Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What iphone to buy Mum

Best second hand iPhone to get someone who doesn't need anything fancy

  • SE

    Votes: 14 63.6%

  • 6

    Votes: 1 4.5%

  • 6s

    Votes: 2 9.1%

  • 7

    Votes: 5 22.7%
  • Total voters
    22
anon08

anon08

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 5, 2016
38
31
Hey guys,
Hopefully this is in the right section. My mum currently has an iPhone 4 and is happy using it however it is starting to have some hardware problems and hasn't had a software update in a while. So I'd like to update her to a new one, she doesn't need a brand new one though, she doesn't care about cutting edge, so thinking of saving some money because she uses her phone for fairly basic use. The only iPhone I've ever had is a 7+ so I don't really know what the older models were like.
Do you think an iPhone 6 is sufficient still or should I get her 6s for a bit of futureproofing?
Thanks
 
  • Like
Reactions: KeanosMagicHat
I have the 6 and it works great. I take care of my phone a lot, and I don't have any battery issue.

Since she had a 4, you should stick with smaller screen, so maybe the SE. Going for the 4.7" might be too big of a jump.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sunny1990
Two iPhones I would consider would be the 6S or iPhone SE. I would not opt for the iPhone 6 personally. The iPhone 6s will likely see support longer. It also has more ram, powerful A9 processor and is more efficient iPhone over the iPhone 6.

The iPhone SE has the same form factor your mom likely was used to. And has great battery life and is also very similar in terms to the iPhone 6s internally.
 
How's your moms eyesight? I recently got a good deal for a 6s Plus for my mother. The bigger screen was the most important part, many older people really benefit from it. But considering that yours is using a tiny iPhone 4, I don't know. If she's okay with the small screen, get the SE, otherwise get a Plus model. It's going to be a huge upgrade for her anyway, even with an iPhone 6.
 
I just got an SE for my mother-in-law who is a senior. She was using the 5 before.

We thought of a 4.7" phone, but the 6 didn't turn my crank spec-wise, and some people complain it's really laggy with the iOS 11 beta. Unfortunately, the budget didn't allow for a 6s.

If eyesight really were an issue though, I'd actually recommend the 6s Plus. Actually, that's the size I use, a 7 Plus in zoomed mode. Makes it easy to read despite my presbyopia. With this setting, it pretty much has the same effective screen resolution as a 7, but just physically bigger.

Give the lag in iOS 11 with the 6, I definitely wouldn't recommend the 6 Plus, as that thing was already somewhat laggy even at launch with iOS 8.
 
My Mum has had the SE in Rose Gold for a while now and she loves it.

It is her first "proper" smartphone.
 
Relentless Power said:
Two iPhones I would consider would be the 6S or iPhone SE. I would not opt for the iPhone 6 personally. The iPhone 6s will likely see support longer. It also has more ram, powerful A9 processor and is more efficient iPhone over the iPhone 6.

The iPhone SE has the same form factor your mom likely was used to. And has great battery life and is also very similar in terms to the iPhone 6s internally.
Click to expand...
I think iPhone 6s doesn't make much sense given at this point. I will suggest OP to go for the latest which is iPhone 7 and he do have given a choice. It will be more future proof than 6s.

iPhone SE has a close form factor [not same] to iPhone 4. I have all size iPhones and iPhone SE is the best Size when it comes to handle the iPhone in daily situations. It's easy to carry around. Battery life is phenomenal and performance is par with latest models.

I will suggest OP to choose between iPhone 7 and iPhone SE. If money is the concern than go for iPhone SE.
 
Last edited:
Sunny1990 said:
I think iPhone 6s doesn't make much sense given at this point. I will suggest OP to go for the latest which is iPhone 7 and he do have given a choice. It will be more future proof than 6s.
Click to expand...

The OP is considering the iPhone 6s as an option. So why wouldn't that make much sense to you? Also, the OP stated his Mom does not need a brand new iPhone or having 'cutting edge', which the OP stated he wanted to save money, which the 6s and SE is cheaper than the iPhone 7.

And as I already suggested, as did others, the SE would be a viable option, because it's the next closest option to the obsolete iPhone 4 in size factor.

The 6s shares the same processor and Ram as the SE does, which they both will likely see the same amount of iOS support, so either way, both of those iPhones are very similar internally for iOS support. The only consideration their is size factor between a 4 inch or 4.7 inch iPhone.

The 6s and SE are the best options, but ultimately, the SE would be remotely similar to what his Mom had with the 4 inch iPhone.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: crf8
anon08 said:
Hey guys,
Hopefully this is in the right section. My mum currently has an iPhone 4 and is happy using it however it is starting to have some hardware problems and hasn't had a software update in a while. So I'd like to update her to a new one, she doesn't need a brand new one though, she doesn't care about cutting edge, so thinking of saving some money because she uses her phone for fairly basic use. The only iPhone I've ever had is a 7+ so I don't really know what the older models were like.
Do you think an iPhone 6 is sufficient still or should I get her 6s for a bit of futureproofing?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Go for the SE,it's a great phone,with a reasonable price tag.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KeanosMagicHat and Sunny1990
RadioGaGa1984 said:
I would get her the SE she will also benefit with a little bump in screen size (3.5" to 4") as well, but still having very similar feel in hand.
Click to expand...
Exactly. And if she is used to the 4,I guess she will be very satisfied with a better screen and a faster processor.
Good luck,and remember that it's not only the phone that make difference,it's the apps too.
 
Hah, I'm in exactly the same boat. My mom is using my old iphone 4 and really needs to get a newer phone. I think the SE is a good buy, but I think she'd like a larger screen since she uses that phone constantly all day for reading and games. 6s may be what she'll get if she wants to buy one outright, though last I looked she started looking at 7's.

Is 32GB on these 64-bit phones good enough, if she's not storing music and video? She's got about 4GB free on the 16GB model she's using at the moment, mostly downloading games I think?
 
Bitgod said:
Hah, I'm in exactly the same boat. My mom is using my old iphone 4 and really needs to get a newer phone. I think the SE is a good buy, but I think she'd like a larger screen since she uses that phone constantly all day for reading and games. 6s may be what she'll get if she wants to buy one outright, though last I looked she started looking at 7's.

Is 32GB on these 64-bit phones good enough, if she's not storing music and video? She's got about 4GB free on the 16GB model she's using at the moment, mostly downloading games I think?
Click to expand...
Definitely worth going for largest possible storage. If not,you may regret it later.
 
For older people I would purchase a plus. My father had a 6 and always needed his glasses to use the phone. I recently upgraded my dad's phone and got him a 7 plus. He's able to use it without his glasses now.

I would recommend getting her a 6s 4.7. An iPhone 6 is a little old and it has battery and touch ID issues. 6s is still a solid phone. But if you have the cash, go with a 7.
 
nia820 said:
For older people I would purchase a plus. My father had a 6 and always needed his glasses to use the phone. I recently upgraded my dad's phone and got him a 7 plus. He's able to use it without his glasses now.

I would recommend getting her a 6s 4.7. An iPhone 6 is a little old and it has battery and touch ID issues. 6s is still a solid phone. But if you have the cash, go with a 7.
Click to expand...
Battery issues with iPhone 6 is nothing compared to "batterygate " on iPhone 5. Some of those phones where really bad.
 
Problem around here is that for a refurb, the 6s is 50% more than a 6 or SE.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back