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

[Andeddu]

Yeah, I know it’ll never be completely solved. I was thinking that perhaps the original battery life could be so ridiculously good that regardless of iOS obliteration and battery health degradation, an iPhone could have a full day battery life with a moderately heavy use (which was first achieved in an original iOS version by… the 6 Plus on iOS 8!) even fully updated and with a degraded battery.

The Pro Max, the 16e, and both the 15 and 16 Plus have massive ratings.

Maybe, just maybe, the Xʀ and the 11 provide half-decent battery life and these models are actually great in the future. We’ll see.

I’d like the original Plus standard if you ask me: around 12 hours of light SOT, with the original battery, with a fully updated and unsupported iPhone.

When that’s achieved, I’ll be truly happy.

It might be possible to achieve a decent SoT along with an updated iOS on a modern Plus sized phone or a 16e. It’ll definitely be usable with a brand new OEM battery which solves the problem for 99% of users who don’t want to update to a newer phone and are happy to have their battery serviced.

 

[FeliApple]

It might be possible to achieve a decent SoT along with an updated iOS on a modern Plus sized phone or a 16e. It’ll definitely be usable with a brand new OEM battery which solves the problem for 99% of users who don’t want to update to a newer phone and are happy to have their battery serviced.

Yeah, but I thought perhaps the Xʀ or 11 could, and even though I haven’t tested the 11 yet… I don’t think it can.

I’ve misplaced hope earlier when it comes to this, so let’s wait. Who knows, maybe the 11 is better than I think.

I know older Plus models were destroyed, and I had hope for those initially. When I originally tested the 7 Plus on iOS 10 and hit what - in my view - was the Pinnacle of battery life (iPads!) I was amazed. Over 12 hours of light usage and I couldn’t believe it. By iOS 10, I hadn’t updated for years, and I thought “well, this is so good that they can’t kill it, right?”… wrong. By iOS 13 it was gone.

I had the same renewed expectations for the Xʀ when I tried it. As soon as I get to try the Xʀ-like 11 I’ll tell you…

I want 12 hours with the original battery and the same light use than gets me 16-18 in my Xʀ on iOS 12. I could make 11 work. So 11-12. About 70%. We’ll see. I doubt it, honestly, but we’ll see.

But a situation like the one that befell the 1st-gen SE shouldn’t happen again. An almost Plus-like 4-inch iPhone with great comfort and great battery life suffering like it suffers on iOS 15 is not good.

The SE didn’t sacrifice battery life for comfort. It had both.

 

[Andeddu]

Yeah, but I thought perhaps the Xʀ or 11 could, and even though I haven’t tested the 11 yet… I don’t think it can.

I’ve misplaced hope earlier when it comes to this, so let’s wait. Who knows, maybe the 11 is better than I think.

I know older Plus models were destroyed, and I had hope for those initially. When I originally tested the 7 Plus on iOS 10 and hit what - in my view - was the Pinnacle of battery life (iPads!) I was amazed. Over 12 hours of light usage and I couldn’t believe it. By iOS 10, I hadn’t updated for years, and I thought “well, this is so good that they can’t kill it, right?”… wrong. By iOS 13 it was gone.

I had the same renewed expectations for the Xʀ when I tried it. As soon as I get to try the Xʀ-like 11 I’ll tell you…

I want 12 hours with the original battery and the same light use than gets me 16-18 in my Xʀ on iOS 12. I could make 11 work. So 11-12. About 70%. We’ll see. I doubt it, honestly, but we’ll see.

But a situation like the one that befell the 1st-gen SE shouldn’t happen again. An almost Plus-like 4-inch iPhone with great comfort and great battery life suffering like it suffers on iOS 15 is not good.

The SE didn’t sacrifice battery life for comfort. It had both.

