Another 4 year original SE user here, which is what I’m swiping this message from. Still going strong, no lag. Decided I’m upgrading before I need to with the 5.4” iPhone 12 this year.

Only issue I had was the battery going to 1% quickly and then lasting half a day, but that seemed to clear itself too with a few full run downs.

Apple absolutely dominates mobile devices from a longevity and usability standpoint. I left Android long ago and never looked back. I’m not all in though, never was convinced by macOS, Windows is just too customizable and useful.

Longevity yes. Usability nope. For me Android is far better usability and ui then iOS. iOS was good once but not now. People are still considering it good for what was before. Plus I feel most guys here are in apple ecosystem and have not experienced anything outside. Mac is still better than windows I would have gone to ubuntu if not for iOS development.

I think we should encourage more people to replace batteries every 2-3 years. Their phones are not slow. It is just the battery.

Writing this from my 4 year old SE. IMO it got much snappier with the last 2 OS upgrades.

Ha. When I type I need to see what I have written. The tap response is slow feels like early Android mobiles.

I assume it is the battery. It must be replaced.

When was the last time you replaced the battery?

Replacing anything on Apple hardware after warranty is very costly in India. Hopefully it would last. Some have lasted but becomes very slow. I use a air for personal work which now runs slow. Have to endure for iOS work. Otherwise I foot bill to company.

All rechargeable batteries wear out over time as they are used and recharged. And when batteries wear out, they can't provide the same voltage as before. And when they can't provide the same voltage, the electronics must either slow down or stop working entirely. Replacing batteries isn't necessarily hard to do either (you do have to be careful). You can find highly detailed descriptions of how to do it yourself if there isn't anyone in your area who can provide the service cheaply.

Battery is still good though, I don't use it much but after days it still has enough power. In terms of battery iOS is very good.