Geez, I did not realize how much the standard size had crept up in size over time. The Pro looks like a Pro Max next to the 8.
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Other What have you done with a pre iOS 26 compatible iPhone
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Geez, I did not realize how much the standard size had crept up in size over time. The Pro looks like a Pro Max next to the 8.
I’m an Apple Music subscriber too! But I just download the music I like. I can have no connectivity just fine. I have 30GB of music downloaded in all my music iPhones (barring the 6s on iOS 10).
Yes, I agree. I recall being massively surprised by the garbage numbers I was seeing back when iOS 15 was released for the 6s. I fared quite better on iOS 13. People were reporting 1.5-2 of SOT with the same health I’m getting 4-5 on iOS 13 and 7-8 on iOS 10.
I reckon that’s more-or-less the difference with a degraded battery (my 6s on iOS 13 is at 78%).
The original SE on iOS 9 or 10 is perhaps the one iPhone I’d like to have. Well, on iOS 10, as it doesn’t work on iOS 9. It was ridiculously overpowered, faster, with better battery life than the 6s (in fact, it was almost Plus-like (but not quite)), it was just the perfect device. I think you said it best: it was the perfect blend of power, portability, and design. Can you imagine a 4-inch SE, full screen, with two iPhone 17 cameras and modern processors? It would be perfect.
That said… I doubt that iOS 26 would allow it to have good battery life. The Air has 3,100 mAh and battery life is amazing, but far behind other iPhones. A 4-inch SE on iOS 26 with, say, 1,800 mAh would have pathetic battery life.
Even if it isn’t doable, I love the concept.
I agree, it is a shame that compatibility reduces usability so much. It doesn’t affect me much with the 6s and the 8 because I just use them for music, but I’d be lying if I said that it hasn’t affected me.
In fact, I reckon the most affected device is the Xʀ. It is SO good on iOS 12. It is better than my 16 Plus, honestly. iOS 12 is so well-optimised that it is a shame that I was pretty much forced to upgrade just for compatibility.
Don’t be mistaken, I welcome the camera upgrades especially, the Dynamic Island and the improved battery life (especially on standby, where the difference is mind-blowing), but I wish I could use the Xʀ more.
Yes, I’m the first one to tell you that it sucks, but you use your secondary iPhones more fully than I do. I circumvent it with other devices. As long as I can do that (and honestly, iOS 13 and 14 are surprisingly compatible for my needs as secondary devices), I’m fine. The problem comes when I can’t, and that’s why I bought my 11th-gen iPad on iPadOS 18 even though I don’t really need it. I need guaranteed compatibility.
I’m the biggest fan of my staying behind approach. But if I can’t circumvent the issues once my devices are older, it gets VERY annoying, very quickly. If I had iOS 14 as the latest I wouldn’t even have a working iPhone as a main.
That said, I need compatibility on one device. I need one iPhone to be compatible. I can circumvent the rest. But my main iPhone requires compatibility.
Honestly, I’d be better off updating my 16 Plus so as not to fight the issue, but my mind just can’t cope with that.
I lost 25% of the battery life of my 9.7-inch iPad Pro once it was forced out of iOS 9 and it still bothers me. And I practically don’t even use it anymore! “You” are now telling me that I have to carry an updated piece of garbage all day long? And actually use it for several hours a day? Nah, there’s no way. Give me iOS 18 on my 16 Plus all day long.
I think that’s a usage pattern that has many, many, many years left. It’s cool that we can find uses for these devices.
I hope you can find a better usage pattern for the 13 than what I’ve been able to do with my Xʀ, really. It’s a shame that they’re the best secondary iPhones we have and they remain unused.
I bought the A16 to prevent my Air 5 from being forced out of iPadOS 15 due to compatibility reasons. The reasoning makes sense in my mind, but I acknowledge that I don’t like that I’m barely using it. I have the Apple Pencil 2, which is only compatible with the Air 5, so at least I’ve found that irreplaceable usage pattern for the Air. I use it quite a bit for that.
I would be very, very angry if all I had was the Air 5, fully incompatible. I anticipated that scenario, from which I have no escape: if I update, I’ll be unhappy with the device. If I don’t, I have no compatible iPad. So I had to do something.
