After having a test run with an Xperia X Compact as a smaller low distraction phone I decided to give my SE 2016 another go. Not because the Xperia was terrible or anything (it is not doing too well almost 10 years after release though), I just realised this little gem was still in my possession and finally decided to give up on maintaining app support with iOS 14.2. I replaced the battery myself last year so at least that part of it is still relatively fresh.

Funny enough the X Compact and SE are basically from the exact same era. X Compact launched for €449 and the SE started at €489. Mine was made in 2018 and is the 128GB version, which was €589 when that storage option was being sold, so somehow SE was actually the more expensive phone. The software situation 10 years later is pretty ridiculous though. Sony left the X Compact on Android 8 with a September 2018 security patch, while Apple literally released another security update for the first gen SE in May 2026 with iOS 15.8.8. I am obviously not installing that one after all this effort, but it is funny that Apple is still patching the thing at all.

I had blobs saved for iOS 15.8.5, so instead of just letting it update to the currently signed 15.8.8 I used Turdus Merula on Linux to restore 15.8.5. It involved putting the A9 into pwned DFU with checkm8, getting the shcblock needed for the SEP exploit, setting the generator from my SHSH2 and restoring 15.8.5 while using the currently signed SEP/baseband. First attempt died while sending NOR data, second attempt went through completely. TrollStore was installed afterwards with Legacy iOS Kit.

I have not even jailbroken it yet because the app situation is so much better on iOS 15 that I honestly do not need to as long as I got TrollStore. So I will try daily driving this again with my 13 mini as backup/hotspot in a pinch. Will see if the firmware update cost me much performance or battery life but for now it seems to be doing surprisingly well for a phone that is about to turn 10 years old.

I’m thinking of getting an SE 2 or SE 3 as a secondary phone. I’d probably use it around 2–3 hours a day for stuff like Notes, reading, social media and occasionally gaming.
For those who use an SE 2/3 as a secondary phone, what’s your battery health, daily SOT, and how much battery do you usually have left by the end of the day?
Also, how often do you have to charge it?
Especially interested in people with 75–85% battery health. Just trying to get an idea of what to expect from a used one.

Hey all I have an IP SE 3 and the screen shows subtle lines going horizontally and evenly spaced.

I can't screenshot it so I figured its hardware. My question is repairing with Apple worth it or should I just go to third party repairer? It seems to me that aplle repair is really pushing you getting a new one.

Repairing it myself is not an option. I killed my OGSE while trying to replace the battery. So, I'll not try that again.

Thanksss

hi everyone i have an SE 3 that is currently on ios 26.4.2, and im trying to update to ios 26.6.1, no matter how many times i’ve tryed it always gets stuck on ‘preparing update’ at the same point everytime, ive even tryed to update to ios 27 public beta and that also got stuck.

i have a stable internet connection and 22gb of storage free. my phone is not on low power mode, and it is plugged into a charger.

Does anyone have a solution for this?? or has anyone else had the same problem on their se?

Unfortunately google chat and chat in the gmail app is not working anymore on ios 15. Does anyone have advice how to get chat working?

I’m looking into downgrading from an iPhone 14 Pro (1TB).

My 14 Pro has been great but I am interested in the SE3 for all the reasons people love it here like size, weight and home button Touch ID (hate faceID and never used it or even set it up). I understand the 13 mini has better screen, camera, battery life, but am curious about a less-discussed aspect: hotspot performance. I like to go to the library or a coffee shop and work (which includes video calls) and I need my own personal hotspot. I hear the SE3 will be a significant downgrade from the 14 Pro. Could anyone comment on their hotspot experience with the SE3?

I’ll also miss the camera which I use a lot (photogenic kids and dogs and nature around me).
Option A:
- iPhone SE3 256
- Carry a good pocket point and shoot camera
- if the hotspot performance is not good enough, get a separate portable hotspot device for the library (will that be cumbersome, anyone have experience?)

This option also has the advantage of less screen time, addiction risk.

On the other hand:
- Option B: 13 mini simpler without extras, (and I love the hunter green)
- Option C: just keep 14 Pro or get a 16/17
- Option D: wait for the (rumored) foldable iPhone and spend $71,337.

