iPhone SE, when will it be available in Thailand?

[Spacer]

Anyone know when the iPhone SE will be available in stores here?

[mrsomchai]

About May, but available in Singapore from April.

Considering that Apple Thailand ships from Singapore, it might be available in April also, but i am only guessing

[tropo]

Is that the best they can come up with for a 4 inch phone?... revamping old models. What will it cost?

[JHolmesJr]

Its a great idea...the guts of the ip6s in the compact form of the 5s.

Starts at 399usd....aimed mainly at cracking the india/china mass market.

Id buy one....as i consider the 6s to be huuuge.

[mrsomchai]

Is that the best they can come up with for a 4 inch phone?... revamping old models. What will it cost?

15900 starting price

[tropo]

Is that the best they can come up with for a 4 inch phone?... revamping old models. What will it cost?

15900 starting price

As a proud owner of the iPhone 5, which now has an expanded battery which destroyed the screen, and a brand new iPhone 6 which needed replacing after a few weeks. I also have a MacBook Air, iPad mini (1st generation) and a iPod Nano 7, so I'm no Apple newbie, but I'm no longer such a fan.

They're still ripping us off by offering extra storage capacity for a whopping extra $100, when we know that a 16 GB model is woefully insufficient, so basically for all practical purposes we need to buy the higher capacity 64 GB model as the 16 GB will be full in no time flat. It's really disgraceful that they're even offering a 16 GB model. The base model should be 32 GB minimum. This is marketing BS to show a low entry price.

Whereas with a Samsung you can change the battery and storage capacity instantly any time you need to.

We don't have an Apple store in Thailand and any easy way to have them serviced. They even decided to take English off the Thailand online Apple Store.

If you're in the US or other advanced nations, Apple makes more sense as they have decent backup services.

Apart from that, they just revamping a nearly 4 year old model. Side by side the iPhone 5/5s and the new iPhone SE are almost identical. They're starting off with a dinosaur... imagine what it will look like in 2 years from now next to other manufacturer's much slicker and cheaper offerings.

Already the under 10,000 baht Samsung phones are far better than the iPhone 5's.

I won't be wasting my money on no more iPhones no more.

[mrsomchai]

Is that the best they can come up with for a 4 inch phone?... revamping old models. What will it cost?

15900 starting price

As a proud owner of the iPhone 5, which now has an expanded battery which destroyed the screen, and a brand new iPhone 6 which needed replacing after a few weeks. I also have a MacBook Air, iPad mini (1st generation) and a iPod Nano 7, so I'm no Apple newbie, but I'm no longer such a fan.

They're still ripping us off by offering extra storage capacity for a whopping extra $100, when we know that a 16 GB model is woefully insufficient, so basically for all practical purposes we need to buy the higher capacity 64 GB model as the 16 GB will be full in no time flat. It's really disgraceful that they're even offering a 16 GB model. The base model should be 32 GB minimum. This is marketing BS to show a low entry price.

Whereas with a Samsung you can change the battery and storage capacity instantly any time you need to.

We don't have an Apple store in Thailand and any easy way to have them serviced. They even decided to take English off the Thailand online Apple Store.

If you're in the US or other advanced nations, Apple makes more sense as they have decent backup services.

Apart from that, they just revamping a nearly 4 year old model. Side by side the iPhone 5/5s and the new iPhone SE are almost identical. They're starting off with a dinosaur... imagine what it will look like in 2 years from now next to other manufacturer's much slicker and cheaper offerings.

Already the under 10,000 baht Samsung phones are far better than the iPhone 5's.

I won't be wasting my money on no more iPhones no more.

I have never had a problem with any of my Apple products and have no problem buying more.

SE is nothing like 5, the only similarity is the screen size.

No idea what you using your iphone for, but i also have no problem with 16gb storage.

I have tried a Samsung and will NOT be using one even if it was for FREE.

Why? because it takes 5 steps to do something where on iphone is just a click or a swipe.

[tropo]

SE is nothing like 5, the only similarity is the screen size.

No idea what you using your iphone for, but i also have no problem with 16gb storage.

I have tried a Samsung and will NOT be using one even if it was for FREE.