Yes, it bothers me that I can’t use either of them to the fullest (in practice, I’m using the A16 because I don’t have the latest device very often, so I’ll use it when it is the latest iPad), but I’m willing to accept that to preserve iPadOS 15 on my Air 5.
I love seeing the older clock font on the Air 5 when I boot it up.
Since we are sharing pictures…
From left to right: iPhone 8, iOS 14; iPhone Xʀ, iOS 12; iPhone 16 Plus, iOS 18:
Fun fact: and I am knocking on wood. The Xʀ’s tempered glass screen protector is front AND back, purchased at the Apple Store with the iPhone (rather pricey, about US$ 50). Apple never sold that again. I wanted it for the 16 Plus but they didn’t have it anymore. It is undamaged, in active use since August 2019 until March 2025. No drops.
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Speakers destroy battery life. I reckon you’d get a far better result if you used Bluetooth speakers. (Or headphones).
Yeah, I agree. I’d love to have the best of both worlds. I have always stayed that if Apple gave me guaranteed like-new performance and battery life, I’d update everything. If Apple allowed unrestricted downgrading, I’d update everything.
Reality forced me to choose. I don’t regret my choices (I could update very easily if I wanted to).
Now that I’ve accumulated several devices, the issue is felt even less.
Wow, did you snag the iPhone SE 1 through a deal? My Apple Watch Series 6 is still going strong at 86% battery health after a year and a half of being brand new since 2024. It had a few cycles and was out of battery when I got it, so I had to charge it before pairing. It was also sitting in the Walmart fulfillment center for a few years. That’s why its warranty expired, and AppleCare wasn’t able to correct the proof of purchase for it.
It still lasts me through the day, which is a big improvement compared to my old Apple Watch Series 1, which I no longer have after 8 years. That one died in the middle of the day and only lasted 2-3 hours on a single charge. My S6, on the other hand, lasts about 17 hours on a single charge from full to zero (excluding any battery drain from apps that use a lot of energy, like maps or Nike Run Club).
The only time my iPhone 15 Pro battery acted up was when I used my MagSafe power banks a lot during iOS 26 beta 1. My iPhone almost ran out of battery during graduation, and it was heating up a lot back in June. But after the later betas and isolating it to RCs and the public release only after iOS 26 came out, my 15 Pro performs better. Yesterday, I watched 4-5 severance episodes on Apple TV+, and my iPhone on iOS 26.1 rc didn’t have significant battery drain, even though I had 10 hours of screen on time 😂
I wear my AirPods mainly for all media and audio. The only time I use the speakers is to play apple fitness+ videos with my workouts at home, but I still keep my AirPods on for Nike Run Club.
Apple still has screen protectors from belkin that you can get it installed in store, for the 17 series too.
I do miss the 3D Touch and Haptic Touch live wallpapers too, iOS 16 did away with that and instead live wallpapers animate when you unlock it or swipe on your Lock Screen. I kept the stock blue smoky sky live wallpaper on my iPhone 7 which animates by long pressing on it.
Yeah, I know. The screen protector I have on my 16 Plus is a Belkin UltraGlass purchased at the Apple Store (and installed there, too!), but it isn’t front and back. It’s only for the front of the iPhone. Mine on the Xʀ is for the back, too!
Here, look:
Back when I got the iPhone 6s (on iOS 9), I tried it for a while and I liked it. I have a 6s on iOS 10 with true 3D Touch, I’ll try it again.
Yeah, that's good stuff. Specs aside, I particularly liked the original iPad mini's somehow quiet design and non-Retina display, and that's actually what I thought I was buying for a mere 30 USD when looking for something to play videos for Buddy. (Custom selections in our case; there are other cats and humans in there too.) I think they'd actually failed to note that they were actually offering a Mini 2 there. No complaints.
(Chuckles)
It's almost mind-boggling how you sometimes find incredibly affordable tech online because a school was confused enough to buy dozens of items that were more than what they needed, only to sell them all two years later anyway. In this case – if someone was actually informed and thinking ahead – I suppose they might get a few extra years of kiosk use from those models.
