iPhone SE (2016) First Gen SE: How much longer viable?

[Andeddu]

The newer you go, the better performance is.

Battery life is the issue when you go too new.

I have, in the family, an iPhone 11 running iOS 14. For compatibility reasons, I will be updating and testing that one soon. We’ll see how it fares...

I expect performance to be good, because you’re right that newer devices suffer less. I expect battery life to be functionally obliterated. I can get the same battery life I get on the Xʀ on iOS 12 - 16 hours. Let’s see, with the same usage, how much iOS 18 gives me. I’ll copy the settings and the usage pattern.

I expect to get no more than 8 hours with very light use. If that’s the case, then battery life would be functionally garbage. But I’ll tell you later. From what you said, you consider the 11 new enough when it comes to updates, right?

I don’t disagree with you there. I reckon you’ll probably get a good level of performance on your iPhone 11 along with a 25-30% decease in battery life. If you end up with roughly 7-8 hours of SoT I reckon that’s acceptable given that all your apps will be compatible again. It’s a fair trade off. Modern iOS versions are less optimised on older phones, we are aware of this and, as a result, battery life takes a hit.

Thankfully modern phones have larger batteries which, like iPads, make the battery life decrease much less noticeable as users still get a full day’s use out of their device before having to charge it again, unlike older pre-iPhone X devices.

 

[FeliApple]

I don’t disagree with you there. I reckon you’ll probably get a good level of performance on your iPhone 11 along with a 25-30% decease in battery life. If you end up with roughly 7-8 hours of SoT I reckon that’s acceptable given that all your apps will be compatible again. It’s a fair trade off. Modern iOS versions are less optimised on older phones, we are aware of this and, as a result, battery life takes a hit.

Thankfully modern phones have larger batteries which, like iPads, make the battery life decrease much less noticeable as users still get a full day’s use out of their device before having to charge it again, unlike older pre-iPhone X devices.

7-8 hours of very light SOT with efficient settings and usage is 6s level. Considering the 11 is something for which I expect twice that, it’s not good.

The iPhone 11 has a large enough battery I think, we’ll see how it fares. Maybe it’s better than that, who knows...

7-8 hours of light use is 5 hours of moderately heavy outdoor use. Definitely garbage for a device that good, but perhaps it’s better, who knows. 5 iOS versions of updates? Like the SE, I expect there to be a massive difference.

 

[TgeekB]

No. Security updates ended on 16th September 2024 for the 6S, OGSE and 7.

Thanks. That would worry me but we’re all different.

 

[TgeekB]

1. 4G works fine for me
2. Don’t care
3. Don’t care
4. I get two days of usage with new battery
5. Not important because I don’t play games or watch movies on my phone
6. Don’t care
7. Don’t care which cable im using
8. Always preferred TouchID
9. Don’t care
10. Don’t care

Until recently, there was security updates, and so far I have no problem with updates for all the apps I use.

however I know it's just a matter of time before certain apps will stop work, and then I'll change to a used 13 Mini, 16e or for other small phone if they release one. 🤷‍♂️

Sounds like it works for you, that’s all that matters.

 

[Andeddu]

7-8 hours of very light SOT with efficient settings and usage is 6s level. Considering the 11 is something for which I expect twice that, it’s not good.

The iPhone 11 has a large enough battery I think, we’ll see how it fares. Maybe it’s better than that, who knows...

7-8 hours of light use is 5 hours of moderately heavy outdoor use. Definitely garbage for a device that good, but perhaps it’s better, who knows. 5 iOS versions of updates? Like the SE, I expect there to be a massive difference.

That’s when you’d require a new OEM battery from Apple.

I have shown you that an OGSE with a brand new battery replacement lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes of SoT when running videos on YouTube, Prime and Disney+. This was on normal brightness settings and high volumes settings and, importantly, 4G rather than WiFi. I was able to stretch that out by around an additional hour with WiFi. That means I was able to obtain almost 5 hours of video streaming on an OGSE on the above settings whilst running on iOS 15 which we agreed was pretty impressive. If I used that device normally, I could’ve squeezed around 5.5-6 hours of SoT which is fine for a light user.

I think if your 11 was updated to iOS 18 and had a fresh OEM battery, you could manage between 7–8 hours of normal usage on regular settings or 5-5.5 hours of 4G video streaming on 4G with the volume up.

Either way, the 11 is usable as a daily driver on iOS 18.

