iPhone 13 iPhone 13 vs keep iPhone 8 for my 86 year old father

[mtbdudex]

Like the title says, my father has a iPhone 8, he’s 100% cognitive and uses a MacBook.

He desires a newer iPhone over his iPhone 8, more memory and better pictures. The 8 battery is at 60%, that’s a side issue, as we could have Apple replace it .

Only real concern is “on” via finger print vs “on” via swipe / face recognition.

Any people have experience on “aged but still capable” seniors struggling with the swipe thing?

There’s a Apple store 5-6 miles away , wanted thoughts before we go there possibly Friday after thanksgiving .

 

[Bethanie21]

My granddad, who recently passed away at age 79, had an iPhone 13, upgraded from a 6S. He initially struggled with the swipe up to unlock but with the help of my grandma, who has a 12, managed to get used to it eventually. I think your father will also get used to it over time.

 

[now i see it]

A refurbished iPhone 8 Plus is still an excellent phone. Plenty fast and has a bigger screen, 3 GB of RAM and a better camera with telephoto lens than the 8. I have both an 8 and 8 plus and the 8 Plus is superior to the 8 (except for carrying in a pocket).

Also no eye strain which is common with OLED iPhones

 

[ElectronGuru]

If he just needs new and not the HDR or super camera features, I’d go with SE2. The same experience with plenty of upgrades.

 

[Fatus_Asticus]

If he is capable he will be perfectly fine. When you start having issues, this goes for any age, is when you can't handle something different and you simply give up after 30 seconds of pecking at the screen because it isn't magically doing exactly what you want it to do.

This isn't an age thing, people that are in their 40's and 50's, even younger, have issues with change and not being able to adapt to new things. Age doesn't really have anything to do with it, more of an open mind to learning and critical thinking.

From your post I'd get him the 13, sit down with him and show him how it works and let him run with it. Face ID is awesome. Coming from android I much prefer it, although I wouldn't spit at a sensor on the power button for when I'm masked up but for 95% of my use it is awesome just having the phone do its thing while I'm looking at it. Especially when using things like Bitwarden / signing into apps.

 

[tenordrum]

This might be a sidetrack that is not worth it to him or you, but...

Given his age, do you think he would be interested in an Apple Watch? I am not 86 (I am 68) yet I have the AW5 with cellular (without being enrolled in a plan) in case I have some issues while I am out hiking daily. I had some serious health issues, and this watch gives my spouse some peace of mind.

It is a great way to automatically notify his emergency contacts (including 911) if he falls or has issues. The other plus of the Apple Watch is that it could unlock the phone if you purchased one with Face ID .

If he wants a better camera, perhaps the 13 mini, which seems to be in good supply, would fit. It would be a larger screen in a smaller body than the 8. I have the SE2, which is the same size as the 8. While it is a good phone overall, I don't see that much of an upgrade camera wise than my IP7, which my wife has. It does keep touch ID as noted above if he truly prefers that approach.

 

[TorontoSS]

It will be fine, my mother in law who is 71 can’t use a computer on her own. She gets nervous using the camera on the iPhone and she upgraded from the 7 plus to the 13 with no problems recently.

 

[mtbdudex]

Thx for the feedback, it’s thanksgiving and I’ve had my dad testing the swipe thing to go from app back to Home Screen.
He got that easily.
So with face recognition for on he should be ok with a 13.

 

[mtbdudex]

3 days in and my father is doing fine with the swipe thing. Also, really likes his iPhone 13; same physical size, bigger screen real estate, lighter, longer battery.

 

[mtbdudex]

4 weeks in … and my dad keeps putting the iphone in airplane mode … ugh
He told me he wanted a book that he likes to read a book and it will help him understand his iPhone 13 and the new iOS 15, so I got him this book and he’s had it just a few days now.