Pretty sure I know what one cardinal feature will be in next year's SE+.....
PS: the continuing 16/64 GB shuffle really makes me think less of the company. Such a naked tactic that leaves most budget buyers with a sub-par owning experience, or simply pads Apple's margins for those that bump up. Not a customer-centric way of doing biz.
I've had plenty of 16 GB iPhones. Everything is streamed today and as long as you manage your photos with Photos or manually remove them, I haven't had a problem. I now have 128 GB which really just lets me get lazy. It all comes down to your budget vs needs.
Reminds me of my friend whom got rid of his Mustang to get an SUV because he didn't like having to clean out his car so often.
I have to laugh, Reuters is running a story right now saying this phone will flop in India and China because it's too small. Who says this phone is for India and China? Sure you can look at the $399 price and assume that but it's not going to be $399 in India and I'll bet a large chunk of the 4" phone sales last year came from the US where people have iPads and computers and TVs vs emerging market where the phone might be the only device someone has. Also on the last earnings call didn't Apple report YOY flat to declining sales for the US market (I think Apple reports North and South America together)? Perhaps more people in the US want the smaller size.
If I where interested in buying a cell phone, this would be it, have the power, the capacity in a size that fits any pocket and I can carry with me all day without even noticed it. Is what is happening to me right now with my iPod Touch, I must check several times to see if I live it behind because is so unobtrusive that you even don't know is there.
16GB is fine to get people to use/switch to the iPhone, unlike an Android device, it's actually rather seemless if you have enough space or not until you try to store all your music on the device.
16GB is the same size as the iPod Classic's first three generations (2001-2004) and since then music compression has improved, and power consumption has improved.
But a 16GB iPod still costs 250$ and the 7th generation Nano is still available and only in 16GB size. So Apple clearly makes a lot of money of the 16GB size because they likely have a very good deal on 16GB NAND chips.
Music compression has barely changed for any of the codecs that are supported by Apple. If you buy a record from the iTunes store, it has exactly the same size as 5 years ago. There have been improvements on codecs like ogg, but Apple does not support this.
That iPhone 5 body must be the longest-lived shape in tech! I wish they'd styled it like the 6 so they had the same design language. Oh well.
I am hoping that this iPhone SE fits in my battery case for my 5S. If so this is a slam dunk. Many people like me will appreciate that they can still keep the 4 inch form factor and upgrade for much less than in the past.
My partner has an iPhone 5 still which I had before buying the 6s which I enjoy except for the rounded edges. The 5 was the best designed form for holding, picking up and a lot less prone to dropping. I hope the 7 returns to that flat sided shape. People can fuss over ram, 3D touch and other things packing into the iPhone but holding it is still half of the experience for me.
The (false) headline is that these are 6S phones in a smaller design without 3D touch for $399. The truth is that you're sacrificing way more than just screen size and 3D touch:
-Screen - 800:1 contrast ratio is significantly lower; doesn't use the photo alignment tech.
-No word on the type of cover glass so it is likely not double ionized like in the 6S.
-Probably not 7000 series aluminum.
-TouchID - uses 1st generation touchID which isn't as fast as the 2nd gen unit on the 6S.
-No Barometer.
-Doesn't do HDR video, front camera is 6 level and not the 5Mpix in the 6S.
-Doesn't use LTE Advanced but instead regular LTE like the 6.
The one saving grace is that they made it thick enough to not have a camera bump. Almost makes all those other sacrifices worth it.
I *personally* don't consider the 4" display a sacrifice (going back to the 4" SE from a 6). Would have definitely liked 3D Touch. I used that on friends 6s and really like the interaction and the feedback of the "Taptic Engine".
Improved contrast ratio would be nice.
How does the double ionized cover glass make a difference in day to day use (serious question...) I use cases most times and don't drop them much. But I have no idea if it strengthens the cover glass.
How does the better aluminum make a difference; IIRC, the shorter/smaller size doesn't necessitate it. It's a box that doesn't need to be checked, no?
2nd generation, faster Touch ID would be nice, but the first gen Touch ID on my 6 works fine and honestly, quick enough for me.
What does a barometer do again? (Jk)
Updated front camera would be nice, especially for the selfie and FaceTime video crowd, of which I am neither.
Id assume the people who would benefit from LTE-A, are probably people who use their phone frequently on the go and that would (probably) be the same crowd who would prefer 4.7" and 5.5" sizes anyway. I personally don't currently use my phone for anything that data intensive on the go and probably never will. When performing intensive use, I'm normally by wifi and prefer a *much* larger device anyway!
When it comes down to it, what you've listed are absolutely valid omissions, but not deal breakers for a lot of people, myself included. In fact, one item you've got on the -negative- side, a lot of people consider a positive (smaller display size). It's just like the 16GB argument. It's not enough for a lot of (the vocal) people. For the people who don't care, it's fine; businesses, providing users a work phone, my parents (because I don't want to worry if they're doing any kind of banking or transactions (purchases), on un secured devices), etc
I like the 5/5s design and feel so much more than then 6/6s. If the SE and 6/6s were the same thickness, but with their respective edges/design, I'd pick the 5/5s/SE hands down, but that's for me. Everyone likes different things.
I like it. 6s power. NFC. Smaller, Lighter. 20-25% better Battery Life, an unmentioned till now, less likely theft target (and less $ to lose) as it so closely looks like a 3-4 year old 5 or 5s. I see this as my next work phone (replacing my 5s) when back in the mid-east. 6s for residence (Thai), 6 for USA, 4-6 weeks a year. Capacity, 128GB Sandisk iXpand $100 on A...... share between your base capacity i devices. Have a company iOS device? Keep all your music, photos, etc... off board and available with or without 3-4G or wifi. Great solution.
Comments
Music compression has barely changed for any of the codecs that are supported by Apple. If you buy a record from the iTunes store, it has exactly the same size as 5 years ago. There have been improvements on codecs like ogg, but Apple does not support this.
Improved contrast ratio would be nice.
How does the double ionized cover glass make a difference in day to day use (serious question...) I use cases most times and don't drop them much. But I have no idea if it strengthens the cover glass.
How does the better aluminum make a difference; IIRC, the shorter/smaller size doesn't necessitate it. It's a box that doesn't need to be checked, no?
2nd generation, faster Touch ID would be nice, but the first gen Touch ID on my 6 works fine and honestly, quick enough for me.
What does a barometer do again? (Jk)
Updated front camera would be nice, especially for the selfie and FaceTime video crowd, of which I am neither.
Id assume the people who would benefit from LTE-A, are probably people who use their phone frequently on the go and that would (probably) be the same crowd who would prefer 4.7" and 5.5" sizes anyway. I personally don't currently use my phone for anything that data intensive on the go and probably never will. When performing intensive use, I'm normally by wifi and prefer a *much* larger device anyway!
When it comes down to it, what you've listed are absolutely valid omissions, but not deal breakers for a lot of people, myself included. In fact, one item you've got on the -negative- side, a lot of people consider a positive (smaller display size). It's just like the 16GB argument. It's not enough for a lot of (the vocal) people. For the people who don't care, it's fine; businesses, providing users a work phone, my parents (because I don't want to worry if they're doing any kind of banking or transactions (purchases), on un secured devices), etc
I like the 5/5s design and feel so much more than then 6/6s. If the SE and 6/6s were the same thickness, but with their respective edges/design, I'd pick the 5/5s/SE hands down, but that's for me. Everyone likes different things.
Capacity, 128GB Sandisk iXpand $100 on A...... share between your base capacity i devices.
Have a company iOS device? Keep all your music, photos, etc... off board and available with or without 3-4G or wifi. Great solution.