 

[FeliApple]

That’s when you’d require a new OEM battery from Apple.

I have shown you that an OGSE with a brand new battery replacement lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes of SoT when running videos on YouTube, Prime and Disney+. This was on normal brightness settings and high volumes settings and, importantly, 4G rather than WiFi. I was able to stretch that out by around an additional hour with WiFi. That means I was able to obtain almost 5 hours of video streaming on an OGSE on the above settings whilst running on iOS 15 which we agreed was pretty impressive. If I used that device normally, I could’ve squeezed around 5.5-6 hours of SoT which is fine for a light user.

I think if your 11 was updated to iOS 18 and had a fresh OEM battery, you could manage between 7–8 hours of normal usage on regular settings or 5-5.5 hours of 4G video streaming on 4G with the volume up.

Either way, the 11 is usable as a daily driver on iOS 18.

Again, a new battery cannot match the original iOS version. It would show an improvement, but it would result in a massive loss, even with a new battery post-update.

5.5 hours is a little over half what I’d get on iOS 9.

5.5 hours is not acceptable on an iPhone SE. It’s outright pathetic on an iPhone 11. I won’t use it myself, I won’t ever use an updated iPhone, but for my standards it’s nothing other than complete garbage. An iPhone 11 should give me 11-12 hours of moderately heavy, outdoor brightness and LTE use with my usage. If it can’t give me that due to the iOS version, it’s garbage.

Users have accepted this. You accept this decline as “normal”. You find an iPhone SE with 5 hours and think it’s acceptable due to the device’s age. I don’t. That’s the one point we’ll never agree on.

If (and only if) the iPhone 11 has these numbers... can I make it work? Yes, probably. I’d have to ration usage on my heavy days as if I had a freaking iPhone 5s, but I could. Do I accept that? No. Is my Xʀ rationed? No.

I won’t constrain my usage on the 16 Plus on iOS 18, either.

It’s just a matter of expectations. You, and 99% of users, are okay with having a garbage device which can barely pull you through a full day due to iOS updates, and you accept that trade-off. I fully acknowledge that the “garbage” adjective is mine and mine only, most people don’t think like that.

But that’s why everyone updates and I don’t. I do think “how can you rationalise that as “well, but it’s old”, but people just... do. And it’s fine! I won’t judge that! I question why they accept it, but if people remain content with mediocrity induced by updates, it’s fine. Just don’t blindly recommend others to follow suit and update. The iPhone SE is no longer decent. But that’s just my opinion.

 

[Andeddu]

Again, a new battery cannot match the original iOS version. It would show an improvement, but it would result in a massive loss, even with a new battery post-update.

5.5 hours is a little over half what I’d get on iOS 9.

5.5 hours is not acceptable on an iPhone SE. It’s outright pathetic on an iPhone 11. I won’t use it myself, I won’t ever use an updated iPhone, but for my standards it’s nothing other than complete garbage. An iPhone 11 should give me 11-12 hours of moderately heavy, outdoor brightness and LTE use with my usage. If it can’t give me that due to the iOS version, it’s garbage.

Users have accepted this. You accept this decline as “normal”. You find an iPhone SE with 5 hours and think it’s acceptable due to the device’s age. I don’t. That’s the one point we’ll never agree on.

If (and only if) the iPhone 11 has these numbers... can I make it work? Yes, probably. I’d have to ration usage on my heavy days as if I had a freaking iPhone 5s, but I could. Do I accept that? No. Is my Xʀ rationed? No.

I won’t constrain my usage on the 16 Plus on iOS 18, either.

It’s just a matter of expectations. You, and 99% of users, are okay with having a garbage device which can barely pull you through a full day due to iOS updates, and you accept that trade-off. I fully acknowledge that the “garbage” adjective is mine and mine only, most people don’t think like that.

But that’s why everyone updates and I don’t. I do think “how can you rationalise that as “well, but it’s old”, but people just... do. And it’s fine! I won’t judge that! I question why they accept it, but if people remain content with mediocrity induced by updates, it’s fine. Just don’t blindly recommend others to follow suit and update. The iPhone SE is no longer decent. But that’s just my opinion.

So I managed to get an entire day out of my iPhone 13 which has been updated to iOS 18 and has the original battery health sitting at 87%. If this was my 6S, OGSE or 8, due to the far smaller battery, the device would be unusable as a daily driver and would require a battery replacement. I believe that once I have my 13’s battery replaced, I will obtain more than enough battery life to last me an entire day. For your note, I require around 7 hours of SoT to last me one day.

