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Which to buy for mom?

  • iPhone 14 new from Apple ($789 after gift card discount)

    Votes: 20 41.7%
  • iPhone 13 new from Apple ($704 after gift card discount)

    Votes: 19 39.6%
  • iPhone 13 renewed from Amazon ($740)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • iPhone 13 refurb from Apple in 4-5 months? (maybe $600 after gift card discount?)

    Votes: 9 18.8%

  • Total voters
    48
If she’s that age probs an XR will be fine, no need to worry about the 13 or 14 as she won’t likely use all the new features if all she’s doing is calling and maybe texting
 
Maybe go for the 12 refurbished from Apple?

If no, I would go 14 since they have that nice Blue colour.
 
It sounds like you don't use icloud. Do you have a reason to dislike it or you just haven't got round to it for some reason?
The thing is if you want to make life easy for your mum- and for you if you are looking after these things- the icloud is a real godsend because it will back up not only all the photos but all the bookmarks, passwords, emails, etc. That's a huge advantage for you if they lose the phone or forget a password.
It also means you really don't need to look at big hard drives and that will save you a fortune. Even if you decide to upgrade the icloud size to the next option, you are looking at it costing less before you decide to upgrade the phone next time than the bigger hard drive will now.You can also check things in the cloud on your computer, delete all the crappy shots she doesn't want. It's definitely the way to go for an elderly relative.
I suggest also you look at how much of her hard drive she uses now. If she's got 64Gb and it's only half full then 256Gb is overkill in any case for the next 5 years or so.

I presume you have an iphone as well? Then family sharing is also useful and maybe you've never had a need to look into that but you can create a family account with you as manager and put her on it so she can share apps etc but then you can share your icloud account.
 
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A 14 would get no more longevity than a 13 in any way. It is like 2% faster, and is the same generation SoC so would get the same iOS support for a long time unless Apple pulls something sketchy and says something like iOS 23 supports the 14 but not 13. Seems highly unlikely since the hardware is basically identical.

Apple is always doing stuff like this, so I’m not sure how you can be so certain that the 14 and 13 will be supported for the same amount of time. Age of SOC definitely isn’t the only factor Apple considers when choosing which devices receive a OS update.

The only way to guarantee the longest software support is to buy the newest device. That’s why I recommended the 14.
 
Apple is always doing stuff like this, so I’m not sure how you can be so certain that the 14 and 13 will be supported for the same amount of time. Age of SOC definitely isn’t the only factor Apple considers when choosing which devices receive a OS update.

The only way to guarantee the longest software support is to buy the newest device. That’s why I recommended the 14.

Ya though I'm trying to think back where they split something so close.

iOS16 currently goes back to iPhone 8 / SE 2nd gen, so roughly 5-6 years. iPhone 7->8 was a pretty decent leap though with a 26% jump in single core and nearly 50% jump in multi-core + all the bionic features. Was a very logical cutoff point imo.

Previously iOS 15 had a super long range: including iPhone 7, 6s, SE, and even the weak little iPod touch.

In short I'm saying there is a gamble that they could cut it off by year, but doesn't seem super likely given how close these are.

iOS 15 at time of release supported iphone 13, 12, 11, XS, X/8, 7, 6s + touches (7 gens of iPhones)
iOS 16 does support one less gen though: 14, 13, 12, 11, XS, X/8

Hard to know.
 
$100 but I think I agree now

The reason I always recommend the newest decide you can afford is that they sometimes seem to cut it off pretty arbitrarily. It isn’t always or even often, but if you only get a new device every 5 years it could definitely affect you.

For example, iOS 16 supports only A11 and up, but iPad OS still runs on A9X and A10 iPads.
 
Hi, my mom is 70 and we're about to replace her iPhone 8.

Which of these options would you go for? Leaning towards 256gb model so she doesn't constantly use up her storage while taking pics of grandkids. She's only 64gb right now though so I could potentially do 128gb.

- iPhone 14 (new): $929 + tax (ouch). We do have Apple giftcards bought for 15% off so effective price is $789
- iPhone 13 (new): $829 + tax (effective $704)
- iPhone 13 (renewed from amazon in excellent): $740, 90-day warranty
- iPhone 13 (wait for Apple refurb in Feb/March-ish time?): Probably $700ish? Guessing 15% off. 1yr warranty. Effectively would be $595 using gift cards

- 14 advantage: cheaper to repair if she drops it. Disappointing though since same cpu as 13 and expensive.
- 13 advantage: $100 cheaper now
- 13 renewed: cheaper cash up front, but limited warranty and can't take advantage of gift cards
- 13 refurb: seems like the best option, but refurb dates unknown, and they could sell out, esp 256gb models

Performance/etc doesn't matter.
Nothing is too good for your mother. Be as good to her as you can, while you can, in every way you can. I doubt she'll care what phone you get her though.
 
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Have you involved your mom in picking her phone and what is important to her. When I bought my mom’s iPhone, she made the choice after I explained and showed her all the models available.
 
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Have you involved your mom in picking her phone and what is important to her. When I bought my mom’s iPhone, she made the choice after I explained and showed her all the models available.

Yup. She actually just compared a 13 to 13 mini and is OK with the bigger size. She's mostly just unclear on why the 14 is worth $100 more. (She's very frugal like me and her last phone was obviously a lot cheaper).
 
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I wouldn't go with the mini. In the long run, she'll appreciate the larger screen. Photos, video chats, etc. If you can swing it, try for a plus or pro max model.
 
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My 80 year old mom has an iPhone 14 Pro Max 256GB. She loves to take pictures and view pictures on the phone’s large screen. It’s also just the right sized screen for using all the apps and web surfing, etc she likes to do.
 
14 Plus

Come on, her replacement cycle is 5 years. Spend a little more - get what works best.

Not sure if this is serious? An iPhone with a 6.7" screen definitely doesn't "work best" for everyone.

Take for example my Father--who is 80 years old, has poor eyesight but still doesn't even like an iPhone bigger than the 4.7" screen like on the iPhone SE. Not that he is a perfect example, but large phones aren't a good fit for everyone.
 
Not sure if this is serious? An iPhone with a 6.7" screen definitely doesn't "work best" for everyone.

Take for example my Father--who is 80 years old, has poor eyesight but still doesn't even like an iPhone bigger than the 4.7" screen like on the iPhone SE. Not that he is a perfect example, but large phones aren't a good fit for everyone.

Women are more likely to carry bags and can accommodate larger phones.
 
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Women are more likely to carry bags and can accommodate larger phones.
That's definitely true, though the handling is definitely different than a smaller iPhone, at least in my experience.
Usually requiring more 2 handed use, but people can definitely adapt. Some are even finding the 6.1" size screen too large for their hands.

I'm finding myself even preferring the 6.1" 14 Pro for example at times over the 14 Pro Max due to the easier one handed use (having both --though absolutely adore the screen though on the larger one though, no doubt lol).
 
one reason I can think, this forum includes people who spend flagship money and what’s another $100 for mom

If you carefully read the Opening Post, they even say "iPhone 14 (new): $929 + tax (ouch)."

"Ouch" = already topping budget for the standard model. Also another post, they respond that the 14 Plus is too expensive.
 
one reason I can think, this forum includes people who spend flagship money and what’s another $100 for mom

Consider the length of mom's device replacement cycle (5 years), current age of mom (70), and life expectancy of women (79). Chipping in $100 should be a no brainer for someone considering a $900 iPhone 14.

If mom is using 64GB now, a 128GB Plus would fit into the $929 budget.
 
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