Long live the iPhone SE

The iPhone SE fits in almost every pocket I own. If I could get a smaller iPhone, I would. I have small hands, and I love being able to run around without a handbag—my phone in one pocket and my keys in the other. I use a Speck phone case that holds my driver's license, a credit card, and a transit pass. 

I'm SO distressed that Apple may never again make a phone this small. I feel rebellious. I would like an Apple Watch, but it appears that it won't connect to a phone this old. I completely agree with this beautifully written post...  I've highlighted my favorite points. I would pay the premium for a "Heritage Edition" SE.

OM Blog: Why great design is timeless, 20-Oct-23 by Om Malik

All this thinking about the iPhone 12 and the past made me think of the iPhone SE, which was the 2016 interpretation of the iPhone 4. I dug up my old iPhone SE, started playing around with it, and once again fell in love with it.

While iPhone 4 was terrific, the iPhone SE had perfected the device to the point that it felt flawless. The fingerprint reader was snappy. The camera was good enough. The battery was rock solid. The 4G connectivity was perfect across the planet. The screen was nice and crisp. And more importantly, iPhone SE was a device built for holding and using in one hand. No more thumb ache! It was not as brisk as some of the new devices, but it forced me to choose what apps I wanted on the phone. (Answer: I didn’t and still don’t need many.)

The balance and size were near perfect. But what made it such a good fit for our modern era of supersized everything was that it was diminutive, unobtrusive, and receded into the background, existing to do the job and then hide in our pockets. I used that device for quite a while before eventually switching to XS.

I still have not made up my mind about the iPhone 12, though. I am not going anywhere these days, and I get good internet speeds while stuck at home. So, 5G doesn’t seem necessary. And the camera’s not much of a draw. For photography, when I do go out, I lug around my main camera, the Leica SL. So, I am not sold on upgrading to iPhone 12 Pro just yet.

I have been to the Apple website many times over the past few days. My eyes wander to the iPhone 12 Mini. It is newer, shiner, and slightly bigger than the SE. It has more of everything compared to SE. The Mini has the allure of newness. But I can’t tell if it will be as unique as the SE.

What if they made it a little smaller? As small as the SE, perhaps. They could almost call it the iPhone Heritage Edition and charge a premium for it. You can thank me later, Tim!