Why I'm still using an iPhone SE (2022)

[@axhng]

UPDATE/EXTRA INFO: I bought a used iPhone 13 mini a few weeks after posting this video because it was a good deal, and after using it for a month or so, here are some extra thoughts (too unmotivated to make a video). In terms of gaming, the iPhone SE 2022 has the edge as expected. In Genshin, it not only runs the game at higher render resolution no matter at medium or high settings (likely due to its aspect ratio), the game runs smoother (I notice a bit of stutter occasionally on the 13 mini), the phone heats up less (thanks to the single layer motherboard), and even battery drain seems lower despite having a smaller battery. Both phones have 100% battery health by the way. Maybe the lower resolution screen is just less demanding. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ For day to day use, the curved sides on the SE is nicer hold despite being a bit wider. I hold my phone in my hand while jogging, and the 13 mini, even with a TPU case, can feel a little uncomfortable to hold after a while. Some of the UI elements at the top being a little lower makes the SE easier to use as well. TouchID is still GOAT. Sometimes I jog even when it's drizzling a little, and just put the phone in a small ziplock bag. TouchID works through that since it's capacitive, but FaceID doesn't work. Also, the home button is a little easier to reach than swiping up from the bottom of the screen to go home. when making payments with Apple Pay, it is quite convenient to just double click the touchID button and pay for things straight away without the need to even "glance" at the phone. Last but not least, low frequency PWM dimming and eyestrain. While it isn't as bad as some samsung phones I've used, like the Note20, it still causes a bit of strain after a long e-book reading session. No such issue on the SE at all since it's LCD. So... personally, I still like the iPhone SE 2022 more than the 13 mini actually, since I don't particularly care about having better cameras and whatnot. but well, a 128GB iPhone SE in good condition and pricing is hard to find, so I might just move on from the 13 mini and find a cheap and good performing Android phone instead. I do prefer Android over iOS for the most part after all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@siuchiwings]

The home button and fingerprint lock are the diamonds on this crown iphone SE

[@AwkwardStarfish7]

I had the 2020 SE and loved it. It was the perfect phone for me. I was convinced to 'upgrade' to a bigger device a couple years back and never got used to it. Just ordered myself a refurbished 2022 SE and am so excited to go back to this form factor. I don't game or use much social media at all, so this phone is perfect for me and my uses (texting, occasional photos of my kitties, scrolling reddit, etc.) Great video! I never would've thought it'd be a little powerhouse for gaming.

[@axhng]

Thanks! I was surprised at how well it performed too for gaming😂

[@marksouthwell2699]

There are some great videos on how you improve battery IE turning off some background features that make no difference to phone performance and functionality. I followed these suggestions and both my SE2020 and my mothers SE have longer battery life

[@brendanlee7322]

Love the size of the phone. Easy to carry around.

[@domino5711]

I bought my SE 2022 as a collectible as it's rumored that next SE will ditch the classic design. I own an iPhone 14 Pro since launch and when I got my SE I completely forgot about 14 Pro

[@marksouthwell2699]

I own an iPhone 13 and Google pixel. I purchased an SE 2020 from ebay ( actually won a bid) out of curiosity. I absolutely love the SE . Considering it’s used, it’s in pristine condition, looks brand new . I prefer using it to my aforementioned phones . I’ve helped improve it battery life by following a really good KZbin channel and this appears to have worked

[@KhoaNguyen-xd3er]

The most comfortable iPhone design in my opinion. But due to the thinnest the battery just bad.

[@axhng]

Yeah, the phone feels so nice to hold in hand. But despite the more efficient chip, during heavier usage the smaller battery simply isn't going to last as long. 😅

[@vhbc]

Same. I had this phone earlier this year. Began appreciating iOS because of it, but jesus that battery lasts like 4 seconds, and I don't even game!

[@domino5711]

In my case battery lasts easily a one day sometimes 1,5 days

[@jesperigor]

Just got a battery case

[@danialrafiqi9346]

@@jesperigorthat defeats the purpose of comfortable phone to hold

[@MebiManga]

Wasn't expecting a review for this phone, but I suppose it's nice to see somebody appreciate the model even with its flaws.

