23 votes

My 2017 iPhone X died: I got a 2016 iPhone SE for $70, upgraded the battery and added wireless charging — it's great

23 comments

  1. [2]
    dblohm7
    Link
    I have a 1st gen SE and I love it. The only beef that I have with it is that it is evident that many app developers no longer test with that screen size!

    I have a 1st gen SE and I love it. The only beef that I have with it is that it is evident that many app developers no longer test with that screen size!

    8 votes
    1. tomf
      Link Parent
      it kills me that the Google Home app side scrolls.

      it kills me that the Google Home app side scrolls.

      1 vote
  2. [5]
    nothis
    Link
    My 2016 iPhone SE is the best device I ever owned. I have no real complaints (the few I have are minor quirks with iOS).

    My 2016 iPhone SE is the best device I ever owned. I have no real complaints (the few I have are minor quirks with iOS).

    4 votes
    1. ali
      Link Parent
      I liked mine too. My brother gave it to me. But because it was so old, the lens was scratched which sucks because I love to take photos, and the battery did not last long enough (even though it...

      I liked mine too. My brother gave it to me. But because it was so old, the lens was scratched which sucks because I love to take photos, and the battery did not last long enough (even though it would help me with my smartphone addiction if my phone died more often lol)
      Also my next phone will be smaller because of my repeated tendonitis

      1 vote
    2. [3]
      imperialismus
      Link Parent
      I also have an original SE and I’m very happy with it apart from one thing, which is pretty fundamental for a phone: regular voice phone calls. It seems like 1/3 of the time when I receive or make...

      I also have an original SE and I’m very happy with it apart from one thing, which is pretty fundamental for a phone: regular voice phone calls. It seems like 1/3 of the time when I receive or make a phone call, I can’t hear the other party or the other party can’t hear me, and we have to redial to get it working. I’ve followed my carrier’s instructions on how to fix it, which were basically ‘redownload the operator settings’, to no awail.

      I realize a lot of people barely ever use their smartphone for actual phone calls, but it’s still pretty annoying. Apart from that, I love having a phone that fits in my pocket - any pocket at all - and I know the 2020 iPhone SE is larger.

      1 vote
      1. [2]
        nothis
        Link Parent
        I haven't yet checked but I plan to (eventually, might take years) replace my current SE with the upgraded one. I hope the size increase isn't too drastic. The old SE lets me reach the opposite...

        Apart from that, I love having a phone that fits in my pocket - any pocket at all - and I know the 2020 iPhone SE is larger.

        I haven't yet checked but I plan to (eventually, might take years) replace my current SE with the upgraded one. I hope the size increase isn't too drastic. The old SE lets me reach the opposite corner with my thumb, just barely. It's perfectly sized for one hand use. I assume that will be gone.

        1. balooga
          Link Parent
          iOS has a little-known feature called reachability that virtually slides your display down so the top half is accessible to your thumb for one-handed use. I'm still using the old form factor with...

          iOS has a little-known feature called reachability that virtually slides your display down so the top half is accessible to your thumb for one-handed use. I'm still using the old form factor with the home button (iPhone 8) which has a different gesture to trigger reachability, but I use it all the time.

          2 votes
  3. [5]
    joplin
    Link
    Yeah, I tend to use my iPhones until I can't anymore before upgrading. I went from an iPhone 6 to an iPhone 11 recently. I probably could have gotten another year out of the 6 if I really wanted...

    Yeah, I tend to use my iPhones until I can't anymore before upgrading. I went from an iPhone 6 to an iPhone 11 recently. I probably could have gotten another year out of the 6 if I really wanted to.

    I do the same thing with Macs. I have a 2013 MacPro and I have no intention of replacing it any time soon. (Well, maybe once the Apple Silicon Macs are out my mind will change - we'll see.) But it runs great. I just replaced my spouse's 2013 MacBook Pro because she blew out a speaker and her battery life was poor. In fact I still have a 2013 MacBook Pro as a back-up at work. I had to use it recently when I sent my newer work MacBook Pro in for service, and it worked great!

    2 votes
    1. GoingMerry
      Link Parent
      I’m in the same boat as you. My 2007 Mac mini hit end of life for SW updates, so now I boot to Linux Mint. After a RAM upgrade it hums along nicely!

      I’m in the same boat as you.

      My 2007 Mac mini hit end of life for SW updates, so now I boot to Linux Mint. After a RAM upgrade it hums along nicely!

