I would love to get new phone but can't afford it right now. Tight budget for me.

I went from an iPhone 6 to an 8 and a few months ago to a 12. I wanted facial recognition. My husband and daughter have SE phones but I think they're too small. We have a brand new iPad too that I never use so I'm really wondering why we have it. It's our 4th. We trade our old ones into the Apple store. Our whole family is Apple but I do have a HP very large desk top I love.

lars, SE is a smaller and less expensive iPhone model. Depending on one's uses, farsightedness (or not) and physical size, it may not be suitable for some. It's too small for me.

A longtime Android user, I recently switched to an iPhone for my main phone (as I mentioned earlier). I found the higher performance Android phones were getting to be too large to keep in a pocket and needlessly expensive. That drove my decision. I might have gone for the new Google 6a that's about to be released but it wasn't available a few months ago

Apple products offer seamless integration and interoperability between devices. As I don't use an iPad nor a Mac nor AppleTV, that particular aspect is not of value to me. After some months, my take on iPhones is that much of the user hype about how special and wonderful iPhones are is just that - emotional hype. It's a competent phone, as most above entry level for Android are too. It does little more than my Android phone did and is more similar than different. Since most smartphone usage involves specific purpose apps, and since most all apps are available in both Android and iPhone flavors, the user experience is little different. There are some idiosyncrasies about an iPhone's Settings and other things that in the end offer the same choices as an Android phone would but the user interfaces and where to find what do differ.

I've had an SE for the past year that I use for one specific purpose. It may lack some features that more up-market models have. It works fine for that purpose but as before, I find the screen too small for other than occasional, fleeting use.

"it knows what you want. It works on any of your devices."

I think it depends. It doesn't know what you want so much as it often TELLS YOU WHAT you should want, without letting you know in advance. Two examples of odd and undesirable behavior:

1) There's a "Control Center", an area to adjust settings. Accessed by swiping down from the upper right corner. You can turn on or off airplane mode, Wifi, Bluetooth, etc. Android phones have a similar feature, accessed by a downward swipe from the top. The difference is, with the iPhone, any settings changed there are temporary. I couldn't figure out why, when turning on Wifi at bedtime (not so strong a cell signal in my bedroom), it was off the next day. Ditto - turn off Bluetooth, it was back on the next day. I looked it up and found that changes in the Control Center are temporary and revert back after some amount of time. Huh? That's ridiculous. To make such changes stick, you need to go into Settings, a longer and less convenient procedure. With that silly behavior, there's no reason to use the Control Center, why have it?

2) My wife, until recently an Android-only user, mistakenly moved the switch on her new iPhone to turn on "Silent Mode (a toggle switch I actually like, an iPhone only feature, that allows you to quickly put a phone into silent mode with a physical switch on the outside edge). In the middle of dinner, her iPad started ringing. She went over to "answer" it, and on the "phone" (actually on her iPad) was a phone call from a friend. After that nonsense was over, a search told me of a setting on the iPhone to stop that silly behavior. Afterall, if you want your phone to be silent, why would you want the call routed to an iPad to ring?

When a thread is started, there's no ownership. The conversation belongs to all. You're the one that bumped up a 5 month old thread.

You replied to a comment an hour ago. A change of heart?

Sorry thought this was a new post. I didn't know it was so old.

We have iPhones with Consumer Cellular. We paid $160 each for two iPhone SE (Legacy) 4 years ago. Looks like their cheapest iPhone right now is $399.

I rarely use my phone for anything other than to place a call. I'd much rather use my MacBook Pro.

"I will not respond anymore" -- one hour ago.... two more posts later. LOL

Sorry, but this is why I rarely post here.

Yeah deb, reminds me of the adage, "it takes more effort and more facial muscles to frown, than to smile".

Sherry, please don't delete the thread! What I hate so much is to read a long thread only to find out that the OP left and never came back and the thread just gave no answers! A lot of us struggle with "what phone do we get?"! Especially us older folks that don't have a bunch of peers to ask.

"What is SE?"