[@adrianstuart84]

ah the iPhone SE , the last of the Steve jobs era iPhones, this is a relic the last time we will be able to use phones like this.i still occasionally change my flip 4 for the se its a great phone

[@emward6858]

I really like the size of the se and the home button with fingerprint reader is just easy to use . I am not worried about it being an outdated design. My biggest priority is to have a compact smartphone, and this is the only one available new in the shops at this small size

[@henrybarney3202]

I’m still using an iPhone 11 in 2023 with no plan to upgrade anytime soon. Oh the horror

[@77jamess]

The IPS display is exactly the reason this is the only iPhone I can use. Apple need to figure this out. Low frequency PWM is awful and terrible for your health. The eyestrain and headaches I get from using their OLED phones is awful. But no problem at all with this LCD screen. I wish they made LCD versions of their flagships.

[@marksouthwell2699]

I love my SE display. Considering it’s lcd it’s a fantastic display. I find it easier on my eyes.

[@77jamess]

@@marksouthwell2699 Yes it’s much easier on the eyes than OLED. SE3 has a great screen. Great size too. It’s going to be sad when you can no longer buy a phone of this size and with this specification of screen.

[@squareyboi]

It does make sense to get a budget iPhone. Only downside? Battery. Hopefully Apple makes better battery in the iPhone SE (2024).

[@marksouthwell2699]

@MeigoGalaicoApparently the SE 4 will resemble the iPhone XR and have the iPhone 14 display and iPhone 16 chassis and internals

[@ms1-Alex]

There are Phone holders for controllers In order to game as it was a console. I bought one from Shein for my Ps5 controller and it works great. It’s more comfortable than looking at the phone on a table

[@vaultboy1419]

Or dedicated controllers. The backbone looks great, and I believe they have an older gen with a lightning port too!

[@eddyr1159]

Only got it for 160$ on eBay great deal!!💪🏻

[@topher.m]

Nice take Alex!

[@uhm2451]

i currently have an se 2 and a note 20 ultra, although the note is overall much better, i think im still gonna use the se as a daily phone bcs its very convenient and much easier to use compared to the note. am i making the right decision? 😭

[@axhng]

it's personal preference i guess. i have the SE 3 and Note20, and preferred using the SE 3 because of better performance, the LCD screen being easier on my eyes, and size. 😂

[@winnerwinner7720]

Hi Alex, I think you did a damn good job with the review. I watched so many find N3 reviews just to have a deciding factor to get the phone or not. Yours is the most no-bullshit comprehensive review. Really appreciate it. However that being said you forgot to cover the video quality of the cameras. Everything else is there.

[@axhng]

Thanks! will keep that in mind in the future. for a lot of android phones, video capture seems to be a bit lacklustre compared to iphones still in terms of bitrate and HDR, and OPPO doesn't include any pro video mode which is the video mode that I use most on other phones, so I just didn't have much to say about it. 😅

[@winnerwinner7720]

@@axhng Yeah I think most of the reviews out there also did not mention that the phone does not have a Pro Video mode. However for me personally I do not take much videos so I think have decided to take the plunge and upgrade to my first foldable from the S22 Ultra. Cheers!

[@justinpope5388]

Literally a sleeper phone fast and reliable, I picked one up for $20 had a remote management company portal managed to remove it now a perfectly working phone does the job and more

[@henzljw]

Can't wait to see you try for iPhone SE 4 (2024) later once it's launch later. Even my iPhone 11 also can't really play HSR and Genshin so smoothly tho 😬

[@axhng]

Hopefully it'll be launched in 2024, though kinda hard to say still looking at the rumours. 😅 For iPhone 11, I think dropping the graphics to medium would be enough to make it run smoothly? I dont' have any iPhones with A13 around anymore but I remember the last iPhone SE 2020 did somewhat okay at lower graphics when i tried it last year i think. It does warm up quite a bit though. For HSR I find that I can get by with 30FPS since the combat doesn't really require fast action like in Genshin, so if you can get used to that, it will help the game run a lot better.

[@jevonsims900]

@@axhng You know what I like about rumors? They're not facts which means they know just as much as I do about iPhone SE 4 2024. I remember the same rumors being spread about the iPhone SE, SE 2, and SE 3 that they'll be delayed.😂 The rumor was SE 2 & 3 would come with OLED displays and a notch.🤦♂️

[@roco9504]

I actually can’t stand OLED phones because of that PWM you mentioned. I have the SE2 128gb and looking to get the 256gb se3 because I too play Star rail and Genshin! And if I ever want to download other games I’ll for sure need the 256 for a good long term phone. Though I’m not too sure why my star rail takes up about 3 more gigs then yours.. I feel my gentian did too before I had to uninstall it because I didn’t have the room for it anymore Note: slightly jealous of seeing Furina.

