Looking to get a new phone - can't decide between 2

[penguin8967]

I've been looking a lot recently at budget phones, and I've found the two main ones I'm interested in: The OnePlus Nord and iPhone SE.

 

I'm not too much of a fan of large phones (coming from a Samsung A50), and I'm looking to downsize. I'm not already tied into any ecosystem either.

 

Which phone would you recommend better? I'm from the UK, and using some discounts I have I can get the Nord for £349 and the SE for £400.

 

Currently I'm inclined towards the SE, as I like the idea of long-term software support, smaller size, water resistance and wireless charging.

 

I'd also like:

• Decent camera that can record 1080p 60fps
• Reliable performance

[WaggishOhio383]

14 minutes ago, penguin8967 said:

I've been looking a lot recently at budget phones, and I've found the two main ones I'm interested in: The OnePlus Nord and iPhone SE.

 

I'm not too much of a fan of large phones (coming from a Samsung A50), and I'm looking to downsize. I'm not already tied into any ecosystem either.

 

Which phone would you recommend better? I'm from the UK, and using some discounts I have I can get the Nord for £349 and the SE for £400.

 

Currently I'm inclined towards the SE, as I like the idea of long-term software support, smaller size, water resistance and wireless charging.

 

I'd also like:

• Decent camera that can record 1080p 60fps
• Reliable performance

In the end it all comes down to personal preference. As an android user, I would never get an iPhone myself, but if you want a reliable phone with good performance, you can't go wrong with the SE. iOS is much more optimized than android, simply because it's locked down to only function with the apps apple makes you use. While you get great performance on much lower specs than other android phones, you don't have the flexibility to change things like your messaging app, keyboard, launcher, etc. If you're okay with making those sacrifices to get better performance, then do it.

 

It really depends on whether you care more about what you can do with your phone's hardware, or software. If you really want the IP rating and wireless charging, then get the iPhone SE. If you want a phone that allows for more customization within the OS, but is lacking some hardware features that you realistically can live without (I've had a Samsung Galaxy S8 for a year and a half now and I've never used wireless charging or had any issues with taking sudden tumbles into water) then go with the OnePlus Nord.

[Quadriplegic]

Galaxy S10e? EU based devices have Exynos chipset, which has custom ROMs available if memory serves me right. It's compact, has better screen than either Nord or SE, won't break as easily as Nord, looks better than iPhone, has pretty capable cameras. Battery life isn't the best, but should still last a day.

Without discount Nord is worth roughly 300€, 350€ would be kinda pushing it. 399€ MSRP makes it simply overpriced, it has no features that would warrant that price tag.


iPhone SE has good chipset and camera software, but it is quite barebones, relies on brainwashed fan base to generate sales.
OneMinus Nord has mediocre chipset, camera, general lack of feature, relies on brainwashed fan base to generate sales.

[freeagent]

The new se is ok, my wife wanted one so I bought her one. I personally wouldn’t buy one for myself tho. I am too used to the newer style, so much so the se feels like a stripped out iPhone with a stripped out experience. It is zippy though.

[Results45]

19 hours ago, penguin8967 said:

I've been looking a lot recently at budget phones, and I've found the two main ones I'm interested in: The OnePlus Nord and iPhone SE.

 

I'm not too much of a fan of large phones (coming from a Samsung A50), and I'm looking to downsize. I'm not already tied into any ecosystem either.

 

Which phone would you recommend better? I'm from the UK, and using some discounts I have I can get the Nord for £349 and the SE for £400.

 

Currently I'm inclined towards the SE, as I like the idea of long-term software support, smaller size, water resistance and wireless charging.

 

I'd also like:

• Decent camera that can record 1080p 60fps
• Reliable performance

 

Have you considered the Pixel 3a/3a XL or the upcoming Pixel 4a/4a XL? The first is sitting at around £175 on Ebay while the latter will be released in the coming month at £300.

