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iPhone SE (2022) Looks like the SE 3 is NOT being discontinued.
- Thread starter Populus
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Thank you for this elaborated response, I had hopes that at some point, some OLED model would be much better, as Samsung promotes the new QD OLED as flicker free and with better view angles. But no, I’m not holding my breath.
What you say about iPhone SE stock makes sense, and if you’ve noticed that before, maybe I am wrong on my assumption and the SE 3 is kept around for a few more months or even years.
You know, I’d like to have the latest and newest (Dynamic Island, low light camera, Bluetooth 5.3, more RAM) but if I think about it in cold blood, the only thing that I’d really miss is the better battery life. Because the SE 3 wins in many other regards, such as the ease to fit in the pocket, the toughness when dropped on the floor (even with slim cases), the price/performance ratio, and a much more comfortable screen to look at.
One thing refraining me from getting the SE 3 is the lack of Bluetooth 5.3 and how this could impact the new quick handoff-connection of my H1 headphones between devices.
Critically This dimming technology did not work On Incandescent light bulbs. PWM came with fluorescent lights and beyond as a very cheap and effective way to control light brightness. I don’t know if Apple even bother to research a new dimming tech (such as DC dimming that got mentioned a couple times in the past), but yeah PWM gonna stay pretty much for every one of us in the coming years.
If you think it this way, and look back at your usage, you may realise there’s nothing enticing for those more expensive models as long as your usage is on the basic side of things (Such as using your phone mostly as a phone). We are so far away from what a phone supposed to do to a point people completely forgot that what we have today is essentially a better iPhone 3G with fancier features, larger screen and more powerful processor.
Just pick the one that your eye is comfortable with. There’s no need to worry about more expensive models if those brings you pain anyways.
I admit I am guilty of being an easy target for Apple’s great marketing. But you’re right.
It seems the language is slightly different on the iPad page where it says "current" instead of new. I am a little surprised they still consider the 9th gen iPad current.
A technique very similar to PWM is used in dimmer switches for incandescent bulbs as well. The incoming sine wave is truncated either on the leading or trailing edge to reduce the power going to the lamp. This caused issues for the driver circuits on early CFL and LED lamps, but newer dimmable lamps handle it better so it is still used in normal fixtures.
DC dimming involves under-driving the display voltage, but since each OLED pixel (much like discrete LEDs) will have a slightly different voltage response (different colors especially), it degrades the image quality and leads to color shifts. The manufacturers that tested DC dimming seem to have lost interest in it already.
Interesting. I am not in the field so didn’t know much beyond the surface.
So that means PWM is by far the cheapest and most reliable dimming methods across widest range of applications to date, and other tech didn‘t really take off much If at all? That’s sad to know tbh.
I've always been an SE fan, but the SE 3 is really lackluster. From battery life to the screen, it's just not worth the 'smart buy' and the fact you get TouchID. I've switched to an iPhone 14 now and wouldn't want to go back ever. If you need the small size, get a 13mini with the OLED as long as its available. faceID isnt that bad after all...
I'm not exactly an expert either, but I teach in basic electronics at a university. There might be some feasible alternatives to PWM that I am not aware of, but it does has a few advantages. One of the main ones for applications in smartphones is that it is very power efficient. PWM involves switching a DC signal on and off rapidly. When the signal is off it doesn't draw any current. So, dimming a light source using PWM will save power. A simpler method to control the current going through a DC circuit is using a variable ballast. But a resistor just creates heat from the dissipated energy. So, then you end up with an extra heat source in your device and the power consumption would not decrease in the same way despite dimming the light output.
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1. I believe the SE isn’t going anywhere and the lack of models is seasonal.
2. My work provides iPhones to field personnel and we typically have an extra lying around just in case. If you’re so inclined, go buy one right now.
3. The refurbished market is still hot and will be for a while. You can still but a BlackBerry!
4. MacRumors has several articles about an SE 4 expected in 2024 or 2025. Check up on those.
Since 2017, Apple has consistently followed the pattern of cutting last years flagship but always having a lineup spanning three generations of iPhones.
When iPhones 15 drop, 14, 14 Plus, and 13 will remain, while 14 Pros and 13 mini get cut.
However, since SE 3rd Gen. belongs to the iPhone 13 generation and is super low value per dollar by comparison to the rest of the lineup, I do not see SE 3rd Gen. leaving until next years lineup.
