Apple’s iPhone SE for about 2 weeks, and we here at Max Tech have been using and enjoying
it, but there seems to be a lot of people that are disappointed with it and don’t
really understand why people would buy it.
So in this video, I’m gonna share our thoughts on the iPhone SE after two weeks, as well
as trying to help you guys understand why the iPhone SE is actually a really great phone
for a lot of people.
But before that, I want to quickly talk about the last budget phone that really impressed
us, the Pixel 3A from Google.
When we started using that phone, we realized that you’re getting a lot of value for your
money, mainly for the excellent camera performance, but with that phone, there were a couple of
downsides.
First off, it featured a lower-end processor which was considerably slower than on the
Pixel 3, and the second issue was that if you did buy it, it wouldn’t really last
you that long before having to upgrade.
What I mean is that Android phones don’t really get very great software support.
Google themselves mandated two years of security updates for popular phones in the new Android
contract, so after two years, you need to buy a new Android phone if you want to be
up to date with security features.
So now let’s see how the new iPhone SE compares.
It’s also on sale for $400 so you can get it for a great price. It also gets incredibly
good camera performance, and we know that for sure because we did a blind test comparing
the iphone SE to the iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 Pro, and in a lot of cases, it was tough
to tell the difference between them.
And the biggest difference between the iPhone 8 and this iPhone SE is smart HDR. This change
alone makes a huge difference as you can see in these photo comparisons, you can tell that
the background is blown out right here, but with Smart HDR, you see all of that detail
and that makes a massive difference for photo quality, and that’s why the iPhone SE performs
so well!
And yes, it sucks that it doesn’t get Night Mode, and that’s because it doesn’t have
the same new sensors as the iPhone 11, but overall, it’s still an excellent camera
for the price.
Now the biggest difference between the Pixel 3a and the iPhone SE is that the SE gets the
A13 bionic chip. This is not only the best chip that Apple makes for it’s smartphones,
but it’s also the fastest smartphone chip in the world, yes even faster than the one
on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Check out this clip from Linus Tech Tips that considers the idea of a budget Android phone
getting the fastest chip.
https://youtu.be/-E6or-1ggng?t=361
Now that is what adds incredible value to the iPhone SE. And don’t worry, we’ll
also be comparing this to the Google Pixel 4a when it gets released.
So with iPhone SE, you’re getting a ton of power, great camera quality for the price,
and don’t forget that it also gets wireless charging, unlike the pixel 3a.
And those are the reasons why we think there will be so many people upgrading from older
iPhones like the iPhone 6, 7 and 8 to the iPhone SE.
Not only that, but we expect a lot of people who would usually buy a budget Android phone,
to choose the iPhone SE instead because of the great price.
And don’t take my word for it, it’s already being reported that many Android users are
moving over to the iPhone SE, which is a really good sign!
Now the other reason why I think Android users are choosing to go with the SE is because
instead of only getting software support for two years, you actually get 5 years of updates
with the iPhone SE.
And how do I know this? Well, iOS 13 is Apple’s current software that’s running on the latest
iPhones, and if you take a look at the compatibility list, it actually supports the iPhone 6S,
which was released in 2015, yep, that’s 5 years ago.
So if you buy this iPhone SE right now, you can bet that you’ll be getting the latest
security updates and new features through 2025, and that’s what really makes this
a great choice for consumers seeking a budget smartphone.
And for those who usually buy used phones, we believe the iPhone SE just killed the used
market as well.
Looking at the iPhone 8, which was priced at $700 brand new, after 2.5 years of use
and being in good condition, it sells for $300. So why would you buy that instead of
paying $400 for a brand new iPhone SE that has a much better camera, processor, and a
new battery that lasts even longer than on a new iPhone 8 because of the efficiency improvements.
We’re talking about 20-25% more screen on time.
So those are the reasons why the iPhone SE really makes sense to buy, and now I want
to get into the things we enjoyed about the SE.
First off, the small size feels really great in the hand so it’s really nice and compact,
and the UI was incredibly quick and responsive thanks to that chip.
We could play basically any game on it with maxed out graphics, but it definitely wasn’t
as great of an experience since the display is so much smaller than on the iPhone 11 Pro
Max.
The speakers sounded surprisingly good for a phone that size, and the Touch ID button
was really quick and responsive, so it’s great for those who don’t like Face ID.
It overall gives you a really good and reliable experience, especially thanks to iOS which
will make the iPhone SE feel quick and powerful for years.
Now of course, we don’t think anyone who already has an iPhone with Face ID should
downgrade, because you’re going back to that small square display, but we recommend
anyone with a Touch ID iPhone to upgrade because of the processor, the camera and the incredibly
good price.
Hopefully you enjoyed this review, and if you did, go ahead and Tap that like button
and click the circle above to subscribe for more videos like this one. Thanks for watching
and we’ll see you in the next one!