Ah, I guess I’m used to just streaming because my OGSE is a 16GB model and doesn’t have enough space to hold anything other than all my apps. I had to stream literally everything on that device.
You’ve essentially described an iPhone 17 Mini with a 4-inch screen. I agree, it would be an awesome phone, but the battery would be quite poor. Perhaps we’ll see another Mini sized iPhone once Apple starts using solid-state batteries.
Oh, right. Now I can see why you’re able to tolerate incompatibility with most apps by sticking with an older version of iOS. If you’re mostly using your secondary devices as music players on Apple Music, you’ll definitely have no issues with compatibility for the foreseeable future. I, however, require compatibility because I still use my secondary devices as full on smartphones. I web-browse, stream media, do online shopping via Amazon, listen to music through Apple Music, podcasts, and BBC Sounds for live sports commentary among other things. I also play a some Among Us on my 8 which requires later iOS versions as it’s an online only game.
You’ve mentioned before that your 16 Plus already gives you far more battery life than you actually need on a daily basis, and the A18 chipset is easily powerful enough to handle iOS 26 and future updates without breaking a sweat. So it’s pretty hard to take seriously the idea that a phone which runs smoothly, delivers excellent performance, and lasts longer than you even require could somehow be considered “garbage.” In reality, it sounds like a very capable and well balanced device.
We all have our quirks, so I won’t dive back into the whole compatibility vs battery life debate with you again. As you know, most people, aside from yourself, would see a device that offers great battery life but almost no compatibility as pretty much useless.
I like to get every bit of useful life out of my devices and, as you know, the only real way to do that is by keeping them updated.
As I’ve mentioned, I don’t plan to start using my 13 until my older devices begin losing compatibility. I can see it eventually replacing my OGSE once iOS 15 is fully phased out. At least you managed 6 full years of use with your XR even if you have no use for it today.
I just hope my iPhone 8 on iOS 16 stays useful for as long as possible, it’s easily the most comfortable phone to use in bed.
That’s where our views differ. I just can’t imagine leaving an iPad Air 5, with such a powerful chip stuck on iOS 15, and turning it into a glorified doorstop, only to spend more money on another iPad just to avoid updating it. Like I said, to each their own! As long as it makes sense to you, that’s what matters, because I don’t think it would make sense to most people.
Lovely collection. I always appreciate seeing pictures of old legacy devices in great condition.
Yeah, I’m sure you’d be able to get a lot more SoT out of my OGSE than I do. I only ever use headphones when I’m watching something on the couch while the missus has something else on the TV.
I understand why components tend to slow down with newer updates, it’s just part of staying on the cutting edge of technology. For example, I have a classic ThinkPad X61 from 2008 that’s still running Windows 10, which is roughly the equivalent of an iPhone 5 running iOS 10. If I’d kept it on Windows XP, it would still feel incredibly fast, especially since it has an SSD. But I chose to keep it fully compatible instead.
At least with PCs, the option to downgrade is straightforward if you ever want to go back.
I was lucky enough to purchase it new/sealed on eBay for $100. It was a small phone shop which had purchased a bulk of unsold new old stock from a phone carrier. I spent ages looking for a brand new OGSE given they were very rare even as far back as 2022.
Ahh, I have never owned an Apple Watch before but I’d like to pick one up someday. I still remember when they were new and being intrigued by them in 2015/16.
Sounds like your 15 Pro is fine and the battery drain was just due to it running an unoptimised iOS beta. Glad you’re still getting good battery life on your device even after all this time. I reckon I’d have a ridiculous amount of battery life at the end of each day if I didn’t use my 17 Pro for console grade games like the Resident Evil series and Death Stranding. I am really happy battery tech has improved significantly in the last decade however I expect huge improvements going forward given what we’re seeing with far superior Chinese phone batteries.
Ah yes, it makes sense then. You know, I used an iPhone 5c with 8GB back when all I had was my 6s on iOS 9. I have always liked to use another iPhone for music. Last I used my main iPhone for that was back in 2017 with my 7 Plus on iOS 10 (which I don’t have anymore because it came with a broken camera so I traded it in to Apple for the Xʀ I’ve always regretted that, but I digress).