The SE (second generation) is a model that slid between the iPhone 11 and 12 - it's basically an iPhone 8 with an upgraded chip. (The first generation SE was between iPhones 6 and 7). I got one when I upgraded from an iPhone 6 because I didn't want the larger size, and didn't care about facial recognition or better camera lenses (and I didn't like the higher price tag of the larger models) -- I was perfectly happy with my iPhone 6 but still had to upgrade for continued utility. The SE (2nd gen) hit that sweet spot of upgrading what I needed to (new chip) without giving me things I didn't want - or want to pay for.

@kevin9408...How much did YOU pay for your phone? And through whom?

@nicole___I went through 2 flip phones at $29.95 each on a minute plan through AT&T and 100 bucks would last a year. Upgraded to a free Iphone 5 until the battery died, then bought a used Iphone 5s for $50 bucks. AT&T dropped 3 G so I put out a request and was gifted a free Iphone 8 and also bought a new prepaid plan from AT&T costing $25 a month for unlimited talk, text and 8 Gigs of data.

I'm unwilling to pay stupid money for a phone or plan, stupid money means a lot of money and more than the item's are worth to me. I'm not poor or technology challenged but I just don't have any need for the bells and whistles packed in new phones and if it's not broke or I can fix it why replace it.

I'm constantly shown all the cool feathers on the new phones by one of my nephews, who happens to be a regional manager for Apple sales, or other people, but haven't seen any feature I can't live without. If I wanted a SX through a 11 I could get one free or dirt cheap because someone has, is or will be upgrading but still do not see anything I need or want with exception to visual lookup to identify plants and insects.

So I'd need an Iphone with the A12 Bionic chip or newer, and an IPhone XR and XS or later running IOS 15 or newer. I may put out a request, but if this technology can identify plants it could also identify people with a data base to search. So who has a data base of faces? America does but it doesn't bother me if used to fight crime, and china is creating a data base using every social media platform they can including cloud storage from security cameras, but who else.

I guessing Apple and all manufacturer's of Android phone since release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with facial recognition to unlock a phone is collecting a data base. And certainly that creepy Zuckerburg has Facebook doing it, along with any bank who wants to create a database from bank ATM cameras, and sure the list goes on because if it can be done people will do it.

But if criminals get a hold of any of these data bases just by using a common smart phone with visual lookup we all become marks as potential victims. Someone someplace will hack and get access to these databases, or Doctor evil could start his own. It's coming.

"The SE (second generation) is a model that slid between the iPhone 11 and 12 - it's basically an iPhone 8 with an upgraded chip."

I'm not so sure this is true. What I found suggests the external dimensions of the two models are different, which means that the innards are different. Which means, different phones.

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The OP seems to have deleted many of her posts, including several that said she wasn't going to respond anymore. Doing so orphans many of the responses made to her comments but since some are quoted, the sense remains.

"I'm not so sure this is true. What I found suggests the external dimensions of the two models are different, which means that the innards are different. Which means, different phones."

They're exactly the same dimensions....from Apple's website: https://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphoneSE2ndgen,iphone8,iphone13

@kevin9408 Your method of acquiring phones - not a process I’m familiar with. To whom do you ”…put out a request…”?

"They're exactly the same dimensions."

Ah, so it is. I'd measured the SE I have (that I bought refurbished from a mobile carrier, that i know now is the first edition model) and found it to be just under 5 inches tall (quite small), while the SE 2020 is more than a half inch taller, at about 5.5 inches. I missed the nuance of the new model on a larger platform.

My other earlier comments seem in line. The iPhone I bought for primary use is an 11. Paying more to get a 12 or 13 didn't seem worthwhile.

This site looks like a scam...says FREE IPHONE 13: https://v8-iphone.bosswinning4lyfe.com/confirm?ts=4&s1=3342&s2=&clickid=66dc46135d9b4373a6213db1af87f098

Many of the major carriers will give a significant purchase credit, and sometimes provide a phone for no charge (including iPhones), for new customers. Check those for real opportunities.

Update: I ended up getting my husband to buy himself a new phone. A Galaxy S22. It's been on order for two weeks. He purchased it off the Samsung site. We've already received ALL the accessories he ordered.....the charger, the belt-clip pouch, the screen saver cover, the phone case.....still waiting for the phone. Then we need to buy a new 5G card for it.

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His old phone was too old to qualify for a "credit".,,,,,and we already have a carrier, so that was also a deal breaker.

I still don't have a cell phone. I'm not sold on the idea that I really "need" it.

