4 ms·

Giant bezels, no USB, and a physical button? Feels very outdated compared to the rest of the lineup announced today.

kcartlidge 5y ago
No USB isn't great, but personally: - Giant bezels => easy grip without touching the screen or covering it - Physical button => still works better for unlocking than FaceTime (especially with a mask) Virtually every other phone doesn't "suffer" from those "drawbacks" so this is probably my next phone when my current 2nd gen SE expires.
- 2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
  USB C isn't exactly everything it's cracked up to be. You can't exactly just grab any USB C cable and plug it into any USB C port and it works. I still need to keep that one USB C cable with thunderbolt and charging specifically for my laptop. Except now I have to label it or be careful with cable management. I'd rather be able to just look at the connector and tell what it does rather than this silly game of "this USB C cable is fat, maybe I can use it to charge my laptop". USB C ports are harder to clean too.
  - leetcrew 5y ago
    I choose to look at it from a glass half-full perspective. any usbc cable is at least as good as a standard usb2 cable. anything past that is a bonus. it's mildly annoying that some cables support high wattage PD and some don't, but it sure beats carrying around two dedicated cables all the time. but if it really bugs you that much, why not just find a cable that supports all the features you need, buy a few of those, and hide the rest? they're not that expensive...
    - 2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
      You still can't tell the capabilities of the USB C port just by looking at it. I don't buy the "saves a cable" argument. My laptop is all USB C (made sure all the ports had all the same capabilities) and now I need to carry a dongle everywhere if I want to remain compatible with the other screens that I need to use or if I want to use a wired keyboard or mouse. And a good dongle is not cheap. Mostly what USB C does well, is if you are not an iPhone user, and ask someone for a charging cable. It will fit. I'd rather just carry my own cable than have spent that dongle money.
- dartharva 5y ago
  > - Physical button => still works better for unlocking than FaceTime (especially with a mask) There are better ways of doing this than a button below the screen unnecessarily eating up space; e.g. having the fingerprint reader on the side, or the back, like literally any modern smartphone.
Fezzik 5y ago
I think what they’re doing is super-smart: there is a giant section of the population that wants consistency over any other feature - my mom, 74, and her 5 siblings are always thrilled to have a phone that works exactly like their last phone; 54+ million people in the United States are over the age of 65. I don’t know if that plays in to their decisions, but it sure is appreciated.
- mholm 5y ago
  Additionally, an A15 processor means this phone is going to stay solid and consistent for at least 5 more years. No issues with buying the cheaper phone and needing to replace it more often because the software phased it out faster.

No USB isn't great, but personally: - Giant bezels => easy grip without touching the screen or covering it - Physical button => still works better for unlocking than FaceTime (especially with a mask) Virtually every other phone doesn't "suffer" from those "drawbacks" so this is probably my next phone when my current 2nd gen SE expires.

2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
USB C isn't exactly everything it's cracked up to be. You can't exactly just grab any USB C cable and plug it into any USB C port and it works. I still need to keep that one USB C cable with thunderbolt and charging specifically for my laptop. Except now I have to label it or be careful with cable management. I'd rather be able to just look at the connector and tell what it does rather than this silly game of "this USB C cable is fat, maybe I can use it to charge my laptop". USB C ports are harder to clean too.
- leetcrew 5y ago
  I choose to look at it from a glass half-full perspective. any usbc cable is at least as good as a standard usb2 cable. anything past that is a bonus. it's mildly annoying that some cables support high wattage PD and some don't, but it sure beats carrying around two dedicated cables all the time. but if it really bugs you that much, why not just find a cable that supports all the features you need, buy a few of those, and hide the rest? they're not that expensive...
  - 2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
    You still can't tell the capabilities of the USB C port just by looking at it. I don't buy the "saves a cable" argument. My laptop is all USB C (made sure all the ports had all the same capabilities) and now I need to carry a dongle everywhere if I want to remain compatible with the other screens that I need to use or if I want to use a wired keyboard or mouse. And a good dongle is not cheap. Mostly what USB C does well, is if you are not an iPhone user, and ask someone for a charging cable. It will fit. I'd rather just carry my own cable than have spent that dongle money.
dartharva 5y ago
> - Physical button => still works better for unlocking than FaceTime (especially with a mask) There are better ways of doing this than a button below the screen unnecessarily eating up space; e.g. having the fingerprint reader on the side, or the back, like literally any modern smartphone.

Fezzik 5y ago

I think what they’re doing is super-smart: there is a giant section of the population that wants consistency over any other feature - my mom, 74, and her 5 siblings are always thrilled to have a phone that works exactly like their last phone; 54+ million people in the United States are over the age of 65. I don’t know if that plays in to their decisions, but it sure is appreciated.

mholm 5y ago
Additionally, an A15 processor means this phone is going to stay solid and consistent for at least 5 more years. No issues with buying the cheaper phone and needing to replace it more often because the software phased it out faster.