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Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 21, 2016
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I tend to upgrade every 2-3 years and keep my phones in my storage cupboard as part of a modest little collection. I have a 6S, SE, 8, and my current daily driver, the 12 Mini.

Post your collection!

DDB60EC0-DE70-46AB-BA0F-6359530D4E01.jpeg
 
iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (off, hasn't been charged lately), iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 6s+, iPhone 11 Pro Max (my current phone) and iPad 6th gen.

View attachment 1972882

Pic was taken with my Google Pixel 3a XL.

Nice collection. I took mine out just to give them a charge. I had forgotten over the last year so the all the batteries are completely flat. I’ll stick iOS 15 on those phones too as it’ll be the last update for the 6S and SE.
 
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Nice collection. I took mine out just to give them a charge. I had forgotten over the last year so the all the batteries are completely flat. I’ll stick iOS 15 on those phones too as it’ll be the last update for the 6S and SE.
To be honest, the 3GS, the 4 and the 4s were never used by me as primary phones. I came in with the iPhone 5, and that particular iPhone 5 in the picture is actually the fourth (and final) replacement of the original.

The 4 I got from someone on Reddit for $20. It was missing the two screws by the connector, which were easily replaceable via eBay.

The 4s is 8GB, and was my son's first cellphone. I got it for $25 from a member here for my son's birthday. Tracked down a box, stickers, cables/ear buds/power brick and documentation off of eBay for him. He did really well with it so I got him an iPhone SE in 2017 for his birthday and I got the 4s back for myself.

The 3GS I got for $20 off eBay a year or so ago to replace the 3GS my sister originally gave me in late 2011. I had sent her phone off with a friend who needed a phone.

The 6s+ was my primary from 2015 to 2019 when I got a my Pixel. We (my wife and I) got our current primary phones, the 11 Pro Max last year (Feb. 2021).

Like you, I don't sell my old phones. :D I just move them on to other uses. Which reminds me. What you can't see is in the original picture is an HTC Touch Pro. This one (below) is a replacement for the one I had from 2009 to 2012 when I got the iPhone 5. My original had been sent off to another Sprint user who needed a new phone at the time. I use the replacement primarily as a desktop clock now. It's on my WiFi network though so I can access it via VNC if I want to.

2022-03-13 12.10.14.jpg
 
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To be honest, the 3GS, the 4 and the 4s were never used by me as primary phones. I came in with the iPhone 5, and that particular iPhone 5 in the picture is actually the fourth (and final) replacement of the original.

The 4 I got from someone on Reddit for $20. It was missing the two screws by the connector, which were easily replaceable via eBay.

The 4s is 8GB, and was my son's first cellphone. I got it for $25 from a member here for my son's birthday. Tracked down a box, stickers, cables/ear buds/power brick and documentation off of eBay for him. He did really well with it so I got him an iPhone SE in 2017 for his birthday and I got the 4s back for myself.

The 3GS I got for $20 off eBay a year or so ago to replace the 3GS my sister originally gave me in late 2011. I had sent her phone off with a friend who needed a phone.

The 6s+ was my primary from 2015 to 2019 when I got a my Pixel. We (my wife and I) got our current primary phones, the 11 Pro Max last year (Feb. 2021).

Like you, I don't sell my old phones. :D I just move them on to other uses. Which reminds me. What you can't see is in the original picture is an HTC Touch Pro. This one (below) is a replacement for the one I had from 2009 to 2012 when I got the iPhone 5. My original had been sent off to another Sprint user who needed a new phone at the time. I use the replacement primarily as a desktop clock now. It's on my WiFi network though so I can access it via VNC if I want to.

View attachment 1972904

I guess the iPhone 5 era was a good time to enter the Apple ecosystem. I didn’t get in until the 6S. My girlfriend at the time was using a 6S and my much cheaper Nokia broke at work and she was able to convince me to move over to the iPhone. I haven’t looked back since because as much as I love Apple hardware, iOS is the main reason I am loyal to Apple. I use a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 at work and Android is no where near as enjoyable an interface to use as iOS.

That’s my 6S upgraded to iOS 15.3.1 now and everything seems to be running well. I am typing this on the 6S just too and it feels far snappier than I thought a 6.5 year old phone could be!
 
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I guess the iPhone 5 era was a good time to enter the Apple ecosystem. I didn’t get in until the 6S. My girlfriend at the time was using a 6S and my much cheaper Nokia broke at work and she was able to convince me to move over to the iPhone. I haven’t looked back since because as much as I love Apple hardware, iOS is the main reason I am loyal to Apple. I use a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 at work and Android is no where near as enjoyable an interface to use as iOS.

That’s my 6S upgraded to iOS 15.3.1 now and everything seems to be running well. I am typing this on the 6S just too and it feels far snappier than I thought a 6.5 year old phone could be!
Yeah, I never cared for Android. But I came to iPhone by way of Windows Mobile - which I really liked for its customization.