My brother and I just bought Galaxy A13 5G phone a couple of weeks ago, and I was not happy that I had to buy a new phone. I got the same accessories except for the belt-clip pouch, since I have other ways of carrying my phone. I selected this phone because it has an audio jack, and I use earbuds whenever I talk on the phone. I need my hands free whenever I am making appointments, and I also do not like to have to hold the phone to my head. I hate speakerphone, especially when the person on the other end is using it.

One thing I like about the new phone is that it has much better GPS than the old phone, and I don't even remember how old that phone is. I also don't remember where I put it, but I did take the SIM card out and put it in the new phone. The new phone also has a much better battery.

One thing I do not like is that it does not have "Always On" for the screen display, and so I had to download an app for that - otherwise the screen will go dark while I am making a phone call before I am through entering the necessary numbers in a menu - that was quite irritating, but it was an easy fix.

The S22 has a better camera, but that's not what I use my phone for, since I generally use a regular camera, and I never take selfies.

I definitely do need a cell phone since I use my phone to control the pool equipment, thermostat, security lights, and the GPS is very helpful to navigate through traffic in Los Angeles. The GPS on my old phone was constantly getting dropped while in Palm Springs or driving in mountains. It also does not work while in National Parks, but my brother has Garmin GPS in his truck that uses satellites instead of cell phone towers, and so it will work even in Death Valley, where it can be easy to get lost, even with detailed printed maps.

nicole, most people wouldn't be happy not having a cell phone. Not only because of the uses or overuses they may have for it, but just for the convenience of it being available if needed. It doesn't need to be an expensive indulgence, phones and plans can be obtained for modest cost.

Lars, I may have mentioned before, regional maps can be easily downloaded in the Google Map app to allow complete GPS navigation with no need for a cell signal. When the map is downloaded and the app switched to use it, navigation functions exactly as it does when an online connection is in place with one exception - there's no traffic information or rerouting done. I've used offline maps frequently in no-reception areas, including Death Valley and a number of other remote places throughout the West. It works just fine. For those on a limited data plan, if traffic updates for routing aren't needed, offline maps are a way of having convenient GPS navigation without using any data. Simply download the map with a WiFi connection, switch the app to download map usage, and then turn off mobile data on the phone. Drive away.!

How will the map know where I am if there is no cell signal? You cannot even make phone calls in most of Death Valley. Anyway, the Garmin map in my brother's pickup works fine in remote areas, since it relies on satellites.

"How will the map know where I am if there is no cell signal?"

The phone's GPS does not rely on cell service.......an alternative to carrying a separate GPS unit.

What does it rely on, if not cell service?

"What does it rely on, if not cell service?"

GPS radio signals, just like dedicated GPS units. There's a signal receiver in the phone.

Thanks! I also found this information, which goes into more detail.

It is helpful for me to know how this works so that I can know whether to depend on it or not.

I haven't tried downloading maps, but I will do this in the future. My brother had to pay to download a map of Italy onto his portable Garmin GPS, and I believe it cost about $100 in 2016. However, luckily the car we rented had its own GPS already installed, and we had to use that instead of the portable Garmin because the portable GPS required use of the cigarette lighter, and that had been disabled by the car rental agency - probably to discourage smoking in the car.

@Elmer J Fudd...I did see a LOT of "deals" on phones and Verizon offers a $20 a month plan. But...we usually go-all-out when we make a purchase. Then we don't want "more" later. I LOVE technology. But....phones have always reminded me of Petticoat Junction.....ma and pa talkin' on the party line. Ya know?! 🤣 Yeah....I need to just buy a cell phone & go back to using my Ooma.

@Lars...Hands free is pretty cool! I looked up your phone. It's 5G, that would be enough for me too. Your purchases are pretty well thought out. Note: My husband takes photos on the job site. Sometimes he has to have info of what's inside a wall for example. A photo is the best/quickest way to gather & retain that information.

One advantage of the A13 over the S22 with regard to photos is that the A13 has a slot for an SD memory card to be added so that storage can be increased to 1 TB, which of course is way more than probably anyone needs for photos, but it might be useful if one takes a lot of videos.

I already had a 32 MB SD card, and so I just installed that, and that will be enough for me.