 

Compared to the Nord, I'd say the Pixels are just as much worth it pound for pound in build quality, reliability, features (like a headphone jack?), and battery life.

 

The Pixels are also known to have superior image processing, but the Nord definitely makes up for it with an ultrawide and macro cameras.

 

If it helps, here's a comparison between them: https://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/OnePlus-Nord,Google-Pixel-3a-XL,Google-Pixel-4a/phones/11407,11069,11311

 

As for the iPhone SE, the only things going for it are wireless charging, Apple ecosystem, and raw performance. Otherwise, I'd go with the Nord ~ if not the Pixel.

[Donut417]

On 7/27/2020 at 10:09 AM, penguin8967 said:

I've been looking a lot recently at budget phones, and I've found the two main ones I'm interested in: The OnePlus Nord and iPhone SE.

 

I'm not too much of a fan of large phones (coming from a Samsung A50), and I'm looking to downsize. I'm not already tied into any ecosystem either.

 

Which phone would you recommend better? I'm from the UK, and using some discounts I have I can get the Nord for £349 and the SE for £400.

 

Currently I'm inclined towards the SE, as I like the idea of long-term software support, smaller size, water resistance and wireless charging.

 

I'd also like:

• Decent camera that can record 1080p 60fps
• Reliable performance

I have the iPhone XR and I really like it. iOS is a decent mobile OS and the long term support is nice. Im not sure how the SE compares to the XR, I know the SE uses older hardware, I believe that a few features have been stripped out as well. 

 

I used to have a OnePlus 3t and it was the most solid Android device I ever owned. One Plus constantly seemed to update the phone with security updates and I think I got 3 OS updates out of the deal. Their implementation of  Android is close to stock I believe. Over all it was a great experience. 

 

This is a tough decision. Id do it based on features. Im not sure what the OnePLus Nord has to offer. So id compare specs and see what they have. 

[Commodus]

On 7/27/2020 at 10:21 AM, WaggishOhio383 said:

In the end it all comes down to personal preference. As an android user, I would never get an iPhone myself, but if you want a reliable phone with good performance, you can't go wrong with the SE. iOS is much more optimized than android, simply because it's locked down to only function with the apps apple makes you use. While you get great performance on much lower specs than other android phones, you don't have the flexibility to change things like your messaging app, keyboard, launcher, etc. If you're okay with making those sacrifices to get better performance, then do it.

 

It really depends on whether you care more about what you can do with your phone's hardware, or software. If you really want the IP rating and wireless charging, then get the iPhone SE. If you want a phone that allows for more customization within the OS, but is lacking some hardware features that you realistically can live without (I've had a Samsung Galaxy S8 for a year and a half now and I've never used wireless charging or had any issues with taking sudden tumbles into water) then go with the OnePlus Nord.

While I appreciate your balanced approach, there are a number of things you say here that are inaccurate.

 

iOS is more optimized because it only has to run on a handful of devices and has robust frameworks to match, not because of the apps Apple "makes you use." Remember, many third-party apps run better on iOS. There's a long history of apps like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok being considerably more polished on iPhones.

 

The specs aren't "much lower." You have less RAM because iOS doesn't have as much overhead and is stricter about memory management, but the processors are objectively faster in most categories. The running joke a couple of months ago was that Apple's most affordable iPhone is faster than the most expensive Android phone... that may still be true even with the Snapdragon 865 Plus reaching devices.

 

You can change your keyboard -- Gboard, SwiftKey and others have been available on iOS for years. Apple will switch to its default keyboard when security is an issue (to prevent rogue apps from logging your keystrokes), but you can use a preferred keyboard most of the time.

 

It really comes down to how much the OP values software flexibility versus long-term support and performance, and it sounds like those last two concerns win here.

[WaggishOhio383]

4 minutes ago, Commodus said:

You can change your keyboard -- Gboard, SwiftKey and others have been available on iOS for years. Apple will switch to its default keyboard when security is an issue (to prevent rogue apps from logging your keystrokes), but you can use a preferred keyboard most of the time.

Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. A while back when I used an iPhone for a few months that wasn't an option. I've just never seen anyone with an iPhone use anything other than the default keyboard so I assumed that was still the case. 

 

5 minutes ago, Commodus said:

Remember, many third-party apps run better on iOS. There's a long history of apps like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok being considerably more polished on iPhones.

Never used any of those apps on android or iOS so again wasn't aware that was the case.

 

8 minutes ago, Commodus said:

iOS is more optimized because it only has to run on a handful of devices and has robust frameworks to match, not because of the apps Apple "makes you use."

I was actually aware of this and I have no idea why I said it was becasue of the apps. I just wanted to make sure OP was aware of the inability to change things such as your launcher, and incorrectly led into it by saying that's why iOS runs faster I guess...

 

Thanks for the corrections, as I didn't know a few of those things myself. I'll certainly keep that in mind for any future advice-giving.

[Commodus]

34 minutes ago, WaggishOhio383 said:

Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. A while back when I used an iPhone for a few months that wasn't an option. I've just never seen anyone with an iPhone use anything other than the default keyboard so I assumed that was still the case. 

 

Never used any of those apps on android or iOS so again wasn't aware that was the case.

 

I was actually aware of this and I have no idea why I said it was becasue of the apps. I just wanted to make sure OP was aware of the inability to change things such as your launcher, and incorrectly led into it by saying that's why iOS runs faster I guess...

 

Thanks for the corrections, as I didn't know a few of those things myself. I'll certainly keep that in mind for any future advice-giving.

You're welcome -- apologies if I was snarky in any way. I've just been around enough to see people base their perceptions of Apple on experiences that haven't been true for a while (if at all). The classic examples were with Macs, like "I didn't know they could run Office/Steam/insert common app here." I remember being in a group where some Windows users genuinely thought you couldn't get Mac apps from outside the App Store... even though the Mac App Store had only been around for a couple of years at most at that point.

 

Sometimes, it's simply because they haven't run across the right people complaining at the right time. Snapchat's poor Android performance is well-known, but not ubiquitously known.  I've also happened to run into numerous Instagram and TikTok users who complain (sometimes in the posts themselves) about how the Android versions just don't run as well. If you don't use those apps or just don't stumble across those posts, you're not going to know!

[Spurgt_Fuglen]

As an iPhone user, i would not recommend the SE because of the battery life. Either wait for the 12, or go for the S10e. Such a great phone with the perfect size and alot going for it.

 

I use it as my work phone, and i really like it.

[Roswell]

On 7/29/2020 at 9:33 AM, Commodus said:

While I appreciate your balanced approach, there are a number of things you say here that are inaccurate.

 

iOS is more optimized because it only has to run on a handful of devices and has robust frameworks to match, not because of the apps Apple "makes you use." Remember, many third-party apps run better on iOS. There's a long history of apps like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok being considerably more polished on iPhones.

 

The specs aren't "much lower." You have less RAM because iOS doesn't have as much overhead and is stricter about memory management, but the processors are objectively faster in most categories. The running joke a couple of months ago was that Apple's most affordable iPhone is faster than the most expensive Android phone... that may still be true even with the Snapdragon 865 Plus reaching devices.

 

You can change your keyboard -- Gboard, SwiftKey and others have been available on iOS for years. Apple will switch to its default keyboard when security is an issue (to prevent rogue apps from logging your keystrokes), but you can use a preferred keyboard most of the time.

 

It really comes down to how much the OP values software flexibility versus long-term support and performance, and it sounds like those last two concerns win here.

A big factor in the differing performance is iOS having direct hardware access for apps where Android by design has apps run in emulation.

[Commodus]

7 hours ago, Vitamanic said:

A big factor in the differing performance is iOS having direct hardware access for apps where Android by design has apps run in emulation.

Well, it's not so much emulation as just-in-time compilation, but I think we both understand -- Apple can target natively where Google needs an intermediary layer.