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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,578
12,692
No complaints really. The camera could be better but that’s the main difference compared to the latest generation of phones so it would be too strong of a value if it had a better sensor.

My only regret is not getting it sooner during last year’s Black Friday sale. I feel a little less satisfied paying full price for a one-year-old phone even if it’s still a relatively great value.

Got mine at launch through the Walmart AT&T/Verizon upgrade deal ($200 off). I think that promo's been ongoing forever. Alas, only good for AT&T/Verizon postpaid customers.
 

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,421
3,423
NJ
Got mine at launch through the Walmart AT&T/Verizon upgrade deal ($200 off). I think that promo's been ongoing forever. Alas, only good for AT&T/Verizon postpaid customers.
I just went through Apple. I’m sure I could have gotten a better deal through Verizon, but it was only $15 in upfront taxes and $9.12/month after my 8+ trade-in.

In the future I may switch to Visible or another carrier and use a sign-up bonus towards an iPhone 13 or whatever phone doesn’t use PWM.
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,578
12,692
I just went through Apple. I’m sure I could have gotten a better deal through Verizon, but it was only $15 in upfront taxes and $9.12/month after my 8+ trade-in.

In the future I may switch to Visible or another carrier and use a sign-up bonus towards an iPhone 13 or whatever phone doesn’t use PWM.

The Walmart deal was pretty unusual since it almost had no strings attached. Outright cash discount of $200 so the amount on the loan document was $200/64GB, $250/128GB or $350/256GB. No trade-ins required, you only need to keep service for 30 days and you can pay off the phone early.
 

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,421
3,423
NJ
The Walmart deal was pretty unusual since it almost had no strings attached. Outright cash discount of $200 so the amount on the loan document was $200/64GB, $250/128GB or $350/256GB. No trade-ins required, you only need to keep service for 30 days and you can pay off the phone early.
Walmart has offered great deals for postpaid customers. They even had $200+ off of all iPhone 12 models. It’s mostly from the carriers paying them an activation fee, thus the phone has to be activated at the store.
 

KowalskiFUT

macrumors member
Oct 4, 2017
52
33
EU
Downgraded from 11 Pro Max to SE2. Mainly because I considered for a long time small phone + tablet combo. I am now selling my 11 PM to collect funds for iPad Pro 2021.

SE is very fast phone, downgrade in screen quality is very noticeable. Battery life is incomparable. 11 Pro Max had best battery in any smartphone I ever owned. Served me 2 days regularly without charging.

SE lasts a day of normal usage, but it cannot be mentioned in a same sentence as 11 PM.

I wouldn't downgrade if I wasn't in for that phone plus tablet combination.

P.S.

If you spend time a lot of time staring at your phone's screen, SE's small screen gets your eyes tired quite fast. Max's screen size and quality was delightful for me, for any amount of time starring at it.
 
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snipr125

macrumors 68000
Oct 17, 2015
1,811
2,857
UK
The Iphone SE2 is a great phone, solid, snappy, refined, reliable and most importantly has Touch ID and a notch less full screen. The battery is fine with light to moderate use. There is literally nothing that can match its performance for the same price.
 

Ac1d 8urn

macrumors 6502
Nov 10, 2020
320
752
Wisconsin
SE2 needs more love lol. I find myself using mine more and more lately, it's just so much easier to carry around and it fits my tiny elf hands perfectly. It felt like a cute, tiny novelty at first but it just feels like a normal phone now and I've gotten so used to the size now that my 12pm & 8+ feel absolutely huge. Performance is just as good, having a home button again is awesome, camera is great, the only things I'd change about it would be slightly better battery life and night mode. It gets me through the day just fine though, the only time the battery is actually bad is for the first few days after an update. I've had nothing but phablets for the past 10 years, but I'm enjoying using a smaller phone so much that the next time I upgrade I probably WON'T go for the Max version.
 

nrvous1

macrumors 68000
Jul 11, 2019
1,749
1,676
San Antonio, TX
Had the se2 for a while before the 12’s were released. I got caught up in the hype and traded in my se2 for a 12. Then a few months later purchased a 12 mini which I’m currently using. If I could do it over; I’d stick with the Se2. It was a great phone, battery life was decent for me and I could care less about cameras. It worked and the price was/is great. It also has a great form factor and is was comfortable to hold.
 

Apple_Robert

Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
34,528
50,123
In the middle of several books.
I would buy a used OG SE off Swappa or eBay. That will provide you with a phone with minimal cost. Since you will be updating when the new phones are released, I don't see a need to spend $200+ on a 'hold you over' phone.
 

