Some people choose their phone for its aesthetics, while others prefer a distinctive operating system and top-notch performance. For me, it had to be a perfect balance of both worlds. I narrowed my choices down to two phones – OnePlus 10T and iPhone SE. While nearly everyone suggested going for the former, I ultimately chose the phone I wanted for a while – the iPhone SE. It’s proven to be a perfect decision; let me tell you why.
For starters, iPhone SE fit my budget pretty well, which is rare for iPhones. Moreover, with the A13 Bionic Chip, the iPhone SE proved to be more powerful than the majority of phones that were available at the same price range, making it a bargain.
With its slim and lightweight design resembling the iPhone 8, it was incredibly easy to carry around. Once it slipped into my pocket, sometimes it felt like it wasn’t even there. One argument that people would often bring up against the design for iPhone SE was the thick bezels, but it never bothered me at all.
The cherry on top, which had me hooked on it, was the beautiful and elegant Midnight Blue variant. I mean, I have one thing to say to my phone: ‘That’s what makes you beautiful’!
One thing that did bug me was this iPhone’s single camera. But after a while, I learnt how to work around that as well (thanks to my great photography skills!).
Absence of features like FaceID was also never a problem because of Touch ID more than does the job for me.
Still, as much as these quirks and charms made me appreciate the phone, living with it day after day also meant confronting the challenges that came along.
The battery life, for instance, was decent at first, and I didn’t have any major complaints. However, as the battery health declined, it gradually became a significant issue. That said, it doesn’t feel entirely fair to single this out as a flaw of the iPhone SE, since this is a pattern seen across most iPhones once battery health drops below 80%.
The next major concern, one that many people warned me about, was the storage. Yes, I got a 64 GB variant. At times, it genuinely felt like a test of endurance.
Despite the little hardships it has put me through, I’m genuinely happy with how my first Apple experience turned out. One of the funniest parts was how people often mistook my phone for an iPhone 8, completely unaware that Apple had quietly released another SE variant.
After nearly three years of loyal service, though, it feels like an upgrade may be on the horizon, especially with the decision swirling around the iPhone 16e. However, if I could magically upgrade my 64 GB storage to 256 GB, I’d happily hold on a little longer.
