
Apple iPhone SE Available on Apple Store Again - sdan
https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/clearance
======
dijit
I’m going to add to the dogpile here and add: I am really not sure how I can
vote with my wallet more than I currently do.

I had a 5S; upgraded to a 6S and spent a year with it, but I really hated the
size of the phone and realised that small phones were entirely gone by the end
of my time with the 6S.

I tried Android for a while but it was Samsung’s Android and was not for me, I
was frustrated and annoyed after every interaction with my phone. After a year
of that I went and got an iPhone SE. I’m still very happy with my choice.
(Although my AirPods sometimes cut out and I think its due to the size of my
Bluetooth antennae)

I buy a fair amount of Apple stuff, I’m on the highest iCloud storage tier, I
have AirPods, Mac Pro’s, MacBook Pro’s etc; if they have /any/ customer
profiling at all they must realise that I certainly have the means to
“upgrade” but doggedly refuse to do so.

When I picked this phone up I bought apple care for as long as I could. I will
attempt to extend Apple care on this phone (or buy a new SE if it’s available)
before support on this expires.

How else can I show my support to the small phone factor?

~~~
AnthonyMouse
Selling a new small phone is a market problem for Apple.

The form factor inherently makes it less expensive to manufacture. Bigger
screens cost more etc. Which creates a pricing problem for them.

If they price it like a small phone (i.e. lower price) they cannibalize sales
of larger phones with higher total margins, and lose money. If they price it
with the same total margin as the larger phones, it'd still be the lowest
priced current generation phone in their lineup, but would then compare very
poorly on price to similar spec Android phones, which makes their brand look
overpriced (as opposed to premium).

About the only way it would make sense is to make it a premium product. Give
it the fastest available processor etc. so it can justify a premium price
despite the size. But that's a difficult engineering problem. A faster
processor uses more power and generates more heat, but smaller phones have
less room for a big battery and less surface area to dissipate heat. And
finding a solution for that is extra hard because what it needs is an
advantage relative to larger phones, but if you improve performance per watt
or battery density in general then the same improvement can go into the larger
phone too and you still have no relative advantage.

~~~
RubberbandSoul
That's a dangerous strategy considering that an iPhone is the "window" to
their ecosystem: App store, Apple Pay, the iOS UX experience, etc.

I know many people who love Apple's ecosystem but who won't pay through the
nose for a "premium" phone that's way overpowered for their needs.

~~~
simonh
Then frankly they're not in the Apple target demographic. I know that sucks,
but the iPhone is a gateway for customers who are willing to pay a premium for
Apple products.

The real danger for Apple would be compromising with a budget model at the
entry level. It would kill their value proposition on the whole rest of their
line. The closest they get is previous-year models and refurbs.

~~~
RubberbandSoul
I think they run a real risk of diminishing returns. To use a car analogy;
first they were the BMW of phones, then the Ferrari and maybe soon the
Bugatti.

Along the way consumers will start to tap out and leave Apple's ecosystem
altogether.

Maybe that's already set in motion, people are keeping their phones for much
longer so it will take a while for the effects to be noticeable.

~~~
cyxxon
O, definitely. Anecdote, but count me among these people. I had 4 or 5
iPhones, and 1 Android phone sometime in the middle (before my 6s). I am
currently on the Xs, but if Apple keeps this pricing strategy I will not buy
another iPhone again. Outside the US it is really hard to justify with the
added tax and "export fee" on top. I just hope it will be ok for 3 years.

~~~
arihant
This is true. I bought the X in India but with assumption that I’ll use it for
at least 3 years. Maybe more. This doesn’t sound hard to achieve given how
long Apple continues to provide upgrades.

~~~
simonh
I'm still on a 6s and it's absolutely fine. I can't see myself upgrading in
the foreseeable future, but when I do it will almost certainly be another
iPhone. They've been really good to me and lasted many years as hand-me-downs,
sometimes with a battery refurb just before they go out of support. The value
proposition is just excellent.

------
sfcguyus
I 'downgraded' from an iPhone XS to an iPhone SE. I had misplaced my XS and
got an SE temporarily. Best thing to have ever happened - the iPhone SE is the
best iPhone apple has ever made.

So much so that I have an XS and the SE and cannot get back to the XS.

I know HN has some weird opinions sometimes that aren't representative of a
majority. But I genuinely think if people used this or gave it a shot they
wouldn't switch back.