Bawstun

Suspended
Jun 25, 2009
2,374
2,999
Impressive. Goes to show that people want performance but on the cheap. Even more is how the 11 sold 3x as many.

I’m just thrilled it was a success, even outselling the iPhone 12 line.

Just goes to show you that all the talk of “everyone wants big screens” is the complete hogwash that iPhone SE fans have been saying all along.

For $199, where are you going to find a better phone than the iPhone SE 2020? Many prepaid carriers sell them for even $149. It’s an incredible value, and unlockable after 6 months of service. I have several.
 
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kartana

macrumors member
Sep 9, 2010
42
17
Not sure yet. My new SE drains around ~20 overnight with flight mode on and background refresh off. Something isn't right here. Other than that it's pretty good but too expensive for what you get.
 

Bawstun

Suspended
Jun 25, 2009
2,374
2,999
It’s usually discounted to $199 and it’s the same bionic chip as the iPhone 11 line. Too expensive for what you get?
 
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kartana

macrumors member
Sep 9, 2010
42
17
This is a good deal but the USA isn't the only place they sell iPhones and I am not interested in monthly contracts or buying it used. The 360-400 Euros they sell the SE2 here where I live is way too much for what you get in my opinion but I bought it anyway since my old SE basically died and I am locked in the eco system with my Apple Watch. I am not a heavy user and I usually use my phones for 3-4 years or until it dies.
 
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ghanwani

macrumors 601
Dec 8, 2008
4,628
5,810
It’s usually discounted to $199 and it’s the same bionic chip as the iPhone 11 line. Too expensive for what you get?
That's a carrier discount which comes with all kinds of strings attached. The real price is $399 ($449 with respectable storage). It's definitely on the high side. Apple should have dropped the price by $100 after it was a year old. Instead they dropped the charging brick but kept the price the same.
 
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Bawstun

Suspended
Jun 25, 2009
2,374
2,999
That's a carrier discount which comes with all kinds of strings attached. The real price is $399 ($449 with respectable storage). It's definitely on the high side. Apple should have dropped the price by $100 after it was a year old. Instead they dropped the charging brick but kept the price the same.

Why would they drop the price when they sold over 23 million units last year? It sold more than the iPhone 12 line! And I dunno about “all kinds of strings”, you can buy them for $149 new with prepaid carriers and purchase a $25 plan for 6 months and then unlock them.
 

nrvous1

macrumors 68000
Jul 11, 2019
1,749
1,676
San Antonio, TX
Why would they drop the price when they sold over 23 million units last year? It sold more than the iPhone 12 line! And I dunno about “all kinds of strings”, you can buy them for $149 new with prepaid carriers and purchase a $25 plan for 6 months and then unlock them.
So that’s still over $300 ($149 for the phone; $25+tax/mo for 6/months = $150[on the low end])for the same phone locked to a mvno that, I’m assuming, most of us on here don’t need? Assuming you don’t already have a carrier plan. Then your price model gets blown away. I’d much rather pay $350 - $400 unlocked or carrier locked to slap my SIM card in and use ASAP.
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,578
12,692
So that’s still over $300 ($149 for the phone; $25+tax/mo for 6/months = $150[on the low end])for the same phone locked to a mvno that, I’m assuming, most of us on here don’t need? Assuming you don’t already have a carrier plan. Then your price model gets blown away. I’d much rather pay $350 - $400 unlocked or carrier locked to slap my SIM card in and use ASAP.

For Verizon or AT&T postpaid customers, Walmart had a very good deal. I upgraded 3 older iPhones (1x OG SE + 2x 7) for a total of $950 + tax back when it was launched. Surprisingly no strings attached. Straight up $200 cash discount on each SE2 and can pay off early with no penalty.
 
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dj1891

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2015
627
335
Northern Ireland
It was a regret for me, Battery life is probably the most important factor for me, I don't care about being blazing fast, The SE is like a Ferrari with a Fiat Punto fuel tank, I am not a heavy user and it made it through the work day but that was it, and that was in low power mode, flat when I got home. I sold it for the XR in contrast I get 2 days easily out of that and no worries about battery life.
 

gary77

macrumors regular
Sep 23, 2017
156
59
London England
Love the phone my only regret is not going for the 128gb model but am looking to upgrade to the iPhone 12 128gb for 5g and bigger storage
 
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