There isn’t another SE to take its place so Apple doesn’t stand to gain much from cutting it.
The EU regulations also don’t kick in before Q4 of 2024, so Apple can get away with selling the SE another year despite it being Lightning.
I think it will stay in the lineup and probably see a price cut of $50-$100 or something like that.
When iPhones 15 drop, 14, 14 Plus, and 13 will remain, while 14 Pros and 13 mini get cut.
However, since SE 3rd Gen. belongs to the iPhone 13 generation and is super low value per dollar by comparison to the rest of the lineup, I do not see SE 3rd Gen. leaving until next years lineup.
There isn’t another SE to take its place so Apple doesn’t stand to gain much from cutting it.
The EU regulations also don’t kick in before Q4 of 2024, so Apple can get away with selling the SE another year despite it being Lightning.
I think it will stay in the lineup and probably see a price cut of $50-$100 or something like that.
Yes, the reason Apple indicates "new" for iPhone is because new models are released annually. In addition, Apple continues to sell previous gen iPhone models. So it's important for Apple to make that differentiation.
For iPad and Mac, Apple marks devices as "current" because most products (e.g. M2 MBA) have an irregular update schedule. Last gen products don't stay on the shelves, unlike iPhone.
The iPhone SE is a weird product, similar to the iPad 9th gen. The SE is not new and iPad 9th gen is not current. But that's how Apple has chosen to present those products.
I don't understand the PWM and headaches thing. Isn't PWM used in LED backlighting and lighting in public spaces? Meaning, hasn't PWM already been used in the backlighting for all iPhones?
And what do you all do for television? Don't most if not all LCD TVs use PWM or backlight strobing?
And what do you all do for television? Don't most if not all LCD TVs use PWM or backlight strobing?
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Ever realise when you move from a bright room to a dark room, your eyes need some time to see the Surrounding area in that dark room? What PWM does in simple term, is by turning on and off LED rapidly in set patterns So the light isn’t as bright as turning LED on all the time. This kind of rapid adjustment hurts certain people’s eyes because they probably have weaker adaptation capability than others, or their eyes are more sensitive to blinking Lights.
Adaptation (eye) - Wikipedia
Bottom line is, you don’t see what others see and you don’t feel what others feel. And for public places, the light source is far enough away that the PWM doesn’t really matter much, compared to smartphone screen.
Well, in the case of the iPad 9th gen, it did stay on shelves even though the new 10th gen has been released so I guess that’s why they show “Current Models” on iPads instead of just “New Models” like on iPhones.
Also, they probably want to steer customers towards buying the latest iPhone 14 series instead of older models that are still available. The iPhone line is still Apple’s cash cow and they likely want as many people buying the most expensive model they can.
Yeah, I get that about PWM, but I don't understand how OLED is worse than LED/LCD screens (or lighting).Ever realise when you move from a bright room to a dark room, your eyes need some time to see the Surrounding area in that dark room? What PWM does in simple term, is by turning on and off LED rapidly in set patterns So the light isn’t as bright as turning LED on all the time. This kind of rapid adjustment hurts certain people’s eyes because they probably have weaker adaptation capability than others, or their eyes are more sensitive to blinking Lights.
You can look up how eye works to know a bit more if you are interested.Adaptation (eye) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Bottom line is, you don’t see what others see and you don’t feel what others feel. And for public places, the light source is far enough away that the PWM doesn’t really matter much, compared to smartphone screen.
OLED typically use lower frequency PWM so the flickering is more tangible.
This is what I do. Auto brightness off, manually on max brightness almost always, even at night. The only time I turn it down is bed time, but then I’m only looking at my phone 20 mins before I sleep.
I realize this is not everyone’s method. Same with mac screens too, maximum brightness. Both the phone and laptop don’t get bright enough imo. 2000+ nits or bust.
Too bright screens give me migraines as well. I usually have to keep the display brightness around 0-20% and occasionally still need reduce white point on top of 0% brightness.
Apple has seemingly committed to provide a low-cost entry across their product lines, so I would be very surprised if they axed the SE3 without a replacement.
I wouldn't worry too much if your main concern is Amazon stock—there are many reasons it might be temporarily low and return to normal
I wouldn't worry too much if your main concern is Amazon stock—there are many reasons it might be temporarily low and return to normal