Anyway, the point is, I used my 5c with 8GB and I downloaded whatever I could. Works great, right? Well… no! Apple Music needs cache. When streaming through the internet without downloading, the service downloads the song you’re currently playing. Why? To maintain the playback even if your connection dwindles. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? In fact, try it! Stream a song you haven’t downloaded. Then play it back and put the phone in Airplane Mode and disable Wi-Fi. The song will still play perfectly. Why? Because the phone caches it in its entirety, even though it isn’t downloaded. It makes sense except for when the phone has no storage. Apple should account for that. They don’t.
The 5c always had no storage left, literally 0kb. So when I wanted to play a different song from the 300 I was able to download, it would repeatedly fail and it would display an error.
You do have some storage left on your 16GB SE, right?
My 8 has 64GB and is empty apart from music so it’s fine. The 6s on iOS 13 isn’t empty, but it has 128GB, so it’s also fine. I learned very quickly that I need to have storage free even if I want to stream music. That’s also why my 5c is thrown in a drawer. The music issue was so infuriating that if I were a person prone to anger I would’ve thrown it out the window. I’m not so it’s fine😂
Yeah, perhaps. My small phone era ended with the 7 Plus though. I’m not trading battery life for comfort. The 16 Plus is the largest iPhone I’ve ever used and I’ve gotten used to it. Even pictures are fine now. I was very uncomfortable taking pictures when I first got it.
Yeah, if you use your secondary devices that fully, staying behind is definitely not an option.
You’ve said that once they stop working for that you will throw them in a drawer. With those requirements, you’ll shorten their lifespan massively if you stay behind. You definitely shouldn’t stay behind, and I recommend that to everyone. But it doesn’t work for you. You use your secondary devices for too many tasks, which will inevitably fail too soon if you stay behind.
Before upgrading to the 16 Plus in March of this year, as you know, I was using the Xʀ on iOS 12. I had to grab my Air 5 on iPadOS 15 (I bought the 11th-gen iPad alongside the iPhone) or my family’s phones several times, especially to circumvent website incompatibilities. This happened primarily after the release of iOS 17, so when I was five major versions behind. That’s when the issues actually got annoying. I was patient only because I knew I was upgrading soon. It was a relief to get my 16 Plus and to be able to do everything here, I fully admit that. I upgraded just in time. Like I said, the Xʀ would be useless as a main iPhone today.
I acknowledge without hesitation that it is a quirk. I acknowledge without hesitation that it is quite ridiculous.
Do you know what the issue is? I track battery life. With light use, my 16 Plus has 70% after 7 hours of light SOT. I want 7 hours to 70% today, next year, in five years, and in 10 years. I don’t want five. I don’t want 5.5 hours. I want 7 hours to 70%. Not a minute less. I log battery life, too. I’ll demonstrate the issue. From my Xʀ log:
(Format is: start-end day and hour, SOT in hours and minutes, and final battery percentage).
Six years of use. No difference. If it can’t give me this, I don’t want it, it’s garbage for me. And I don’t replace batteries, so it must be able to give me this with whatever health I have. 100% for the first number, 89% health for the second one. Current Xʀ health is 89%. Of course, the iOS version is untouched: iOS 12.3.1 on both.
If you update your 13, the issue is far less time-sensitive. I had to take advantage of my Xʀ when I did because otherwise it loses most compatibility (and it did). If you update, you also have the issue eventually, as you know, but you have a LOT more tests than I do with that usage pattern.
I agree, I really love it too! I’m a huge fan of mine. I think Disney+, web browsing, and maybe Amazon are the activities in most danger. But we’ll see, it’s now three versions behind. I reckon you have two more of complete comfort. Starting from there anything can happen.
Honestly I don’t know how much sense all this makes. I know I wouldn’t be happy if I have everything updated and had to tolerate the consequences.
I’ve been running original iOS versions since 2011, uninterruptedly. I’m too used to this.
I’d be a little stupid tbh if I didn’t acknowledge that getting 5 hours to 70% instead of 7 makes no practical difference. I know that. But I want 7 and not 5😂
Me too! I love seeing pictures of older devices in good condition.