~~~
ksec
As a Phone, a Communication Devices, and Social Network, I could may be want
the iPhone SE had an Edge to Edge Design, but other than that I agree it is
perfect.

As a Media Consumption devices, that is mostly video and Gaming. The iPhone SE
size just doesn't work.

Sometimes I kept thinking if I just ditch gaming and I could have a smaller
phone. Hopefully Apple will come up with a 5" Full Display SE size iPhone, and
thinner too. They could have an extra $100 BOM budget for some insane battery
tech.

~~~
joecool1029
>I could may be want the iPhone SE had an Edge to Edge Design

Why? So you can accidentally tap the screen every day with the edge of your
fingers as you hold the device?

~~~
zapzupnz
This would be an especially pronounced problem on a small form factor when
your hand has so much more … edge … to accidentally touch.

It's why I don't quite understand the Galaxy Edge.

------
o10449366
The one thing that Apple does well is prolonged support for their phones. I
switched away from Android phones because I got sick of buying the latest
flagships only to have them lose software, hardware, and security support
12-24 months after release.

The new iPhones don't appeal to me, but I'm satisfied knowing I can get a few
more years out of my SE. I got my battery replaced 4 months ago after owning
it for two years and its been running like new since on the latest version of
iOS.

~~~
taurath
I’m not so sure anymore - I have a 3.5 year old iPhone 6s, and replaced the
battery with a brand new on from the Apple store not 6 months ago - already,
the new battery is worse than the old one a year into the phones life. Random
shut offs at 10% and not getting through a day are regular occurances,
something that didn’t happen at all the first 2 years

~~~
switz
I'm having the same exact experience. I'm considering heading to the Apple
store and asking for a fresh battery replacement.

I don't want to give up my headphone jack.

~~~
beamatronic
iPhone 6s Plus here - I don’t want to give up the button, Touch ID, force
touch, or the headphone jack.

Edit: added force touch

~~~
kakaorka
Force touch works on the latest iPhones, except for the XR

------
JumpCrisscross
This was my favourite phone. Fast. Stable. Flat, easy-to-grip sides and a
screen size designed to impress me, not Samsung executives. If they gave it
new internals and electronic SIM capabilities, I’d pay $1,000 for it.

~~~
FreakyT
Why would you ever want eSIM support? The very existence of eSIM is completely
antithetical to reason SIM cards were created in the first place. Without
physical SIM cards, you're forced to grovel to your wireless provider to
please provision your phone, and they can refuse to do so for any reason. With
SIM cards, there's no limit to what devices you can use on what networks,
outside of hardware ones.

I find it ridiculous that companies are positioning eSIM as "innovative" \--
we already had the exact same thing in the US back with CDMA, and it was
awful. eSIM is no different.

~~~
geofft
My experience (with AT&T prepaid in the US) is that SIM cards are associated
with IMEIs and don't work with a new IMEI without my phone company approving
it. So it's not functionally different from CDMA. CDMA was fine; the overhead
of swapping phones when I was on CDMA is comparable to the current overhead,
and I don't recall anything else I missed from not having a physical SIM card.

~~~
culturestate
Off the top of my head, I can't recall running into this anywhere I've been in
the world (excluding the US) in the last few years. I carry a beater Android
phone when I travel and I often swap it in for my iPhone in situations where
I'm afraid I might lose or damage my phone (or it might get pickpocketed) and
it's usually a seamless process with local prepaid SIMs.

~~~
dijit
This was regulated in the EU at some point. You’re no longer allowed to sell
locked down phones.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfair_Commercial_Practices_...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfair_Commercial_Practices_Directive_2005)

------
throwaway66666
It is probably the nicest phone ever in regards to size/screen/weight. I wish
they would give it a hardware bump too to keep it competitive.

~~~
ianai
Agreed. Its form factor is insanely useful and comfortable. I hope we see a
hardware update. Especially if they can get a thumbprint reader in the
display.

~~~
sdan
Like many other comments, if they give bezel-less display, in screen touch-id,
I think a lot of people would buy it. Not really sure what stats they're
getting saying that the SE isn't profitable, but I still use it to this day
and think it's a tank of a phone.

~~~
Nextgrid
Counterpoint: I do not want a bezel-less screen. Not only does it ruin the
iPhone’s iconic design, but it removes a “safe” area where you can rest your
fingers without obscuring any content nor interacting with it.

I hate both my XS and X for this reason (along the lack of physical home
button and Touch ID). There’s just no “right” way to handle that phone like
there is with the previous generations, every attempt at holding it is a
compromise on which content you’re obscuring on the screen.