On days which require heavy usage, I have a MagSafe battery. For instance, yesterday, I was away from home and was afforded the opportunity to relax for 6 hours. At this time, my battery had already dropped to around 80% however I ended up watching 4 episodes of Goosebumps (40 min per episode) on Disney+ and web-browsing along with chatting on WhatsApp and a 35 minute phone call all before I had to use my MagSafe battery pack. Once I had that on I watched 2 episodes of the Gabby Petito documentary on Netflix (40 mins per episode) and then spent around 2+ hours on WhatsApp speaking to various people along with podcasts playing and music. I ended up with 11 hours SoT yesterday before I drained my 13’s battery along with the Apple MagSafe battery. That’s an unusually heavy day of usage for me but my updated phone with a depleted battery, along with a small Apple MagSafe battery pack, kept me powered up all day. I would hardly call that “garbage” especially given that I was on 4G for the entire duration.

Anyway, I am a realist, I won’t stop buying Apple products just because their updates are not perfectly optimised for older phones. These things happen to all devices regardless of brand.

To expect a device to age perfectly despite placing additional strain with software updates is unrealistic. Your expectations are unrealistic.

 

[FeliApple]

So I managed to get an entire day out of my iPhone 13 which has been updated to iOS 18 and has the original battery health sitting at 87%. If this was my 6S, OGSE or 8, due to the far smaller battery, the device would be unusable as a daily driver and would require a battery replacement. I believe that once I have my 13’s battery replaced, I will obtain more than enough battery life to last me an entire day. For your note, I require around 7 hours of SoT to last me one day.

On days which require heavy usage, I have a MagSafe battery. For instance, yesterday, I was away from home and was afforded the opportunity to relax for 6 hours. At this time, my battery had already dropped to around 80% however I ended up watching 4 episodes of Goosebumps (40 min per episode) on Disney+ and web-browsing along with chatting on WhatsApp and a 35 minute phone call all before I had to use my MagSafe battery pack. Once I had that on I watched 2 episodes of the Gabby Petito documentary on Netflix (40 mins per episode) and then spent around 2+ hours on WhatsApp speaking to various people along with podcasts playing and music. I ended up with 11 hours SoT yesterday before I drained my 13’s battery along with the Apple MagSafe battery. That’s an unusually heavy day of usage for me but my updated phone with a depleted battery, along with a small Apple MagSafe battery pack, kept me powered up all day. I would hardly call that “garbage”.

Anyway, I am a realist, I won’t stop buying Apple products just because their updates are not perfectly optimised for older phones. These things happen to all devices regardless of brand.

To expect a device to age perfectly despite placing additional strain with software updates is unrealistic. Your expectations are unrealistic.

I agree, perhaps my expectations are unrealistic. I think software updates should never place additional strain. If they do, they’re garbage. Perhaps Apple will never solve this to my liking.

Then the only thing that’s left is for me to recommend everyone to never update.

A beautiful, comfortable iPhone as the SE is would easily match your SOT expectations if it were on iOS 10.

Am I wrong for expecting something that Apple can achieve? They do it every time through original iOS versions. Am I that mistaken? Mistaken to the point where my opinion runs opposite to practically everyone? Why? If my expectations are realistic, as Apple has repeatedly proven with their dozens of original iOS version devices? Why should I hold updates to a different standard?

In any case, you’d probably rightly consider an iPhone with 5 hours of SOT garbage. That’s what happened to the 12 Mini! It was poor even on iOS 14, and people expected better.

 

[Andeddu]

I agree, perhaps my expectations are unrealistic. I think software updates should never place additional strain. If they do, they’re garbage. Perhaps Apple will never solve this to my liking.

Then the only thing that’s left is for me to recommend everyone to never update.

A beautiful, comfortable iPhone as the SE is would easily match your SOT expectations if it were on iOS 10.

Am I wrong for expecting something that Apple can achieve? They do it every time through original iOS versions. Am I that mistaken? Mistaken to the point where my opinion runs opposite to practically everyone? Why? If my expectations are realistic, as Apple has repeatedly proven with their dozens of original iOS version devices? Why should I hold updates to a different standard?

In any case, you’d probably rightly consider an iPhone with 5 hours of SOT garbage. That’s what happened to the 12 Mini! It was poor even on iOS 14, and people expected better.

