iPhone SE: Is it time to dump your big iPhone?

When Apple first announced the iPhone SE, there were many who blithely assumed that the majority of people who might buy it would be folks that have held onto their iPhone 5s, 5 or even 4s models. But I’m seeing quite a lot of interest online in the SE by folks who currently own an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s or 6s Plus.

Many of the folks who bought the larger screen phones seem to have had enough of them and are ready to go back to a smaller phone that fits more comfortably in their hands. In a nutshell, you could say that these users are so over their larger phones and want something that is easily pocketable, lighter and that is easier to hold.

I’ll share my thoughts about switching from a larger iPhone to the iPhone SE below, but here’s a sample of what some redditors were saying about dumping their larger iPhones for the iPhone SE [ Find it on Amazon – *What’s this?* ]:

Yungfuky: “Is anyone going to “downsize” from the 6/6S series of iPhones to the SE? If so why? Currently debating on whether i should get an SE coming from a 6S because of that perfect 5S design we all love as well as the 6S power and supposedly higher rated battery.”

CrazyDrago: “I went from a 5 to a 6S and I miss having that small one handed iPhone. The 6S is unwieldy to me and even after all these months I’m still not used to it. I’ll gladly trade in my 6S for a smaller phone with most of the same features.”

DarkVaporeon: “Yes, because the SE includes all of the things I love; the size of the 5/5s, and the specs of the 6/6s!”

Tkarocker: “I want to switch from my 6. I really liked the design of the 5S. You could grab it easily and the 6, without a case, feels like it will slip away. The 6 is so bulky in my pockets. I can one hand my 6 but that will be effortless and natural on the SE. I don’t watch a lot of media on my phone, so I don’t care about that.”

Homicider: “I’m very tempted to switch from my 6s Plus to an SE + iPad. I still have my 5s and I’m loving how small it is.”

ThomasSirveaux: “Yes. I prefer the look and feel of the 5, and I’d rather have more storage than a large screen. I have a tablet for watching videos, surfing the Internet etc., so a bigger screen doesn’t matter that much to me. I just need more space to store photos, music, and videos. I can get a 64 GB iPhone SE instead of a 16 GB iPhone 7, and that makes more sense to me.”

Defengar: “My brother in law works in construction and is super excited about the SE. His line of work basically requires any phone he has to be contained inside a bulky Otterbox defender style case. The 6(s), and basically every other phone with a 4.5+ inch screen turns into a bulky and cumbersome monster when you put it in one of those types of cases, and can be awkward to store even when using a belt holster. larger phones are also impossible to use comfortably with one hand when in one of those cases too. He was starting to think he would have to switch over to Android in order to get a new 4 inch phone with recent hardware.

Basically it’s the perfect upgrade for anyone who needs/wants to use a heavy duty case while not having their phone be a total brick.”

Surfinfan21: “My issue is 90% of the time I’m using my phone I am on the run. Walking, standing, driving (unfortunately), and only have one hand to hold onto a phone. I have the 6+ and it’s next to impossible to hold it with one hand. I have to do this weird drop thing to reach half the screen. And when it’s in my right hand forget about reaching anything on the left side of the screen.

Not to mention that it also doesn’t fit well in any of my pockets. And as much as I thought I could just throw it in my bag once I got my apple watch, the reality is I find myself still pulling out my phone a lot.

And the worst offender of all is the…camera bump. I love my iPhones naked. It makes typing on a flat service infuriating. It is seriously the worst design mistake apple has ever made.

I think I’ll forget about the screen size when all those other things are no longer a problem. The one thing I am a little worried about is battery life. I’ve become really accustomed to the 6+ battery life.”

Sega32x: “I’m undecided. I went from a 5c to a 6 Plus. While I initially loved the larger screen I have since grown sour on it. I also have a 6 I use for work and I like the size much better. The 6 Plus is kind of a pain to try and use one handed, it’s also very bulky in my pocket. The SE has much better specs than the 6 plus and I could also use it one handed.”

Twattindisjoint: “Sold my 6s+. Will be buying SE.”

