5 Big Surprises About the iPhone SE

Why can’t I put it down?

I’m going to be straight with you — I bought the new iPhone SE because I felt I had to. Having bleated on about the iPhone 13 mini for so long, it seemed only fair to give Apple’s budget phone a chance.

I didn’t expect much, to be honest. And, indeed, that’s pretty much what I received. The 2022 iPhone SE is basically last year’s model with a newer chip.

But it’s also my first iPhone SE. I’ve not owned or used the budget iPhone before — this is new territory for me.

As it turns out, there are a few things that have really taken me by surprise.

1. The battery is superb

The 2020 iPhone SE was universally panned for having pathetic battery life. It would barely make it through a day for some users, and paled in comparison to the all-day (and beyond) Android competition.

I have some good news. The battery life on my iPhone SE is really good. It isn’t the two-day battery life to which I’ve become accustomed on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, but there is a sizeable gap in price (and size) between those two phones.

Sure, some Android phones that clock in a lot cheaper than the iPhone SE will power themselves beyond 24 hours, but I have no issue charging my phone every night. All I ask is that I have at least 20% left at the end of the day, and the iPhone SE regularly beats that by 10%.

2. I don’t miss MagSafe

I was concerned about the absence of MagSafe on the iPhone SE. I still maintain that it should include it; this is a feature that would have added a tempting update to the new iPhone SE and helped justify its increased price over the outgoing model.

But I really don’t miss MagSafe. On my iPhone 13 mini, I use it for two purposes — charging and keeping my gym card handy.

However, the iPhone SE is capable of charging wirelessly, and I now simply pop my gym card in the dedicated cardholder of my iPhone wristband.

Problems solved.

I think MagSafe is great and has huge potential. But the fact I’ve very quickly got over its absence on my current daily carry illustrates that it isn’t quite the magnetic feature it should be (boom!).

3. Touch ID is absolutely fine

I was one of the many people who relished the arrival of Face ID. Finally, a form of biometric security that is entirely frictionless and near invisible! What a treat.

It is just that. With Face ID enabled, you don’t need to touch anything or do anything other than look at your phone to unlock it. Ultimate convenience, right?

Well, yeah. But, as it turns out, Touch ID remains an entirely justified alternative. It’s why so many Android phones offer both facial recognition and a fingerprint sensor; the manufacturers know that people like options when it comes to security features.

After much deliberation, I think I actually prefer Touch ID. While I’ve never had much trouble with Face ID, it does fail occasionally if I happen to be wearing the wrong hat, or when my early morning face is barely recognisable. By comparison, Touch ID never fails. It also feels inherently more secure; that physical connection between yourself and the phone’s gatekeeper provides some affordance that you’re legitimately unlocking the door.

4. I love the ergonomics

The iPhone SE is a nice phone to hold and turn around in your hand. Just like all modern smartphones, it is rather slippery, but that’s nothing a decent, slim case won’t fix.

I do prefer my phones naked, though, and the iPhone SE feels far more comfortable than the chiseled design of the iPhone 13 mini.

There are no sharp corners, and the entire design flows effortlessly from back to front. I know the iPhone SE gets some stick for essentially peddling the iPhone 8 design aesthetic, but boy did Apple get something right with that one.

5. I can’t put it down

I really should be switching back to the iPhone 13 mini. That was, after all, the iPhone that rekindled my love affair with Apple’s smartphone.

But every time I go to pick it up again and transfer my stuff from the iPhone SE, I can’t bring myself to do it. Let’s just spend another week with the SE, I mutter, placing the iPhone 13 mini back on the table.

This is, in part, laziness. As easy as Apple makes it to switch between phones, it does require some configuration and waiting around — and I do have far more productive things to be doing at the moment.

There is something about this iPhone SE, though.

What does this mean?

The iPhone SE isn’t for me. It’s for people who want the cheapest new iPhone available and who don’t care about the design, absence of Face ID, or the lack of a 1080p screen.

They want the simplest, most affordable iPhone money can buy. The iPhone SE delivers this in spades, and it’s powered by a rocket ship chip, to boot.

What interests me the most about this little experiment, though, is that I have my Android daily driver sitting right next to my iPhone. It’s the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra — a smartphone that costs nearly three times as much as the SE and which has every bell and whistle you can think of. It’s got a huge, lush, high refresh rate screen, a cool stylus, and is packed with premium features. But I keep picking up the iPhone SE instead.

I need some help, please, guys. I can’t answer the question posed in the heading above. What does this mean?

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Originally published at https://markellisreviews.com on April 1, 2022.