The iPhone SE (3rd generation) is Apple’s cheapest phone in their current product line-up. It’s a cute, classic design, with a 4.7 inch display, rounded corners and edges, and of course, the once emblematic home button.
Old News
It’s also an extremely dated design. The front and back facing cameras are probably the same sensors they used back in 2017 with the iPhone 8, and the bezels definitely feel like something we would see back in 2017. The 64 gigabyte storage option is also not great for a $429 phone, especially when other options around that price like the Google Pixel 7a ($499) and even the Nothing Phone 2a ($350) start with 128 gigabytes of storage. Plus, the brighter, larger, and often higher resolution displays included on other phones around the iPhone SE’s price range make the budget iPhone look like a relic in comparison.
A Unique Proposition
The decisions Apple made while making the iPhone SE make a lot more sense when you use the phone. Yes, it has a dated design, especially in comparison to other phones in its price range. However, the iPhone SE offers something that none of those phones offer; iOS and Apple’s ecosystem. It’s an interesting value proposition, you get Apple’s super powerful A15 Bionic and at least 4 years of software support. Apple’s hardware ages pretty well, and this phone will work fine for anyone who decides to pick it up.
Battery Woes
However, the battery life on this phone also isn’t great. If you’re a light user, you’ll make it through the day. Anything past light use will murder the tiny 2,018 mAh battery. Taking lots of photos or videos, using the GPS, FaceTime, or playing games is totally doable, but the battery simply can’t keep up.
Replacing your battery can be an expensive process, and phone batteries degrade over time. If your battery drains faster, you’re going to be charging it more, and the more you charge the phone, the further the battery will degrade. After a year of usage, my battery health was at 87%. At that rate, I’d have to replace the battery on my iPhone SE in less than a year if I wanted optimal performance. That’s abysmal, and the folks buying this phone are probably not the kind of people who can drop $70 on a new battery every year and a half. Battery life is easily the biggest flaw of this phone, and it’s frustrating.
In Conclusion…
So you’re paying for the big Apple on the back of the phone. Yup. It falls into the same pit that most Apple products end up. A simple, reliable product that maybe feels a little too expensive for what you’re getting. See, that’s what has me so torn. It embodies both the best and worst traits of Apple and the iPhone as we know it. The battery, design, and price all feel a little off-putting, but the A15 Bionic is still faster than a lot of modern android flagships, and the phone is guaranteed support for a long time.
Using this phone for a year as my daily driver has made me more aware how I use my phone. The majority of the time, we overestimate how much we actually need. For 80% of my use case, this phone has been perfectly usable. Actually, I’ll admit that it was an enjoyable experience. In certain ways, it felt like returning to an old friend. But the lows are low.
If you’re on a tight budget and you have to have an iPhone, then this might be an okay option. However, a second hand or refurbished iPhone seems like a better option if you don’t care for having a brand new phone. You can get a refurbished iPhone 13 for $400 in excellent condition. As a matter of fact, you could probably get away with an iPhone 12 for even cheaper. Buying a used, flag-ship iPhone will net you a nicer screen, a bigger battery, and more features like MagSafe. If you don’t need an Apple phone, do yourself a favor and get literally any of the other mid-range options on the market.
Thanks for reading the NintenDrake Blog, and I’ll see you later, alligators! <3
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