this phone if they put the home button on the side and keep the fingerprint scanner (in button or in screen) and leave off the front facing camera (pinhole camera is acceptable too, but not a notch). i'd prefer to keep the head…
> i'd prefer to keep the headphone jack, but that's probably asking too much of apple. Yeah the headphone jack being removed pissed me off too. However the lighting to 3.5mm adaptor isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Sure it was an extra £9 I wish I didn't have to spend, but was also a figure that I didn't lose any sleep over when ordering it. The adaptor just lives on my headphones as I use a differnt pair at my…
yah, headphone jack isn't a deal killer, but i do like having it. an adapter is ok but not great.
Re: The Best iPhone
#429Earlier quoted context omitted.
Try iPhone 13 mini! SE would have been my choice if Apple never released this model. Mini is slightly smaller than SE and it's a crucial factor for me. And it also has more usable screen and where initially I was wary of FaceID - I don't miss the button! :] I hope Apple continues with SE+mini merged model for the future.
> And it also has more usable screen Funnily, after playing with both for a couple minutes in the store, I decided on an SE exactly because of 13's screen. Because of rounded corners, the way it rendered content sometimes became downright ugly and didn't actually grant any extra space: http://puu.sh/JdxXl/985552f316.jpg
That's true in that specific context (most websites in Safari) in that specific orientation. The extra screen real estate you get in native apps, or even Safari in portrait orientation is not nothing.
Re: The Best iPhone
#430Earlier quoted context omitted.
My phone is the thing I use most out of all things I have. So spending a few extra cent per hour of usage to get a nicer one is very easy to justify.
But do you want to be spending so much time on your phone? To me, buying an expensive phone is somewhat like buying an expensive tobacco pipe. It will just encourage you to use it more. When in fact, most of the 'use' is worse than useless. $180 is about how much a phone should cost, and even that is too much what with forced (completely unjustified) obsolescence. $450 for a 'budget' phone is madness. $1000+ for a fl…
Sounds like we should both have the phones we have :)