Other Help with 2 old iPhones

[jazzer15]

My wife and I each have an iPhone 5. We don't use the phones much and for that reason don't really want to spend a lot of money for replacements. We use our iPads or computers for most things.

A few questions:

(1) I know the iPhone 5 is stuck at iOS 10, but if we don't care about the newer features available on the phones, is there a reason (e.g., security) that we really should upgrade?

(2) If we do upgrade I was thinking about getting a refurbished SE and/or an iPhone 7. How long would these likely be able to be used before having to be replaced.

(3) What iPhone is the best value in terms of price and expected longevity at this point (again, assuming the latest bells and whistles aren't desired).

Thanks.

 

[rain111]

(1) If you care about your security being up to date and keep your privacy secured, yes.

(2) I'd go with the 7 as its future with iOS update still bright and probably for another 2~3 full iOS update (possibly more or less depending on Apple).

(3) This is something you have decide really, if you are not into the big boy phones, maybe consider the last year iPhone X, but if you don't desire to go that way (cost wise or as you mentioned, wont be much used feature wise), I think the 7 will still be the best option.

This is just my opinion of-course, you need to look at the full picture regardless and think about it and decide, I hope it helped.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I’d say best bang for the buck would be an iPhone 7. That phone will perform well and be supported for at least a couple of years. As for if you need to update because of security reasons, in the most part you should be safe as long as you don’t use the phone for banking or transactions where credit card information is used.

 

[jazzer15]

Thanks to you both for your input.

As far as security, we don't use the phones for any online financial transactions (also, Apple Pay isn't even an option for these phones) and really there is no information on the phones of any importance with the exception of contact information.

 

[now i see it]

I've got an old iPhone 5 on iOS 10 I keep cloned to my main phone (essentially) to use for an emergency backup in case my main phone goes belly up. I don't use it anymore, but it has a new battery and is ready to roll at any time.

The problem with the iPhone 5 is the lack of Touch ID. Always having to input your password a dozen or more times a day gets old fast.

But if you don't care about Touch ID, I wouldn't be concerned with security updates. iOS 10 is fairly modern and superior to iOS 11 in many ways. It's not like anyone has ever heard of anyone getting hacked on iOS 10. It's never happened.

If you're not an iPhone enthusiast and don't use your phone much, an iPhone 5 running iOS 10 is plenty fine and perfectly safe.

 

[jazzer15]

I've got an old iPhone 5 on iOS 10 I keep cloned to my main phone (essentially) to use for an emergency backup in case my main phone goes belly up. I don't use it anymore, but it has a new battery and is ready to roll at any time.

And there's the slight rub. Both iPhones need new batteries and aren't eligible for the $29 replacements. If I have to replace the battery for $79 anyway, I was thinking it might make sense to just spend some more money and get an SE which, while a bit dated now, is a good bit more recent than the 5, is still a very good phone, has Touch ID and can run iOS 12. It's just tough to buy an iPhone that I know has now been discontinued.

 

[Caspavio]

1) besides security, you might have some problems with some apps. Some apps make my 5S really hot, and you might not even be able to run some of them. depending on your needs, not sure if you experienced this.

2 & 3) i make 2 assumptions in my recommendations. first, you will not be replacing your battery when it dies, and second, you dont necessary need the latest OS. new batteries can last you probably 3, at best 4 years, so that's probably how long your phone will last. also, i would arguably say that the SE is the most value for money phone since the longevity of iphone 7 and SE is about the same. in fact, SE may still receive software updates for the next 3-4 years.

 

[AppleHaterLover]

Apple CPO iPhone 7 Plus.

 

[fs454]

I know this isn't what you're looking at exactly, but I can't help but suggest that you might like to use the phones a bit more if they were more recent and a bit bigger than the 5. It's not so much bells and whistles, it's that it becomes a more helpful/useful/productive device akin to the iPad but now always with you in your pocket. I found that once I stepped from the 4" size to the 4.8/5.5/6.5 devices I started using them a lot more than my iPad and MacBook together because the device sort of hit a tipping point where I felt I could be productive with this much screen real estate. This is subjective all subjective, but I didn't feel like it was a burden to bring along the 6/6 Plus sized phones and still don't with the XS Max.

I think you might enjoy an upgrade to last you the next handful of years like your 5 did - I'd at least give the bigger screen devices a shot, they fit nicely into the iPad-MacBook workflow with iOS 12 and more screen real estate.

 

[jazzer15]

Thanks very much to all for the further input. It's helpful to get various views.

I know this isn't what you're looking at exactly, but I can't help but suggest that you might like to use the phones a bit more if they were more recent and a bit bigger than the 5. It's not so much bells and whistles, it's that it becomes a more helpful/useful/productive device akin to the iPad but now always with you in your pocket. I found that once I stepped from the 4" size to the 4.8/5.5/6.5 devices I started using them a lot more than my iPad and MacBook together because the device sort of hit a tipping point where I felt I could be productive with this much screen real estate. This is subjective all subjective, but I didn't feel like it was a burden to bring along the 6/6 Plus sized phones and still don't with the XS Max.

I think you might enjoy an upgrade to last you the next handful of years like your 5 did - I'd at least give the bigger screen devices a shot, they fit nicely into the iPad-MacBook workflow with iOS 12 and more screen real estate.

I have wondered about that myself. There is a good argument in favor of a larger iPhone for me (not so much for my wife — she prefers a very small device). I am also overdue for an iPad update (waiting to see what, if anything, is announced in the upcoming weeks) and it may be that it will make more sense to get a somewhat more recent iPhone and a less expensive iPad. But I'm not sure I am likely to get to the point where I use my phone more than the iPad because I take the iPad with me on my daily work commute and I use it at home as my more mobile device (I have an iMac at home). You never know though ...

 

[jazzer15]

I know you can never tell for certain what Apple will do, but is there a guess as to how long an iPhone 7 would continue to be supported?

 

[JPack]

I know you can never tell for certain what Apple will do, but is there a guess as to how long an iPhone 7 would continue to be supported?

Apple has typically supported processors with 4 years of major iOS updates.

With iOS 12, Apple has extended support to 5 years. The A10 in the iPhone 7 is expected to receive updates through 2021.

 

[jazzer15]

Apple has typically supported processors with 4 years of major iOS updates.

With iOS 12, Apple has extended support to 5 years. The A10 in the iPhone 7 is expected to receive updates through 2021.

Thanks. That works for me. Hopefully they will continue on at least the 5 year cycle going forward.

 

[jazzer15]

So, I'm thinking about getting 1 refurbished 7 and 1 refurbished 8. Nobody knows what the fate of the SE2 may be, but in the event Apple introduced one in Spring of 2019, any guess on the likelihood that it would be an upgrade to a 7 or 8? The battery life of the two 5(s) running iOS 10 is really awful at this point, but I can't help but wonder if it might make sense to hold on for a few more months to see what happens.