[@axhng]

yeah, would definitely recommend getting as much storage as you can if you're sure you're okay with the SE's form factor! Considering even future iPhone SE will likely be OLED too and apple seems to not care about PWM flickering, I'm still half tempted to look for a higher capacity one myself since the games are likely going to keep getting bigger and bigger in size too. I wonder if the storage difference could be down to language voice pack? For Genshin if not for the ability to delete older resources to cut down space, i wouldn't even be able to have both games installed on this 6t4gb model 🤣 if you save up gems a little, should be able to get Furina on her first rerun? The first one usually occurs sooner. :D

[@roco9504]

@@axhng it’s a darn shame manufacturers aren’t addressing PWM, but that said I’m perfectly fine with the SE form. To me, phones nearly became tablets, in my opinion they’re way too big. Heck just 10 years ago, this iphone would have been considered large! And it not even just 6 years ago apple was still selling the original 4” SE.

[@axhng]

@@roco9504 yeah, and a lot of phones are pretty heavy too. i remember getting the iphone 6s plus and thinking it was way too big and heavy and got rid of it shortly, but that's 192g and these days, that's considered a light phone. I think for PWM hopefully they can take a page out of chinese brands and start using those display with higher frequency PWM dimming at low brightness. for me it does look a bit better.

[@nguyendang3194]

Thanks for the info I love my I phone SE 3 as well as a teen student I will keep using this device until there no more updates from within I also have the 64 gig wish I got a bigger storage device the price I buy it for is 210 on back market

[@davidsanchez-bu9un]

I wanted to ask if you've noticed your iPhone getting warm at the back. Does your screen shake (if you touch it) when playing music a bit loud, or is it just the back that's not noticeable? By the way, I'm using iOS 17, so it's unrelated to the new iOS 18 vibration feature for visually impaired users. Thanks!"

[@axhng]

hi there. for me it doesn't really get warm still, but then again i'm not really pushing the phone hard most of the time. even when gaming i'll reduce the graphics to a more comfortable level so that it'll only get a bit warm. the speakers causing making the screen feel like it's buzzing/vibrating is there and is quite noticeable on my unit too.

[@davidsanchez-bu9un]

@@axhng Thanks for your fast reply. That buzzing is also happening in your device, I guess that is normal. I do not use my phone for playing, whatsapp and youtube with black screen... Anyway I can feel it warmer despite it is just in pocket. I really appreciate your comments, I ve bought mine 10 days ago and it is a refurbished one.

[@ahnaf4542]

What controller you are using? Is it compatible with the ppsspp emulator?

[@axhng]

it's the 8bit pro 2, however not sure if it works with ppsspp or not though since i don't use the app. I've seen ppl using PS5 and xbox controllers though and iOS controller support is pretty good, so my guess is it probably would?

[@jevonsims900]

What controller 🎮 are you using in this video? SE 3 is such a great little pocket rocket phone.

[@axhng]

hi there. i'm using the 8bitdo Pro 2 controller. :)

[@nanashi802]

Backbone One is the best

[@smasherjosh5000]

Bought myself one as my first iPhone

[@davidsanchez-bu9un]

I wanted to ask somebody if you notice that the back of the screen gets hot. does the screen shake (if you have your finger on it) when you are playing music (a bit loud) or is it like the back of the screen that is not noticeable at all? Thanks!

[@Adaobieistyping]

So true about the pwm point.

[@dovafinn3594]

it just sucks that controller on genshin impact doesn't work on android but only on iOS

[@axhng]

This! I prefer using Android for the most part, but then I do play Genshin, and it's just not as nice to play on touch controls. It's funny since Hoyoverse collabs with Android brands like OnePlus and Samsung for some limited edition stuff but then chose not to include controller support on Android.

[@ForeverPopa]

Can you tell me how do you manage to play HSR & genshin on a 64 gigs phone ?

