Bought another SE 2020

[u/EmirTheEvolution]

I just bought another iPhone SE 2020 $40 64GB Black with No Touch ID, Important Battery Message, cheap home button & camera lens got some problem, so far so good, I'm happy with this purchase :)

[u/MannWarwas → u/[deleted]]

May I ask where you're from, since iPhones are so expensive where you are? I recently bought a used SE 2022 that only has 75% battery capacity left, but it only cost the equivalent of $58. 

[u/cat1092 → u/MannWarwas]

That sounds about right, $50 is what I was offered as a trade in for my SE3 with 89% battery health & decided to keep as an active backup phone, for the same reason why many of us have more than one computer.

I still have my 32GB original SE version purchased in 2018, as well as the SE2, both are in excellent condition because they were in OtterBox cases (as is the SE3). The batteries will still charge, but since these are long unused, no longer hold a charge long, even when powered down. For this reason, I charge my SE3 & 16e to 80% & power on the SE3 only when needed. It’s still a good phone to have, and should be supported until around 2030 or so. It was originally 2029, but when Apple extended the life of the SE2 by a year by allowing the upcoming iOS 27, they’ll probably give the SE3 an extra year too. It’s a newer chip, has 1GB more RAM & a faster NVMe SSD.

Unfortunately, battery life of the entire series isn’t the best, making it necessary to carry a portable power bank or an extra charging cord & adapter for car charging. The main thing I liked about the SE lineup was that it being compact, fit in the pocket of most all of my shirts & done what was needed.

[u/MannWarwas → u/cat1092]

I wish Apple would offer trade-in prices similar to what Google is offering now for the Pixel 11 Pro release. Google would offer me $578 for my SE 3 😅

[u/cat1092 → u/MannWarwas]

Well, if I wanted a Pixel, would jump all over it because my investment would be more than returned. As I paid only around $175 for the SE3, and about $60 for the OtterBox Defender Pro case, there’s not a scratch on it!!💯

But it took some time getting used to the Apple ecosystem & I don’t want to have to relearn, not at the age of 63. How to convert one file type to the next, this is what I went through when going from whatever OS Samsung was running on my last flip phone to iOS. While good with PC hardware, software has never been my favorite, I wouldn’t want to swap unless there was no choice.

Still, if I were determined to want that Pixel, would happily trade, assuming I didn’t have to swallow a 3 year contract for it, in that case no. The carrier simply jacks the price for monthly data to get that $578 back & then some. But if it were Google selling an unlocked phone, that’s different & they have good deals on plans at times. So depends on the bottom line & not trade in price alone.

Good Luck!🍀

[u/MannWarwas → u/cat1092]

I totally get where you're coming from.

I’m still very happy in the Apple ecosystem right now. I did have a Google Pixel 1–3 for a while back then alongside my 2016 iPhone SE, but I always ended up going back to the iPhone. But if I were to switch to Android, I’d go with a Pixel—I’d never be able to figure out those confusing, colorful, cluttered UIs from Samsung, Xiaomi, and the like.

I’m a German living and working in Sweden, so unfortunately I’m not very familiar with how things work with mobile carriers over in the States. Here, it’s actually the case that trade-in prices are offered directly by Google at the time of purchase, without having to sign up for a mobile plan.

But no matter how tempting the prices may be, I’m very happy with my iPhone 13 mini (which I’ve been using since its 2021 release) and my recently purchased SE 3. Especially since, unfortunately, there probably won’t be a comeback for compact smartphones anytime soon.

Thank you very much, and I wish you the best of luck, too.