~~~
sdan
You're probably right. I've thought about that in the back of my mind, but
just like how some people's hands rest on the 15" Macbook pro, I figured Apple
would implement accidental touch software. And I've never extensively used a
bezel-less phone (current still on the SE).

At the end of the day, if accidental touches can be taken care of, you'll get
a phone that's more aesthetically pleasing and more screen real estate to do
whatever.

~~~
Nextgrid
I’ve used an iPhone X and XS. Touches on the bottom part of the screen (which
replaces the home button) don’t interfere with touches on the other parts of
the screen (so you can keep your finger on there and still use the phone),
however they aren’t ignored per-se and will still trigger some events like
bringing up the controls on the media player or something.

Not a dealbreaker but honestly I still prefer _true_ safe-zones where there’s
no way the phone can feel anything on there.

~~~
ianai
This could be addressed with software. I assume that’s what’s going on in sci-
fi adaptations of “smart slates”. They’re clearly a powerful platform, but
it’s all for nothing without the right UI.

~~~
Nextgrid
Honestly, unless software can read my mind to tell whether I intended the
touch to be registered or not, I'd rather not have that.

No software solution is going to be 100% prefect and you'll end up with either
degraded experiences (as an example, when you tap a link on iOS, there's a bit
of latency - this is because it's waiting to see if it will be a double tap),
or dangerous mistakes where it will still register touches that weren't
intended.

As our phones contain more and more data and bear privileged access to a lot
of systems (work, etc), an accidental touch can sometimes be disastrous. I
have a friend for example that's a complete idiot with tech and never locks
her phone despite holding it by the screen and pressing random stuff on it.
Eventually she accidentally pressed the voice message button on WhatsApp and
ended up sending a good 5 minutes of a very private conversation to a
stranger.

------
rahoulb
Much as I love the small phone (I had a 5S and an SE) ... the link is for the
refurb store.

So this isn't anything about Apple restarting production of these - just that
they've had some returned that they are now reselling. If you want one, it's
probably the best way to get hold of one, but it's not a long-term, or even
medium-term solution to the "no decent small phone available" problem.

~~~
kgwxd
5S was the perfect size, if only it could run Linux.

~~~
AnthonBerg
What I like to use is:

    
    
      - Blink shell
      - hooked to a tmux session
      - connected with Mosh
      - over a ZeroTier network
      - to a UNIX machine in the cloud or at home (Linux, macOS, whatever).
    

The effect is a really snappy and powerful shell in a full UNIX system that
stays up and connected even though your connection is dropped or moves from
wifi to cellular, and your networks still stay closed and secure.

It's not the same as running Linux on the phone. However, in some respects
it's _better_. It's trivially easy to move the session to another device
(phone/tablet, or computer), and you don't need to use the phone's battery for
processing. And you can summon a ton of computing power if you need to.

Blink shell, an iOS terminal emulator:
[https://www.blink.sh](https://www.blink.sh)

tmux is like screen. It's a bit arcane at first but it's worth it. (Mouse
scrollback is recommended. It works inside blink.) Introduction:
[https://hackernoon.com/a-gentle-introduction-to-
tmux-8d784c4...](https://hackernoon.com/a-gentle-introduction-to-
tmux-8d784c404340)

mosh enhances ssh and adds roaming, supports intermittent connectivity, and
cuts perceived lag a lot by being smarter about the interface vs. the network
roundtrip. (It works kind of like a online game engine that predicts network
events). [https://mosh.org](https://mosh.org)

ZeroTier is an open-source secure virtual network layer that's good at hole
punching so you can just have the real network completely walled off:
[https://www.zerotier.com/](https://www.zerotier.com/)

~~~
mlevental
how the hell do people use a cli on a phone

~~~
AnthonBerg
Try it! It’s worth having.

Plus: Bluetooth keyboards work, and you can connect to external displays with,
say, an HDMI dongle or AirPlay.

------
jononomo
I've had an iPhone SE for about 2 years now and I dread the day that I will
have to replace this phone. Is it possible to buy a couple more right now and
just store them in a cool dry place for the next 5 - 10 years? Would the
battery life, etc, still be good?