So the 6S and SE both run iOS 15 very well however the performance has taken a noticeable hit when compared to iOS 9/10. The 8, on the other hand, runs iOS 16 extremely well with barely any noticeable lag or performance dips. It’s probably slightly more sluggish than it was on iOS 11 however it’s not particularly detectable as the phone is still snappy with zero keyboard lag. I think you’ll find that the XR on iOS 18 performs equally well which mostly debunks your argument in regards to the performance being “obliterated” due to iOS updates.

I have no idea how your 11 will perform, battery wise, as I have never allowed any of my devices to reach 80% battery health. All I can say is that my 6S on iOS 15 and 8 on iOS 15 (when they were still on their original batteries at 82% and 84% respectively) provided only an hour of SoT on WiFi. With battery replacements the they both clock in around 4-4.5 hours of SoT on Wi-Fi with medium usage, which is fine for me as a secondary device but not as a daily driver. This is no longer a problem as Apple have removed these small chassis designs from their lineup with the removal of the SE3. The 16e, which is its spiritual successor, has a battery capacity which is almost twice the size of the SE3. The issues you are reporting with older phones appear to no longer be a problem with modern devices given their much larger battery capacities. If the reported 26 hours of video playback (under perfect conditions) suddenly becomes 13-16 hours when the 16e is on iOS 24, will it become a problem? The answer is no because there is not a human alive who requires around 13 hours of SoT each day.

For everyone on the forum, perhaps other than yourself, the battery & performance issue appears to be resolved.

Well done Apple! 👏

 

[geta]

So the 6S and SE both run iOS 15 very well however the performance has taken a noticeable hit when compared to iOS 9/10. The 8, on the other hand, runs iOS 16 extremely well with barely any noticeable lag or performance dips. It’s probably slightly more sluggish than it was on iOS 11 however it’s not particularly detectable as the phone is still snappy with zero keyboard lag. I think you’ll find that the XR on iOS 18 performs equally well which mostly debunks your argument in regards to the performance being “obliterated” due to iOS updates.

I have no idea how your 11 will perform, battery wise, as I have never allowed any of my devices to reach 80% battery health. All I can say is that my 6S on iOS 15 and 8 on iOS 15 (when they were still on their original batteries at 82% and 84% respectively) provided only an hour of SoT on WiFi. With battery replacements the they both clock in around 4-4.5 hours of SoT on Wi-Fi with medium usage, which is fine for me as a secondary device but not as a daily driver. This is no longer a problem as Apple have removed these small chassis designs from their lineup with the removal of the SE3. The 16e, which is its spiritual successor, has a battery capacity which is almost twice the size of the SE3. The issues you are reporting with older phones appear to no longer be a problem with modern devices given their much larger battery capacities. If the reported 26 hours of video playback (under perfect conditions) suddenly becomes 13-16 hours when the 16e is on iOS 24, will it become a problem? The answer is no because there is not a human alive who requires around 13 hours of SoT each day.

For everyone on the forum, perhaps other than yourself, the battery & performance issue appears to be resolved.

Well done Apple! 👏

I use SE1 with iOS 15 and a new battery and the performance is the same as it was with iOS 10, if not a bit better.

Sure you can't compare it to the latest iPhones, but for what it is, it serves its purpose really good.

 

[Andeddu]

I use SE1 with iOS 15 and a new battery and the performance is the same as it was with iOS 10, if not a bit better.

Sure you can't compare it to the latest iPhones, but for what it is, it serves its purpose really good.

I can still recall my 6S on iOS 9 back in 2016 being buttery smooth, even when browsing complex websites. This is no longer the case as, albeit the performance is still decent, those phones cannot compare to my 13. The performance of my 13 on iOS 18 is far superior to the 6S & SE on iOS 15. I can’t slate either phone though as iOS 15 has definitely not “obliterated” the performance of the 6S/SE. Both are very usable in 2025 and, even though I am used to a much more powerful device, I don’t find the performance of the 6S/SE to be poor by any stretch of the imagination.

