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EightyTwenty

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 11, 2015
809
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I bought a new iPhone 6 about 7 months ago and I've disliked it from day 1. The screen is just too big for my taste. I thought I would get used to it, but I still haven't.

I've checked geekbench scores and the 6 and 5s are pretty evenly matched, as it looks like it is the smallest gap in performance between 2 generations of iPhones (by far).

The 5s would be new in box (I can get it for $199 CDN). My iPhone would be sold used with 100% battery and sealed accessories (from the 5s).

Anyone think this is a crazy idea? Is the 5s in practice a noticeably slower device?
 
I swapped an irritatingly faulty 6s for an SE and remained happy with that decision. Never bothered with the marginal geekbench type comparisons, instead simply went with gauging user satisfaction levels on this forum.

Recently moved to Xs for the camera during travels and was delighted to end up with the most satisfying Apple device since I first bought the 3Gs.
 
I swapped an irritatingly faulty 6s for an SE and remained happy with that decision. Never bothered with the marginal geekbench type comparisons, instead simply went with gauging user satisfaction levels on this forum.

6s and SE have an identical processor and same RAM.
 
Edit to add - I used a 5S not so long ago while mine was being repaired and yes it was noticeably sluggish to me. YMMV though of course :)
 
5s and 6 are both terribly slow. And equally so.

5s won’t be much worse, if at all.

SE is a huge upgrade from both.
 
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Each person has their own wants and needs for what they are looking for in a cell phone.

How much one is willing to spend is also an individual choice only the OP/buyer can make.
 
Price mainly. The screen on the SE has less contrast than the 5s as well, for some reason (800:1 vs. 1000:1).

Don’t go by such specs. SE is night and day better than 5s in every way.

Price is for you to decide.
 
I replaced my 5s for the 6 in 2014 when it came out. Definitely a mistake, I sold it after using it for a month and went back to my 5s because I felt my 5s performed as well if not better. I never had a problem with the size of the 6, I just felt the upgrade wasn’t worth it.
 
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Not insane at all, it’s personal preference. For me, the 6 is better than the 5 in every way (I found the upgrade to be remarkable) but that’s just the opinion of one person. If it works for you, nothing else is relevant.
 
SE would be the more considered choice. Considering the 5S is unlikely to see iOS 13 which the SE will.
 
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No one here can tell you that you made a good move or a bad one. Are you happy with it or not? That is the only thing that matters. 5s, 6, SE, or even Xs... at the end of the day they're all just tools and the user decides which one best suits their needs.
 
The smarter, better, more satisfying option would be to get the SE instead. It's the last, great, small phone Apple made.

And it flies on iOS 12.
 
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I don't know about switching, but back in the day, I bought a 5s instead of a 6, and I was perfectly happy with the device.
Battery life was a little low when pushed (high brightness and LTE would get me 4 hours of usage or less, when I was getting 6.5-7 with Wi-Fi and low brightness, all screen-on) but apart from that (and I have no idea what the 6's battery life was when pushed, but I read it was significantly better), I was happy. All of this - this is worth mentioning - was with the 5s on its original iOS version.
Regarding the battery life, I saw a moderate improvement with low intensity usage (all screen on) when I got the 6s - it went up to 8-9 hours, and a massive improvement with heavy usage - it went up to 7 hours.
Regardless, I was happy at the time with the improved portability, and, considering my wants at the time, I think I made a good choice; even if, in hindsight, I would have benefited from the 6's improved battery life, which, I think, was only mildly lower than that of the 6s.
As I never updated iOS, performance was flawless in every way, and I have no comments on that.
If you can't get an SE for whatever reason and you really value the portability, it wouldn't be a terrible choice at all, in my honest opinion.
 
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