Merovean: “’m thinking I might. I went to a 6s so I could have a better camera and such, but I thought the size increase would be a bonus. Instead I find it annoying, doesn’t slip into my pockets the way I want, and just hasn’t really won me over.

I miss my 5s, liked the design better, size was better for me. I think…. Still not certain, but more and more I take my iPad with me everywhere I go, so I end up using the iPhone for little more than phone/text/photos, bigger screen doesn’t matter.”

More at Reddit

As you can tell from the comments above, it’s not just owners of the iPhone 5s who are thinking about buying the iPhone SE. Many folks seem to be thinking about dumping their iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s or 6s Plus phones for the SE as well.

The iPad Pro and Apple Watch killed my love of the iPhone 6 Plus

I’m currently leaning toward getting an iPhone SE too. And one of the things that has helped push me in that direction is the iPad Pro. I got the 12.9-inch version and I’m finding that now I rarely pick up my iPhone 6 Plus when I’m at home. Instead I do everything on the iPad Pro.

And when I’m out and about, I don’t actually use the iPhone 6 Plus very much, it more or less stays in my pocket. I have an Apple Watch and I tend to lean on that for notifications, texting and other at a glance information. I almost never bother to pull out my chunky iPhone 6 Plus.

So that has left me feeling like I’m toting around a big phone that is heavier and doesn’t fit in my pockets as well as a smaller phone like the iPhone SE. I feel like I’m carrying around a phone that is far bigger and heavier than I actually need when I’m on the go.

And for what? The big screen is beautiful, but there’s nothing I can do with it that I can’t do on a smaller screen. I use a phone mainly for certain apps, calls, texting if I don’t do it on my watch, and for grabbing a few pages in a Kindle book when I have some time to kill when I’m out of the house.

Going from a 5.5-inch screen to a 4-inch screen

Switching to the iPhone SE from the iPhone 6 Plus means going from a 5.5-inch screen to a 4-inch screen. I wondered if I could make that adjustment after having the larger iPhone for so long. How would it feel using a smaller screen again?

I started testing this over the last few days by using my old 5th generation iPod touch. It has a 4-inch screen and it’s more or less the same size as the iPhone SE. I wanted to see if I could adjust to the smaller screen and so far I have without any problems.

I can still easily read Kindle books, though obviously I cannot get as much text on screen. Texting, reading Reddit via BaconReader and all of my other apps work just fine on the smaller screen. I didn’t have a problem doing any of my usual stuff on a 4-inch screen.

I also quickly realized that I can use a device with a 4-inch screen very comfortably one-handed, in a way that I never could with the iPhone 6 Plus. The difference in weight and size was quite shocking after using the iPhone 6 Plus for so long.

So I’m probably going to switch to the iPhone SE on Thursday

So after testing the feasibility of a 4-inch screen by using my old iPod touch, I am probably going to switch to the iPhone SE when it is released on Thursday. I’ll head to my local Apple Store and see if I can snag a 64GB Space Grey model.

Of course I should have just ordered one online, but by the time I made up my mind to go with the smaller phone, delivery times had been pushed back already. I hate waiting, so I’ll try my luck at the Apple Store. I have no idea if I’ll be able to get one or if there will even be a line, but I have my fingers crossed.

Should you switch to the iPhone SE from a larger iPhone?

If you’re thinking about switching to the iPhone SE from an iPhone 6/6s Plus or other large phone, my advice is to think about what you do with your phone. Do you really need the bigger screen of your current phone?

If the answer is no, then the iPhone SE might be right for you. At the very least head to the Apple Store after the iPhone SE is released on Thursday, and pick it up to see how it feels in your hand. Open some apps and do some of your usual stuff and see how everything feels.

I did just that recently with an iPhone 5S, and you might be shocked at how much better a smaller phone can feel in your hand. I was amazed at the lightness and how using the iPhone 5s one-handed was so much better than my iPhone 6 Plus.

My guess is that I’m not alone in reconsidering the use of a large iPhone. I suspect that Apple is going to see far more of its customers downgrading smallgrading to the iPhone SE than it ever expected.

Did you miss a post? Check the Eye On Apple home page to get caught up with the latest news, discussions and rumors about Apple.

Related video: iPhone SE review: Its small size really does matter