Is Iphone se worth it in 2021 ?

[nick.knack91011]

I have always been an android user except the first iphone and ipod touch, but need a reliable second phone and was looking at newer iphone se on fkart which is available around 30 with airpods ( ill probably sell off airpods ) . I wanted a cheap reliable driver for few years as secondary phone and maybe iphone is good for that ?

Again I have never really kept an eye on iphones as i never liked lack of sd ( most important for me) , 3.4mm jack , high price etc etc but as a basic reliable secondry phone I am considering se as cheapest entry into iphones.

Also how are they for photography ?

Also dont want this to turn into android vs ios bashup, just as an android user I havent really kept an eye on iphones for years so was wondering what some users think about Se ?

 

[r11sk]

This phone has average battery life. (Small
But there are no hiccups in day to day tasks.
I use this phone as my primary driver. Edited 4k videos on this and edited 100s of raw photos on lightroom on this little piece.

It is nothing great in terms of design. But it does feel premium when you hold the bare phone.

30k with the airpods is a nice deal. If you look to sell off the aiprods. Lmk I am interested.

I love the fluidity of iOS. Although is a hassle transferinf from windows to my iPhone. Can only do via itunes. But that’s a one time setup.
All in all, I say try out the iOS experience. You might like it, if you don’t. You can definitely sell it at around the initial price you bought at.

 

[FXGalvatron]

30K with airpods or earpods? Don't think it'd go that cheap. Apologies if I've offended you.

 

[msankadi]

I have always been an android user except the first iphone and ipod touch, but need a reliable second phone and was looking at newer iphone se on fkart which is available around 30 with airpods ( ill probably sell off airpods ) . I wanted a cheap reliable driver for few years as secondary phone and maybe iphone is good for that ?

Again I have never really kept an eye on iphones as i never liked lack of sd ( most important for me) , 3.4mm jack , high price etc etc but as a basic reliable secondry phone I am considering se as cheapest entry into iphones.

Also how are they for photography ?

Also dont want this to turn into android vs ios bashup, just as an android user I havent really kept an eye on iphones for years so was wondering what some users think about Se ?

In my opinion Better to go for pixel much better camera and battery life and screen
Inferior processor but real life reviews including my sister who is using the 4a say it is buttery smooth no lag no problem

 

[nick.knack91011]

30K with airpods or earpods? Don't think it'd go that cheap. Apologies if I've offended you.

Ofc my bad , I feel stupid sorry ! Earpods !

Anyway to the poster above , pixel is solid option defo ! I feel like I customize roms themes launchers icons this that a lot on androids wheres apple being closed actually is better that way that it actually works and much longer support for OS updates etc ! Thats why I am starting to feel as a ' secondary phone ' ios might be best option just to do certain things no more no less. Thats my thinking anyway and its small size helps in that regard

 

[t3chg33k]

I purchased the iPhone SE last year mainly for iOS after several years of using Android (with a stint in-between with iPhone 7) and I prefer it much more mainly because of its security, privacy and significantly better app quality. At the same time, I use my Samsung tablet more at home, so the SE is quite like a secondary device.

In comparison to 4A, SE offers a much faster processor, longer & optimised software support, better build quality and wireless charging. On the flip side, battery life isn't great, camera doesn't have night mode and the display is smaller and less sharper (but more colour accurate).

While I mess about with Android for fun, I prefer iOS as a daily driver, so in the end it is up to you to take a call based on the OS since that is the biggest differentiator.

Edit: Since you asked about the camera specifically, day time photos are on-par for both, Google's processing usually captures a bit more details but Apple's processing is focused more on contrast, shadows and saturation. Night time, as I mentioned, has a clear winner in 4A. The front camera on the SE is much better though as the Pixel one crops a lot and loses details. In terms of video processing, the SE is a clear winner.

 

[msankadi]

Ofc my bad , I feel stupid sorry ! Earpods !

Anyway to the poster above , pixel is solid option defo ! I feel like I customize roms themes launchers icons this that a lot on androids wheres apple being closed actually is better that way that it actually works and much longer support for OS updates etc ! Thats why I am starting to feel as a ' secondary phone ' ios might be best option just to do certain things no more no less. Thats my thinking anyway and its small size helps in that regard

There is simply no comparison between the cameras. You can see any decent online comparison and by any benchmark pixel camera is one of the best cameras at any budget. Much better than the iphone 11 & on par with 12. Compared to iphone se, there is no comparison. Pixel is in a different league.


Iphone lags like hell after 3 years... I saw it first hand with my wife's iphone... So what's the use of a device that lags because of the "new software" after 3 years?

On a pixel phone you get the best support possible on android and the best android experience with guaranteed updates for 3 years. I personally love the vaniall android experience so why would you need to explore custom roms? Also, the customizations you mentioned are optional, so if you got bored you can just use the vanilla android. As I said, I prefer it that ways.