~~~
unicornporn
In 5-10 years your biggest problem would be no more OS updates and no security
updates.

~~~
SamuelAdams
Or app developers not updating their apps for smaller phones. When the
minority of people cause the majority of the work, app devs tend to ship even
if it's broken. Firefox is a great example: many sites are working great in
Safari / Chrome, but are broken / not as nice when viewed in Firefox. Again,
Firefox is used by considerably less people.

~~~
bunderbunder
It's not even that alone, it's app developers both dropping support for the
old OS in new versions of their app, and then actively disabling old versions
of their app.

This was what ultimately did in my last iPhone. I kept it well past when iOS
upgrades ended, and over time apps stopped working. At first it was stuff
that's pretty easy to let go of. My mobile provider's app was the first to go,
but I could still do everything I wanted through their website. Eventually it
starts to be stuff that's sort of the whole reason you own a smartphone
instead of a dumb phone.

------
dylanz
I'd love for Apple to keep the SE up-to-date hardware wise. The only thing
that I'd like more than that would be if Google brought back a new and
improved G1. The HN crowd isn't the average consumer, and I know that's why
what most of us really want isn't a reality, but... I appreciate reading the
sentiment on here for the classics (those which have great function/style).

~~~
cherrypepsi
I got curious about how tiny the SE is (I never had an iPhone) so I compared
it [1] to my beloved Lumia 620 (RIP power button) and my current Moto Z2 Play.
And wow, I totally get the feeling.

For me it's not even about one-handed use, I can reach the opposite corner
just fine with one hand, but the bulge in my jeans' pocket is really
uncomfortable, the corner of the phone pinches my leg and you have to
rearrange the brick inside the pocket quite often or it hurts when walking.

I'm _this_ close to replacing this huge thing.

[1]: [https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Apple-
iPhone-7_id9815/size...](https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Apple-
iPhone-7_id9815/size/Samsung-Galaxy-S10,Samsung-Galaxy-S10e,Motorola-
Moto-Z2-Play,Apple-iPhone-XS,Sony-Xperia-XZ1-Compact,Motorola-Moto-E,Apple-
iPhone-SE,Nokia-
Lumia-620/phones/10959,11114,10508,10766,10650,8654,10001,7593)

------
uptown
I’d be happy with an SE and modern cameras updates. Don’t need dual-lens or 3D
face stuff but from generation to generation Apple makes great improvements to
their camera hardware and software. It’d be a shame to be stuck with inferior
optics for the sake of having a smaller phone size.

------
dlgeek
Can someone provide context as to why this is newsworthy for those of us who
don't follow Apple's every move?

(I failed trying to rephrase this to sound less sarcastic, but I'm genuinely
looking for context here).

~~~
princeb
this is literally the ONLY modern smartphone at this size. miniaturization has
become so costly that no major phone manufacturer is capable of doing it at
scale.

~~~
Double_a_92
I doubt it's capability, especially since smartphones used to be smaller in
the past.

Average people just don't want smaller phones. So they are a nice product, and
manufactures don't want to take a risk.

~~~
nerdponx
_Average people just don 't want smaller phones. So they are a nice product,
and manufactures don't want to take a risk._

I don't believe this. It looks like supply and marketing pushing demand, like
the SUV trend in the 00s.

------
trazire
$249 is still a little overpriced considering alternative options, especially
with a refurb/used iPhone 7 going for really cheap. As in, like, $160 on Ebay
and more expensive for refurbs and new ones.

But hey, that's how they get rid of extra inventory. Not sure why it was
delisted in the first place and not just put there, but that's their
prerogative.

~~~
ericabiz
The iPhone 7/7 Plus is the series I tell everyone to avoid purchasing. We
refuse to stock them for resale as well, and it’s gotten so bad we even have
customers sign a disclaimer when they bring them in for repair. (Note: We are
not Apple authorized, so this is our policy, not Apple’s.)

They have a serious manufacturing defect commonly known as the “Audio IC”
issue. Apple downplays it, but eventually it hits almost every 7 series.

Apple offered a free repair program for a while, but has since discontinued
it.

The 7 series is pretty much “designed to fail.” We have seen flawless phones
in Otterbox cases have this issue.

The 6 Plus also has defects on the Touch IC chip. We recommend the 6s or 8
series for customers.

If anyone reading this has a 7 or 7 Plus and is concerned about this issue,
back up your phone on a regular basis at a minimum. Trade it in for an 8 or 8
Plus when you can. If you’re happy with your 7, you don’t need to go to the
X/XS, but I would recommend stepping up to the 8.