I did try Android from 2019 to early 2021 though. Got a Pixel. Have to say Android has improved since the 3/4/5 era, but I was still drawn back to iOS. Hence my 11 Pro Max now.

PS. My 6s+ was on iOS 9.0.1 from October 2015 to December 2020. I was keeping it on the last fully-untethered jailbreak. Since it was no longer my primary though, I eventually updated it. It's been a great phone. The only service I ever needed for it was a new battery and that was done some time in late 2021.
 
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Yeah, I never cared for Android. But I came to iPhone by way of Windows Mobile - which I really liked for its customization.

I did try Android from 2019 to early 2021 though. Got a Pixel. Have to say Android has improved since the 3/4/5 era, but I was still drawn back to iOS. Hence my 11 Pro Max now.

PS. My 6s+ was on iOS 9.0.1 from October 2015 to December 2020. I was keeping it on the last fully-untethered jailbreak. Since it was no longer my primary though, I eventually updated it. It's been a great phone. The only service I ever needed for it was a new battery and that was done some time in late 2021.

I came from Windows Mobile too. It was far inferior to iOS but it did the job because all I was after was basic functionality back then. Now I use my phone for video streaming, YouTube, podcasts, web browsing, etc… the 6S was the phone that changed my computing behaviour because it became my main machine. I don’t have a PC anymore and totally rely on my iPad and iPhone now.

My 6S battery is allegedly at 79% capacity. I don’t think that’s accurate because it dropped to 74% from 100% after one 40 minute episode of Catching Killers on Netflix. I’ll probably service the battery but the phone is in perfect condition otherwise. I am sorting out the 8 now which had a flat battery also. I’ll update the iOS version, etc… the battery shouldn’t be too bad because I got it in Q1 2018 and used it for 2.5 years.
 
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Hi
My iphones as followed
3GS 4 5 6 and finally 8 plus battery down to 80% so looking to get a 12/13 or
The pro version not the pro max
Neil

Awesome. I am going to charge up my 8 now and update it fully and play around with it. Seems like a snappy phone to use today despite the age. I reckon I’ll have a similar battery degradation to you but I’ll find out once it’s updated to iOS 15.

I would go with the 13 Pro as there isn’t too much of a price difference and the 12 Pro is a year and a half old now. To be fair my 12 Mini should last me a further 2 years so I will hold off any upgrades until 2024… unless I fold and purchase a new phone by impulse.
 
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Awesome. I am going to charge up my 8 now and update it fully and play around with it. Seems like a snappy phone to use today despite the age. I reckon I’ll have a similar battery degradation to you but I’ll find out once it’s updated to iOS 15.

I would go with the 13 Pro as there isn’t too much of a price difference and the 12 Pro is a year and a half old now. To be fair my 12 Mini should last me a further 2 years so I will hold off any upgrades until 2024… unless I fold and purchase a new phone by impulse.
Still running 14.8.1 on my 8 plus
Neil
 
I came from Windows Mobile too. It was far inferior to iOS but it did the job because all I was after was basic functionality back then. Now I use my phone for video streaming, YouTube, podcasts, web browsing, etc… the 6S was the phone that changed my computing behaviour because it became my main machine. I don’t have a PC anymore and totally rely on my iPad and iPhone now.

My 6S battery is allegedly at 79% capacity. I don’t think that’s accurate because it dropped to 74% from 100% after one 40 minute episode of Catching Killers on Netflix. I’ll probably service the battery but the phone is in perfect condition otherwise. I am sorting out the 8 now which had a flat battery also. I’ll update the iOS version, etc… the battery shouldn’t be too bad because I got it in Q1 2018 and used it for 2.5 years.
We're the same then, with some divergence. I customized my Touch Pro using nothing but CAB files (no custom ROMs). The stock Sprint look is just ugly. By the time I was done I had HTC Sense 2.1 w/Weather running on it and the ability to directly upload to Facebook and Youtube.

That's one of the reasons I jailbroke for so long. I love the iOS look, but wanted 'stuff' Apple didn't offer.

It's worth replacing the battery on your 6s+ I think. The 6s+ seems to be fairly indestructible, at least mine does anyway. It survived a few summers riding around in Phoenix, Arizona heat in a car with no A/C. I don't use my phones like you do though - I have well over 20 computers around me for various things, so actually grabbing a phone versus just using the keyboard/displays in front of me is much more of a hassle. And I much prefer to consume my media on larger screens.
 
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My first iPhone ever was a white 4S. I sold it and upgraded to a gold 5s. Later on, I gave the 5s to my MIL, and upgraded to a gold 7, which I eventually sold. And finally, now I have these two beauties from the photo! Gold 8 and 8 Plus, and not wanting to upgrade as long as they work!
I also attach a photo of my husband’s Sierra Blue 13 Pro.
 

