“The volume and power buttons on my iPhone 6s stopped working, so for various reasons I decided to try replacing it with an iPhone SE,” Michael Tsai blogs. “It’s been great.”
“The iPhone SE is much more comfortable in the hand, and especially in the pocket,” Tsai writes. “Part of the improvement is because it’s smaller and lighter itself. But the SE’s less slippery and sharp shape means that I can use it without a case. This brings the weight down from 6.6 oz. to 4.0 oz., which feels like a big difference. The iPhone 6s’s weight never bothered me, but now that it’s gone I prefer it that way. Plus, there’s no dust stuck between the edges of the screen and the case.”
“I thought I would miss the larger screen, but I don’t. Perhaps this is because a few months ago I started using a Kindle again, so I’m no longer doing extended reading on my phone,” Tsai writes. “The final area where the iPhone SE feels better is the buttons. The layout with the power button on the top just seems more natural and less confusing, and the volume buttons feel better and are easier to find by touch.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If Steve Jobs were here today, which iPhone model do you think he’d choose?
Versus our iPhone 7 Plus units, we love everything about the iPhone SE except for its small display, slower A9 chip, lack of Taptic Engine, lack of wide color display, lack of Portrait Mode, lack of OIS for video, lack of optical zoom, lack of FaceTime HD camera, lack of auto image stabilization, lack of LTE Advanced, lack of Barometer, and the absence of a Jet Black option. But it does feel great in the hand.
“….but is still feels great in the hand” You’re still talking about the SE yes?
Seriously though, the SE is the reason I finally jumped onto the iPhone wagon. Due to severe deformities and weakened grip, large iPhones are not possible for me. And though I still have to use both hands to hold my phone to my ear, it still allows me a better grip due to its smaller size.
Hey, my peen feels great in the hand, too.
I still have a narrow 5/5s/SE size iPhone, and I do not want to have anything bigger.
It is sad that Apple does not release flagship phones of that size any more. iPhone SE size can totally accommodate all of the features that MDN listed above (except for the screen size, of course), but Apple does not offer customers such option.
This I think one of Timothy Cook mistakes, along with slow upgrades of Macintosh hardware.
I hope the SE is not forgotten—and it seems Apple is continuing to update it. For me, the most important thing is the camera. I upgraded to the 7+ (from 6) just to get Portrait Mode. I also considered the SE at the time.
Like the author, I wear polarized glasses all the time and immediately noticed an issue when I tried the SE in an Apple Store. Water resistance and text editing via hard-press would be nice, but I could live without them. Faster touch ID and taptic feedback are meaningless to me (though the latter is probably required for the water resistance to work).
Hopefully the next SE will get some of these goodies!
I like my iPhone 6 but the power button positioning is really, really, stupid. I am always cursing Jonathan Ive for this stupid decision. I will be more careful when I eventually buy a replacement. But there will be a few more years of cursing before that happens…
… and there lies the stupidity. If a user is annoyed over and over again by a poor ergonomics issue, can you be sure they won’t go elsewhere?
In so many ways Apple is no longer the company it once was.
Agreed! Power button is in the wrong place. Totally stupid place being across from volume buttons.
Agreed! Apple is not Apple anymore.
For me (70 years old last November) the Plus models weren’t large enough for comfortable reading, so I carry a 9.7″ iPad. Then, not needing a larger screen, I bought an SE. Love it.
All those features that MDN listed are probably really nice, if you needed them. I don’t, but imagine that they’ll find their way into future iterations.
I traded my 6s for an SE last year, and haven’t looked back. I always preferred the smaller phone, but it didn’t appear they would update the 5s, so I held my nose and dove into the 6s. It had nice features but was always a bit too big for me. I sincerely hope we continue to get 4″ phone updates.
I own the se actually e joy the style and size much better
Love the SE and iPhone 5. Yes both are fantastic as daily drivers. I also love my 7 plus. I baby my 7 plus so it’s in pristine condition.
I just killed my SE as I dropped it in water. My predicament is I don’t know if I want to spend money replacing it through the insurance deductible or just wait to see what’s available in September.
Steve would probably go for the 1st Gen with new innards.
That would be my choice.
I know many who hate the power button on the side. It’s very awkward to use without hitting the volume buttons on the other side. One person asked me “Who’s stupid idea was it to move that button to a location with awkward leverage to push and hold?” Had to say probably Ive’s idea. The SE’s top button location is as it should be.
MDN Take:
Versus our iPhone 7 Plus units, we love everything about the iPhone SE except:
for its small display,
slower A9 chip – Yes
lack of Taptic Engine – No biggie
lack of wide color display – So, has your wide color display been colour corrected anyway?
lack of Portrait Mode – Yes
lack of OIS for video – Get a gimbal, it is gives a smother video anyway.
lack of optical zoom – Yes
lack of FaceTime HD camera – Why inflect people with a HD image of ones self?
lack of auto image stabilization – No biggie, shoot a higher ISO…
lack of LTE Advanced – How many towers really have LTE Advanced?
lack of Barometer – I use it every day, oh wait. Its the other one. Use it rarely so get an app.
and the absence of a Jet Black option – Close your eyes. Oh, its really black…
I switched up to a 64GB SE from my 16GB iPhone 5S because I prefer the size. I’m not watching movies, constantly texting or posting on FB like many people I know & see, the display is fine for my needs. Plus it fits easily in my hand and comfortably in my pant pocket. I hope Apple continues with the SE!