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iPhone 11 iPhone 11 upgrade for 11 year old daughter
- Thread starter daleski75
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Interesting. Luckily my 11 (77%) isn't being throttled - as far as I can tell.
It's certainly not noticeable slower than it was when new, which is pretty remarkable considering I've got iOS 18.1 beta on it.
Our 11 year old has a hand-me-down 12 Pro and it handles everything great. I'm still on the fence about her having it as I can see her getting more addicted to it but she is at a new school and has to travel about an hour each way on public transport. Think I may try more restrictive screen time for it and take the popularity hit at home.
She is still wearing an Apple Watch 5 (SS so with cellular and plan) and I think I'm happier with that than a phone but at this point the battery struggles to last the day even with School Time turned on, especially now she is travelling so far to school. I could get a new battery but £100 for such an old watch feels like a bad idea. I could also give her my AW7 cellular which just had AppleCare battery replacement—and get myself a shiny new 10—but I've a feeling that she'll quickly wreck an aluminium one…
She is still wearing an Apple Watch 5 (SS so with cellular and plan) and I think I'm happier with that than a phone but at this point the battery struggles to last the day even with School Time turned on, especially now she is travelling so far to school. I could get a new battery but £100 for such an old watch feels like a bad idea. I could also give her my AW7 cellular which just had AppleCare battery replacement—and get myself a shiny new 10—but I've a feeling that she'll quickly wreck an aluminium one…
paid 750€ for a 15 Pro, used but in very good condition. Price down from 1.149€ Apple retail here in Germany. Would have liked to wait some more but couldn't as my 11 Pro broke down
. The 13 Pro is still a great phone and will last quite long id assume. The 14 Pro brings nothing much to the table compared to the 13 Pro for your daughter.OLED, ProMotion, 128GB of storage, 3 cameras and a new design are a worthwhile upgrade and the 13 Pro should be reasonably priced, compared to the 14 Pro (1.300€ original retail price, 150 more than the 15 Pro a year later 0_o)
I've used my 11 Pro without a case and can confirm, it does get very hot with certain use patterns, including video calling, It does get uncomfortably warm and even dims the display way down. Don't know why you think only cases can heat up phones when video calling.
I think OP mentioned they'd like not to spend too much on an iPhone, and I don't think itd be the right message for a 11 year old to be like your phone is getting hot when you're using it (excessively), have the newest one! The upgrade from the 11 to the 13 Pro would be more than enough for someone that doesn't actually need more then the 11 for anything but video calling.
if any phone would struggle, any phone would suffice, no? then its not about the phone but the user, and with 11 that sounds like waay to much usage and dependancy. I don't know if you're already using this, but if not put the screen time widget on your Home Screen for your daughter and check it periodically. Maybe that alone will curb her usage, otherwise it might give you insight you didn't have previously. Albeit I have a feeling you're doing that already.
Got my daughter’s iPhone locked down already like you said, more downtime than up-time.
Max of up to 2 hours a day and anything else she has to request it.
Usage wise, even though my daughter is on it for about an hour or two each day, the constant video calls, gaming at the same time, and being plugged in is killing the battery.
Told her last night she can get a new phone but only when she gets into the habit of letting it fully charge first before use, something I know won’t happen anytime soon and until then she is stuck with the iPhone 11.
Bit off topic, but I don’t want people thinking I let me daughter use her phone 24/7!
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But OP is asking basically what’s better 13 pro or 14 pro for more longevity and future proof, I guessed should skip the part about 11 yrs old and focus on technical advice
Judging how it is 78% battery health, it definitely degraded and is now getting throttled so it doesn't randomly shut off.
Yes, a 13 Pro would be an amazing upgrade from an 11, 14 Pro would be a little more of an upgrade, but not much for someone who just sounds like an "average user".
A lot of people on this forum will say "Just replace the battery".
My take on it:
The 11 is starting to get outdated, and might not receive iOS 19 next year. These days, the software updates are very important for gen-z because it gives them new customization features. I can tell that since its already on iOS 18, she really wanted the new customization features in it. I would say that a 13 Pro would be an amazing upgrade for your daughter.
Yes, a 13 Pro would be an amazing upgrade from an 11, 14 Pro would be a little more of an upgrade, but not much for someone who just sounds like an "average user".
A lot of people on this forum will say "Just replace the battery".
My take on it:
The 11 is starting to get outdated, and might not receive iOS 19 next year. These days, the software updates are very important for gen-z because it gives them new customization features. I can tell that since its already on iOS 18, she really wanted the new customization features in it. I would say that a 13 Pro would be an amazing upgrade for your daughter.
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Eh...
My son had an iPhone 11 for the past 3 years.
My daughter had an iPhone 12 mini.
The trade in deals that AT&T was offering were really good, so I got her an iPhone 15 and him an iPhone 15 Plus. They should be good with these now for a few years. Of course my daughter is going to be pissed when she finds out that genmoji won't work on her iPhone 15.
My son had an iPhone 11 for the past 3 years.
My daughter had an iPhone 12 mini.
The trade in deals that AT&T was offering were really good, so I got her an iPhone 15 and him an iPhone 15 Plus. They should be good with these now for a few years. Of course my daughter is going to be pissed when she finds out that genmoji won't work on her iPhone 15.
If she's like my 12 year old daughter.... I get an eye roll and a look that screams "Ok, boomer". LOL
I get eye rolls when telling my daughter the latest amazing dad jokes, aside from that I am ok so far but that won’t last forever!
I was trying to avoid that aspect of the situation. Younger people (under 30) are pretty much attached to their screen. I’m not sure if it’s going to make much difference if it’s an older device although in this situation overheating might induce required breaks 😂
I haven’t. I wrote only 11yrs old can use tech like the general observation about teenagers generation. Almost every teens I know are very capable of knowing their devices. E.g. my 12y nephew is so into planes and flights that he’s the one buying air tickets, searching cheap flights and even organizing family trip from tech side.
iPhone SE4 early next year sounds like the one to get if you can wait, degraded battery is an issue (especially if it expands) but if it can be nursed through that would be an amazing upgrade If in budget.
im on the fence with getting a new battery for it, especially at Apple prices. could a power bank work If you can hold off? I’m waiting for an SE4 myself from an 11 which has a slightly better battery and is slowing up a bit Occasionally.
fully charging isn’t actually great news for a phone, the latest phones have settings to charge up to 80% which is far better for battery longevity but in an aged and degraded battery that ship has sailed.
My daughter is crazy about planes too, 24/7 researching them, tracking flights, plane spotting!
In my experience, tracking flights with most apps make my phone super hot and it’s an iPhone 15. Something about those apps takes a lot of energy.
So much parenting advice. I had people absolutely losing their minds when I said I got my 12 year old an iPhone 15 earlier this year. Kids deserve nice things too 🤷🏻♀️ I wanted mine to have a high quality device and I’ve only had iPhones since the first one in 2007, so I know they’re solid. I wasn’t about to get her an iPhone 8 or a chintzy android stuck with a micro usb port just because she’s a kid. AppleCare + theft and loss and a case, no problems at all. My kid is very social and I’m happy to give her a way to talk to her friends.