~~~
jbnorth
I am ACIT and ACMT certified working for an AASP and you're absolutely right.
The Audio IC issue with iPhone 7 and 7+ is awful but Apple refuses to
acknowledge it's their problem. They had a rep program for a few months when
it first started surfacing but then cancelled it when their own internal
investigation said it wasn't their fault. While we tend not to recommend the
6s, we also don't sell and iPhones whether new or refurb.

~~~
robin_reala
Not sure they refuse to acknowledge it: my wife’s 7+ had this last month and
the Apple store said “Oh yeah, known problem” and replaced it free of charge.

~~~
Double_a_92
Did they really admit that their products have problems? Wow.

I would have expected them to say something like "Oh yes It was totally your
fault, but we can replace it for free because we're nice."

~~~
robin_reala
Yep. Well, “ett känd problem” as this was in Sweden, but they acknowledged it
as an Apple thing. Maybe because it was still under EU warranty?

~~~
jbnorth
Yes if it's still under a warranty then Apple will repair or replace it free
of charge.

------
intopieces
There are two main points here that Apple should take away from this
discussion:

(1) People like the SE.

(2) People are confused by the placement of the “Clearance” section inside the
“Refurbished” section.

If they can’t take action on the first I hope they at least take action on the
second.

------
w-ll
The new phones have some cool and interesting features, but i just love the
SE. I bought 2 as back ups the last time they were on sale.

------
paultopia
I am a big dude with big hands, I love my XS. BUT: people with less big hands
and especially women have expressed the sentiment that is showing up
frequently in this thread about the smaller form factor being better---and I
really don't understand why Apple is so reluctant to build for half its user
base!

~~~
kabwj
Hmm... if we make the argument that not making a SE 2 shows that Apple is a
mysoginistic company, the backlash might convince them to actually develop a
SE 2!

------
mlejva
Interesting to see so many people here prefer smaller phones over big ones.

I was using iPhone 5, 5S, and SE for over 6 years. This Christmas I switched
to XR and I couldn't be happier. I feel like there are so many productivity
things I can do on my phone that were annoying before. I use notes, emails,
and even Google Spreadsheets much more. I started using the Kindle app for
reading and I actually like it. Sometimes, I even prefer it over Kindle
(mostly because of what I can do with highlights right away).

The only downside is that a pocket on my favorite jeans isn't big enough. So
the phone often has to go inside my backpack.

~~~
werbel
Some people just want to call, text, use Google Maps and occasionally browse
Instagram and simply don't need the "much more".

I also simply have small hands. I can't comfortably reach left side of a
keyboard with my thumb while holding the phone securely on anything bigger
than SE so things like Reachability don't help at all.

------
alberth
I want an edge-to-edge display iPhone SE so bad.

~~~
hmexx
I want an edge-to-edge iphone 7/8 myself. the SE is a tad too small and the X
is a tad too big!

I really think they had the perfect weight size with the 6/7/8

------
pauljeba
I really liked the phone. This fits in the hand correctly and doesn't make me
want to care extra.

------
azhenley
Hopefully they will refresh the specs soon. There is an Apple event
tomorrow...

~~~
max76
I'm pretty sure Apple announced all the hardware last week, and tomorrow's
event will be all about services.

------
source99
I switched from a 6s to the SE 1.5 months ago and I love it. Works for
everything I need and the battery lasts all day.

------
bschwindHN
Been using an SE since Jan 2017, hope to continue using it a lot longer. I
bought two more refurbished ones in case I break it, and the cost of doing
that was still less than one of apple's newer offerings

------
rosstex
I lost my 6S a while ago, and was struggling to decide on a new phone. I would
have picked up an X, but the XR/XS were being released in a few months, so I
got an SE in the meantime. That turned out to be a fantastic choice, because I
love my little SE. I realized that 90% of the reason I wanted a new phone was
because of the camera, so I decided to take the savings from buying an SE and
invest in an actual camera. I could not be happier with the combination.

------
checkyoursudo
I still use an SE. It's by far the best phone that I've ever used, though I
certainly have not used every model from every manufacturer. I bought a couple
of spares because I like it so much.

The #1 reason I like it is because of the size. I'm a big person -- around 6'3
and large hands even for my height, and I just don't see how I could ever
enjoy using a phone larger than an SE. I have used larger phones, Apple and
other, and I can't stand it.