[@axhng]

back then the games didn't take up as much space, not to mention for Genshin i'm up to date with all the content, so when i delete past resources in game settings, it frees up more space. but even then, i had to delete some apps eventually too. so 64GB really isn't enough anymore. 😅

[@bigmaxcc]

Too small 😅 battery life not long in enough better off with 13 mini While daily driving my 15 pm & Pixel 8 pro nice & big it feels weird when I hold a small phone the note 20 ultra the biggest I have it’s a big chunky bro 😎 the way I like it Awesome review as always Alex Love the wallpaper a true man of culture 😎🙌

[@torukmahtomahto409]

For the lovers of 6-6S design or 7-8 owners is enough, and cheapest upgrade ever..Besides i bought a black/64gb model in mint condition, with 275 euro/Backmarket, still has 100% health because i stiil use my beloved 6s.2015/2nd battery/2020/86% health..battery replaced by Apple on discount/29 euro...Wise and classy people are not a slaves of technology or 24/7 smartphone users because they are smarter than the phone and those users..

[@NIBUSSY]

I would’ve gotten the SE if they had a white screen option ngl it would’ve looked cleaner

[@mi-eulaT]

how much battery on genshin?

[@axhng]

a lot. 😅 around 30mins of Genshin at medium graphics 60FPS with a bluetooth controller will use around 20% battery.

[@ian7133]

I thought about getting the iPhone SE because I like it bc it's small and it's just comfortable to have. But if I want a phone to last me for 3 to 4 years I could get an iPhone SE but it's so outdated with the design and retro looking that I might get stares. I genuinely thought about it and I'm probably going to go with the iPhone 15 pro and just have that phone for the next 3 to 4 years. That would probably be my daily driver

[@axhng]

😅unless you have a specific reason, the 15 Pro is probably a better bet, or maybe even the next SE that is rumoured to be coming next year with a more modern design.

[@emward6858]

I wouldn’t worry about being stared at . Just use whatever phone is right for you

[@maplegreen7306]

whats the name of the controller you’re using?

[@axhng]

hi there, it's the 8BitDo Pro 2 wireless controller.

[@maplegreen7306]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@axhngthanks! i've been considering getting both soon! i hope they last long since i want to go back to playing genshin impact while also using it for school haha

[@aaanime277]

Do you want video editor

[@Bangastarch]

Thank you so much

[@potatodude5327]

my main phone is a jailbroken iPhone 5s. no joke, it's a really good phone, i don't play heavyweight games, just some bejeweled and jetpack joyride, lasts me 3-4 days if i'm not using it heavily.

[@aaronaustrie]

I had the 2 Gen SE but soon got bored of it so I upgraded to the 13

[@Rogue_214]

Where you playing genshin impact

[@AnimexVilen]

Is it good for Instagram reels video

[@axhng]

I don't view reels as much but I haven't found it to be terrible since most videos are pretty short. but then the smaller screen would make some stuff a bit harder to read i guess if there are text/info in the video 😅

[@EricRosenfield]

The only reason I upgraded from my iPhone SE was because I wanted the USB C port. Otherwise this is the best.

[@villekoskela9073]

Iphone 14 plus has horrible 59hz PWM its lowest notebookcheck has ever tested on any mobile device

[@mt.sefuri3909]

Oh yeah I forgot it was released last year😭😭😭

[@axhng]

🤣 probably cause the design hasn't changed in years. haha

[@destroyer100onblitz]

Why you are still using the SE 2022 ? CAUSE ITS ONE YEAR OLD FOR GODS SAKE

[@flame3303]

Because you rich. We still using iphone 8😅

[@choqao]

Oh

[@niwla__]

FIRST!

[@destroyer100onblitz]

Why you are still using the SE 2022 ? CAUSE ITS ONE YEAR OLD FOR GODS SAKE

[@zeAmateur]

naah you need to consume at least 3 phones a year bro

[@DisneyCarsProductions]

What’s wrong with using a phone a year old? I still have my iPhone SE 2

[@destroyer100onblitz]

@@DisneyCarsProductions not that, you didn’t understand. In the title it says “Why I’m still using an iPhone SE (2022)” Isn’t it logical why he uses a one year old device ?

[@DisneyCarsProductions]

@@destroyer100onblitz I understand now bro. Sorry

[@destroyer100onblitz]

@@DisneyCarsProductions great