      1 vote
    2. [3]
      aymm
      Link Parent
      Me too! Still rocking a 6S, although I will likely replace it this fall, because this one is barely functional anymore (headphone jack is broken, GPS is super wonky, lightning port has a loose...

      Me too! Still rocking a 6S, although I will likely replace it this fall, because this one is barely functional anymore (headphone jack is broken, GPS is super wonky, lightning port has a loose connection somewhere)

      1 vote
      1. [2]
        joplin
        Link Parent
        Regarding the lightning port - I thought mine was dying, but it ended up just having a lot of lint in it from going into and out of my pants pocket. I was able to (carefully) clean it out with a...

        Regarding the lightning port - I thought mine was dying, but it ended up just having a lot of lint in it from going into and out of my pants pocket. I was able to (carefully) clean it out with a toothpick. (Be very careful not to break it off in there!) I was amazed at how much came out. It gets really compacted in there. Anyway, I don't know if that would help you, but I thought I'd put it out there in case it does. Good luck!

        2 votes
        1. aymm
          Link Parent
          Yeah, I've cleaned that port a number of times already, so I'm pretty sure it's at least somewhat broken. However, I haven't done so in a while, maybe, so you're right, it could make things better...

          Yeah, I've cleaned that port a number of times already, so I'm pretty sure it's at least somewhat broken. However, I haven't done so in a while, maybe, so you're right, it could make things better again!

          1 vote
  4. [2]
    BlindCarpenter
    Link
    this is amazing. where did you get the higher capacity battery?

    this is amazing. where did you get the higher capacity battery?

    1 vote
    1. salis
      Link Parent
      From Bezo's store. If you send me an email/message, I can share the links.

      From Bezo's store. If you send me an email/message, I can share the links.

  5. [4]
    EditingAndLayout
    Link
    I'm still using my SE and it's great, but I do wish the screen was a little bigger.

    I'm still using my SE and it's great, but I do wish the screen was a little bigger.

    1. [2]
      salis
      Link Parent
      Edge-to-edge 1st gen SE would be the perfect device for me.

      Edge-to-edge 1st gen SE would be the perfect device for me.

      2 votes
    2. frailtomato
      Link Parent
      Rumours point to a 5.4” between the 2016 SE and the 6/7/8 sized bodies. Not perfect, but decent! After jumping between about 10-15 Android phones for years, I’ve been rocking my little SE for 2.5...

      Rumours point to a 5.4” between the 2016 SE and the 6/7/8 sized bodies.

      Not perfect, but decent! After jumping between about 10-15 Android phones for years, I’ve been rocking my little SE for 2.5 years. It’s so great!

  6. [3]
    asterisk
    Link
    I dunno why I cannot enter to the site on this topic — it shows Error 1020. But, yeah. I also use a phone from 2015 year — Samsung Galaxy Note 4 — and I changed one time only battery in the...

    I dunno why I cannot enter to the site on this topic — it shows Error 1020.

    But, yeah. I also use a phone from 2015 year — Samsung Galaxy Note 4 — and I changed one time only battery in the previous year. The phone is still good.

    1. salis
      Link Parent
      Could you shoot me a message with browser/device/location? I want to troubleshoot this, you’re not the first person!

      Could you shoot me a message with browser/device/location? I want to troubleshoot this, you’re not the first person!

    2. frailtomato
      Link Parent
      The Note 4 is one of those “ticks every box” phones - the screen is great, it has a removable battery, decent RAM, stylus...maybe I’ll grab one and get a custom rom happening.

      The Note 4 is one of those “ticks every box” phones - the screen is great, it has a removable battery, decent RAM, stylus...maybe I’ll grab one and get a custom rom happening.

  7. [2]
    weystrom
    Link
    I have one and it's super slow though. Like noticeably slow at this point. If you don't use your phone much - it's fine, but if you do, I wouldn't recommend getting it.

    I have one and it's super slow though. Like noticeably slow at this point.
    If you don't use your phone much - it's fine, but if you do, I wouldn't recommend getting it.

    1. salis
      Link Parent
      I am using it with a fresh install of the iOS 14 Public Beta 2 and I am honestly impressed by how fast it is—again, coming from 2.5 years of iPhone X. Not sure what the profoundly different...

      I am using it with a fresh install of the iOS 14 Public Beta 2 and I am honestly impressed by how fast it is—again, coming from 2.5 years of iPhone X. Not sure what the profoundly different experience is caused by.