There isn’t much of a difference in light use (web-browsing) between my 8 and 13. This is a good example of newer phones performing better than older phones when maxed out on iOS.

 

[rwh63]

decided to order a new SE1 128gb space gray iphone off an ebay vendor for about $150: https://www.ebay.com/itm/315175058992

i like a lot about this phone. it suits my current needs. it is stuck at ios 15, and security updates may not happen. i need a new macbook pro more than the newest phone, so i want to put the phone difference towards the laptop purchase. the SE should get me through a couple more years. i like the compact size. little phone are kind of like sexy spy devices!

 

[rwh63]

need the jack, jack!

 

[Andeddu]

I’ve started to notice that Safari on iOS 15 is no longer 100% compatible with certain websites. Seems like this is the beginning of the end for our favourite devices (6S/SE1). Netflix is also not compatible if you don’t already have it installed. My devices have it installed so everything works fine for now.

 

[FeliApple]

I’ve started to notice that Safari on iOS 15 is no longer 100% compatible with certain websites. Seems like this is the beginning of the end for our favourite devices (6S/SE1). Netflix is also not compatible if you don’t already have it installed. My devices have it installed so everything works fine for now.

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It’s a shame we only had three years of full Safari compatibility for iOS 15. My iPad Air 5 is on iPadOS 15, but last I used it I didn’t notice anything (a couple of months ago).

Netflix still works on iOS 12, so that one should be fine for a while.

iOS 12 though struggles a LOT for Safari nowadays, sadly. It’s the end of the run as a suitable web-browsing iOS version.

This compatibility vs iOS efficiency nonsense has already exhausted my patience. My Air 5 feels absolutely new, and it’s already not fully compatible?

 

[geta]

I’ve started to notice that Safari on iOS 15 is no longer 100% compatible with certain websites. Seems like this is the beginning of the end for our favourite devices (6S/SE1). Netflix is also not compatible if you don’t already have it installed. My devices have it installed so everything works fine for now.

View attachment 2523350

It depends on your use/needs… but as long as the apps you use support iOS15 it’s still usable device.

 

[sdfox7]

I’ve started to notice that Safari on iOS 15 is no longer 100% compatible with certain websites. Seems like this is the beginning of the end for our favourite devices (6S/SE1). Netflix is also not compatible if you don’t already have it installed. My devices have it installed so everything works fine for now.

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Netflix will give an initial error on the login screen, but once you press okay, you can log in. Try it. Final version is 15.48.1

Eventually, like everything, it will stop working, but Netflix is not a make or break app for me. I rather watch on a computer or TV.

 

[Andeddu]

It’s a shame we only had three years of full Safari compatibility for iOS 15. My iPad Air 5 is on iPadOS 15, but last I used it I didn’t notice anything (a couple of months ago).

Netflix still works on iOS 12, so that one should be fine for a while.

iOS 12 though struggles a LOT for Safari nowadays, sadly. It’s the end of the run as a suitable web-browsing iOS version.

This compatibility vs iOS efficiency nonsense has already exhausted my patience. My Air 5 feels absolutely new, and it’s already not fully compatible?

They’re very minor issues I am coming across at the moment with formatting videos that make up parts of banners on various sites. Also, Steam has some comparability issues with Safari on iOS 15. I would still say that 99% of websites look normal at the moment. It’ll probably be down to 75-80% within the next 12 months.

It depends on your use/needs… but as long as the apps you use support iOS15 it’s still usable device.

Yup. It’s still very usable right now and if push came to shove, I’d be able to live with an iOS 15 device as my daily driver. I have just checked, even my banking apps work and I can access my account!

Netflix will give an initial error on the login screen, but once you press okay, you can log in. Try it. Final version is 15.48.1

Eventually, like everything, it will stop working, but Netflix is not a make or break app for me. I rather watch on a computer or TV.