The S22 camera phone works slightly better in low light conditions, and so that will be better for your husband. It is also certainly easier to carry a phone than a bulky camera! My sister no longer uses a separate camera.

You found a good explanation lars. How it works - there's two parts to the task. One is receiving and processing satellite signals to determine location in longitude and latitude - just like a Garmin, the phone can do that on its own. The second part is displaying the result on a map on the display, which requires map data. If the map of the area has been previously downloaded and the app is set to use it, there's nothing more needed. That's how a Garmin works, if you want a comparison. Map data is contained in its memory.

Offline maps and travel abroad - cell phones work the same everywhere. I've frequently used offline maps to navigate on foot in foreign cities, also for driving outside the US. Try getting off a subway at a stop in a new neighborhood, wanting to find a particular destination. I enter the destination before I need to use it. No need to look for a sign, get out on the sidewalk, walk 20 feet in any direction and the phone will get oriented and tell you where to walk. It's free.you don't need a local SIM card or foreign plan. Download the map using Wifi in your hotel or at home before you leave. Most phones have capacity for several maps. `

Photos on phones - my recommendation: If you take a lot of photos, back them up off the phone regularly. Cloud backup (many choices, including from the cell carriers) or plug your phone into your PC and copy off the photos. Phones are fragile things and photos can be lost. Ask my wife, whose phone died after she dropped it a few months ago. No way to recover photos, it wouldn't boot up. Yes, it was in a heavy duty case.

All of my photos in the phone are stored on the removable SD card, and so I can always remove that and plug the card into my computer. However, normally I plug the phone directly into the computer and manage my photos and videos that way, but I take so few that it is not an issue.

One thing I like about phone photos is what I can use them as a magnifier. I often take photos of sewing machine needles so that I can view them in the gallery folder and zoom in to read the needle size. I am fairly nearsighted, and so I can minute details fairly easily when I take my glasses off, but the needle sizes are still impossible at times to read. Once I know the size, I color code the end of the needle with the appropriate color of nail polish.

My husband chimed in. He says the S22 has more memory and it's faster than the A13. There was a $50 price drop on the S22. So once again a thread on KT has saved me money! I called & they're giving me a price match refund of $50!

Elmer....every phone....everyone we know carries.....has a cracked screen. I'd like to listen to Howard Stern & podcasts when walking/running. Cordless ear-buds would be nice too. I could also access sale apps when shopping. I might....have to get an A13....that would be fine for my needs.

The S22 does not have an SD slot, and therefore its memory is not expandable, and so the A13 has the potential for much more memory, up to 1 TB, which is four times the max for the S22, but this is overkill unless you make a lot of videos. The advantage is that the card can be removed if the phone dies.

The S22 is slightly faster, but not by much, and this should be an issue only if you play a lot of video games on your phone.

If you get wireless earbuds, make sure they have a microphone, if you plan on using them for talking on the phone.

Lars, I like my IPhone 13 but I miss the removable SD card, earphone plug and FM tuner my Android phones had.

Thanks Lars. Will do. ✨

"Elmer....every phone....everyone we know carries.....has a cracked screen."

Nicole, the newer iphones have MUCH stronger glass. I amost hate to type this and I'm knocking on wood but I bought a round of 13's and 13 Pro's for the family for Christmas, and not a screen is cracked. That's normal for my wife and son but unheard of for my daughter drops her phone several times a day and for me who is not far behind. We do have the glass protectors, my daughter's is cracked but the phone's glass itself is fine. I didn't even know they changed the glass until I googled it when I realized how long we had gone without replacement.

@foodonastump....Cool! That was one reason I was putting this off....ya know. THIS is going to be my first cell phone. I held out ....forever! I've got it in my shopping cart...emailing you @Lars.

"I like my IPhone 13 but I miss the removable SD card, earphone plug and FM tuner my Android phones had."

Can't help with the SD card but I wonder why you believe it would be necessary. You can get iphones with up to 256GB or even 512GB of onboard storage, both of which should be well beyond what anyone would want or need to have. Files of this size in the aggregate should never remain solely on a phone and should backed up frequently, which by itself frees up space.

Earphone plug - For $10, you can get a lightning connector to 3.5 mm (earphone plug) adaptor. This gives the iphone an earphone socket you can plug a corded earphone into.

