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iPhone SE: $429, 4.7-inch display, 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29, 5.09 ounces iPhone 16e: $599, 6.1-inch display, 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31, 5.88 ounces This is a major downgra

by lapcat 2y ago

iPhone SE: $429, 4.7-inch display, 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29, 5.09 ounces iPhone 16e: $599, 6.1-inch display, 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31, 5.88 ounces This is a major downgrade in every way for people who want the smallest possible iPhone.

ctoth 2y ago
Not to mention the damn TouchID. So much better of an experience on my old SE than on my 15 pro with FaceID.
- musictubes 2y ago
  I hear this and I do not relate at all. Face ID is so much more reliable than Touch ID ever was for me.
  - mbs159 2y ago
    As somebody who wears a mask almost all day long I am glad that fingerprint unlocking is an option
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
hoistbypetard 2y ago
I would rather at this point have a watch with good cellular comms, that could use bluetooth for calls and let me tether a tablet for web use. But I have to say, I was more annoyed by the loss of touch ID than by the increase in screen size. While I like the smallest possible iPhone, my SE has not been very nice to use lately. Developers aren't testing their sites/apps on that screen size, and many sites/apps are getting really janky when run on a screen that small.
gjsman-1000 2y ago
However, as the iPhone 12 and 13 mini demonstrated, the people who like small phones are a very vocal but extremely small minority (only 3% of US sales were the mini). They both sold so badly, it serves as a reality check for how small voices on the internet are compared to the market.
- lotsofpulp 2y ago
  I feel like the 12 mini was objectively a subpar device, and maybe if 13 mini had come out first (after a long hiatus of not having smaller phones), then there might have been a chance. But probably not.
  - gjsman-1000 2y ago
    You're assuming most people even read the spec sheet and knew it was inferior on paper. I assure you, most did not. Most just looked at it, decided "too small," and that's about it.
    - lotsofpulp 2y ago
      I meant the people who wanted a small phone experienced it, and were disappointed, and it gained a bad reputation, potentially turning off others who also wanted a small phone. There was a big gap (5+ years?) between the small iPhone SE and the 12 mini, so a lot of people jumping on 12 mini and being disappointed by the small phone may have resulted in disappointing sales of 13 mini. But I’m sure the phone sellers know what they are doing, it just would have been nice to even be able to still buy a 13 mini. None of the new phones have any capabilities I care about. Edit to respond to below: I am not assuming that, I am actually assuming the opposite. There may have been pent up demand due to the long gap between the small iPhone SE and 12 mini, so when the 12 mini came out and disappointed, people who had been waiting to upgrade chose a non mini reducing the total number of minis sold. And then the 13 mini was discontinued by the time those people needed a new phone. But again, probably wishful thinking on my part.
      - gjsman-1000 2y ago
        You're assuming that people upgrade phones every year, which (again) most do not. A badly received 12 mini would have almost no broad market effect on the sales of the 13 mini. Not unless most iPhone sales are by word of mouth.
- jeffbee 2y ago
crazygringo 2y ago
It's basically 6% longer, wider, and thicker. I like small phones. 6% doesn't seem all that different from the current SE. The fact that all that space seems to be going to battery life does seem nice...
- kylec 2y ago
  Those 6% increases compound together though to create something with 20% more volume, that is pretty substantial
  - crazygringo 2y ago
    I've never heard anybody complain about volume. Just width/height. I mean, isn't everyone here on HN always making fun of Apple's supposedly unnecessary obsession with thinness? Now it's a teensy bit thicker.
    - kylec 2y ago
      You've never heard of people complaining about how "big" phones are, and wishing for a "smaller" phone? How would you measure "big" and "smaller" other than volume?
      - crazygringo 2y ago
        Volume would be a terrible metric for phones. You don't make a phone half as tall and twice as thick and claim it's the same size...
    - lapcat 2y ago
      The 2D surface area, which affects holding and pocketing, is 13% larger. Weight also matters. I honestly still prefer the form factor of the iPhone 3GS. (I have an old one in a drawer for comparison.) 4.8 ounces, 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 with a rounded back. The thickness wasn't a problem.
- BugsJustFindMe 2y ago
  Well it's 11% longer, wider, and thicker than the 13 mini, which has better everything than the SE.
BugsJustFindMe 2y ago
The SE is not the smallest possible modern iPhone, just the smallest screen. The 13 mini has a larger screen but is physically smaller.
- lapcat 2y ago
  The 13 mini was discontinued in 2023. The smallest possible iPhone ever was possibly the original iPhone.
  - BugsJustFindMe 2y ago
    You can still buy a pristine 13 mini on the secondary market. The original iPhone is not a viable device today, but the 13 mini is better across every tech axis (better processor, battery life, screen, camera, ...) than the SE and is worth comparing to.
    - lapcat 2y ago
      This is missing the point. I have a 3rd gen SE and am not currently in the market for a new phone. The issue is that Apple is no longer selling anything to people who want a small iPhone. Moreover, the used market will dry up eventually, and iOS support will be dropped even sooner.
    - officeplant 2y ago
      >but the 13 mini is better across every tech axis (better processor, battery life, screen, camera, ...) than the SE and is worth comparing to. They have the exact same A15 Bionic, with the same 4GB of memory. The 13 mini has an extra 400maH of battery. I've had both and the iPhone SE (2022) lasted longer in my personal use. (sold the 13 in an antiapple mood only to come back and get an SE later)

by lapcat 2y ago

ctoth 2y ago

Not to mention the damn TouchID. So much better of an experience on my old SE than on my 15 pro with FaceID.

