Got my iPhone SE this morning at the Store. You know, even though I sold my 5S six months ago while it was still worth something and used a very old phone in the meanwhile, the SE is underwhelming. I got 64 gigs, so I know I'm going to like it more than my 16 gig 5S, but, well...

I plopped it into my old, beat-up Speck CandyShell Card case and felt like all I got was a new 5S.

The screen is smaller than both the Lumia 640 and HTC 8XT I've been using the last few months. There's not (duh) nearly as much screen real estate as the iPad mini I was using for my iOS fix in the evenings at home, and though I like the SE's easy one-handed use, I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't've gotten a phablet. The SE is fast, but, honestly, the 5S wasn't a slouch at most day to day activities. And it took great pictures as it was. Idk. What's the practical improvement of the SE over the 5S?

I'll enjoy the higher-res (and Live) pictures at times, I know I'll like Apple Pay, and the increased battery life over the 5S will be nice. I also know I wouldn't want to spend more than the $500 plus tax I laid out today. But, really, it's essentially the same phone I bought new two and a half years ago plus Apple Pay. I suppose I'm having a touch of buyers' remorse -- Gazelle has used 16 gig Sprint 6S's for the same as I just paid for the SE.

Can't help but wonder if we didn't hit Peak iPhone with the 6S and 6S Plus. Or, for some users, at the 5S.

Labels: iphone