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Apple couldn't keep the SE in stock for months after it launched in the US. It released at the end of March, here's a thread complaining about it two months lat

Apple couldn't keep the SE in stock for months after it launched in the US. It released at the end of March, here's a thread complaining about it two months later: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-se-constantly-out-of-stock.1974477/ https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-se-constantly-ou... I got mine at the end of June, 3 months after it was released. For the iPhone X, sure, blame stock constraints on new manufacturing and low part yields or something. This was basically an iPhone 5; Apple knew how to build it, they either severely underestimated how popular it would be or they couldn't keep up. At this point it's 2.5 years old (more or less the guts of an iPhone 6s), so sxg's friends that assume it's one of the older phones aren't even wrong. If Apple had ever updated it I'm sure they'd have kept selling better.

wlesieutre 8y ago
As another anecdote, I've had Android user friends borrow my phone and comment on how nice it is. But nobody's made a good 4" phone on that side of the market in a very long time.
- NeedMoreTea 8y ago
  I always thought that one of the reasons for the SE's success. Smaller and cheaper Androids are generally terrible, the SE was a great performing phone in a small case. Which made it a good option for buying for the kids and those who don't want to spend absurd amounts. My anecdote is I wanted to get off Android, and I've owned a couple of phablets and loathed them, so the SE seemed the only viable option.
  - at-fates-hands 8y ago
    > Smaller and cheaper Androids are generally terrible Completely agree. Most of the smaller Android phones are in the value band so the specs leave a lot to be desired. I'm still switching between my Lumia 950 (5.2) and my OnePlus 2 (5.5). The OnePlus even at 5.5 feels like a bulky brick phone compared to the Lumia. I've been on the hunt for a smaller Android, but have yet to find a smaller form factor with decent specs that beats my Lumia.
    - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
      That's the annoying thing - a tiny 0.5" increase in size makes all the difference between fits nicely and uncomfortably large.
    - y4mi 8y ago
      i like the screen size (5.5-6"), but i really don't like extra weight. i'd much rather have a 4" phone if it was ... 50-80g lighter. but if thats not possible, i'd rather stick with the bigger screen btw, the 4" and 5.5" are often around the same size if you include the whole phone. there was just so much spacing around the display earlier
      - wlesieutre 8y ago
        It's really quite a bit bigger. Here's a side-by-side of the 4" SE and 5.5" X https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/59dcdd8c6d80adae008b5589-960-630.png https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/59dcdd8c6d80adae008b5...
        y4mi 8y ago
        oh, i was talking about android phones, as the parent comment was looking for one and if you're comparing the old ~4" phones, they're often very similar in size to the current 5.5" phones, as the chin is often gone (fingerprint sensor is often in the back)
    - culot 8y ago
      I recently switched from a Lumia 950 to a Sony XZ1 Compact because I wanted something that would be more pocket-friendly. Good: - Speed-wise it is a huge upgrade. Everything is instant. The memory management is superb. I can open an app one day then come back to it a week later and have it sitting right where I left it. - Build quality is great. Plastic back, so no case required -- that was one thing I also loved about my Lumia 950. - Battery life is easily 2-3x that of my 950. On top of that it also charges faster. - It has a great display, significantly brighter than the Lumia 950 display. - The display does not scratch easily, unlike my Lumia 950, which required a screen protector or else it accumulates numerous fine scratches