In fact, I just last night found my old iPhone 2, which going from the last
photos on there I hadn't used since around 2011. That phone feels so good in
my hand. The round frame is so nice. The size is perfect. The heft, seems a
bit heavier than the SE, feels excellent and solid. If I could have a
smartphone as small as _this_ one, but with the guts of even the SE, I would
be ecstatic.

I don't miss the skeuomorphism and, I don't know, like a kind of jelly
aesthetic(?) of the UI and icons and such. Very funny to see now. (Looks like
iOS v 3.0 (7A341). I also think that was the last iPhone I used a jailbreak
on. Kind of makes me want to do that again...

------
Cort3z
I would buy a iPhone se2 in a heartbeat. Stick the higest end system on a chip
it can handle in there, give it 1Tb storage, and sell it for $2000.

------
koolba
Does the $249 price require a specific contract? All of them say “unlocked” so
presumably they’re the same phone.

~~~
trazire
No, it just comes with a different SIM kit.

------
jmrobertson
I have it just for the small form factor. Luckily bought it 2 months before it
got killed. Good news is though based on a recent screen crack replacement,
Apple still supports fixing it.

------
imagetic
I'm tempted to buy one just to have a backup. I have no desire to own anything
larger than the SE. But my current one is starting to show some wear and tear.
I fear for its longevity. Apple has already refused to replace the battery and
the phone keeps asking if I want to shut it off. I think the top button is
just loose inside.

Either way, the SE is my favorite phone. I'm bummed the trend has gone towards
bigger models.

------
fouc
I'm quite interested in seeing how long iPhone SE will be supported for. I
think it is likely that iOS 13 will support iPhone SE/6/6S (i.e. the A9
chipset)

------
aboutruby
So happy to see so much people that like their SE, I bought something like 10
of them and still got mine and it's the best phone I ever touched.

------
vira28
They say unlocked (T-mobile), unlocked (verizon). What does that mean?

My understanding of unlocked means free to use any carrier. Am i missing s

~~~
intopieces
In this case, the carrier name in parenthesis is shorthand for the bands that
the phone can operate on. T-Mobile is GSM, Verizon is CDMA. Some models of
IPhone have both technologies, these do not have both.

~~~
nikhiljain12
But will it work on another GSM network, say ATT? Or in another country? I am
looking to buy this phone for my mother in India.

~~~
intopieces
Your best option is to compare the bands using GSM Arena:

[https://m.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_se-7969.php](https://m.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_se-7969.php)

Compare this to the service you plan on using.

------
miqkt
Timely announcement.

The battery on my (year old) Sony Z5C running LineageOS has recently decided
to start failing. I had a Z3C for two years before it too decided to start
failing on touch input (you'd think I'd learn my lesson by this point).

I lament the absence of compact Android phones with long-term security
updates. Maybe it's time I just bite the bullet.

~~~
josteink
This is why I went with the SE a few years ago.

I figured I’d put my money where my mouth was: I wanted a premium smartphone
with a small form-factor and all the Android-vendors were failing to deliver
on that.

------
RandomBacon
Why do they keep doing this? Making available in a small batch, selling out,
make available another small batch, sell out, etc.

~~~
misframer
These are refurbished.

~~~
RandomBacon
Apple had multiple batches in a row that were not refurbished (interestingly,
at the same price as these refurbished ones).

~~~
oneplane
Perhaps not all of them were available for Apple Store online inventory. Stock
keeping as a science in itself.

------
lowercased
I was just about to get a new iphone se from ebay. I need one compatible with
AT&T, and can't for the life of me tell which one of the ones available would
work for me. They show 'verizon' and 't-mobile' \- which one of these would
also work with AT&T network?

~~~
donohoe
Not Verizon! The unlocked T-Mobile one would work.

~~~
jak92
What specific issues with new bands would some of the unlocked versions have?
Say Verizon on Sprint, vice versa, and T-Mobile on AT&T?

------
dbg31415
This was the best phone Apple ever made.

------
mark_l_watson
When I go to the iPhones page on Apple Store, I don’t see the SE, so this may
just be a clearance of inventory event.

If it is not, and the SE is available for a long while, then this could be a
double down bet and push to making a larger percentage of their profits with
services.

------
mjfern
How is the SE different from the 6S?

~~~
dschulz
Screen res/size, 3D (aka force) touch, front camera (5 vs 1.2MP), slightly
bigger battery.