The market has provided the answer as the drive for larger and larger screens has resulted in devices with larger batteries.

I would not be able to use an SE1, SE2 or SE3 without a battery pack these days as all those phones have small batteries.

Once the user has updated iOS and the battery health decreases, compromises have to be made.

With a device like an iPhone 13, 14, 15, etc… no notable compromises have to be made as the batteries are so large that they offset the additional strain.

When I first picked up my iPhone 13 in Jan 2023, I often ended the day with 30-40% battery life to spare. Now that my battery health is 87% and my iOS is updated to the latest version, I normally end the day with under 5% battery life.

Once Apple have serviced the battery I reckon I will have 15-25% battery life to spare at the end of each day.

You are right that newer firmware’s are affecting my battery life however I am compensated by having a battery capacity which is higher than what I normally require.

That’s the reason why these updates don’t appear to negatively affect iPads even though on paper, they do.

 

[sdfox7]

7-8 hours of very light SOT with efficient settings and usage is 6s level. Considering the 11 is something for which I expect twice that, it’s not good.

The iPhone 11 has a large enough battery I think, we’ll see how it fares. Maybe it’s better than that, who knows...

7-8 hours of light use is 5 hours of moderately heavy outdoor use. Definitely garbage for a device that good, but perhaps it’s better, who knows. 5 iOS versions of updates? Like the SE, I expect there to be a massive difference.

I must be an atypical user. Or, some of the posters on here are. If I only got 7-8 hours of battery on my 6S that is more than enough. I mean, that's equal to an 8 hour workday spent on your phone. 🤦‍♂️

I was born before the internet, there was life before the internet and I don't live my life on my phone. No way I could or would spend 8 hours per day on my phone. Life is passing by. I can take my 6S off the charger in the morning and by the end of a typical day I still have 40-50% battery remaining. Just my 2¢.

 

[Annv]

I also have the OGSE with 32 GB storage, and I don't expect to upgrade it any time soon. It's snappy, and with a new battery, lasts much longer than I need.

Some apps offered to install older version (Uber, Pocket), and some screen time app was incompatible with iOS 15.

However, if an important app stops working, I'll install it on my Android tablet before considering an upgrade.

 

[geta]

Again, a new battery cannot match the original iOS version. It would show an improvement, but it would result in a massive loss, even with a new battery post-update.

5.5 hours is a little over half what I’d get on iOS 9.

5.5 hours is not acceptable on an iPhone SE. It’s outright pathetic on an iPhone 11. I won’t use it myself, I won’t ever use an updated iPhone, but for my standards it’s nothing other than complete garbage. An iPhone 11 should give me 11-12 hours of moderately heavy, outdoor brightness and LTE use with my usage. If it can’t give me that due to the iOS version, it’s garbage.

Users have accepted this. You accept this decline as “normal”. You find an iPhone SE with 5 hours and think it’s acceptable due to the device’s age. I don’t. That’s the one point we’ll never agree on.

If (and only if) the iPhone 11 has these numbers... can I make it work? Yes, probably. I’d have to ration usage on my heavy days as if I had a freaking iPhone 5s, but I could. Do I accept that? No. Is my Xʀ rationed? No.

I won’t constrain my usage on the 16 Plus on iOS 18, either.

It’s just a matter of expectations. You, and 99% of users, are okay with having a garbage device which can barely pull you through a full day due to iOS updates, and you accept that trade-off. I fully acknowledge that the “garbage” adjective is mine and mine only, most people don’t think like that.

But that’s why everyone updates and I don’t. I do think “how can you rationalise that as “well, but it’s old”, but people just... do. And it’s fine! I won’t judge that! I question why they accept it, but if people remain content with mediocrity induced by updates, it’s fine. Just don’t blindly recommend others to follow suit and update. The iPhone SE is no longer decent. But that’s just my opinion.

Out of curiosity, what is your daily use? which apps do you use? how many hours you watching videos?

 

[Andeddu]

I must be an atypical user. Or, some of the posters on here are. If I only got 7-8 hours of battery on my 6S that is more than enough. I mean, that's equal to an 8 hour workday spent on your phone. 🤦‍♂️

I was born before the internet, there was life before the internet and I don't live my life on my phone. No way I could or would spend 8 hours per day on my phone. Life is passing by. I can take my 6S off the charger in the morning and by the end of a typical day I still have 40-50% battery remaining. Just my 2¢.

The average screen on time for teens is 7.5-8 hours per day. It’s ridiculous however I can easily sink 7 hours per day into my phone without trying.