rapidly. This phone lives in my pockets without protection for 2 months and has acquired zero scratches. - Developer-friendly, with monthly updates. They even have complete AOSP device trees on Github, with detailed instructions on their developer's website to go with. Other than Google, who else even does that? I was impressed. Bad: - The 720p display is noticeably pixely. Also not as easy on the eyes as an OLED display. - There is no chance you'll find a good glass screen protector for this, thanks to how the display curves just a little bit into the sides. - It has hard metal corners. This is not a phone that curls up comfy in your hand. - The speakers are crap. Stereo front-facing speakers, yay! No, hush that, the speakers are crap. Even at their loudest I miss notifications. That was not something that happened with my 950, which was crazy loud. - The camera is inferior to the Lumia 950's camera in almost every situation other than handheld in low light. I was comparing the 950's camera to a Pixel 2 before I bought this XZ1 Compact, and it held its own against that as well, with its greater resolution offering a big advantage -- except handheld in low light. The camera on the 950 is something special. Also: no RAW on the XZ1 Compact. No RAW on any Sony phone, pretty sure. The XZ1 Compact's camera isn't bad, its pretty good, actually, it's just not superb like the 950 or Pixel 2. The noise reduction applied to its JPEGs is too harsh, that's its biggest problem. Not a camera you'll want to make prints from. For a small Android, I don't think there's really any other choice than Sony compacts. The nearest competitor [in the US] would be a Pixel 2, which is much larger. All-in-all, the only major things I miss about the 950 is its camera and its super loud and clear speaker.
- kokey 8y ago
  That is also something I worry about. There's been a bit of talk of a potential update to the SE but I hope they will keep making a 4" phone. I have gone from an iPhone 6 to an SE and I seriously enjoyed the experience of having a smaller phone I can operate with one hand again.
  - wlesieutre 8y ago
    If they keep the casing the same size and go no-bezel on it, it'd still be reasonably usable, but you'll need Reachability to get the top of the screen one handed. 4" diagonal is about the max my thumbs can cover.
  - JKCalhoun 8y ago
    Maybe time to move to a watch? ;-) Seriously, if the watch had a camera, I would leave my phone at home.
    - rahoulb 8y ago
      Agreed
bhtru 8y ago
When I went to finally get my SE a few months after release all stock but the 64gb rose gold were sold. I’m a dude but I wanted the phone so bad that I didn’t mind the colour.
- Kye 8y ago
  >> "I’m a dude but I wanted the phone so bad that I didn’t mind the colour." That's such a strange qualification. Guys who aren't afraid of pink ("rose gold") are about 10x more attractive. It's a strong signal that they might not be a toxic jerk.
  - wlesieutre 8y ago
    IMO Space Gray was the best option on the SE because it's the only one that had black bezels on the front. The white glass with a thin black border around the screen area always looked disjointed to me on the other colors. For some reason I don't mind it on my iPad, but iPhones I think the black bezels look a lot better ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ iPhone XR with colored cases and black bezel is looking good though!
- rjplatte 8y ago
  Dude, I love my Rose Gold SE. I got it because it was cheaper used, but it's such a nice color. Own it!
grecy 8y ago
> Apple couldn't keep the SE in stock for months after it launched in the US Maybe they weren't trying to keep it in stock in the US.... it surely had lower margins than the other models
- simonh 8y ago
  Apples been challenged about restricting supply on models before and always vehemently denied it, that it would be a self-defeating strategy, including ex-employees speaking retrospectively. Supply chain analysis seems to back them up. I’m sorry I can’t give references, there’s a long complicated history of this.

