iPhone 14 Pro Starting to feel like iPhones are not worth the money anymore

[alexhardaker]

Hello,

I’m starting to feel like iPhones just aren’t worth the money anymore.

I bought the iPhone 14 Pro (1TB) as soon as it launched, and went for AppleCare+ with theft and loss cover. I wanted something that would last a few years, as upgrades aren’t worth it every year, or even every couple of years, now.

In November last year, I accidentally stood on it and cracked the back. I used AppleCare+ for the repair and they replaced the battery at the same time, which I was surprised by.

11 months on though, I’ve already lost 11% battery health & iOS 26 seems to be hammering it even more. I’m regularly down to around 20% by the time I get home from work, even with Low Power Mode on. I’ve just switched on Reduced Motion to see if that helps, but haven’t had a chance to test it properly yet. That setting makes the phone feel like a budget Android from 2007 — not exactly what you expect from an almost £2k device.

It’s frustrating. I shouldn’t be thinking about replacing the battery already.

My Apple Watch Series 6 — which I also bought at launch — and my second-hand MacBook Pro (over six years old now) are still going strong. I’ve no urge to upgrade either of those because they still work to my expectations.

iOS has become increasingly buggy over the years. It’s been on the decline ever since Scott Forstall left in 2012/2013, if you ask me. Now it feels like they’re more focused on flashy features like “Apple Intelligence” just to have something new to shout about or subscription services, rather than fixing bugs and making things “just work”. I shouldn’t have to enable reduced motion to try and conserve battery life because of the buggy software update.

For the first time since I started using iPhones, I’m genuinely considering jumping ship.

Anyone else feeling the same?

 

[Puonti]

I’m starting to feel like iPhones just aren’t worth the money anymore.

...

Anyone else feeling the same?

No. iPhones have worked very well for my needs, without the downside of being an intimate part of Google's user-targeting business model. If I needed to buy one every year or even every other year I might think differently of course, because they do cost a fair bit. Fortunately so far that hasn't been the case.

 

[Abazigal]

I am hearing and seeing quite a few cases of the 14 pro models experiencing relative poor battery life, and that was also the year when Apple debuted the always-on display. I wonder if that is the chief reason for battery running out so quickly (in contrast, my 13 pro max still lasts fine).

 

[Htsi]

14 Pro running exquisitely well here. However it was replaced under ac+ a month ago.
I moved on to air and gave the new 14P to dad, he’s happy.
I have kept it on the latest iOS 18 though.
More RAM is the biggest factor for longevity. Battery/Screen/Enclosure can be replaced anytime.

 

[adrianlondon]

Years ago, I had the battery in my 6S replaced under Apple's "we're sorry for throttling phones and not telling anyone" deal of $29.

The new battery, same iOS version, dropped in capacity quicker than the original one. Based on my sample of one, I concluded that replacement batteries, even from Apple direct, just don't seem to be as good.

I've not replaced a battery since, so my sample of one is still 100% of my experience 😁

As for phones not being worth the money ... that's very individual. I upgraded my 6S to the 11 and loved it. Six years later, just two weeks ago, I replaced my 11 with the iPhone 17. Yes, $800 is a decent chunk of money, but I'm happy with it.

I did think about the iPhone 17 Pro Max (I wondered whether I'd prefer a larger screen) but I didn't pay much more than the cost of that for my Macbook Pro M4 (education discount) so stuck with the base 17. (Very happy with my MBP.)

 

[throAU]

I bought the iPhone 14 Pro (1TB) as soon as it launched, and went for AppleCare+ with theft and loss cover. I wanted something that would last a few years,

The iphone 14 was released in 2022.

Its been 3 years. It has lasted a few years.

 

[Cobold]

It's not only iPhones. Look at some Samsung forums about their latest devices. Look at car forums (whatever brand). Look at Home Entertainment forums (like TVs, ...).

It's all about gaining the most profits with the absolute minimum effort put into it. Cheeping out on materials (like paying less and less for parts from external suppliers), cheeping out on testing out new devices/new software, cheeping out on QC, ....
It's the time we're living in! Shareholder value is all that counts these days. Quality was the first victim. And since the stock price continues to be all that counts, quality of *insert product of your choice* will go down further down the dumps.

 

[throAU]

cheeping out on QC, ....
It's the time we're living in! Shareholder value is all that counts these days

To be fair, with software we are in a period of rapid development.
If you spend too much time on QC, you get left behind in terms of features.

It is what it is. As you said, its not just Apple, its not just Samsung. It's across the industry.

 

[daneoni]

I would dive into Location settings and Background refresh and make sure only apps you actually use are actively refreshing and updating their location.

Otherwise your phone is basically doing a host of unenecessary things in the background even when you don't need it

This has been a game changer for me.

 

[eyoungren]

I’m starting to feel like iPhones just aren’t worth the money anymore.
Anyone else feeling the same?

I do not feel the same way.

I prefer iOS over Android. In order to use iOS, that means I have to get an iPhone. Because Apple is not licensing iOS to run on Android.

For the first time, with iOS 26, Apple is starting to approach the look and feel of how I had things on my jailbroken phones up until 2020. It may be an unpopular opinion, but I like iOS 26. Like any other version of iOS it's got it's issues and there are still things to improve. But, this isn't iOS 7 anymore.

I will continue to spend for the iDevices I want. Note, my current primary device is the 11 Pro Max, which is doing fantastic on iOS 26.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Not trying to downplay the issues you are having, but have you actually tried to resolve them with any of the traditional methods?
Hard restarts, a clean install (IE: no restoring from iCloud backup or anything), reset all settings, etc?
I know software maintenance has gotten much better over the years, but at the end of the day, stuff still piles up.
I have seen a lot of people say that starting with a fresh install of iOS 26 fixed a lot of their performance and battery life issues, and I personally know people who are still using installs based off of backups that were started 8+ years ago.
Easy to forget because iOS doesn’t exactly make it very clear, but there are tons of cashes and website cookies and third-party applications that just store tuns of stuff over-time and eats away at performance, and this stuff moves with backups.
Especially apps like “Facebook, was shocked to discover that, despite me barely using it, FB had over 5 GB of data files on my phone.
Deleted the app and reinstalled and what do you know, now it only takes up a couple hundred MB.
Just like a Mac or PC, sometimes if you noticed that performance is just that terrible, a fresh start doesn’t hurt.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

As for phones just not being worth itt, I can’t really say that I have experienced that being the case.
Phone prices have stayed pretty steady keeping in mind things like inflation and technological advancements, and we used them for more than we ever have in the past.
Of course it might feel that way if you pay full price every single year with every single update, but I think the majority get their moneys worth and then some out of their phone during its lifespan.
Keeping in mind that they are our main way of digital communication, our main camera, media consumption device, music device, alarm and clock, digital wallet, navigational tool, etc, etc, etc, I’m not sure how anyone could say that they aren’t worth it.
Sure, would I prefer to live in a world where an iPhone 17 Pro Max was $100 and a regular was $50? Who wouldn’t. But that’s not realistic.

 

[leifp]

I have great news! They’ve never been worth the money… or always have been. Depends on your usage scenario. I need mine for work; if I did not, I would not have one. Thus they’re both worth it and not worth it to me…