I normally watch something in the morning on Netflix/Disney+ along with some YouTube videos while getting ready, which can take up to an hour. I then send messages and check websites for another 30-40 mins once I am at work. I then go on my phone around 15 mins per hour before I finish work and then I might spend another hour on websites or watching more videos whilst doing something. If I am in the gym I’ll be on my phone after every set and once home, I’ll end up with my partner on the couch, she’ll stick something on TV and I’ll end up on my phone again while chilling.

I don’t think people realise how badly smartphones have changed our behaviour since 2010… I remember a time when I had a dumb phone or a Blackberry and likely had a screen on time of around 1-2 hours per day.

 

[FeliApple]

The market has provided the answer as the drive for larger and larger screens has resulted in devices with larger batteries.

I would not be able to use an SE1, SE2 or SE3 without a battery pack these days as all those phones have small batteries.

Once the user has updated iOS and the battery health decreases, compromises have to be made.

With a device like an iPhone 13, 14, 15, etc… no notable compromises have to be made as the batteries are so large that they offset the additional strain.

When I first picked up my iPhone 13 in Jan 2023, I often ended the day with 30-40% battery life to spare. Now that my battery health is 87% and my iOS is updated to the latest version, I normally end the day with under 5% battery life.

Once Apple have serviced the battery I reckon I will have 15-25% battery life to spare at the end of each day.

You are right that newer firmware’s are affecting my battery life however I am compensated by having a battery capacity which is higher than what I normally require.

That’s the reason why these updates don’t appear to negatively affect iPads even though on paper, they do.

I think I’ve mentioned this: it’s not that battery life on an updated iPhone (up to a certain point) is not enough for me. It is!

It’s just that I disagree with the principle. I disagree with “having to make compromises”.

And when the device is good enough, I disagree with having a poorer battery life to gain... nothing.

Compatibility with this iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 has only reached annoying levels now. And now I will upgrade. So everything is okay. I don’t need to sacrifice battery life, I’ll probably upgrade before apps actually force me to update.

I agree that from the Xʀ onwards (not the SE, the SE wouldn’t be enough on iOS 15 for me, which is why this conversation started) battery life is good enough so as to have a lot of leeway. But it’s the principle.

On a long, heavy day with camera usage and high brightness I finish the day with over 60%. Over 50% at worst. Why should I compromise and be struggling to finish the day on iOS 18 when I have more than enough on iOS 12? If I have no reason to destroy my phone?

 

[FeliApple]

I must be an atypical user. Or, some of the posters on here are. If I only got 7-8 hours of battery on my 6S that is more than enough. I mean, that's equal to an 8 hour workday spent on your phone. 🤦‍♂️

I was born before the internet, there was life before the internet and I don't live my life on my phone. No way I could or would spend 8 hours per day on my phone. Life is passing by. I can take my 6S off the charger in the morning and by the end of a typical day I still have 40-50% battery remaining. Just my 2¢.

Out of curiosity, what is your daily use? which apps do you use? how many hours you watching videos?

I agree with you two! I’m not a massively heavy user. Like I said, it’s a matter of principle.

On the heavy days (very high brightness, LTE and camera use) I don’t want to struggle. This one on iOS 12 doesn’t.

But I don’t need the Xʀ’s battery life. Could I use an updated one with a battery life impact of 30%? Yeah, absolutely! But I don’t want to. Why should I even be in the realm of possibility of having a battery life that’s not good enough when this iPhone is amazingly great?

Do I need the battery life? No. My last 10 days average is 3 hours. But I want to have it, unencumbered.

The iPhone 16 Plus is rated for 27 hours on iOS 18. Do I need 27 hours? Obviously not. But I want 27 hours. I want my phone to be good, not garbage.

Assuming I can get 27 hours, if iOS 24 decreases it to 14 hours of light use and 9 hours of heavy use... then is that enough for me? Yeah, more than enough!

But what would I call that hypothetical device? Absolute garbage battery life. It’s the principle, not so much being enough for me as a user.

The 6s on iOS 10 is good enough for me. I have one. I’ve used one, recently. But if an updated Xʀ or 16 Plus gives me that battery life? Then it’s complete trash.

With the SE 1st-gen, it has been degraded so much that it’s no longer viable for me. It wouldn’t be enough. Not on some heavy camera days with high brightness. What can it give me? 2 hours? 3?

