Brazil distributes enterprise iPhone SE devices to public prosecutors, and they aren’t happy

Brazil sells one of the most expensive iPhones in the world. A story published today by Folha, a Brazilian newspaper, reports that public prosecutors aren’t happy to use an iPhone SE for work.

Brazilian public prosecutors have one of the best-paid jobs in public administration, receiving up to $20,000 per month, and they find it “insulting” to have to use an iPhone SE for work for 30 months.

Even though the iPhone SE is a great choice for day-to-day use, it’s not what Brazilian public prosecutors want.

According to Folha, Marco Tulio Lustosa Caminha, a public prosecutor in Piauí, one of Brazil’s northeastern states, wrote in a group chat on February 9:

Darlan and coworkers, we received an email asking if we want only a Claro SIM or to continue receiving a SIM with a device, WITH THE DISCLOSURE THAT IF WE CHOOSE THE LAST OPTION, IT’S GOING TO BE AN iPhone SE!!!

“Darlan” is Darlan Airton Dias, secretary of Information and communication technology of the attorney general’s office in Brazil.

Caminha also wrote:

Is that so, Darlan?! Do you really think that after more than three years with an iPhone 7, already outdated, slow processor, bad battery, small screen, we are going to accept for another 30 months an iPhone SE?? I don’t think anyone here is a kid.

He said that 40% of his work it’s done on smartphones:

It’s insulting!! (…) We are over a year working from home (…) What is this mess? Are they trying to humiliate us??!! I don’t accept this humiliation, Darlan. I think we should be respected!!!

The Prosecutor’s Office in Piauí said in a note that the note on the internal network was part of a broad discussion about the need to change cellphones.

The iPhone SE launched on April 2020, starting at $399 in the US, with the option of three colors and up to 256GB storage. In Brazil, this iPhone starts at around $660. With a 4.7-inch display, like the iPhone 8 that it replaces, the iPhone SE packs an Apple A13 Bionic chip inside, matching the performance of iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.

Of course, it’s not the new iPhone 12 Pro Max, with a 6.7-inch display and Face ID, but it’s still a great phone, with a new processor, that should last for another three years.