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I have purchased only 1 new iPhone [iPhone 7 Plus 128GB matte black] and the rest are purchased from thrift store pre-owned... iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6s... I bought them at the time that they were no longer sold by Apple... Reasons were to test versions pre-iOS 11 and to finally be able to get into the Apple experience...
 
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We're the same then, with some divergence. I customized my Touch Pro using nothing but CAB files (no custom ROMs). The stock Sprint look is just ugly. By the time I was done I had HTC Sense 2.1 w/Weather running on it and the ability to directly upload to Facebook and Youtube.

That's one of the reasons I jailbroke for so long. I love the iOS look, but wanted 'stuff' Apple didn't offer.

It's worth replacing the battery on your 6s+ I think. The 6s+ seems to be fairly indestructible, at least mine does anyway. It survived a few summers riding around in Phoenix, Arizona heat in a car with no A/C. I don't use my phones like you do though - I have well over 20 computers around me for various things, so actually grabbing a phone versus just using the keyboard/displays in front of me is much more of a hassle. And I much prefer to consume my media on larger screens.

I was still old fashioned with my phones back then and didn’t use them for anything other than calls, instant messaging and light web browsing. My 6S allowed me broaden my horizons by having an all in one machine capable of pretty much all the basic functions of a full blown PC. I never jailbroke my phone because the iOS functionality I required was just Netflix, Skype, iPlayer, banking apps, podcasts, maps, IM, serious web browsing, games, email, etc… I do like the idea of having one of the M1 iMacs to do some light computing on though. They are great looking machines.
 
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My first iPhone ever was a white 4S. I sold it and upgraded to a gold 5s. Later on, I gave the 5s to my MIL, and upgraded to a gold 7, which I eventually sold. And finally, now I have these two beauties from the photo! Gold 8 and 8 Plus, and not wanting to upgrade as long as they work!
I also attach a photo of my husband’s Sierra Blue 13 Pro.

Wow! They really are beautiful. I especially like the 8 Plus with the pill shaped camera module. Wish I had picked one up in gold myself all those years ago rather than the black regular sized 8. You should get another 2-3 years of support for your phones. I brought my 8 out again and it still works like a charm. The internet browsing experience is still very good despite the age. iOS 15 is snappy too!
 
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I sometimes wish I'd kept all my iPhones but they usually go to family members or get re-sold if no-one in the family wants/needs it.

I suppose that’s technically the “right” thing to do. I sometimes feel guilty that my 8, which looks as good as new in appearance, and still runs iOS 15 like a charm, is just sitting in a dark cupboard in its little box when someone else could be enjoying it.

I’ve always been a collector even since I was a kid though. I take care of my stuff and still have most of my laptops, consoles and phones from the last 20 years. My parents were glad when I moved out and took all that crap with me 🤣.
 
I sometimes wish I'd kept all my iPhones but they usually go to family members or get re-sold if no-one in the family wants/needs it.
I've handed off phones to people in need, but never to a family member. All of my family (that I have contact with) either has a newer device or a better device.

But it's nice being able to help someone out. That's why a couple of my old phones are actually replacements and not my originals.

I would have handed down to my son, but he's been really good with his phones so we keep him more or less up to date on the iPhone SE. My daughter, OTOH, is stuck with the older, not so nice stuff. Taking care of her things is not one of her traits and I'm not handing her another phone she'll lose or crack the screen on within the first five minutes.
 
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Found the old charging pad for my 8 too. The battery health is sitting at 82% and seems usable unlike the 6S which is super erratic and can go from 20% to 1% in less than 2 minutes!
 
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me and my wife:

3GS black and white
4S black and white
6 plus x2 space gray
6s plus x2 space gray
7 plus x2 mate black
7 plus, 8plus red
7 plus, SE2 black
12 mini x2 black
12 min,13 pro

my fav is 4S,7 Plus,12mini cause the height/weight/size
 

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I have a 3GS, 4, 2 5s', and my current daily driver, the 12.

The black 5s was my first iPhone ever and between it and the 12 I had a 7 and a XR.

The 3GS' Home and Sleep buttons don't work anymore, but thankfully I got Assistive Touch to turn on and I can still use it normally.

Would really love to get a Gold 6 as I think that was quite a milestone for the iPhone in my opinion.
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For a moment I thought your 8 was a Jet Black 7. Even though it isn't, I commend you for your care with these devices. All look brand new!

I really like the glass back on the 8 which I felt gave the phone a really premium appearance. I never owned the 7 because I was on a 2 year upgrade cycle. Thanks! Although my phones are well used, I kept them in cases & and have been lucky to avoid any damage over the years. I possess a little OCD and I always give my daily driver a thorough clean once per week too.
 
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