~~~
saagarjha
And barometer, strangely, as well as Touch ID sensor.

------
StreamBright
Apple is struggling with innovation as well as admitting that some product
lines (like SE) has a 1.0 stage when you do not need to add or remove (hello
jack port) features anymore and you can just do minor updates (like CPU) every
so often.

------
jahlove
Apple: Give us an SE2!

------
martin_a
Sadly not available in Germany. Would have loved to have one of those.

~~~
ctack
I brought a secondhand one from Smarter a couple of months ago. I think they
are in France or Ireland.

I ordered a 64gb, and the order was delayed :/ So I complained they sent me a
128gb phone :) But the battery was not in good condition and needed
replacement :/ But it turns out the phone had AppleCare so the battery
replacement was free :) But because the AppleCare was purchased outside of
Spain they could not send me a replacement - I had to do the battery swop in
person at an apple store :/

So YMMV.

So YMMV.

------
fopen64
The iPhone 5/5s was the zenith of the iPhone.

------
winrid
I really liked my SE, however after the second charging port fail I got a Sony
Xperia ZX2.

It's just a tiny bit bigger but much more powerful.

~~~
leeoniya
unlocked/rooted Sony Xperia Z5 Compact here w/ Lineage OS. love it.

~~~
winrid
What was the driving factor to use Lineage? Privacy?

~~~
leeoniya
both privacy and 0 bloat. lineage rom is 450mb. stock is like 2.5GB. what's in
there? don't know, but nothing i need, obviously.

------
laythea
First of all phones were big, then they got small, then big. And now small
again. People are so fickle.

------
bob_theslob646
Just an FYI, the 128gb option is 50 dollars more. Way more value for your
dollar than the 32gb.

------
alexnewman
i still use the se and i can afford any iphone. i have a stack of se for when
i break one. no other iphone seems close

------
ijafri
is it back, or they are clearing refurbished stock? it was on clearance page.

------
COil
Haha, funny, related to a tweet I posted some times ago :
[https://twitter.com/C0il/status/1040566413541470208](https://twitter.com/C0il/status/1040566413541470208)
"Hi @Apple , I'd like a small smartphone (4 inch screen), what do you have?"
SE is enough for me, I'll never pay more than 500$ for a Phone so if Apple
doesn't have an option in this range of price I'll switch to something else. +
I don't like big Phones.

------
kumarvvr
This is a refurbished one.

I don't get why people still buy SE when you have a multitude of better phones
from other companies, say Samsung or OnePlus.

~~~
e1ven
I'm really curious - What else can I buy in that size range? I'm very
interested in newer small phones.

~~~
trazire
It's definitely an under-saturated market. Some people fancy regular sized
Pixels (of any gen). A family member of mine prefers small phone sizes, uses a
Pixel on a regular basis, and it works for them. I expect the same for the
newer gen non-XL models.

There are the really niche (and borderline fringy) ones you can find on
Amazon. There are also some more general purpose Chinese phones for that. I'm
not going to get into any of them because they're probably not what you're
looking for, but they exist. (read: Unihertz phones)

On that note, there are the Nokia phones which are reasonably-enough sized,
but nothing special. They're also quite terrible and overpriced as phones. The
new Palm phone is also kinda fringy but worth considering.

A lot of these aren't really in this form factor, but phones are getting way
too big and it's getting harder and harder to find really small phones like
these (that can be reasonably used, ofc).

~~~
metildaa
The secondary market for Nokias is pretty good, a Nokia 6.1 can be had for
~$160, which is a reasonable price for it.

------
jackson1way
Haven‘t been mentioned here yet I believe, but the „new“ iPhone SE also comes
with 128GB!

This was the major reason for me to switch to an iPhone 8, because 64GB just
wasn‘t enough.

But I still dislike the larger form factor and especially the stupid glass
back which is super slippery, it will slide down a chair if the chair is
slightly round. But yay, we finally got wireless charging who absolutely
NOBODY is using. I havent heard of a single person since it has been released
1,5 years ago.

I‘m in love with the USB-C charging of the iPhone 8 though - which hardly gets
mentioned. In my car I have a powerful Anker USB-C charger and if I get in the
car with just 50% battery, a 20min ride will easy get me to 80%.

Hoping to see an iPhone SE2 in the future...

~~~
josteink
They improved the top SE-model to be 128GB over a year ago. Not news.

Source: bought it for my wife.