Why? because it takes 5 steps to do something where on iphone is just a click or a swipe.

It doesn't take much to fill up 16 GB. You should be complaining rather than sanctioning this type of marketing rip off. There's a difference between getting by and having the luxury of space. With the new photos features and 4K video, 64 GB of storage is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Take some decent videos and see how long 16 GB lasts you. The new "Live Photos" feature will chew through that in no time. You shouldn't need to just get by for a phone which costs over $400. Sure, there's iCloud, but transferring videos using iTunes is something a lot of iPhone users don't bother to do.

"SE is nothing like 5"...

LOL. It's nearly identical. Sure, the insides are upgraded to iPhone 6 specs, but the outside is still a dinosaur.

Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4kgYqGyu2Y

I also own some Android devices. Saying it takes 5 steps on Android to do what you can do in one click or swipe on IOS 9 is just plain nonsense. Just for starters, closing apps is far easier on Android... and closing apps is or should be one of the most common tasks for most smart phone users.

[jharr]

My guess on the price is ฿20,500 for the 64GB model, the 16GB is largely a joke except for corporate users and markets with more price sensitivity such as India and China (huge for Apple). $20,500 was the price of the iPhone 5S 32GB in Thailand in February (when it was $US500 in the US store).

Early reviews have the SE battery life significantly better than the Samsung s7 and iPhone 6s.

Stress test:

iPhone SE 10 hours

iPhone 6s 8 hours

Samsung s7 7 hours, yes that's right the stunning new phone from Samsung can't compete on battery (again)

If you want a smaller phone with stunning performance this is the one if you have the budget. The closest Android phone is the Sony z5 Compact (4.6") with excellent battery life, waterproof and micro SD, but when I read that yet again Sony dropped the ball on the camera I gave up on that one. The good news for Apple haters and those with a smaller budget is that Apple's SE will drive a flurry of new Android phones in a smaller size.

The Apple store in Thailand does have a shop in English link at the bottom of the homepage.

http://www.apple.com/th-en/shop/browse/home_th_en

It looks like I will retire my iPhone 4 16GB this year and I suspect a huge number of iPhone 4S, 5 and 5S owners will upgrade to the SE too. Tim Cook claimed that Apple sold 30 million iPhone 5S handsets in 2015. That's quite a few by anyone's standards and when you consider it was a 2 year old phone at that point it appears there is a market out there for a smaller, cheaper iPhone.

Edited March 29, 2016 by jharr

[Spacer]

About May, but available in Singapore from April.

Considering that Apple Thailand ships from Singapore, it might be available in April also, but i am only guessing

Thanks mrsomchai, my old 4s is dying and I can't wait for the 7.

Fwiw, I like the smaller size phone.

[CWMcMurray]

Is that the best they can come up with for a 4 inch phone?... revamping old models. What will it cost?

15900 starting price

As a proud owner of the iPhone 5, which now has an expanded battery which destroyed the screen, and a brand new iPhone 6 which needed replacing after a few weeks. I also have a MacBook Air, iPad mini (1st generation) and a iPod Nano 7, so I'm no Apple newbie, but I'm no longer such a fan.

They're still ripping us off by offering extra storage capacity for a whopping extra $100, when we know that a 16 GB model is woefully insufficient, so basically for all practical purposes we need to buy the higher capacity 64 GB model as the 16 GB will be full in no time flat. It's really disgraceful that they're even offering a 16 GB model. The base model should be 32 GB minimum. This is marketing BS to show a low entry price.

Whereas with a Samsung you can change the battery and storage capacity instantly any time you need to.

We don't have an Apple store in Thailand and any easy way to have them serviced. They even decided to take English off the Thailand online Apple Store.

If you're in the US or other advanced nations, Apple makes more sense as they have decent backup services.

Apart from that, they just revamping a nearly 4 year old model. Side by side the iPhone 5/5s and the new iPhone SE are almost identical. They're starting off with a dinosaur... imagine what it will look like in 2 years from now next to other manufacturer's much slicker and cheaper offerings.

Already the under 10,000 baht Samsung phones are far better than the iPhone 5's.

I won't be wasting my money on no more iPhones no more.

I have never had a problem with any of my Apple products and have no problem buying more.