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I saw that some people, who do not have Netflix installed at all, are unable to download the last compatible version of the app on the AppStore. I don’t know if there’s any truth to this claim, however. My 6S runs Netflix, Disney+ and Prime perfectly well with no compatibility issues albeit on older versions of the application.

 

[sdfox7]

They’re very minor issues I am coming across at the moment with formatting videos that make up parts of banners on various sites. Also, Steam has some comparability issues with Safari on iOS 15. I would still say that 99% of websites look normal at the moment. It’ll probably be down to 75-80% within the next 12 months.



Yup. It’s still very usable right now and if push came to shove, I’d be able to live with an iOS 15 device as my daily driver. I have just checked, even my banking apps work and I can access my account!



I saw that some people, who do not have Netflix installed at all, are unable to download the last compatible version of the app on the AppStore. I don’t know if there’s any truth to this claim, however. My 6S runs Netflix, Disney+ and Prime perfectly well with no compatibility issues albeit on older versions of the application.

This makes sense if they’ve never downloaded it before. In that case, they have to download Netflix on a newer supported device first. Then they will be able to download the last compatible version on the older device.

Netflix Version 12.51.3 still works perfectly on my iPhone 6 with iOS 12!

 

[SYCAMOREGRAD]

“For other apps I had already downloaded, the last versions still compatible iOS 15 work fine and life continues just fine without updates. However, at some point I might want to add some new apps and won't be able to ‘for no good reason.’ ‘

“For no good reason” besides security and vulnerability issues…

 

[Andeddu]

This makes sense if they’ve never downloaded it before. In that case, they have to download Netflix on a newer supported device first. Then they will be able to download the last compatible version on the older device.

Netflix Version 12.51.3 still works perfectly on my iPhone 6 with iOS 12!

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That’s great, I am glad Netflix still support devices that are over a decade old!

I was able to watch videos on Netflix on my OG iPad Mini locked on iOS 10 in 2022.

It stopped working in 2023 though.

 

[sdfox7]

That’s great, I am glad Netflix still support devices that are over a decade old!

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I was able to watch videos on Netflix on my OG iPad Mini locked on iOS 10 in 2022.

It stopped working in 2023 though.

In general, Apple is training people to accept fewer years of software support. That's how they get you to upgrade. This is a paradigm shift from computers, historically you could use an operating system for 10 years and things would still work. Consumers enable this behavior by swiping the plastic every year for the latest model.

OpenCore aka OCLP is proof that Apple creates artificial system requirements to get people to upgrade.

Now, to contradict the previous statement, the 6S has been the longest supported iPhone in history. Only Apple can explain that one. The headphone jack? The last update was two months ago so I can only assume there is still a substantial user base for the 6S/SE along with the 7 and the iPad Air 2/iPad Mini 4.

Windows 10 is 10 years old and is still the #1 OS for market share in many countries. Windows 7 is 15 years old and is still quite usable. Why does a phone have to become a doorstop in just a few years?

 

[Andeddu]

In general, Apple is training people to accept fewer years of software support. That's how they get you to upgrade. This is a paradigm shift from computers, historically you could use an operating system for 10 years and things would still work. Consumers enable this behavior by swiping the plastic every year for the latest model.

OpenCore aka OCLP is proof that Apple creates artificial system requirements to get people to upgrade.

Now, to contradict the previous statement, the 6S has been the longest supported iPhone in history. Only Apple can explain that one. The headphone jack? The last update was two months ago so I can only assume there is still a substantial user base for the 6S/SE along with the 7 and the iPad Air 2/iPad Mini 4.

Windows 10 is 10 years old and is still the #1 OS for market share in many countries. Windows 7 is 15 years old and is still quite usable. Why does a phone have to become a doorstop in just a few years?

I don’t particularly mind that Apple have given their iPhones a 10 year window of usability given it’s still considerably higher than Samsung, Google and other companies such as Xiaomi. My OGSE/6S are both usable today as daily drivers, both are compatible with all the major media apps, my banking apps, WhatsApp along with most of the AppStore. Such a thing would not be possible on an old Samsung Galaxy Edge 6/7.