 

[Andeddu]

I think I’ve mentioned this: it’s not that battery life on an updated iPhone (up to a certain point) is not enough for me. It is!

It’s just that I disagree with the principle. I disagree with “having to make compromises”.

And when the device is good enough, I disagree with having a poorer battery life to gain... nothing.

Compatibility with this iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 has only reached annoying levels now. And now I will upgrade. So everything is okay. I don’t need to sacrifice battery life, I’ll probably upgrade before apps actually force me to update.

I agree that from the Xʀ onwards (not the SE, the SE wouldn’t be enough on iOS 15 for me, which is why this conversation started) battery life is good enough so as to have a lot of leeway. But it’s the principle.

On a long, heavy day with camera usage and high brightness I finish the day with over 60%. Over 50% at worst. Why should I compromise and be struggling to finish the day on iOS 18 when I have more than enough on iOS 12? If I have no reason to destroy my phone?

I don’t compromise, you do. You have sacrificed usability for battery life.

Even the diminished battery life on my 13 is enough to get me through the day. Once I have a battery service carried out, I’ll be fine. Does it make a difference to me if my 13 can no longer provide a maximum of 12 hours SoT? Well, no… because I only really need 7-8 hours of SoT per day. I don’t see the compromise I’ve made because it doesn’t actually affect my life.

Perhaps you should switch to a Plus sized phone? That way the battery diminishing per iOS update will have zero real world impact to you?

If you are doing it purely on principle then you have no leg to stand on. I find it laughable you’re willing to use a phone on iOS 12, which is basically a doorstop, just so you can have more battery life which you cannot use.

 

[FeliApple]

I don’t compromise, you do. You have sacrificed usability for battery life.

Even the diminished battery life on my 13 is enough to get me through the day. Once I have a battery service carried out, I’ll be fine. Does it make a difference to me if my 13 can no longer provide a maximum of 12 hours SoT? Well, no… because I only really need 7-8 hours of SoT per day. I don’t see the compromise I’ve made because it doesn’t actually affect my life.

Perhaps you should switch to a Plus sized phone? That way the battery diminishing per iOS update will have zero real world impact to you?

If you are doing it purely on principle then you have no leg to stand on. I find it laughable you’re willing to use a phone on iOS 12, which is basically a doorstop, just so you can have more battery life which you cannot use.

Who said my iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 is a doorstop? The only annoying aspect is Safari. When did this get really annoying? When iOS 18 released. By then, I already knew that I’d be upgrading soon. I can tolerate 5 months of Safari workarounds to keep my Xʀ on iOS 12. Everything else I need? Still works.

You’re making it sound as if the Xʀ has been completely useless on iOS 12 for years. It hasn’t. It’s still useful. Sure, Safari being broken is annoying. But five months? Who cares! I’ll grab something else for web browsing in the meantime, upgrade, and then? Then I have everything! Battery life and compatibility. I’ll hopefully be writing to you next week from an iPhone 16 Plus on iOS 18. Who cares about iOS 12 anymore by then?

I have a Mac and an iPad. Sure, I’ve needed some people to show me their QR menu in Safari because mine doesn’t work. And? That has only happened a couple of times. I’m not going to kill my Xʀ over a few website visits for which I have an immediate workaround.

It’s not as bad as you’re making it sound. By the time it’s actually bad, I’ll have the iPhone 16 Plus on iOS 18 and iOS 12 will be nothing but a memory.

And what did I have for those four months of slight annoyances? 5.5 years of perfection. Maybe next time I upgrade a little sooner and have no issues at all, who knows.

Like I said, I’ll have an iPhone 16 Plus on iOS 18 next week and we’ll be discussing other things by then.

 

[Frantisekj]

You are asking how long 2016 iPhone SE will be “viable” to use? A 9 yr old mobile phone? I’m surprised you can do more than make phone calls right now.

I am surprised how much and many ppl is in that all new frenzy

I still use 4s at work as work phone. It can call, message, imessage and maybe even facetime. Even iPhone 2 could call and message.
For this purpose I just checked, weather, icloud drive, ibooks (do not sync), notes (syncs), safari... even youtube over safari. Of course it is slow, you can not install anything new.