I get a little jealous of pictures of the 7 Plus on iOS 10 because I had it and stupidly gave it away, but apart from that, it’s fine.
The only difference is headphones. That would probably increase battery life significantly. Still, as a secondary device, I reckon it’s fine. Like we said earlier, we don’t really need that much battery life.
Yeah, I understand the increase in resource demand. iOS 26 is a little artificial though, there was no need to do that. Apple execs even said that Liquid Glass was computationally expensive. I’ll never understand why you ignore your older devices. I reckon it kills the iPhone 11. Absolutely no concern at all for those.
Luckily the two we are using in the family were updated to iOS 18 for compatibility reasons (from iOS 14 and 15) and won’t ever see iOS 26. Once my family upgrades I might grab those myself.
Wow, I recall that they did have back protectors. The early glass-backed iPhones capable of wireless charging were quite hard but expensive to repair. The back glass was glued down to the back of the components, unlike newer iPhones that had screws in brackets. This made it easier for Apple technicians to replace the glass without scraping it with lasers or heat guns, and they could simply replace the glass instead of a chassis swap.
It’s still a good idea to get a back glass protector for newer iPhones if you frequently drop your phone. Some thin cases don’t provide enough protection to withstand the force needed to protect the back glass, so the protector is a plus. Additionally, camera protection lenses may not be a good choice if you use cases with fitted camera holes.
I definitely miss the 3D Touch Live Photo wallpapers on earlier iPhone 6s to 8 models. Even converting Live Photos from gifs looks really nice on the older lock screens. You can still convert Live Photos, but it’ll be restricted to only a few seconds of animation for the iOS 16 and later lock screens. This is because they are based on unlocking the iPhone to animate it. Just like the stock Unity and Pride wallpapers from iOS 16 onwards, the animation only shows when you lock your iPhone with AOD and unlock, swipe on the lock screen.
It is still a nice touch.
Great idea! Do you also keep the iPad mini charged while it’s mounted on the wall?
Of course, it’s a bit too advanced for my school to use iPad Pro for kiosks or sign-in sheets. You’re not using any other features that would require the Pro, like the Apple Pencil, promotion display, or tasks that demand the processing power of Apple Intelligence and games/drawing apps. Just to illustrate, you can use an older regular iPad for simple tasks like opening a basic app or browsing a Google Form.
Ebay is a great place to buy iPhones and Apple products at a fraction of the cost. Just make sure to research the seller and check their feedback and reviews. I usually get my iPhones from there instead of dealing with carriers who charge me in instalments and make me sign contracts for their offers.
I highly recommend getting an Apple Watch. Every iPhone user should get one. I love the activity challenges, sleep tracking, media control, and watch faces. Plus, I can check my notifications and the time without having to pull out my iPhone.
I agree that the beta version of iOS 26 impacted battery life significantly. The early betas of every new iOS version always have the most bugs and the worst battery life. This is why many people on my iOS 26 battery life thread have discussed it. In my opinion, this beta ate up battery life more because of Liquid Glass and graphics usage.
I agree with your statement about the battery life of the iPhone 17 Pro. I used my iPhone 7 to play slots games and Roblox a lot, and it took a toll on its battery life. By 2023, it had only 58% of battery health. I had it from 2019 until now, so I was definitely a heavy gamer on that iPhone. Now, I only play games on my Mac because the MacBook Pro has the best graphics, performance, and cooling for intensive tasks.
It's actually never mounted on the wall – that custom box just protects against excessive curiosity.
Of note: even in 2025, this iPad mini 2 plays videos nonstop for two whole school days (over 12 hours) on one charge. I suppose the battery was barely cycled before it came to me. (And the long-abandoned "legendary standby time" is also seemingly intact.)
👍 I noticed your clever idea of using a cardboard Amazon or cereal box to place an old iPad mini inside. My school uses universal tablet clamps and stands to mount iPads in the lobbies of the counseling, nurses, library, and admissions centers. They keep them charged 24/7 on a USB-C charger, which minimises the number of charge cycles.
