Apple iPhone SE 2nd gen

I don't usually defend Apple products, but my AirPods Pro 2nd gen have been rock solid and taken insane abuse. I use them working on cars, runs, hiking, rain, shine, sauna. I drop them. They land in puddles. They smack concrete every couple of months. Sample size 1, but they are probably one of my favorite accessories and things I lug around with me. I use them a lot and if not love /really/ like them and nothing else has come close to the frictionless experience of them. Although that may be in part due to vendor lock in and not sharing some of their connection handling API / tech.

I totally accept that I'm the minority. When I was 12-13 I started taking a steroidal inhaler which inhibited my growth, so my hands are literally the same size as when I was 13. (maybe slightly wider). As such I have about the same finger length as the average woman, and when I used the iPhone 4S and 5S I had no problems, I was not able to comfortably use the 6 with one hand, and it came with that ugly camera bump, so I returned it and tried to go Samsung. (it was big, but the rounded edges helped a fair bit) - the software sucked. I bit the bullet and went back to my 5S, and when the SE (2nd gen - shaped like the iPhone 5 but with beefed internals) rolled out it was a day 1 purchase for me. Ever since then I've been looking for a phone -- the iPhone "Mini" was as large as the 6 which was too large (I did buy one though) -- I eventually bought an iPhone 15 pro, but honestly, I hate it. It is the heaviest thing I carry daily and it doesn't do anything more than my 5 did that i care about, and I can't comfortably operate it. I start really disliking mobile devices because of it- and the software is getting worse year on year too. I'm getting serious fatigue from this, but the world has not only caught up to a mobile world, now many things actively expect/require you to have a modern smart phone, especially in Sweden.

I haven't contacted support about it. It's a minor annoyance, and my Airpods Pro (both gen 2 and 3) have worked perfect with my phone.

Seconding the other user saying that I also use AirPods Pro (2nd gen) in Teams at least twice a day, on macOS, iOS, and Windows (and had used them on android before, as well). Absolutely no issue whatsoever, and everyone mentions I usually have by far the best audio out of anyone else in the call. What would Apple even gain out of this? They don’t have a competitor to MS Teams, FaceTime is hardly targeting the same segment.

Same here, small but powerful enough for my daily usage. First iPhone I used to earn back what I paid it for. PS: It was a dirt cheap price as the selling guy needs money for iPhone 16

This is my take as well. I bought the SE 2nd gen because of its size, a longer support cycle, and granular app permissions on iOS. It was my first iPhone and has probably been my last when its time is due. My phone isn't some entertainment device, it's a utility tool. I don't need it to be "smart", it should be useful on the go. The persona sketched by GP just isn't me: Messaging, maps, weather, 2FA, and calculator come first, email (read only) and news feed second, the camera is a third for documenting purposes (if even, I'd rather take my full frame). The easier it is to carry this thing around and the longer lasting its build quality, the better. Why would I pay almost double (USD 699 VS 399 on launch) for a less robust mini with sharper edges?! If Apple were to continue the offer of rehashed designs from previous generations (preferably with rounder edges) for a SE line, limit its dimensions to never go beyond 140x67.5x8mm, and make it last for solid 5-year release cycles, then count me in as your most loyal customer. As it currently stands I'm looking out for a small sized phone from any manufacturer. I would even lower my expectations on support cycle and build quality quite a bit (if reasonable priced) before I'd give in on the size.

Unfortunate that's your experience. Personally, at least with my 3-4 speaker setup (multiple Sonos and 2nd gen AirPort Express feeding non-Sonos speakers), I've never really had issues (maybe out of sync once or twice a year). Your mileage may vary I guess.

Apple needs to be able to recognize when they have a good product that resonates with their customers. I have a 2nd gen IPhone SE and love it. All I want to do is add more storage. Thinking it may be time to get a 3rd gen with more storage? That should do me for another five years! Maybe by then Apple will have figured out that there's a cadre of us who prefer small phones, adequate cameras, and overall simplicity.

FWIW, I have an iPhone SE (2nd gen), and the Automations feature described by OP works fine. So iOS is not necessarily a dealbreaker.

My iPhone (SE, 2nd gen) is used with reckless abandon in the bath and shower. I’ve dropped it in a river, even. (Very lucky it didn’t sink before I could grab it.) I have had the battery replaced under warranty without issue.

Recently repaired the drive in my 2nd gen iPod (FireWire 400) and I'm loving it. It's so purposeful. It only does one thing. Do I need an old Mac mini just to sync music to it? Yes. Is it worth it? Also yes.

They're just tools. How often do you upgrade your screwdrivers because you like the handles on the newer model better? Sounds silly, doesn't it? My iPhone is 4 years old, it's a 2nd gen SE. Still does what I need it to do. My laptop is a 2012 MacBook Pro. It still basically works but it's starting to have issues so I'll be replacing it this year. I was late to the Apple Watch game, having just getting one a year ago. I don't see why I'll ever replace it until it simply fails mechanically. I stopped using my iPad because I couldn't do everything I needed to do an an iPad so I still needed my MacBook. Given that I have an iPhone, it just hit a spot I don't need. It seems like the options are laptop, table, phone - pick two. Is that downsizing? Not really. I just get the tools I need as I need them.

I bought refurbished iPhone SE 2nd gen from eBay for ~$130 in July 2023. Looks brand new. I use Chargie to extend battery life and a magnetic charging port adapter to eliminate charging port wear. When battery will wear out I’ll replace it with the one from iFixit. Let’s see for how long I can make this device last. https://chargie.org/

Couldn't get my AirPod Pros to stay in with any of the tips I could find. Tried silicone, foam, all shapes and sizes, different amounts of pressure and depth in ear, but nothing worked. They'd just slowly creep out and eventually drop out, especially if I spoke. Regular 2nd gen AirPods are like glued in though, I could headbang or do handstands and they wouldn't go anywhere. Go figure...

I think many people in this forum don’t change their phones as often because we view phones as limiting computing devices. I am using a 2nd Gen. iPhone SE. The newer iPhones don’t seem so appealing that I feel left out.

I used the iPad Pro for about 2 years for nothing but productivity apps and it was overall pretty great. It wasn't without issue though, here's what I ran into: 1. I didn't run any dev tools on the iPad. That's insane. I used a laptop running macOS for that. 2. Google Docs updates would always ship with weird bugs, like if I'm editing a cell in a Google Sheet and hit space, the space wouldn't insert. 3. There's loads of issues with drag and drop in most apps. Dragging and dropping a picture from Photos into a document is the most common flow which works in some apps, but not in others. The plus sides: 1. The built-in cellular connection is amazing. I wish MacBook Airs would ship with built-in cellular. 2. The Apple Pencil (2nd gen) is great if you design software or UX.