4 ms·

Why not just a $100 iPhone? That's about what I paid for my brand new iPhone SE2 from a budget pre-paid carrier a few years ago... right now you can get a brand

by _yb2s 2y ago

Why not just a $100 iPhone? That's about what I paid for my brand new iPhone SE2 from a budget pre-paid carrier a few years ago... right now you can get a brand new SE3 on the TracFone website for $189. Spec wise it's basically an iPhone 13 and is still a fast modern phone that is sold new and is expected to get updates for about 9 more years. Personally the cost isn't an issue but I prefer the SE2/SE3 design to the flagship phones- you get nearly all of the performance but in a smaller, lighter, more durable body, and with a physical button and a fingerprint sensor.

Kye 2y ago
My newish flagship iPhone will stop getting updates by the time the SE4 or 5 is out. I expect to move that way. 3D scans were fun for about a week, but the size and weight quickly became a nuisance on something I mainly use for photos, note taking, looking stuff up, and navigating. I've followed Android since dropping it for a 3 year old 6s Plus in 2018 and the things I disliked about it seem to still be there based on reviews and the issues Android-using friends run into.
- _yb2s 2y ago
  If they told me the SE was the premium phone and cost more, I would still consider it- I just like the design a lot more, however I wish they would bring back the even smaller SE1 form factor. I'm not watching movies or playing games- I don't care how big the screen is. I just want it to be small, rugged, and light but still secure and work with modern apps for things like 2FA and remote entry systems.
crazygringo 2y ago
There's no such thing as a new $100 iPhone. You can't compare an unsubsidized price with a subsidized one -- it's not a fair comparison. I love the SE2 as well but it doesn't cost $100 and it doesn't cost $189. You're still paying ~$429, the remainder is just hidden among the monthly payments.
- _yb2s 2y ago
  This is not true- those are prices from prepaid “burner” plans with no contracts. If you prepay for 2 months service the phone is then completely unlocked. These carriers are a good deal anyways and many are actually the Verizon network, but if you don’t use them, it costs only about $20-30 to have the phone unlocked. I really did pay $100 for an SE2 from Tracfone, and a few months and under $20 later switched carriers. I believe these carriers are subsidizing the phone under the hopes you will use their service long term- but with no obligation to do so. Thank you for actually explaining though- my comments were getting downvoted a lot without replies, and I can see this is because people were assuming I was talking about signing a service contract and not understanding the real cost, which is not the case at all.
  - cmeacham98 2y ago
    Tracfone will not unlock a phone until 60 days after it is activated[1]. Oh, and if you use it on T-Mobile or AT&T's network (instead of Verizon), it's actually 12 months. While this is certainly cheaper than a full price iPhone SE, it is not even close to a "$100 iPhone" - it's a "somewhere between $200-$300 iPhone", depending on which network you use and how you quantify the cost of being unable to switch. 1: https://www.tfwunlockpolicy.com/wps/portal/home/!ut/p/a1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOK9LV0tDC0NDL39zX1NDBxDHb2dnLy9DAwMzPXD9aPASgxwAEcD_eDUPP2C7LxyAP8WlbU!/ https://www.tfwunlockpolicy.com/wps/portal/home/!ut/p/a1/04_...
    - _yb2s 2y ago
      Yes, as I already said that requires buying 2 months service which will be somewhere between $15-30 total, but Tracfone is a good carrier on the Verizon network with no contracts and incredibly low prices- so it's somewhat hard for me to see that as an extra expense if you need service anyways. I think I was previously paying about $8/month for them, but switched to another cheap carrier that includes unlimited data. You can get a Tracfone SE for $100- I've seen them that cheap on the website, in person in box stores, and on eBay, but you have to hunt around. It would be $219 total right now for an SE3 and 2 months service on the website.

by _yb2s 2y ago

Kye 2y ago

My newish flagship iPhone will stop getting updates by the time the SE4 or 5 is out. I expect to move that way. 3D scans were fun for about a week, but the size and weight quickly became a nuisance on something I mainly use for photos, note taking, looking stuff up, and navigating. I've followed Android since dropping it for a 3 year old 6s Plus in 2018 and the things I disliked about it seem to still be there based on reviews and the issues Android-using friends run into.

_yb2s 2y ago
If they told me the SE was the premium phone and cost more, I would still consider it- I just like the design a lot more, however I wish they would bring back the even smaller SE1 form factor. I'm not watching movies or playing games- I don't care how big the screen is. I just want it to be small, rugged, and light but still secure and work with modern apps for things like 2FA and remote entry systems.

crazygringo 2y ago

There's no such thing as a new $100 iPhone. You can't compare an unsubsidized price with a subsidized one -- it's not a fair comparison. I love the SE2 as well but it doesn't cost $100 and it doesn't cost $189. You're still paying ~$429, the remainder is just hidden among the monthly payments.

_yb2s 2y ago
This is not true- those are prices from prepaid “burner” plans with no contracts. If you prepay for 2 months service the phone is then completely unlocked. These carriers are a good deal anyways and many are actually the Verizon network, but if you don’t use them, it costs only about $20-30 to have the phone unlocked. I really did pay $100 for an SE2 from Tracfone, and a few months and under $20 later switched carriers. I believe these carriers are subsidizing the phone under the hopes you will use their service long term- but with no obligation to do so. Thank you for actually explaining though- my comments were getting downvoted a lot without replies, and I can see this is because people were assuming I was talking about signing a service contract and not understanding the real cost, which is not the case at all.
- cmeacham98 2y ago
  Tracfone will not unlock a phone until 60 days after it is activated[1]. Oh, and if you use it on T-Mobile or AT&T's network (instead of Verizon), it's actually 12 months. While this is certainly cheaper than a full price iPhone SE, it is not even close to a "$100 iPhone" - it's a "somewhere between $200-$300 iPhone", depending on which network you use and how you quantify the cost of being unable to switch. 1: https://www.tfwunlockpolicy.com/wps/portal/home/!ut/p/a1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOK9LV0tDC0NDL39zX1NDBxDHb2dnLy9DAwMzPXD9aPASgxwAEcD_eDUPP2C7LxyAP8WlbU!/ https://www.tfwunlockpolicy.com/wps/portal/home/!ut/p/a1/04_...
  - _yb2s 2y ago
    Yes, as I already said that requires buying 2 months service which will be somewhere between $15-30 total, but Tracfone is a good carrier on the Verizon network with no contracts and incredibly low prices- so it's somewhat hard for me to see that as an extra expense if you need service anyways. I think I was previously paying about $8/month for them, but switched to another cheap carrier that includes unlimited data. You can get a Tracfone SE for $100- I've seen them that cheap on the website, in person in box stores, and on eBay, but you have to hunt around. It would be $219 total right now for an SE3 and 2 months service on the website.