I will keep my SE 2016 till it dies. Not using as main phone but many apps still works.. Depending on your needs you can happily use it it your chatting app or other important will support it. Room can be problem of course. But you can get better

I just upgraded to 15" MBP 2012 😃 running Sequoia and happy to keep it till M1 will be for reasonable price.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Andeddu]

Who said my iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 is a doorstop? The only annoying aspect is Safari. When did this get really annoying? When iOS 18 released. By then, I already knew that I’d be upgrading soon. I can tolerate 5 months of Safari workarounds to keep my Xʀ on iOS 12. Everything else I need? Still works.

You’re making it sound as if the Xʀ has been completely useless on iOS 12 for years. It hasn’t. It’s still useful. Sure, Safari being broken is annoying. But five months? Who cares! I’ll grab something else for web browsing in the meantime, upgrade, and then? Then I have everything! Battery life and compatibility. I’ll hopefully be writing to you next week from an iPhone 16 Plus on iOS 18. Who cares about iOS 12 anymore by then?

I have a Mac and an iPad. Sure, I’ve needed some people to show me their QR menu in Safari because mine doesn’t work. And? That has only happened a couple of times. I’m not going to kill my Xʀ over a few website visits for which I have an immediate workaround.

It’s not as bad as you’re making it sound. By the time it’s actually bad, I’ll have the iPhone 16 Plus on iOS 18 and iOS 12 will be nothing but a memory.

And what did I have for those four months of slight annoyances? 5.5 years of perfection. Maybe next time I upgrade a little sooner and have no issues at all, who knows.

Like I said, I’ll have an iPhone 16 Plus on iOS 18 next week and we’ll be discussing other things by then.

I am sorry but iOS 12 on an iPhone is not far off having a dumb phone. It would be garbage to me and utterly unusable. No media apps, no banking or trading apps, limited website functionality… even WhatsApp wouldn’t work as it requires iOS 15. It literally would function as a door stop for me.

I’ll take the iOS updates to maintain compatibility and usability at the cost of some battery life, thanks.

Enjoy your 16 Plus though, it’ll be a massive upgrade for you. You’ll be able to use apps again.

 

[TgeekB]

I must be an atypical user. Or, some of the posters on here are. If I only got 7-8 hours of battery on my 6S that is more than enough. I mean, that's equal to an 8 hour workday spent on your phone. 🤦‍♂️

I was born before the internet, there was life before the internet and I don't live my life on my phone. No way I could or would spend 8 hours per day on my phone. Life is passing by. I can take my 6S off the charger in the morning and by the end of a typical day I still have 40-50% battery remaining. Just my 2¢.

This 100%

 

[FeliApple]

I am sorry but iOS 12 on an iPhone is not far off having a dumb phone. It would be garbage to me and utterly unusable. No media apps, no banking or trading apps, limited website functionality… even WhatsApp wouldn’t work as it requires iOS 15. It literally would function as a door stop for me.

I’ll take the iOS updates to maintain compatibility and usability at the cost of some battery life, thanks.

Enjoy your 16 Plus though, it’ll be a massive upgrade for you. You’ll be able to use apps again.

The iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 has a lot of compatible apps. WhatsApp works on iOS 12 until May. It is already straining though, which is why I’ll upgrade. A simple solution. And it’s been long enough, too!

But my point is exactly what you said: I don’t accept the following scenario, which is what happened to the SE and what prompted this conversation:

You mentioned you ended the day with 40% on iOS 15 with a total 100-0% of 12 hours of SOT. Going by the LTE rule of “outdoor brightness with mobile data represents a 30% SOT loss vs comparable use indoors with Wi-Fi”, you get 8 hours of LTE.

By iOS 18, you end the day with 5%. 9 hours of Wi-Fi, 6 hours of LTE. For your standards, still manageable, right? Barely, but it works.

By iOS 20 or 21, your iPhone 13 is gone as a reliable daily driver. That’s the point. Sure, due to the massive batteries and the astonishing battery life on the original iOS version, you have a lot of leeway. But iOS updates will eat through those eventually. Maybe, that’s okay for you. Maybe you just upgrade and forget. But you’re straining on iOS 18 already. Even “barely enough” isn’t good enough for me.

Which is why I think this is an expectations scenario. Some people think the SE on iOS 15 is usable. I think that it isn’t, due to performance and battery life. You accept some keyboard lag and dropped frames. I don’t. You accept a barely enough battery life on the iPhone 13, which presumably, is several hours better than this Xʀ. I don’t.

If you end the day with 5% when you ended it with 40%, the phone is already gone, imo. iOS 19 will be the nail in the coffin with even a slight battery life drop. You can adjust. Use it less, reduce brightness. But the device is gone.