If you want to look at logetivity many People are using much older pixels even now, much older than 5 years by leveraging custom roms.

Better Security on ios is a myth and all advertising on apple. You can search the number of scandals and passing info to China cases last year for ios if you care to look at it neutrally without hype. Android in itself is not better. However once You will get the pixel vanilla android with all security patches. Then install your own vpn, firewall, anti-virus and Dns hosts etc instead of falling for advertising gimmicks if you are concerned about security

Apps support is better on android. All apps in India are first made for Android and then sometimes for ios. None of the service becomes popular today without the same app being available on android as ios. Even apple had to succumb and release a half competent apple music android app to try and compete in streaming market.

 

[t3chg33k]

There is simply no comparison between the cameras. You can see any decent online comparison and by any benchmark pixel camera is one of the best cameras at any budget. Much better than the iphone 11 & on par with 12. Compared to iphone se, there is no comparison. Pixel is in a different league.


Iphone lags like hell after 3 years... I saw it first hand with my wife's iphone... So what's the use of a device that lags because of the "new software" after 3 years?

On a pixel phone you get the best support possible on android and the best android experience with guaranteed updates for 3 years. I personally love the vaniall android experience so why would you need to explore custom roms? Also, the customizations you mentioned are optional, so if you got bored you can just use the vanilla android. As I said, I prefer it that ways.

If you want to look at logetivity many People are using much older pixels even now, much older than 5 years by leveraging custom roms.

Better Security on ios is a myth and all advertising on apple. You can search the number of scandals and passing info to China cases last year for ios if you care to look at it neutrally without hype. Android in itself is not better. However once You will get the pixel vanilla android with all security patches. Then install your own vpn, firewall, anti-virus and Dns hosts etc instead of falling for advertising gimmicks if you are concerned about security

Apps support is better on android. All apps in India are first made for Android and then sometimes for ios. None of the service becomes popular today without the same app being available on android as ios. Even apple had to succumb and release a half competent apple music android app to try and compete in streaming market.

Sorry, but the Pixel camera is not miles ahead. I think the link below gives a fair comparison and is also along the lines of what I mentioned previously, so it is for the OP to decide.

iPhone SE vs. Pixel 4A camera comparison: Selfies, portraits, video, night mode

These budget phones don't skimp on camera quality.

www.cnet.com

I used the iPhone 7 for 3 years previously with a battery change after 2 years. It is true that a completely new iOS release is usually more strenuous on old devices, but it is usually optimised by the .1 or .2 release and works just as well.

iOS 14 on the iPhone 6S and SE: Performance is fine, other stuff is not

iOS 14 won’t ruin older phones, but a second-gen iPhone SE is a tempting upgrade.

arstechnica.com

I have used custom ROMs on Android for a decade and even released once quite a long time ago. I also switched my Samsung tablet to Lineage OS and I can say that there are still too many bugs that kill the experience. Also, when Lineage OS moves to the next version of Android that is not yet supported by the manufacturer, the old blobs create even more issues.

Security on iOS is better in general because of the locked-down nature of the OS and the App Store restrictions. While you can largely stay safe by avoiding shady stuff, the Google Play Store along with sideloading of apps makes Android a generally more insecure platform.

iPhone still bests Android when it comes to device security

The iPhone vs Android debate has become markedly less heated over the past few years, in large part because premium Android devices from the likes of Samsung and Google bring a lot to the table. And while Android manufacturers a few years back unabashedly copied every iPhone feature they could...

bgr.com

In terms of app quality, I use the same apps on iOS and Android and it is ridiculous how many more permissions the same apps request on Android. In some cases, you cannot even deny them whereas on iOS, an app is kicked out of the store if it doesn't work with denial of all permissions. I was in the position of missing Indian apps when I used the iPhone 7 but the situation has changed significantly since then, especially as Apple had waived off fees for all government apps. However, if you go beyond some regular apps, you can see how the most prominent and famous developers work primarily on iOS and sometimes don't even release the Android version. I mean even something as basic as Teams and Zoom launched with rubbish Android apps compared to iOS and still don't have all the iOS features.

 

[msankadi]

Sorry, but the Pixel camera is not miles ahead. I think the link below gives a fair comparison and is also along the lines of what I mentioned previously, so it is for the OP to decide.

iPhone SE vs. Pixel 4A camera comparison: Selfies, portraits, video, night mode

These budget phones don't skimp on camera quality.

www.cnet.com

I used the iPhone 7 for 3 years previously with a battery change after 2 years. It is true that a completely new iOS release is usually more strenuous on old devices, but it is usually optimised by the .1 or .2 release and works just as well.

iOS 14 on the iPhone 6S and SE: Performance is fine, other stuff is not

iOS 14 won’t ruin older phones, but a second-gen iPhone SE is a tempting upgrade.

arstechnica.com

I have used custom ROMs on Android for a decade and even released once quite a long time ago. I also switched my Samsung tablet to Lineage OS and I can say that there are still too many bugs that kill the experience. Also, when Lineage OS moves to the next version of Android that is not yet supported by the manufacturer, the old blobs create even more issues.