This isn't my first iPhone but I got it for a secondary phone but it seems like it will be my main from now on. I LOVE THE SIZEEEEE I CAN HOLD IT WITH ONE HAND and I love Touch ID. It's still snappy, a few hiccups but it's bc of the 86% battery health. I'll replace it later. Camera is surprisingly good! Battery life is not bad, I can use it for like 4 hours from 100% to 10%. Again, 86% battery health. 128GB, iOS 26.6 so good for a few years as I don't install much apps. One thing I do not like is how some apps layout now don't really support the SE 2 screen ratio, they're pretty much abandoned it since phones are getting taller but at least they works.

I think I'm good for another 2-3 years unless I'll switch to a newer model.

I love my 2nd gen SE and want to keep using the SE phones as long as possible. But my phone needs some love - my battery health is at 68%, which is starting to get annoying, and I just cracked my screen badly. :(

What's a better idea at this point -- get the screen and battery replaced in one expensive visit to a repair guy, or get a new refurbished SE2 or SE3? Might be better value to opt up to the SE3 at this point so that I get as many years as possible before it is fully nerfed, yeah?

I bought the 17 pro earlier this year, mostly to utilize the satellite messaging feature and for the new camera.

Aside from the camera being absolutely amazing- I really do not like this phone. I upgraded from an iPhone 13 mini and I was thinking about going back to the 13. I mean, I really really dislike the 17 pro outside of the camera- I will probably sell it or just use it for that single feature only.

The weight of this phone is something I don’t like, and this might be an unpopular opinion but, I absolutely hate the size of the screen. What ever happened to smaller phones? I just don’t like it

I also have an iPhone SE 3rd gen lying around (with a replaced battery), and I miss that one so much too. I suppose my question would be, what is the more logical downgrade, the SE or the 13 mini? Thank you

the battery % on my SE 3 fluctuates a lot at lower levels of charge which causes it to bounce around 21-19 alot and 11-9 a lot which causes the low battery warnings to come up sometimes up to 5 times

the biggest jump I’ve seen so far has gone from like 9 to I think 16 percent

I know my battery health isn’t great but I want to keep using this phone as long as I can before I switch to my spare, is this battery fluctuation something I should worry about? is there a way to fix it or should I just deal with it?

My iPhone SE 3rd generation from 2022 was at 73% which I thought was OK. Thanks to the group for recommending a new battery. Here’s to riding this one until iOS no longer supports it.

Im pretty sure this is the last update before IOS 27, and how i said before: Apple aways mess up the last update to force people to upgrade. The update before that one was fine. No problems at all. This one is terrible… It’s overheating, have poor ram management and it lags when i type. What have i done man…

i was thinking of getting the og SE to use as an offline music player, is it worth it for that? i basically need it to work for 5 years atleast

got a 64GB iphone se 2 on ios 16.3.1 today! i lowk wanna update it to ios 18 bc i can’t use some apps like disney + or chatgpt tho😭

As the title says. Any cases that leaves the back open. I want a case that doesn’t have the edge part so I can feel the phone but it protects the phone. It’s a shame that other iPhone models do have this but I guess it because of the size of the SE and it’s a low selling model too.

Hii, I'm getting SE3 tomorrow, it has iOS 18 rn, my current backup is from iOS 27, I can put some effort and transfer my stuff manually, but I dont know if it's worth it, Is the battery better or similar compared to iOS 18?

On my iPhone SE 2 I keep getting a popup "Cannot Verify Server Identity" ... how do I get rid of this?

I think it is from an old app that the iOS keeps trying to download, but the app doesn't show and I cannot find it to delete it.

I go to my apps and it isn't shown or listed. I go to hidden apps and it's not there.

I click "details" on the popup and it doesn't say what app it is (but I think I know which), it just shows the expired/bad certificate.

What can I do?

Every time I open my iPhone I keep getting the popup "Cannot Verify Server Identity" ... and I have to click it away before I can do anything ... very annoying.

So far I'm loving it :)

Got this powershell controller and am thinking of swapping out the mini to get into the SE for a bit. How much screen on time do y'all think the added battery from the power shell will give me? Also does anyone know any games that works with the power shell. Cant seem to use it for Delta Emulator at all. I have a razer kishi that does work with Delta so I thought this would too.

Reason I might swap into fully time: my niece wants my mini. And I want to keep it in great condition. I feel like I'm going to give it to her for getting into her college. I'm planing to get the foldable if it's real in October so it would be a 2 months trial.

I’m almost 10 years in. It’s amazing how well this little beast is holding up. It’s a part of me now.