For uninterrupted video, do you use Guided Access to prevent the cat from accessing other apps or pressing the home button on the iPad mini? Additionally, ensure that it has a screen protector.
I’ve seen some ℹ️ information iPad Pros displayed on the Apple Watch and Vision Pro displays at Apple stores use guided access on it (of course, the Apple Store has the budget for that). This prevents people from messing with it.
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I recall that the back glass was so expensive and ridiculous to repair officially that the recommendation always was to throw a case and cover it up instead of paying for a full device replacement, which in many cases wasn’t worth the cost. Apple did not typically repair that. I don’t know how it works today, but back then they just gave you a new device, which was typically disproportionately expensive if the device was older. It wasn’t worth it. Many people threw a case on it.
Coincidentally… the iPhone 8 on iOS 14 I showed earlier has a cracked back glass (slightly, at the top). I didn’t crack it myself. The previous owner did. It fell from a couch, they didn’t notice and when they stood up it cracked slightly, at the top.
Interestingly, it cracked beneath the top layer. So it is cracked but you can’t feel it. I don’t care because I never remove the case anyway.
The only iPhone I ever broke is a 5s that I dropped a power bank on. I also cracked a tempered glass screen protector on my 5c. I replaced it immediately.
Both 6s, the 8, the Xʀ, and the 16 Plus have the first and only tempered glass screen protectors I’ve installed.
I chipped one 5c screen protector after a knee-high drop and I dropped the power bank seven years ago. The only two accidents **knocks on wood**.
How about you?
I don’t drop it (again, knock on wood), practically ever. I only dropped the 5c from knee height once, enough to chip the screen protector, as I said. I replaced it immediately and that was the end of it.
I would’ve bought a back glass protector for the 16 Plus had it been available at Apple when I bought it, however.
I don’t like camera protectors because they impact image quality and their protection is dubious.
Me too! I wish Apple still had 3D Touch. As I said, I have the 6s on iOS 10 and frankly it is my favourite iPhone version alongside the Xʀ on iOS 12. 3D Touch still feels futuristic.
The Live Photos wallpapers were annihilated by Apple. One of the only cases of undeniable planned and forced obsolescence.
That was truly indefensible. So, to recap: Apple, presumably to save internal space, decides not to add 3D Touch to their flagship iPhone 11 series. But the Xs and previous iPhone just can’t be better than the newest ones, right? So, let’s kill 3D Touch via irreversible software updates! Peek and Pop is gone, the haptic feedback is muted, the app switcher via 3D Touch feature is gone, and more. All of this? On previously-enabled devices just via irreversible software updates only so that the latest devices aren’t inferior.
Pure, utter, and complete forced obsolescence. That was even worse that what they do with performance and battery life, imo.
It was a deliberately malicious removal of features just so they wouldn’t be better than the latest devices. Absolutely atrocious, malicious behaviour. People universally complained back then, but then forgot.
I remember every time I see my 6s on iOS 10.
Indeed they always recommend replacement on earlier iPhone models when the glass cracked before Apple introduced the backwards component layout that allows the back glass to be attached with screws and braces/rods instead of solely glue on the back. Which is easier to fix in addition to being able to replace faulty components without worrying about damaging the Super Retina XDR display after cutting it out to access components. This started in the iPhone 14 and has been around in the design and internal components of iPhone 15 and standard models after that, but only one pro iPhone lets you access components in the back which is the 16 pro. The iPhone 17 pro back glass is glued in still due to how it’s a rectangle, and component access isn’t in the backwards position unlike the regular iPhone 14-17 models and the iPhone 16 Pro. The 15 Pro gets frontal facing components but the back glass is attached in screws and brackets which is easily swappable, but a titanium barrier covers the components that you can’t access them in the back.
Both my iPhone XR and my current 15 pro never had any cracked back glass. No drop is too much for it to break, and I kept every iPhone in good condition. I rarely drop my iPhone.
Ofc never revived much of these features that we’d seen in iPhone introductions/announcements that introduce them. Besides 3D Touch being branched out into Haptic Touch, y’all remembered the favourite contacts in iOS 8? That allows you to see your recent contacts in the app switcher? We missed that.