Security on iOS is better in general because of the locked-down nature of the OS and the App Store restrictions. While you can largely stay safe by avoiding shady stuff, the Google Play Store along with sideloading of apps makes Android a generally more insecure platform.

iPhone still bests Android when it comes to device security

The iPhone vs Android debate has become markedly less heated over the past few years, in large part because premium Android devices from the likes of Samsung and Google bring a lot to the table. And while Android manufacturers a few years back unabashedly copied every iPhone feature they could...

bgr.com

In terms of app quality, I use the same apps on iOS and Android and it is ridiculous how many more permissions the same apps request on Android. In some cases, you cannot even deny them whereas on iOS, an app is kicked out of the store if it doesn't work with denial of all permissions. I was in the position of missing Indian apps when I used the iPhone 7 but the situation has changed significantly since then, especially as Apple had waived off fees for all government apps. However, if you go beyond some regular apps, you can see how the most prominent and famous developers work primarily on iOS and sometimes don't even release the Android version. I mean even something as basic as Teams and Zoom launched with rubbish Android apps compared to iOS and still don't have all the iOS features.

I guess it is you said I said. We can disagree.

Op can decide.

 

[vivek.krishnan]

Have the SE 2020 - got it in the FK BBG sale and it kicks all the sweet spots as a secondary phone. Photos are decent, as this is basically the 7/8 camera.

However, I still prefer the POCO for day to day use.

 

[ibose]

I have been following the Apple vs rest of the world brawl for some time. I had dabbled with Apple earlier - had a Iphone SE and even a Ipod touch. For the combination of hardware and os you get, even for the SE, its great. When it came to usability, it was top notch and nothing came close. Unfortunately there was no eSim then, it was a 32 GB SE and I did not fancy the iCloud so much so after some time I was reaching the limits. Those were the only reasons why I had to switch back to Android then, albeit regretfully. If you are invested in the Apple ecosystem, its fantastic.
When it comes to security and privacy, I would not put my faith in any company let alone Apple. Its mostly down to your own common sense and knowing how you can block the bad or allow the good.

 

[blitzkrieg811]

My main reason for not switching to Apple is the constant stream of news and forum posts about how they sabotage older products to push people into buying new ones. You can go to any forum and find posts saying how the faceid stopped working as soon as the new update hit or other things. What's your experience with this?

 

[Kmkaks]

My main reason for not switching to Apple is the constant stream of news and forum posts about how they sabotage older products to push people into buying new ones. You can go to any forum and find posts saying how the faceid stopped working as soon as the new update hit or other things. What's your experience with this?

I am still running an iPhone se 2016 purchased in 2017. It still does all the basic stuff including streaming pretty well. Much better than a similarly priced moto z2 play which struggles to run even basic stuff. So yeah, apple is good value.

 

[hardyieks]

i was in the same boat eventually went for iPhone 11 as it had better battery and multiple cameras

 

[msankadi]

My main reason for not switching to Apple is the constant stream of news and forum posts about how they sabotage older products to push people into buying new ones. You can go to any forum and find posts saying how the faceid stopped working as soon as the new update hit or other things. What's your experience with this?

100% true. It becomes unusable. Had to sell off iphone 7 or 8 forgot what it was. It was so slow that it wasn't even worth using as a backup phone when my wife upgraded (now she is free of the apple virus so no longer an issue)

 

[blitzkrieg811]

I think the best way for me personally to use phones goes like this. Buy a used flagship grade phone in excellent condition and preferably with warranty, use it carelessly and drop it without care cause it will happen eventually, no screen guard, no back covers and then just repeat when the phone eventually dies.

 

[msankadi]

I think the best way for me personally to use phones goes like this. Buy a used flagship grade phone in excellent condition and preferably with warranty, use it carelessly and drop it without care cause it will happen eventually, no screen guard, no back covers and then just repeat when the phone eventually dies.

I generally go the other way around now... Buy a 20k-25k android phone which is almost a flagship level phone in atleast 2 3 aspects now... Use for a year or two... Sell off in 50-75%.. Buy a new one with the great advancements in hardware in 1-2 years. Trick is to not buy at inflated prices.. Dont go for phones just after launch or opo etc.. Buy one from other ones which have stabilized in price and they easily resell for the above %

 

[Kmkaks]

Guys just wondering what is your opinion on buying a used 128gb s10e for 19k? It is 1year old and just out of warranty.

 

[chimera86o]

If it is the 2020 iPhone SE (the one that looks like iPhone 8) then ok you can go for it. Anything else is not a wise decision since I don't think any of them will get iOS updates anymore.
Check if you can get a used iPhone 8, should be available in the 18K-23K range if you search carefully.