wlesieutre 8y ago

As another anecdote, I've had Android user friends borrow my phone and comment on how nice it is. But nobody's made a good 4" phone on that side of the market in a very long time.

NeedMoreTea 8y ago
I always thought that one of the reasons for the SE's success. Smaller and cheaper Androids are generally terrible, the SE was a great performing phone in a small case. Which made it a good option for buying for the kids and those who don't want to spend absurd amounts. My anecdote is I wanted to get off Android, and I've owned a couple of phablets and loathed them, so the SE seemed the only viable option.
- at-fates-hands 8y ago
  > Smaller and cheaper Androids are generally terrible Completely agree. Most of the smaller Android phones are in the value band so the specs leave a lot to be desired. I'm still switching between my Lumia 950 (5.2) and my OnePlus 2 (5.5). The OnePlus even at 5.5 feels like a bulky brick phone compared to the Lumia. I've been on the hunt for a smaller Android, but have yet to find a smaller form factor with decent specs that beats my Lumia.
  - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
    That's the annoying thing - a tiny 0.5" increase in size makes all the difference between fits nicely and uncomfortably large.
  - y4mi 8y ago
    i like the screen size (5.5-6"), but i really don't like extra weight. i'd much rather have a 4" phone if it was ... 50-80g lighter. but if thats not possible, i'd rather stick with the bigger screen btw, the 4" and 5.5" are often around the same size if you include the whole phone. there was just so much spacing around the display earlier
    - wlesieutre 8y ago
      It's really quite a bit bigger. Here's a side-by-side of the 4" SE and 5.5" X https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/59dcdd8c6d80adae008b5589-960-630.png https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/59dcdd8c6d80adae008b5...
      - y4mi 8y ago
        oh, i was talking about android phones, as the parent comment was looking for one and if you're comparing the old ~4" phones, they're often very similar in size to the current 5.5" phones, as the chin is often gone (fingerprint sensor is often in the back)
  - culot 8y ago
    I recently switched from a Lumia 950 to a Sony XZ1 Compact because I wanted something that would be more pocket-friendly. Good: - Speed-wise it is a huge upgrade. Everything is instant. The memory management is superb. I can open an app one day then come back to it a week later and have it sitting right where I left it. - Build quality is great. Plastic back, so no case required -- that was one thing I also loved about my Lumia 950. - Battery life is easily 2-3x that of my 950. On top of that it also charges faster. - It has a great display, significantly brighter than the Lumia 950 display. - The display does not scratch easily, unlike my Lumia 950, which required a screen protector or else it accumulates numerous fine scratches rapidly. This phone lives in my pockets without protection for 2 months and has acquired zero scratches. - Developer-friendly, with monthly updates. They even have complete AOSP device trees on Github, with detailed instructions on their developer's website to go with. Other than Google, who else even does that? I was impressed. Bad: - The 720p display is noticeably pixely. Also not as easy on the eyes as an OLED display. - There is no chance you'll find a good glass screen protector for this, thanks to how the display curves just a little bit into the sides. - It has hard metal corners. This is not a phone that curls up comfy in your hand. - The speakers are crap. Stereo front-facing speakers, yay! No, hush that, the speakers are crap. Even at their loudest I miss notifications. That was not something that happened with my 950, which was crazy loud. - The camera is inferior to the Lumia 950's camera in almost every situation other than handheld in low light. I was comparing the 950's camera to a Pixel 2 before I bought this XZ1 Compact, and it held its own against that as well, with its greater resolution offering a big advantage -- except handheld in low light. The camera on the 950 is something special. Also: no RAW on the XZ1 Compact. No RAW on any Sony phone, pretty sure. The XZ1 Compact's camera isn't bad, its pretty good, actually, it's just not superb like the 950 or Pixel 2. The noise reduction applied to its JPEGs is too harsh, that's its biggest problem. Not a camera you'll want to make prints from. For a small Android, I don't think there's really any other choice than Sony compacts. The nearest competitor [in the US] would be a Pixel 2, which is much larger. All-in-all, the only major things I miss about the 950 is its camera and its super loud and clear speaker.
kokey 8y ago
That is also something I worry about. There's been a bit of talk of a potential update to the SE but I hope they will keep making a 4" phone. I have gone from an iPhone 6 to an SE and I seriously enjoyed the experience of having a smaller phone I can operate with one hand again.
- wlesieutre 8y ago
  If they keep the casing the same size and go no-bezel on it, it'd still be reasonably usable, but you'll need Reachability to get the top of the screen one handed. 4" diagonal is about the max my thumbs can cover.
- JKCalhoun 8y ago
  Maybe time to move to a watch? ;-) Seriously, if the watch had a camera, I would leave my phone at home.
  - rahoulb 8y ago
    Agreed

bhtru 8y ago

When I went to finally get my SE a few months after release all stock but the 64gb rose gold were sold. I’m a dude but I wanted the phone so bad that I didn’t mind the colour.

Kye 8y ago
>> "I’m a dude but I wanted the phone so bad that I didn’t mind the colour." That's such a strange qualification. Guys who aren't afraid of pink ("rose gold") are about 10x more attractive. It's a strong signal that they might not be a toxic jerk.
- wlesieutre 8y ago
  IMO Space Gray was the best option on the SE because it's the only one that had black bezels on the front. The white glass with a thin black border around the screen area always looked disjointed to me on the other colors. For some reason I don't mind it on my iPad, but iPhones I think the black bezels look a lot better ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ iPhone XR with colored cases and black bezel is looking good though!
rjplatte 8y ago
Dude, I love my Rose Gold SE. I got it because it was cheaper used, but it's such a nice color. Own it!

grecy 8y ago

> Apple couldn't keep the SE in stock for months after it launched in the US Maybe they weren't trying to keep it in stock in the US.... it surely had lower margins than the other models

simonh 8y ago
Apples been challenged about restricting supply on models before and always vehemently denied it, that it would be a self-defeating strategy, including ex-employees speaking retrospectively. Supply chain analysis seems to back them up. I’m sorry I can’t give references, there’s a long complicated history of this.