FM tuner - the free app iHeartradio allows you an easy way to stream radio stations from nationwide locations. Or, use a browser to connect to station websites, most of which offer streaming.

"Elmer....every phone....everyone we know carries.....has a cracked screen."

A crowd with butter fingers maybe? Everyone is different. I've been using smartphones for 20 years (the early days of Blackberry) and by being careful and deliberate with handling, I've never dropped one or had a cracked screen. But I know many do. A rugged case can help - I've never used one, I keep my phone in a front pocket and a case makes them too bulky.

"I'd like to listen to Howard Stern & podcasts when walking/running."

I'm not a Stern or Sirius fan but of course you can use a smartphone for those. I use a program to download podcasts to a PC (itunes does this though I prefer the Windows app Grover) and then I copy the files to an MP3 player. The transfer is done just like moving a file from one PC folder to a different one, using Windows Explorer

I use cheap,MP3 player, with a sturdy clip to attach to your blouse, T shirt, sweater, etc. Small and rugged.

Do a search for Sandisk Clip Jam, they're easily found. Amazon, Best Buy, other sellers. $29.99

So far none of the Iphones I had cracked. The current one is the only one I have not used a screen protector. I generally carry it in my pocket when I garden and it has been whacked by various handles.

I just looked and the 14 Pro line has an option for 1 trillion storage. I trade mine in partially for new features that I think I want every year. I have discovered since mine are not used roughly with the trade in amount that is sent to you after they have received your phone so far I have only had to pay half of what they are being marketed for.

After 10 years, I finally cracked the screen on my iPhone. I was using it as a flashlight, laying on the ladder top, and it fell off. Not only did I get it fixed the next day, I bought some rechargeable work lights on the same shopping trip.

@Elmer J Fudd...I have an MP3 player. This will be an updated cordless version...with a camera AND phone. 😂

Both my husband and I have had iPhones for many years and neither of us has ever cracked a screen and we don't have protectors. He is less careful than I am and has dropped his but I never have, As strange as it might seem, I carry mine in a Nintendo DS pouch I bought at 5Below many years ago and it has kept my phones in pristine shape. I even hate a fingerprint on the screen.

Why are they "making" you buy a new phone? I've had an iPhone for 2 years past the contract expiration. You just pay month to month. I have a new iPhone 13 Pro Max and have to pay it off in February. Or get a new phone, which is an option. I may or may not switch to the Samsung 22 Ultra. I'm still debating that one.

If your phone is still in good working order and still updates when it needs to be updated, don't get a new phone. Nobody can force that.

Think a bit more broadly, deb. In the US, cell carriers are in the process of stopping so called 3G transmissions. Some have already done so. Someone whose old phone works only with 3G will not have a working phone when their carrier stops supporting that signal.

In my case, they're "forcing me" in a manner of speaking to get a new car. I have a car whose internet connectivity (like for current traffic info and other useful features) uses a 3G cellular signal. It's not changeable and not upgradeable and the signal ended about 2 months ago. I plan to buy this year's edition of the same car. I like it and would have kept it but for this issue.

I don't need the internet in my car. ;) I drive a 2004 GMC Jimmy. I'm lucky it has cup holders. I use the data on my cell phone for gps if and when I need it. Why not just use your phone?

I prefer using a built-in system with the car's screen. It's neater with less commotion, no wires, no brackets to connect the phone to, etc. Also, the newer the car, the more gizmos that can be fun to play with. My current car has automagic parallel parking and a heads-up display, among other things. I like both and plan to get them again.

You can have my cup holders, I don't use them.

@Elmer J Fudd...I like gadgets. Jealous! My car had so many gadgets already I was over whelmed. Next time....maybe. Enjoy!

So, my husband ordered his S22, 256GB 5G direct from Samsung weeks ago...still no phone. They don't charge you until they ship it. They had a $50 price drop. I called, they said no problem, then the next day said they couldn't give us the $50 off. Did NOT want to discuss it. So DH cancelled the order. Put in the exact same order with Amazon, they also had a $50 price drop and it's being delivered OVERNIGHT. 😊 Got it today!

Update: For me, I ordered a Samsung A13 5G 64GB unlocked, open box, got $100 off, still has the one year manufacturers warranty. Comes with a cord & charger.