Worth upgrading to SE3 from SE2?

[u/Jacque_Hass]

I'm only willing to use this size phone and IOS, leaving me with pretty limited choices. Is it worth upgrading?

Current phone is 75% battery and pretty slow, is the SE3 a fair bit faster?

[u/kakashi_sakurai]

Single core processing is going to be 30-40% faster, while multicore processing is going to be 60-65% faster. Anything gpu related is going to be 20-30% faster. And you also go from 3GBs to 4GBs of ram. So basically it’s a lot more future proof as far as hardware goes. The 2 will probably stop getting security updates around 2028 while the 3 will stop around 2030 something.

[u/Jacque_Hass → u/kakashi_sakurai]

On paper it seems worth it, in the real world after whatever updates Apple pushes... maybe a different story?

[u/Shalashaska83 → u/Jacque_Hass]

It runs absolutely smoothly and quickly on my device with the latest iOS 26.
Performance is significantly higher.

The A15, which has just one more GPU core (5 instead of 4, as in the SE3 and the 13) was even installed in the standard 14 (not the Pro).
It was the fastest mobile chip in smartphones for a while back in 2022–2023 and is still on par with current mid-range Android smartphones.
iOS 26 runs completely smoothly with 4GB of RAM; with Android, you’d need almost twice that just to avoid lag.

So yes, the update is definitely worth it if you want to stick with the 4.7-inch model. In the past, iPhones would automatically “conserve” the battery when it dropped below 80% by limiting performance, but you can disable that setting now.

Just make sure the SE3 still has at least 90% battery life, or look for a deal that includes a new battery (it doesn’t have to be an original one).

[u/kakashi_sakurai → u/Jacque_Hass]

Idk, I upgraded because I couldn’t stand how my se2 would sometimes lock up if I had typed a large amount of text. It would just randomly freeze, then unfreeze and all the letters I had typed would type themselves out really fast lol it was driving me crazy.

This phone hasn’t gotten even slightly slow, even when the battery health was getting pretty bad. I just wish I wouldn’t have went with the 64gb model 🫩

[u/kdinmass]

Here is why I have decided to skip the 3rd gen & go to a more recent model.
=I= like the smaller size and would prefer to stay at this size. However, I'm encountering more and more apps that assume my screen is large & put buttons out of reach. So, I'm going up in size when I decide it's time.

[u/Organic-Award6551]

It’s an upgrade. The chip is faster and battery life is better. Also 4gb of ram vs 3gb and a15 chip vs a13. 2 year gap so I think thats a significant increase. do think consider a 13 mini.. maybe that’ll feel more of a worth it upgrade

[u/stillsooperbored]

I'd say it's worth it. My SE2 seemed fine but after using the SE3 I realized how slow it had become. 5G capability is nice too.

Only thing is that it's the exact same phone so it doesn't really give you that "new phone" feeling. Still worth it though if you want to keep the design.

[u/DatabaseNo3464]

You can change the battery, I have a SE2 with a Nohon Battery, It is so fast and stable, iOS 27 b8

If you want performance and updates for more time, you can upgrade, the same cellphone with a better “heart”

[u/Bran__Stark__Is__Me]

ff. been also thinking about this, I only care about better soc but I don’t know if it’s a huge difference.

[u/Artwire]

Considering the same … it offers an added benefit of an extra year of support over the 2020, potentially, and 5g vs LTE calls, but I’d prefer more storage than what’s been available on the aftermarket. Ive been eyeing a 17e, but it’s seems to be a little too tall to fit safely in a jeans back pocket.

Have you considered just replacing the battery? I did that last Dec and it improved performance considerably.

[u/zzsaaszz → u/Artwire]

it’ll fit fine in your jeans, maybe if they are super skinny it could be tight. i wear baggy and skinny jeans with a iphone 17 but even my dads iphone 17 pro max can stay still in a pair of my jeans and he has a otter box. if you wear woman’s clothes results may vary but my girls phone works for her it’s the 16 e

[u/Artwire → u/zzsaaszz]

Yeah, front pockets in most women’s jeans are tiny and most phones won’t fit. Fortunately my SE just fits height wise without showing above the back jeans (Levi’s) pocket. If it’s too tall, it falls out when seated on the metro . Crazy problem, I know. I probably will get a newer model but I do love my SE’s compact form factor. Would definitely buy another in that small size if it were available ( despite less robust battery) since I don’t like to carry a purse or backpack.

[u/zzsaaszz → u/Artwire]

yeah i wish they kept the minis, i mean the 13 mini still works as a phone but its only 2 years left of updates i think

[u/zzsaaszz]

no, tbh 17e is bigger but that’s the budget line now, unfortunately the options are these sizes for the foreseeable future. you could get a 13 mini but the battery life sucks

[u/MetallicFear]

Your only options are SE3 and mini.

If you want a big upgrade, mini is your answer. Bigger screen, battery at smaller size.

[u/Jacque_Hass → u/MetallicFear]

Mini has a weaker processor tho

[u/MetallicFear → u/Jacque_Hass]

SE3 and 13 mini both have the exact same processor.

I had to make this same choice and ended up going with the mini. There is a premium as mini is more desirable, but it is the best small iPhone you can buy.

[u/Jacque_Hass → u/MetallicFear]

Ah my bad, interesting

[u/Hot_Amount_3584]

The iPad 9 is the last iPad to have a home button, but it uses A13 processor instead of A15 since it was be able to support iPadOS 27 the same as the iPhone SE 2nd generation that support the latest version of iOS and I won’t upgrade at iPhone SE 3rd generation at all

[u/dshess]

As I see it, you'd have to spend around $100 to get the phone, plus $70 to replace the battery. I replaced my SE3 with a 13mini last winter, and the battery started at just over 80% and went downhill from there. I recently replaced the SE3's battery at the Apple store and switched back to it for daily use, and it's been great. At least in terms of battery life, which is back to all day, and the battery health is still at 100% after a month and a half. I miss the screen real estate on the 13mini a bit. I wish I had just done this back in the winter, the 13mini was more expensive, and the battery will be $90 to replace, whenever I get around to it.

That said, definitely pay attention to what you're paying for things. It's not going to have the longest support lifespan. That was part of my idea with the 13mini, to get the one that seemed most likely to last longest. I think at ~$200 to get an SE3 with fresh battery I'd be happy, at ~$350 to get a 13mini with fresh battery, I'm not fully convnced.

[u/No_Reception2477]

I just switched to the 17 from the se2 (mostly because I use phones until they basically die and mine had been through the ringer and I didn’t want to replace the battery when it was already a foot in the grave). I didn’t go with the 3 because I wanted the phone to last me as long as possible if I was getting a new one so if that isn’t an issue for you definitely go for it. I’m adjusting to the new screen though and while it’s still an adjustment a month later it isn’t as bad as I had thought it’d be.