SE is nothing like 5, the only similarity is the screen size.

No idea what you using your iphone for, but i also have no problem with 16gb storage.

I have tried a Samsung and will NOT be using one even if it was for FREE.

Why? because it takes 5 steps to do something where on iphone is just a click or a swipe.

Have to agree.. Am happy on Apple Island...

Also like the family sharing, so kids and me and wife can share apps and movies..

Also have Apple TV so Air Play is a major benefit...

Have a 5s and no problems for the last few years..

So 15k for the same thing I bought for +20k sounds good to me..

Also daughter has old 4 s from a number of years ago.. Still works like a charm but happy to see a lower priced option that can be for replacement for kids or to be honest... Even for me would be ok

[SooKee]

I used to hate the 4" phone and waited eagerly for the 6. Now I have it, overall, I'd take an SE over a 6 or 7 (when it comes out) any time.

I tend to find I do more on my 6 at home than is probably a good idea where using the laptop or iPad would be better. Means I charge the phone a lot more. But when it comes to carrying it around the 5 used to fit a lot better.

As to Android. I've tried and even tried to like it, even using flagship phones. But I find using Android either clunky and cheap or clunky and expensive. And I've no desire to waste time making it "my phone" as some seem to take pleasure in doing, or setting things in 5 different places.

I think the SE at 15k would be great value. I've had zero problems in LOS using Apple authorised repair centres and, as has been stated, you can shop in English on the Thai Apple store. Just need to LOOK

[tropo]

SE is nothing like 5, the only similarity is the screen size.

No idea what you using your iphone for, but i also have no problem with 16gb storage.

I have tried a Samsung and will NOT be using one even if it was for FREE.

Why? because it takes 5 steps to do something where on iphone is just a click or a swipe.

It doesn't take much to fill up 16 GB. You should be complaining rather than sanctioning this type of marketing rip off. There's a difference between getting by and having the luxury of space. With the new photos features and 4K video, 64 GB of storage is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Take some decent videos and see how long 16 GB lasts you. The new "Live Photos" feature will chew through that in no time. You shouldn't need to just get by for a phone which costs over $400. Sure, there's iCloud, but transferring videos using iTunes is something a lot of iPhone users don't bother to do.

"SE is nothing like 5"...

LOL. It's nearly identical. Sure, the insides are upgraded to iPhone 6 specs, but the outside is still a dinosaur.

Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4kgYqGyu2Y

I also own some Android devices. Saying it takes 5 steps on Android to do what you can do in one click or swipe on IOS 9 is just plain nonsense. Just for starters, closing apps is far easier on Android... and closing apps is or should be one of the most common tasks for most smart phone users.

Why should i be complaining? because YOU do not think 16gb is enough?

If you really going to compare apples with oranges, then all samsung and all apple phones are identical with more gadgets inside,

Did you not know that closing apps on iphone is as simple as pressing the home button?

If you think 16 GB is adequate for the new iPhone SE with 12 megapixel camera, 4K video capability and the "Live Photo" feature, you don't understand much about phones. You can fill up the bulk of 16 GB with apps alone.

16 GB was barely adequate on the old iPhone 5 with an 8 megapixel back camera. I remember at one point, when an upgrade was available from IOS 7 to IOS 8 in 2014 you couldn't do an in place upgrade unless you had at least 5 GB of free space, which was asking a lot from a 2 year old phone. You had to plug it in to iTunes to achieve the upgrade.

Edited March 29, 2016 by tropo

[robblok]

16GB is nothing for most users.. that you are ok with it sure fine. I know that at least with my Samsung I can upgrade easily. My s7 edge is perfect, you got 32GB to start with and can choose to add extra memory or make it dual sim on top of that its watertight too. Plus you can transfer songs from and to your phone without a crappy program called Itunes.

[tropo]

16GB is nothing for most users.. that you are ok with it sure fine. I know that at least with my Samsung I can upgrade easily. My s7 edge is perfect, you got 32GB to start with and can choose to add extra memory or make it dual sim on top of that its watertight too. Plus you can transfer songs from and to your phone without a crappy program called Itunes.

Yep, even most Apple users would admit they don't like iTunes.