 

[Annv]

Well, I got a major incompatibility. As you know, Skype was discontinued, and its functions are now in Teams. But for the chats to show up, you need iOS 16 at least. In iOS 15, there are no chats. And I doubt MS ever fixes this.

On Android, you only need version 8 to use Skype in Teams. I think it would even be possible to tweak the installer for older versions.

So, despite several years of iOS updates, your apps can stop working if you're just a couple of versions behind, and there's no easy sideloading like on Android. On Android, you don't even need OS upgrades most of the time for your apps to work.

Not long ago, I was using an Android phone with version 4, and all I needed was working fine. As it only had 1 GB RAM, I downgraded all the apps to their original versions, and they got fast again — something you cannot do on an iPhone.

If I decide to upgrade now (I'm still reluctant to do so), it will definitely be an Android, as I don't want to experience such incompatibilities a few years from now.

 

[sdfox7]

Well, I got a major incompatibility. As you know, Skype was discontinued, and its functions are now in Teams. But for the chats to show up, you need iOS 16 at least. In iOS 15, there are no chats. And I doubt MS ever fixes this.

On Android, you only need version 8 to use Skype in Teams. I think it would even be possible to tweak the installer for older versions.

So, despite several years of iOS updates, your apps can stop working if you're just a couple of versions behind, and there's no easy sideloading like on Android. On Android, you don't even need OS upgrades most of the time for your apps to work.

Not long ago, I was using an Android phone with version 4, and all I needed was working fine. As it only had 1 GB RAM, I downgraded all the apps to their original versions, and they got fast again — something you cannot do on an iPhone.

If I decide to upgrade now (I'm still reluctant to do so), it will definitely be an Android, as I don't want to experience such incompatibilities a few years from now.

There are lots of alternatives to Teams. The only people I know who use Teams are the corporate types.

Zoom and Google Meet are the most common ones. Meet no longer loads, but if you install the Gmail app, you simply tap on a meet.google.com link and it will open in Gmail. You can also tap the camera button at the bottom of the Gmail app and then paste a code to connect.

 

[Annv]

There are lots of alternatives to Teams. The only people I know who use Teams are the corporate types.

Zoom and Google Meet are the most common ones. Meet no longer loads, but if you install the Gmail app, you simply tap on a meet.google.com link and it will open in Gmail. You can also tap the camera button at the bottom of the Gmail app and then paste a code to connect.

Yep, there are many better alternatives, and I wish I could switch to them, but some of my clients only use Teams, probably out of habit.

Skype was outdated, but worked reliably, and Teams is quite buggy. This is the only messenger that loses messages or does not update them after Hibernate on PC. Hopefully, this will eventually force even corporate types to switch.

 

[geta]

Well, I got a major incompatibility. As you know, Skype was discontinued, and its functions are now in Teams. But for the chats to show up, you need iOS 16 at least. In iOS 15, there are no chats. And I doubt MS ever fixes this.

On Android, you only need version 8 to use Skype in Teams. I think it would even be possible to tweak the installer for older versions.

So, despite several years of iOS updates, your apps can stop working if you're just a couple of versions behind, and there's no easy sideloading like on Android. On Android, you don't even need OS upgrades most of the time for your apps to work.

Not long ago, I was using an Android phone with version 4, and all I needed was working fine. As it only had 1 GB RAM, I downgraded all the apps to their original versions, and they got fast again — something you cannot do on an iPhone.

If I decide to upgrade now (I'm still reluctant to do so), it will definitely be an Android, as I don't want to experience such incompatibilities a few years from now.

Regarding Skype/teams, they said once Skype is off they will add a calling option like it used to be in Skype, and you can continue using your credit… well, so far nothing, unless I can’t find or how to activate it. And without this it’s useless for me.