What do iPhone SE owners think of their phone?

When Apple released its tiny iPhone SE a while back, the company caught some flack for using the older iPhone 5/5S design. Some folks also had a tough time thinking about going back to a phone with a small 4-inch screen.

The iPhone SE has been out for a while now, and many people have purchased it. But what do they think of it? Should you switch to the iPhone SE?

An Apple redditor asked if the iPhone SE was worth buying, and he got some very interesting answers from folks who own the iPhone SE.

2Digital started the thread with some questions:

So after 2 years with my Samsung s5, I’m looking for an upgrade. I was thinking the iphone se 64gb. But really, how is the phone?

Is the phone worth going a size down?

What are some good things and some bad things?

More at Reddit

Owners of the iPhone SE responded with their thoughts:

Goldenlakesfox: “I had the iPhone 6 Plus before, and I remember reading a post in this sub before that summed it up for me and made me get the SE “I forgot that having my phone was a choice and not a burden.”

It does what I need it to perfectly and fast, plus as a camera person, I enjoy that it has the same rear camera as the 6S. Not really many complaints on screen size or resolution. Slips easily into my pocket and I can just forget about it and enjoy my real world and friends when I need to.

I guess if I had to pick a con it would be that I use FaceTime all the time and that is the one instance where having a bigger screen would be nice; but that’s what I have an iPad for.”

Robhue: “Same here, 6+ -> SE. The other great part about this phone is that the 3x scaled res 1080p screen, while gorgeous, really stressed the graphics performance of the Plus models.

The first time I started playing with the SE, the combination of the easy to use size and ridiculous snappiness of all the software blew me away.”

Aldonius: “I upgraded from an iPhone 4, so for me the screen is actually slightly larger!

Everything is better. I don’t have Force Touch, of course, but it’s not as if I know what I’m missing out on there.”

Zook024: “…Phones larger than a 4 inch screen just seem like overkill to me if you have a laptop or tablet as well. The SE (and the 5s) feel great and can be used comfortably with one hand. The battery is a noticeable improvement over the 5s and the camera looks great. It disappears in my pocket and it doesn’t feel like I’m lugging a brick on my arm when I go running with it.”

Fuzzymanboy: “Honestly, it’s the perfect sized fully-capable flagship budget competitor in my opinion. I switched from a Nexus 6 to an iPhone SE, and after trying it out in store I was reluctant about the size and the form factor; coming from a 6-inch phone it felt tiny and inconsistent with the larger-scaled typing, media consumption and general everyday tasks that I had grown accustomed to on the Nexus.

The first couple of days were unbearable – I found myself squinting to look at HD videos and the screen resolution seemed outdated, but after that I fell in love with it. Like I said, to me it is the perfect sized phone as it can fit into pretty much any pocket and doesn’t feel like I’m carrying a brick in my jeans pocket.

Also as someone who uses his phone in bed quite often, it is a lot more comfortable to hold while laying down. It is probably the most personal phone I’ve ever owned. ”

Stefanoitaliano_pl: “I have upgraded from iPhone 5, with the identical size, but i used to own Samsung Galaxy Core LTE, which is 4.5″. For me the size is a non-issue, I actually prefer iPhone SE because it can b operated with single hand, and I do a lot of texting/reading in a commute/walking. Breaking it apart:

Pros: – Can be operated with a single hand, – Fits well in every pocket imaginable, – Apart from being able to operate it with one hand, I have a confident that I will never lose a grip on it, my Samsung would fall flom my hands numerous times.

Cons: – I sometimes would like bigger letters, but changing font size leaves me with a bit too little information. If you are comfortable with normal-sized font, this will probably be a non issue.

Full disclosure though, I have and heavily use a tablet (not outside though).”

MissDaredevil: “This is my first iPhone and I love it.

At first, I wanted to go for iPhone 5s, but I figured I could add some money and get the new SE one. It’s very fast, I love that it’s small and that it fits in one hand, and the design is gorgeous. I use about 20 apps and music, WiFi is on almost all the time when I’m at home and the battery is very good, no complaints whatsoever! I say go for it!”

SlighMD: “Used to have a 6 and 6S before I went for the SE. It now feels like a “phone” with excellent one handed use. I still use it for watching Movies and TV shows and it’s works very well. I also use it to make presentations and other documents. I don’t really miss 3D touch, since I used it mainly as a trackpad before on the 6S.”

Rzah: “Love it, battery lasts a day and a half or two, no fear of dropping it when using it one handed, can easily reach all the keys, camera doesn’t stick out the back, fits in all my pockets, basically same internals as the 6S so good photos and nice and speedy. Bought the wife one as well.

Edit, had a 6S for a day, hated it. Never held anything that felt like it wanted to slip out of my hand so much aside from a bar of soap, couldn’t live with the camera bump, industrial design did nothing for me, only apple product I’ve regretted buying, returned it.”

Whodiditandwhy: “Things I miss about my 6s Plus:

Battery life

OIS

3D Touch

Rounded edges – the 5/5S/SE design’s sharp corner bite into your hands and make you very cognizant of the fact that you’re holding it.”

More at Reddit

The iPhone SE is a great phone but it’s not for me

It was quite interesting to read through the thread about the iPhone SE. Most of the responses were quite positive about the phone, and stressed how much some users appreciate its smaller size and classic design.

I considered switching to the iPhone SE a while back, but ultimately decided to stick with the iPhone 6s Plus. What made me opt to go with a larger iPhone and skip the iPhone SE?

Well, after reading a lot of articles about the iPhone SE, I finally went to the Apple Store to try one out. I had a really tough time with the smaller screen since my eyesight hasn’t gotten better over the years. In fact, it’s gotten a bit worse. So the smaller screen just didn’t work for me.

And, like the last quote I included from the Reddit thread, I also noticed that the sharp edges of the iPhone SE bit into my fingers. I quickly realized that holding it, even though it was smaller and lighter, was not going to be fun.

So between the shape of the iPhone SE and its smaller screen, I decided to go with the iPhone 6s Plus, and I’m very glad I did. The bigger phone meets my needs much better than the smaller one, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to a 4-inch iPhone.

However, choosing an iPhone is very much a personal decision, and I respect the choice of iPhone SE users. It really is a great phone, and it works very well for many users. So I’m glad that Apple finally offered an updated 4-inch iPhone, and I hope the company keeps releasing smaller phones for the folks that want them.

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