iPhone X Is iPhone X the latest longevity model?

[Kendo]

Anyone else with a X that has no desire to upgrade this year? I plan on upgrading next year to a hopefully new design and 5G. The XS didn't wow me (I prefer smaller phones, otherwise I would've been tempted by the XS Max), and the rumored iPhone 11 tempts me even less.

Although the 4 and 6 were horrible models (4 was pretty underpowered for the Retina Display and the 6 had a lack of RAM), the 5 and the 6S were real workhorses for their time. Anyone else feel the X is the new longevity model? To be able to use a phone for 3 years without buyer envy is a pretty good accomplishment.

 

[Shirasaki]

XS is. A12 is truly impressive in almost every way. A11, Just like A8, will become a bit underpowered. Though A11 would fare a tad better than A8 because of more RAM.

 

[Wide opeN]

I think Xs (Max) is the new standard bearer with 4GB RAM & Dual Sim & 4x4 MIMO.

This phone should do just fine until broad 5G deployment.

 

[now i see it]

None of them will age well. They'll all end up in a landfill sooner rather than later. The X is no exception. I'd guess that 96% of iPhone owners upgrade out of boredom, not necessity and nowadays with the OLED screens these new phones won't age gracefully.

If iPhones lasted 7 years and Apple didn't slowly cull them off with iOS updates their business model would be shot to hell. For Apple it's all about churn & waste. They're a hardware company. They make their money selling stuff that has a limited lifespan.

 

[timeconsumer]

None of them will age well. They'll all end up in a landfill sooner rather than later. The X is no exception. I'd guess that 96% of iPhone owners upgrade out of boredom, not necessity and nowadays with the OLED screens these new phones won't age gracefully.

If iPhones lasted 7 years and Apple didn't slowly cull them off with iOS updates their business model would be shot to hell. For Apple it's all about churn & waste. They're a hardware company. They make their money selling stuff that has a limited lifespan.

I definitely upgrade out of boredom and not due to necessity. Except in my case I “downgraded” to an 8.

 

[gigapocket1]

Apple is going to have to do something Pretty amazing to get me to upgrade this year. It’s just not looking likely at all. A third camera on the back isn’t going to cut it. A smaller notch isn’t going to cut it. A new color isn’t going to cut it either. i don’t know what exactly needs to be done to sell me on it. But that’s apple’s job to convince me

 

[internetrando]

I think that the X will be fine for another couple of years, although I do think that the XS will fare better during (and past) that time frame.

4GB of RAM - that’s generally the limiting factor for Apple devices considering how powerful their chipsets already are.

 

[Poki]

Although the 4 and 6 were horrible models (4 was pretty underpowered for the Retina Display and the 6 had a lack of RAM), the 5 and the 6S were real workhorses for their time. Anyone else feel the X is the new longevity model? To be able to use a phone for 3 years without buyer envy is a pretty good accomplishment.

I think 3 years is the minimum you could expect from any iPhone these days. I highly doubt that the A11 will feel sluggish in just one year (that's when the iPhone X becomes three years old). In fact, I just upgraded from the iPhone 6 to the X, and I think the X will last me the same five years my 6 did, even though the device is already two years old.

 

[blkjedi954]

I think 3 years is the minimum you could expect from any iPhone these days. I highly doubt that the A11 will feel sluggish in just one year (that's when the iPhone X becomes three years old). In fact, I just upgraded from the iPhone 6 to the X, and I think the X will last me the same five years my 6 did, even though the device is already two years old.

Agreed.

I just started using my old 6S Plus for work and it’s still super responsive and it makes me question the mindset we’ve all adopted nowadays. I always keep a spare in case my new iPhone gets lost or damaged, so as to hold me over until I get a replacement or a repair. But this 6S Plus is simply wonderful on iOS 12.4. I have Grid Autosport and Sky: Children of light on it and it runs fluidly. Although I use it for work, my main phone is the XS Max and outside of the screen there really is nothing that it does that my 6S Plus can’t do. Am I in the Matrix. The illusion of need is really just a want planted in my head by the tricksters at Apple...lol.

 

[ericwn]

Phones last for years and not just since yesterday. The current longevity model is usually the one you own. I’m using an 8+ ever since it came out and will continue to use it as it works just great except for the speakers who no longer have good sound but a tinny creaking noise.

 

[phillytim]

I still consider my iPhone 6s Plus as *the* longevity model, and have not been compelled to upgrade by anything in the X-line.

Having Animoji would pale in comparison to the loss of TouchID, let along being stuck with a notch and FaceID, while I can still use every other app out there just fine.

And I suspect that the 6s+ will only lose its longevity crown to next year's 2020 iPhone 5G.

 

[Shirasaki]

I still consider my iPhone 6s Plus as *the* longevity model, and have not been compelled to upgrade by anything in the X-line.

Having Animoji would pale in comparison to the loss of TouchID, let along being stuck with a notch and FaceID, while I can still use every other app out there just fine.

And I suspect that the 6s+ will only lose its longevity crown to next year's 2020 iPhone 5G.

5G wont cause 6s Plus lose longevity. It wont even become a reality for most people in 5 years minimum.

Speaking of longevity, 6s Plus is the LAST iPhone Apple has ever made that strikes a great balance between power, design, rigidity, home button and headphone jack. Pretty much the only thing it misses is raw power (obviously) and some gimmicky AR/VR bs. 6s line-up will be a legendary iPhone, more so than iPhone 5s.

 

[dontwalkhand]

None of them will age well. They'll all end up in a landfill sooner rather than later. The X is no exception. I'd guess that 96% of iPhone owners upgrade out of boredom, not necessity and nowadays with the OLED screens these new phones won't age gracefully.