 

[rui no onna]

I am surprised how much and many ppl is in that all new frenzy

I still use 4s at work as work phone. It can call, message, imessage and maybe even facetime. Even iPhone 2 could call and message.

Not in the US unless it's VoIP. Hmm, maybe T-Mobile.

The 2G and 3G networks on Verizon and AT&T have long been shut down.

 

[Andeddu]

The iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 has a lot of compatible apps. WhatsApp works on iOS 12 until May. It is already straining though, which is why I’ll upgrade. A simple solution. And it’s been long enough, too!

But my point is exactly what you said: I don’t accept the following scenario, which is what happened to the SE and what prompted this conversation:

You mentioned you ended the day with 40% on iOS 15 with a total 100-0% of 12 hours of SOT. Going by the LTE rule of “outdoor brightness with mobile data represents a 30% SOT loss vs comparable use indoors with Wi-Fi”, you get 8 hours of LTE.

By iOS 18, you end the day with 5%. 9 hours of Wi-Fi, 6 hours of LTE. For your standards, still manageable, right? Barely, but it works.

By iOS 20 or 21, your iPhone 13 is gone as a reliable daily driver. That’s the point. Sure, due to the massive batteries and the astonishing battery life on the original iOS version, you have a lot of leeway. But iOS updates will eat through those eventually. Maybe, that’s okay for you. Maybe you just upgrade and forget. But you’re straining on iOS 18 already. Even “barely enough” isn’t good enough for me.

Which is why I think this is an expectations scenario. Some people think the SE on iOS 15 is usable. I think that it isn’t, due to performance and battery life. You accept some keyboard lag and dropped frames. I don’t. You accept a barely enough battery life on the iPhone 13, which presumably, is several hours better than this Xʀ. I don’t.

If you end the day with 5% when you ended it with 40%, the phone is already gone, imo. iOS 19 will be the nail in the coffin with even a slight battery life drop. You can adjust. Use it less, reduce brightness. But the device is gone.

An iOS 12 device wouldn’t be any use to me though so I would never remain on a specific firmware for 6 years. That concept is alien to me and pretty much everyone else in this forum.

So my 13 is due a battery service which, I believe, will rectify any immediate concern in regards to my battery life on iOS 19 or 20. I can’t see a new battery, or one which is between 90%-100%, providing less than 7-8 hours of SoT. You are correct insofar that the higher you go with your updates, the more often you’ll have to replace your battery to maintain the minimum standard of battery life. It won’t affect me though as I plan on upgrading to the iPhone 17 if it proves to be a large enough upgrade over the 13.

I will report back to you if you’re interested with my 13’s SoT figures w/screenshots, etc… using a brand new OEM battery on iOS 18 once the service has been carried out.

 

[sdfox7]

I am sorry but iOS 12 on an iPhone is not far off having a dumb phone. It would be garbage to me and utterly unusable. No media apps, no banking or trading apps, limited website functionality… even WhatsApp wouldn’t work as it requires iOS 15. It literally would function as a door stop for me.

I’ll take the iOS updates to maintain compatibility and usability at the cost of some battery life, thanks.

Enjoy your 16 Plus though, it’ll be a massive upgrade for you. You’ll be able to use apps again.

I think, in general, the iOS 12 incompatibility issue could be overblown. Someone who doesn't have a computer and requires everything to be done on their phone upgraded from iOS 12 years ago. If you have an existing app on iOS 12, it most likely still works. If you are signed into the App Store you can download the last compatible version. If you haven't downloaded the app before, simply download on a newer device and then you will be prompted to download the older version on iOS 12. For everything else, there's the browser. WhatsApp may require iOS 15 for newer versions but the existing version works fine on older devices. I can still use Netflix app on iOS 12, but I'm usually watching it on a nice giant TV since phones are so small.

Capital One requires >iOS 15, but you can log in through the browser. Even so, I don't do banking on my phone, when I am balancing my accounts I am at a computer with a spreadsheet, so this is a non-issue.

I've saved my phones over the years, and my iPhone 6 is still 95% functional outside of the niche apps that didn't exist at all when iOS 12 was released, for which there won't be an iOS 12 version.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Sure would be amazing if EOL iPhones could be allowed to reinstall whatever iOS version folks might want to install

Old devices can carry on for a long time in certain roles, and it'd be amazing to be able to put them back onto a less bloated iOS version that best suits the device in terms of performance