I replaced my iPhone for the first time in four years.
My previous phone was an iPhone XR, which had no home button.
When the first iPhones without a home button came out, my reaction was “seriously?” But as things stand now, the home-button-less iPhone 12 and 13 actually outsell the iPhone SE.
So, honestly, what’s the deal with the iPhone home button?
And did switching to the iPhone SE make any difference? Let’s take a look.
About the home button
First, the home button question, which was what I cared about most.
I’m firmly in the anti-“iPhone without a home button” camp. On my iPhone XR I never used Face ID and always typed in my passcode.
Holding the iPhone up in front of my face for Face ID was a hassle, and I found it more convenient to just quickly punch in the passcode.
The biggest difference, I think, is whether the screen wakes when you touch it.
On the iPhone SE, touching the screen doesn’t wake it, whereas on the home-button-less models the screen turns on with just a tap.
Personally, I prefer a phone that doesn’t wake on touch alone.
The reason is that when the phone is in your pocket, the screen turns on and off from accidental input, wasting battery. (For some reason the screen responds even through clothing.)
And if you leave it somewhere you might brush against it, the screen suddenly lights up and you mistake it for a notification.
Having the screen wake via the home button is extremely useful for preventing accidental screen input.
Coming back to a home button, I was reminded that fingerprint authentication really is the best.
The iPhone SE uses the same chip as the iPhone 13, so unlocking is extremely fast.
(So fast that the lock screen barely serves a purpose anymore.)
They say Face ID works with a mask on the iPhone 13, but I’ve heard mixed reactions. With a fingerprint sensor, when the phone is sitting on the desk and I want to open it quickly, I don’t even have to pick it up, and I can unlock it in any situation without depending on my face. It’s just too convenient.
The home button and fingerprint authentication really are the best!! Glad I bought it!!
Other aspects of the iPhone SE
As for other features, the first is battery life.
Surprisingly, the battery doesn’t last as long as I’d hoped.
When I switched to the iPhone XR, I thought the battery was infinite, but with the iPhone SE I was only impressed to the extent of “yeah, about what I expected.”
Honestly, batteries may have reached the point where further improvements are hard to notice.
That said, the battery life isn’t bad. Four hours of YouTube seems to be no problem, and it lasts a day well enough.
As for heat, my impression is that it stays fairly cool.
I thought the small, thin body might trap heat, but it hasn’t gotten hot at all so far, so it doesn’t seem to be an issue.
The camera obviously can’t compete with something like the iPhone 13, but I think it’s more than good enough for practical use.
iPhone cameras have always been excellent.
If you own a separate DSLR or mirrorless camera, the iPhone SE may be plenty; it’s certainly not impractical.
If anything, the small camera on a small phone makes for a nice compact package.
On home-button-less models, notifications and Control Center are pulled down from the right and left of the notch, but on the iPhone SE it’s top and bottom, which I think is another plus.
The display isn’t interrupted by a notch, so you get a clean rectangular screen.
Still, now that so much functionality differs depending on whether there’s a home button, I’m a little worried about where iOS is headed.
It seems like a lot of things have to be built twice, once for each design.
I really hope they don’t drop support any time soon.
