Today, I returned my iPhone SE gen 1 to the seller. It was a short time with my little iPhone SE, but I enjoyed using the phone more than anything else. It is tiny and light unlike most flagship phones, but it is a fully functional phone. It runs the latest OS (iOS 15), and all apps are usable. The external resembles an iPhone 5, but it has an A9 chip inside. Ultimately, it is an iPhone 6s in an iPhone 5 shell.
Why am I returning it then if it is so good? It is a great device, but the NFC is not functioning at all unfortunately. This means that it is not possible to pay with it, and I use contactless payment daily so this is a huge problem for me. The seller is nice enough to fix it for me, so I returned it so that they can have a look.
Actually, I took it apart and had a look. In the end, I couldn’t fix anything, but I am glad that the phone is still working. I thought I definitely broke it, but it is stronger than I thought. The NFC chip is probably damaged somehow because it worked once and only once. It stopped once after the first success. I wish they could fix it, but this is unknown. Overall, it was a fun experience opening up the phone, and I will do it again to replace the battery next time.
Now, why am I changing to SE? Maybe, it is because of my 4s. It reminded me about something I used to love. The iPhone was such a great device, and I wanted to experience it again. Maybe, I just want a cheaper phone. My phones are getting cheaper over time. My iPhone 7 was $999, OnePlus 5 was $700 and my POCO F2 Pro was around $550. The SE was chosen because it is only $120 and the iPhone shell. I can surely live with a $100 phone, can’t I?
Phones are larger and heavier lately. We are watching too much content on it, and I don’t think phones were designed to do that. There are heavy 3D games, and they drain the battery rather quickly. This is why phones need to last longer, and they need a bigger battery to do that. In the end, it is our decision to get so attached to a device. This is inevitable.
Going against the trend is never easy. SE is a small phone with a tiny battery. I was forced to use my SE less because it dies instantly. How to solve battery issues? Simply don’t use the phone. I do still watch videos, but it is done using my other Android phone. I don’t watch it on the SE on the go. It is sad to see people with friends playing on their phones instead of chatting with each other. We are never so connected but also so distant at the same time.
Going out without a phone is nearly impossible now. We rely too much on it for all kinds of things. Apple Pay, Google Maps, Messaging apps and many more. I am not saying that we should throw phones away now because they are our best assistants.
No phone is not what I want, less phone is.
Afterword
As you can see, I was trying to talk more about how things and technology have changed in the past few years. Some things can no longer come back and I have to admit it. I will write about it properly next time. Writing is hard and challenging but I like doing it because it is fun.
From A15 Bionic, I said that I won’t be changing back to iPhone. I guess I am changing back to iPhone now, but not really conflicting. I still use my Android phone heavily and way more than my SE. What I meant was that I wouldn’t buy a brand new iPhone, and this is still true. That’s why it won’t happen because SE is so good, and I won’t change it for a while. I can just buy an iPhone SE gen 2 if Apple stops supporting my SE gen 1.