If iPhones lasted 7 years and Apple didn't slowly cull them off with iOS updates their business model would be shot to hell. For Apple it's all about churn & waste. They're a hardware company. They make their money selling stuff that has a limited lifespan.

The iPhone 5s with iOS 12 would like to have a word with you.

 

[Thirio2]

My daughter, son-in-law, and I still use our 6s+ with good results, although my daughter had the battery replaced under the replacement program. My wife, OTOH, has the XsMax and has had a lot of trouble with it. She has done multiple resets and been to the "genius" bar at least twice. My 6s+ performs much better in low signal areas. I would like wireless charging and dual cameras, but am not willing to spend the money to upgrade to the 8. Since the forthcoming XR may have dual cameras, I may be tempted. Or, I might wait another year until 5G is available. Not willing to spend the money as long as my 6s+ is performing well.

 

[Cruz3LT]

I’m skipping this years release so I just got the XR and I’m pretty impressed with it over my X.

 

[44267547]

‘Desire to upgrade’ should depend on a few things:

1.) The users financial situation

2.) Does the device need to be upgraded? (Battery/hardware issues).

3.) What would compel the user to want to upgrade to a newer model? (i.e. New features/camera, ect.)

 

[AustinIllini]

I think Xs (Max) is the new standard bearer with 4GB RAM & Dual Sim & 4x4 MIMO.

This phone should do just fine until broad 5G deployment.

Yeah, somewhere between iPhone X and XS. You can get great deals on a refurb X which will last you for a long time.

 

[Falhófnir]

Don't see why it's any better placed than the 8 Plus with the same internals, or the XS/M or XR. But really any iPhone currently available should easily last you through a 2 year contract, with at least a year extra if you don't feel like upgrading right away, even the 7.

 

[AlphaGuitarist]

I have a release day iPhone X and will not be upgrading this year. I had the battery swapped out last November to take advantage of the $29 replacement, which actually turned out to be free with AppleCare+. Since the rumors are pointing at 2020 being the year of significant upgrades, particularly 5G and the return of Qualcomm modems, I can easily go another year without upgrading.

 

[Falcon9]

I'd say in general the longevity models in recent years are the S ones - with the golden crown going to the 6s, which still performs remarkably well on the latest version of iOS. The amount of ram seems to be the main factor IMO in determining how well newer iPhones will age. The 5s had a pretty good run too even though it had the same amount or ram as the 5, but that was back when processor improvements were more noticeable. If I was to guess, I'd say the XS and XS max will be the next long lasting models due to the increased ram from the X and 8 series. That being said, the performance difference between the A11 and A12 is not massive so as long as iOS continues to remain relatively ram efficient this may be wrong.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

There are two things that would make me upgrade this year, or at any time:
1.) If I was somehow able to get a subsidy for another 2-year contract with Sprint like I was somehow able to do with my X
2.) If Apple released a flagship-spec'd iPhone SE-sized phone with a full screen and wireless charging.

If both of those happen, I'll give the pants I'm wearing today to the first person who asks.

 

[BeeGood]

I think the XR is the new longevity model because of its value proposition. It’ll be the phone that all the 6s/6s+/SE holdouts eventually buy and they’ll likely keep that phone for a long time.

My hunch is that many of the people who got the X are willing to spend for something nice and will upgrade if 2020 promises what we think it might.

 

[phillytim]

I think the XR is the new longevity model because of its value proposition. It’ll be the phone that all the 6s/6s+/SE holdouts eventually buy and they’ll likely keep that phone for a long time.

6S+ here, and even the XR doesn't wet my appetite in the least, especially since it would be a loss of optical image stabilization, loss of 3.5"mm headjack, lower RAM than 2018 standard models, and a crappy notch for the inferior FaceID.

I am more than happy to dish out the $dough for a new Apple flagship phone *WHEN* I find a compelling value proposition. There just have not been any must-have features in any of the 7/8/X/XS/XR/11(?) lines to compel me to shell out over 1000 dollars to upgrade from a phone whose A9 processor still runs all apps quite well.

Next year's iPhones will finally be worth the money to me (after running my 6S+ for 5 years) having the refreshed/latest hardware, much better cameras, and 5G-capable service.

 

[BeeGood]

6S+ here, and even the XR doesn't wet my appetite in the least, especially since it would be a loss of optical image stabilization, loss of 3.5"mm headjack, lower RAM than 2018 standard models, and a crappy notch for FaceID (which I consider quote subpar to TouchID).

I am more than happy to dish out the $dough for a new Apple flagship phone IF IF IF I found its value proposition compelling. There just have not been any must-have features in any of the 7/8/X/XS/XR/11(?) lines to compel me to shell out over 1000 dollars to upgrade from a phone whose A9 processor still runs all apps quite well.

Next year's iPhones will finally be worth the money to me (after running my 6S+ for 5 years) having the refreshed/latest hardware, much better cameras, and 5G-capable service.

That definitely makes sense. But I’m not sure if I’d put you in the same bucket as most iPhone 6s/6s+ users.

Admittedly, this is anecdotal but from people I’ve talked to, they’re holding onto these phones because prices are skyrocketing and their phones are fine. It’s not necessarily that the new features don’t measure up. It’s that no features are worth paying over $1000 for. Which is why I think that many (not all of course) 6s/6s+ owners will either jump to an older phone, say maybe an 8/8+ or go with the XR because it “looks” more current.

 

[Hieveryone]

I think iPhone X is the longevity model because at a thousand bucks it’s got something to prove - that it’s not just flash in the pan overnight device that’s here today gone tomorrow but a real heavyweight that can pull it’s punches years down the line

I’m on iPhone X. No problems.