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Is iPhone 6S still a good buy?

Is iPhone 6S still a good buy?

  • No--get something newer

    Votes: 23 29.9%

  • Yes--it still has a lot of life left in her.

    Votes: 54 70.1%
  • Total voters
    77
F

Frisco

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Sep 24, 2002
2,475
69
Utopia
Or will Apple cut off iOS updates soon.

It's the perfect phone for me in terms of size. Plus I like the physical home button that moves. I don't need all the latest tech like great camera. etc.

Thoughts on buying a 6S this late in the game?
 
It'll probably get its last update in 2019. iPhone 5S, which was released in 2013, got iOS 11, but most likely will not get iOS 12, so it's safe to say iOS 13 might be the last update for 6S.

Even the iPhone 7 might only get updates till 2020, or 2021 max. You should get the 7S when it comes out if you want guaranteed updates till 2022 at least.
 
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Like the poster above said, extrapolating out would have you getting updates through iOS 13, but I suspect that the 6s/+ series will get updates beyond that due to being the first iPhones to get the RAM increased to 2GB.

The phone still performs great even compared to phones released this year. It’ll serve you well for a while.
 
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Frisco said:
Or will Apple cut off iOS updates soon.

It's the perfect phone for me in terms of size. Plus I like the physical home button that moves. I don't need all the latest tech like great camera. etc.

Thoughts on buying a 6S this late in the game?
Click to expand...

The IPhone 6s still really good phone and can be found with really good sale prices. My 6s performs well and I expect it to receive updates for at least two more years.
 
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If you plan on keeping your phone for longer than 2-3 years, no. But if you can find a great price on new 6S (which I'm sure you can) it might be worth it. I personally choose the Plus models over the 4.7 size because the battery life is much better. I hope the new "s" x or whatever is around the corner will show some significant improvements in battery performance for these smaller models. But the 6S is still a solid performer on iOS 10, and I expect it will continue to be fine through 11 & 12.
 
Last edited:
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I just got 6S Plus and loving the phone. I see no reason to upgrade. And i too love the clicky home button. I tried the haptic feed back home button and it feels odd to me. Plus l prefer metal body vs iphone 8 that will supposedly have glass body.

So yes, your phone is still relevant and will get the job done for few more years.
 
Yes unless your really into Augmented Reality and Machine Learning.
 
Frisco said:
Or will Apple cut off iOS updates soon.

It's the perfect phone for me in terms of size. Plus I like the physical home button that moves. I don't need all the latest tech like great camera. etc.

Thoughts on buying a 6S this late in the game?
Click to expand...

Cut iOS updates soon? Aren't they only just cutting the iPhone 5 (3 generations older) this year. It's also worth noting that the 6s has similar internals to the 9.7" iPad that was released this year.
 
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Funny, I just bought a 6S a week ago. Battery life is poor, absolutely. The camera is no great shakes, but tolerable. Regarding screen size, honestly I'm torn... I don't know how to feel about it. On the one hand, I do like the fact that I can basically operate the phone with one hand (barely), as everything is within reach. On the other hand, the bigger screen real estate definitely has its perks, I won't lie. I do like the smaller size in my pocket. So... tossup? The battery life is the biggest negative, and when you go to low power mode the usability takes a nosedive (basically you can't read or do anything that requires the screen not to go black for more than like 30 seconds or something, and it goes black with no warning, so basically you're constantly turning it on... hate that. Yeah, the batter life is my biggest gripe. In fact it's so bad, that I'll take a serious look to see what they come up with in iphone 8 - if the battery life is improved substantially, I just might go for it.

If I were you, I wouldn't buy at this moment - I bought only because it was a really good deal through Virgin Mobile and it just made sense. But the 8 will be announced within days. At least wait to see how the two compare. Also, with the 8 out, the price of the 6S might drop. It's less than a week of wait, so if I were you, I'd wait.
 
Timely thread!