musictubes 2y ago
I hear this and I do not relate at all. Face ID is so much more reliable than Touch ID ever was for me.
- mbs159 2y ago
  As somebody who wears a mask almost all day long I am glad that fingerprint unlocking is an option

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

hoistbypetard 2y ago

I would rather at this point have a watch with good cellular comms, that could use bluetooth for calls and let me tether a tablet for web use. But I have to say, I was more annoyed by the loss of touch ID than by the increase in screen size. While I like the smallest possible iPhone, my SE has not been very nice to use lately. Developers aren't testing their sites/apps on that screen size, and many sites/apps are getting really janky when run on a screen that small.

gjsman-1000 2y ago

However, as the iPhone 12 and 13 mini demonstrated, the people who like small phones are a very vocal but extremely small minority (only 3% of US sales were the mini). They both sold so badly, it serves as a reality check for how small voices on the internet are compared to the market.

lotsofpulp 2y ago
I feel like the 12 mini was objectively a subpar device, and maybe if 13 mini had come out first (after a long hiatus of not having smaller phones), then there might have been a chance. But probably not.
- gjsman-1000 2y ago
  You're assuming most people even read the spec sheet and knew it was inferior on paper. I assure you, most did not. Most just looked at it, decided "too small," and that's about it.
  - lotsofpulp 2y ago
    I meant the people who wanted a small phone experienced it, and were disappointed, and it gained a bad reputation, potentially turning off others who also wanted a small phone. There was a big gap (5+ years?) between the small iPhone SE and the 12 mini, so a lot of people jumping on 12 mini and being disappointed by the small phone may have resulted in disappointing sales of 13 mini. But I’m sure the phone sellers know what they are doing, it just would have been nice to even be able to still buy a 13 mini. None of the new phones have any capabilities I care about. Edit to respond to below: I am not assuming that, I am actually assuming the opposite. There may have been pent up demand due to the long gap between the small iPhone SE and 12 mini, so when the 12 mini came out and disappointed, people who had been waiting to upgrade chose a non mini reducing the total number of minis sold. And then the 13 mini was discontinued by the time those people needed a new phone. But again, probably wishful thinking on my part.
    - gjsman-1000 2y ago
      You're assuming that people upgrade phones every year, which (again) most do not. A badly received 12 mini would have almost no broad market effect on the sales of the 13 mini. Not unless most iPhone sales are by word of mouth.
jeffbee 2y ago

crazygringo 2y ago

It's basically 6% longer, wider, and thicker. I like small phones. 6% doesn't seem all that different from the current SE. The fact that all that space seems to be going to battery life does seem nice...

kylec 2y ago
Those 6% increases compound together though to create something with 20% more volume, that is pretty substantial
- crazygringo 2y ago
  I've never heard anybody complain about volume. Just width/height. I mean, isn't everyone here on HN always making fun of Apple's supposedly unnecessary obsession with thinness? Now it's a teensy bit thicker.
  - kylec 2y ago
    You've never heard of people complaining about how "big" phones are, and wishing for a "smaller" phone? How would you measure "big" and "smaller" other than volume?
    - crazygringo 2y ago
      Volume would be a terrible metric for phones. You don't make a phone half as tall and twice as thick and claim it's the same size...
  - lapcat 2y ago
    The 2D surface area, which affects holding and pocketing, is 13% larger. Weight also matters. I honestly still prefer the form factor of the iPhone 3GS. (I have an old one in a drawer for comparison.) 4.8 ounces, 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 with a rounded back. The thickness wasn't a problem.
BugsJustFindMe 2y ago
Well it's 11% longer, wider, and thicker than the 13 mini, which has better everything than the SE.

BugsJustFindMe 2y ago

The SE is not the smallest possible modern iPhone, just the smallest screen. The 13 mini has a larger screen but is physically smaller.

lapcat 2y ago
The 13 mini was discontinued in 2023. The smallest possible iPhone ever was possibly the original iPhone.
- BugsJustFindMe 2y ago
  You can still buy a pristine 13 mini on the secondary market. The original iPhone is not a viable device today, but the 13 mini is better across every tech axis (better processor, battery life, screen, camera, ...) than the SE and is worth comparing to.
  - lapcat 2y ago
    This is missing the point. I have a 3rd gen SE and am not currently in the market for a new phone. The issue is that Apple is no longer selling anything to people who want a small iPhone. Moreover, the used market will dry up eventually, and iOS support will be dropped even sooner.
  - officeplant 2y ago
    >but the 13 mini is better across every tech axis (better processor, battery life, screen, camera, ...) than the SE and is worth comparing to. They have the exact same A15 Bionic, with the same 4GB of memory. The 13 mini has an extra 400maH of battery. I've had both and the iPhone SE (2022) lasted longer in my personal use. (sold the 13 in an antiapple mood only to come back and get an SE later)