[metisdead]

Inflammatory posts and replies have been removed.

Posts bickering for the sake of bickering have been removed as well as the replies.

Topic is about when the iPhone SE will be available in Thailand, not necessarily about the features and quirks of iPhones and Samsungs.

[tropo]

*deleted*

Edited March 29, 2016 by tropo

[DMC1]

I used to hate the 4" phone and waited eagerly for the 6. Now I have it, overall, I'd take an SE over a 6 or 7 (when it comes out) any time.

I tend to find I do more on my 6 at home than is probably a good idea where using the laptop or iPad would be better. Means I charge the phone a lot more. But when it comes to carrying it around the 5 used to fit a lot better.

As to Android. I've tried and even tried to like it, even using flagship phones. But I find using Android either clunky and cheap or clunky and expensive. And I've no desire to waste time making it "my phone" as some seem to take pleasure in doing, or setting things in 5 different places.

I think the SE at 15k would be great value. I've had zero problems in LOS using Apple authorised repair centres and, as has been stated, you can shop in English on the Thai Apple store. Just need to LOOK

http://www.apple.com/th-en/shop/browse/home_th_en

English link posted

[CWMcMurray]

If you don't thin 16GB is enough... Just get a Mophie Space pack

Extra battery and extra memory for IPhone

http://www.mophie.com/shop/space-pack#powerandstorage

Review---

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2459011,00.asp

Edited March 30, 2016 by CWMcMurray

[SooKee]

One thing I'd sure agree on is that the 16gb phones and iPads are borderline unacceptable in today's day and age. Wouldn't be so bad if you actually GOT 16, but it's what, 12?

Guess I must have around 60 apps and while I can delete some I always find myself reinstalling them sooner or later. For music I use cloud storage so the only other hog is photos. Trouble is, with just 3-4 GB play with, it's something that needs to be managed, esp with some apps like Facebook and chat apps that have significant docs and data usage. Apple upped the largest app size to 4gb this year meaning that in theory you could install just one app and be full, yet it still punts 16gb devices?

32gb would be fine for me, but of course they don't do it. Next step up is 64 at $100 up. Sure it's JUST $100, but I think for many that extra $100 is actually the base price for iPhones because the 16gb is just too high maintenance. Hopefully by the time I need to buy again the 16gb phones will be history. Would be better if all phones in the line up were viable options, 16gb no longer is imo and I've no interest in carrying round yet more devices to make the phone usable.

Edited March 31, 2016 by SooKee

[jharr]

Available around 5 May

Guess based on the timeline of the 6S.

It was released in Thailand 35 days after the US and a few other countries.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_6S

Edited March 31, 2016 by jharr

[mrsomchai]

Available around 5 May

Guess based on the timeline of the 6S.

It was released in Thailand 35 days after the US and a few other countries.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_6S

That will be about right, hone on sale today in Aus and Singapore, so about 30 days before hitting Thailand. But as i mentioned, Apple Thailand ships from Singapore so might be little sooner if buying direct from Apple Thailand

Edited March 31, 2016 by mrsomchai

[Lammbock]

Probably available on May 5th but for sure sold out immediately.

[jharr]

AIS have a pre-registration for existing customers at:

http://www.ais.co.th/iphone/en/index.html

Not a reservation and no dates on availability.

[wooloomooloo]

The future is cloud storage. Okay, Apple's 5GB of free storage is mediocre but more than enough to save your apps. I have two free Dropbox accounts at 23GB each and haven't even filled the first account yet and that's with my wife sharing. That's where all the photos and other bits and bobs are permanently stored and allows our iPhones memories to remain relatively clear.

Whether it's an iPhone memory of 16, 64 or 128GB really doesn't make a lot of difference. Find some storage as nature loves a vacuum.

I find Apple products to be of the highest quality and won't be changing anytime soon.

[tropo]

The future is cloud storage. Okay, Apple's 5GB of free storage is mediocre but more than enough to save your apps. I have two free Dropbox accounts at 23GB each and haven't even filled the first account yet and that's with my wife sharing. That's where all the photos and other bits and bobs are permanently stored and allows our iPhones memories to remain relatively clear.