I'm thinking of acquiring a backup to my DTEK60 and a 6S might fit the bill. It's been a while since I've had an iPhone (3Gs to be precise) and I'm willing to give it another go.

I'm also curious as to how many more upgrade cycles Apple will provide the 6S, but I think it will be for at least another four years given how similar it is to the 7 and forthcoming 7S.

I don't wish to spend a bundle on a backup phone, but if I'm quick I can purchase a lightly used 64gb variant for $300 CDN.
 
Good discount on the price? Go for it now. No/ little discount on the price? Wait a week and get a 7 for the same price as the 6s currently is, the button isn't something that should swing your decision against factors like a year extra of iOS support imo.
 
Frisco said:
Thanks for everyone's opinions!
Click to expand...
Have you made a decision? One other thing I would point out quickly, is don't discount the 7's extra performance over the 6S, in absolute terms it's as big a difference between the A10F chip and the A9 as there is between the A9 and A8, even if the %age increase seems a lot smaller. That goes for both CPU and GPU. That means the 7 will stay fluid on future iOSes for longer.
 
I have had an iPhone 6S for two years. It is a great phone, the performance is very fast for what I use it for. I agree with some of the postings above that its battery life isn't great, but it has one great asset in my opinion that outweighs that. IT STILL HAS A HEADPHONE JACK! If having a headphone jack is a big deal to you, get the 6S, being that it will be the last full sized Apple phone that will ever have one.

If the headphone jack is not important to you, I would probably try to get an iPhone 7 at a discounted price instead. I will hold onto my 6S for at least another year as long as it works well, and then upgrade to the next year's OLED successor to the so-called iPhone 8, once they are plentiful and by then Apple's mainstream phone. Besides, my 6S just got paid off, and I can enjoy owning it outright for awhile.
 
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It's not a good buy today since Apple will announce new iPhones. After the new iPhones are out, expect retailers to discount their remaining 6S inventory. Then you can buy 6S for even less. :)
 
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As an owner of a 6S I voted no. Especially this close to the launch of the new lineup.

As much as I like my 6S I can't recommend buying it at this point. If anything, go for a 7. Newer processor, better battery life.
 
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As a 6s Plus owner I voted yes. iPhones are a mature enough product now that you can expect one to be good and receive the latest iOS updates for four years, as you would expect of a laptop or desktop Mac. But wait until after the iPhone 7s and 8 are announced as there will be price drops on the older models.
 
I'm a 6s owner, and I voted yes. I have been perfectly happy with mine. Still has that solid feeling that my 5s had, perfect size format, and does everything I expect of it. As far as battery life, mine has not been a problem. I know that everyone uses their phone differently and has different expectations. In a normal day, I have wi-fi available a good share of the time. I easily make it through a days usage without running low on battery. The lowest my battery has ever been after a days usage is around 45%, and it rarely goes below 70%.
 
Frisco said:
Or will Apple cut off iOS updates soon.

It's the perfect phone for me in terms of size. Plus I like the physical home button that moves. I don't need all the latest tech like great camera. etc.

Thoughts on buying a 6S this late in the game?
Click to expand...

The 6s will be supported at least until Aug 2019.

Since the same CPU is also in the 2017 iPad not to mention the SE, there's reason to believe it can go even longer with updates provided Apple is willing.

With both the 3.5mm jack and the Lightning port, it's a classic.

I'd seriously recommend getting one as Apple will probably discontinue it after next Tuesday's press event. The clock is ticking...
 
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I've had the iPhone 6S Plus since launch day and I have to say that it still performs as good as new. It has absolutely no signs of slowing down. I think 2gb of RAM and A9 chip is very good combination and it will last atleast another 2-3 years without issues, if not even more.
 
Relentless Power said:
There is no way to measure "Crappy" battery life, Because That's variable on a lot of usage and settings. Furthermore, my 6s has excellent battery life and was much improved over my iPhone 6.
Click to expand...
There is if you stress your phone. One thing is for sure, I don't use my 6s as a calculator.
 
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