Whether it's an iPhone memory of 16, 64 or 128GB really doesn't make a lot of difference. Find some storage as nature loves a vacuum.

I find Apple products to be of the highest quality and won't be changing anytime soon.

As long as you change to the latest devices you'll be ok. The iPhone 4's are already totally inadequate, 5's soon to follow. The problem is you're paying big bucks for devices which won't last as long as you think.

[technologybytes]

No single phone is ever going to be right for everyone, but I had a 5S until last year and I upgraded to the 6. I will change "back" to an SE the moment they are on sale in Thailand.

For me (and millions of others) the iPhone 5 / SE is the perfect size. I thought I'd benefit from the bigger screen on the 6 but its just too big for me most of the time (the phone I mean), i am not talking about the 6 plus, just the standard "smaller" 6.

It will be a blessed relief to be back to a smaller phone.

Edited April 11, 2016 by technologybytes

[bubba]

It's interesting to note that Steve Jobs was adamant about the size of the iPhone, reasoning that it must be a size that is comfortable to type and use with one hand. It seems Apple have come full circle back to his original vision. I think sales of the iPhone 5se might be a surprise, and not just because it is less expensive.

Here is a quote:

“You can’t get your hand around it… No one’s going to buy that.”

And an interesting article on this subject here:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2016/03/23/small-phone-ergonomics/#209192c936ff

[chefseph]

The future is cloud storage. Okay, Apple's 5GB of free storage is mediocre but more than enough to save your apps. I have two free Dropbox accounts at 23GB each and haven't even filled the first account yet and that's with my wife sharing. That's where all the photos and other bits and bobs are permanently stored and allows our iPhones memories to remain relatively clear.

Whether it's an iPhone memory of 16, 64 or 128GB really doesn't make a lot of difference. Find some storage as nature loves a vacuum.

I find Apple products to be of the highest quality and won't be changing anytime soon.

As long as you change to the latest devices you'll be ok. The iPhone 4's are already totally inadequate, 5's soon to follow. The problem is you're paying big bucks for devices which won't last as long as you think.

Whilst I agree that my 4s has become inadequate (long response time) since the last couple of updates, it was bought in Dec 2011 and has had its fair share of drops and bangs and is still going without a cent spent on maintenance.

Was put off by the 6s because I like smaller phones so this is great news for me

[tropo]

The future is cloud storage. Okay, Apple's 5GB of free storage is mediocre but more than enough to save your apps. I have two free Dropbox accounts at 23GB each and haven't even filled the first account yet and that's with my wife sharing. That's where all the photos and other bits and bobs are permanently stored and allows our iPhones memories to remain relatively clear.

Whether it's an iPhone memory of 16, 64 or 128GB really doesn't make a lot of difference. Find some storage as nature loves a vacuum.

I find Apple products to be of the highest quality and won't be changing anytime soon.

As long as you change to the latest devices you'll be ok. The iPhone 4's are already totally inadequate, 5's soon to follow. The problem is you're paying big bucks for devices which won't last as long as you think.

Whilst I agree that my 4s has become inadequate (long response time) since the last couple of updates, it was bought in Dec 2011 and has had its fair share of drops and bangs and is still going without a cent spent on maintenance.

Was put off by the 6s because I like smaller phones so this is great news for me

You might have missed it above, but my Dec 2012 iPhone 5 started splitting apart due to the battery expanding... then stopped working. The screen is damaged too. I couldn't get to it as it was given to my sister-in-law in PI and shipping phones from there is problematic (they don't allow it) and it would cost too much to travel to a province which has an Apple service center. LOL. We have to rely on a Samsung dealer to order and install a new battery and screen. Having done a search, this was quite a common problem. If it was a normal phone the battery could have been taken out and replaced immediately.

If it was a cheap phone I wouldn't have been so upset, but it cost 25K. The high cost demands reliability. It was our first iPhone and we expected more. Why else would one pay so much for a phone? Our second phone was an iPhone 6 which was purchased in the US by a friend before it was launched in Thailand. A couple of weeks after we got it it started playing up. The accelerometer was not functioning properly and the battery was heating up and going flat very quickly. For the high price there isn't even an international warranty and we had to ship it back to the US for replacement.