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Why I switched back to the 5s

S

shoebobs

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 5, 2008
241
105
I know this won't be popular, but let's remember everyone has an opinion and my experience doesn't invalidate yours. Just putting this out there in case anybody currently has a 5s and isn't sure if they want to upgrade.

I bought a 6s and used it for almost a week. Ultimately I returned it and am sticking with my 5s.

Main Reasons for Switching Back
  • The Size. This is the number one reason. I really like the size of my 5s and being able to use it one handed. It feels like I have a much better grip on it and as someone who uses their phone case-less, this is important.
  • The 5s is still a perfectly good phone. Sure, it doesn't have all the latest features, but to me it was hard to justify paying for a new phone just to get things like Apple Pay and 3D touch. These are nice features but not something I can't live without.

Things I'm going to miss about the 6s
  • The Camera. I took a few photos/4k Videos on the 6s and loved the camera. It is going to be hard going back to an adequate camera.
  • The Speed/Memory. The 6s is blazing fast and with the extra memory I could really tell a difference.
  • The Size for all things except using it one handed. The bigger screen was definitely nice when sitting on my couch and using the phone with both hands. I pretty much didn't use/need my iPad at all during that time.
I know it's unlikely that Apple will bring back the 4 inch screen size, so if I have to eventually upgrade to a bigger screen size, I'm willing to wait until the iPhone 7. It's the old "if you don't need it, wait." I really liked most things about the 6s but it really feels nice to be back using my 5s.
 
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shoebobs said:
I know it's unlikely that Apple will bring back the 4 inch screen size, so if I have to eventually upgrade to a bigger screen size, I'm willing to wait until the iPhone 7. It's the old "if you don't need it, wait." I really liked most things about the 6s but it really feels nice to be back using my 5s.
Click to expand...
You think that's bad? I decided to try out the Plus and got stuck with it for a year. It was hell!

If Apple doesn't release a smaller size for the iPhone 7, I think at the very least they will reduce the bezels significantly so that the size difference will be barely bigger than the 5s but thinner.
 
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macduke said:
If Apple doesn't release a smaller size for the iPhone 7, I think at the very least they will reduce the bezels significantly so that the size difference will be barely bigger than the 5s but thinner.
Click to expand...


That feels like the last hope for those of us that prefer a smaller physical device than the current 4.7" device is.

Along those lines I won't be surprised at all if the home button goes away due to 3-D touch.
 
macduke said:
You think that's bad? I decided to try out the Plus and got stuck with it for a year. It was hell!

If Apple doesn't release a smaller size for the iPhone 7, I think at the very least they will reduce the bezels significantly so that the size difference will be barely bigger than the 5s but thinner.
Click to expand...

Ah that sounds like a nightmare. I can't even imagine using the Plus :)

I really hope they do somehow make it so the bigger screen size is barely noticeable from a footprint standpoint. If not, I don't see why they don't target the 4" screen market. I'm sure they could make it worth it from a sales standpoint. The 5s/6s/6s Plus all have 16:9 aspect ratio, so everything scales easily.
 
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shoebobs said:
Just putting this out there in case anybody currently has a 5s and isn't sure if they want to upgrade.

I bought a 6s and used it for almost a week. Ultimately I returned it and am sticking with my 5s.
Click to expand...
People can try reading up but the best way to determine these things is with first hand experience -- like you did.
 
shoebobs said:
Ah that sounds like a nightmare. I can't even imagine using the Plus :)

I really hope they do somehow make it so the bigger screen size is barely noticeable from a footprint standpoint. If not, I don't see why they don't target the 4" screen market. I'm sure they could make it worth it from a sales standpoint. The 5s/6s/6s Plus all have 16:9 aspect ratio, so everything scales easily.
Click to expand...
Well it wasn't just that. My model in particular was very buggy with frequent hard crashing and tab reloading. The UI scaling was funky too, freezing up when I'd rotate the phone to watch a video. I was always worried about switching to something else for fear I'd lose all progress on anything that I was currently doing. That has been the biggest relief in using the 6s. The 6s feels tiny after using that thing for a year. So good!
 
I am not and never have been a one handed user. With any phone I have owned.

I still have my launch day iPhone 5 and it's a perfectly good device, although it's not a 5s. The one thing it has going for it is the fact that it's Black/Slate, whereas the best you could get with the 5s was Space Gray.

That said, and while I do still love my iPhone 5, I got my 6+ a few months ago. I will NOT go back. Inside of five minutes I had adjusted to everything with the 6+ and while my wife calls it a phablet, I don't care. I like the size.

Yesterday, I traded it in though to port over to T-Mobile. My replacement is the 6s+.
 
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I am thinking of buying a new 5S because I love the design and size. Is it still worth it? The only thing I think of is how much update it will get in the future. In my country a 32 GB costs 579. Versus a 6S with an unofficial whooping price of 889 (64 GB). Living in Italy sucks.
 
You didn't really need to elaborate, the size is the only reason anyone would switch back.
 
Azzurro said:
I am thinking of buying a new 5S because I love the design and size. Is it still worth it? The only thing I think of is how much update it will get in the future. In my country a 32 GB costs 579. Versus a 6S with an unofficial whooping price of 889 (64 GB). Living in Italy sucks.
Click to expand...
The 5s has iOS 9 and Touch ID.

Yes. It's still worth it.
 
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Man, as an android user I can honestly say that the iPhone 6S is probably going to go down as my favorite phone ever. I had the G4, S6 and other high end phones this year but I don't remember being this much satisfied and happy with a phone. Last time it was the HTC One M8 but the camera wasn't good. This has it all. 5S is nice for those who really can't do anything else bigger. But better get used to bigger phones lol
 
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I'd love it if they just bumped the camera spec & add Apple Pay to the iPhone 5s frame - It's absolutely perfect for me size wise - just love it!!
 
I still use my 6+ every day but while I am at my job, I've gone back to bringing my 5S with me too. It's just so much more convenient to used in some ways, seems faster then my 6+. My 5S is the only device I own that I have updated to 9.0
 
Azzurro said:
I am thinking of buying a new 5S because I love the design and size. Is it still worth it? The only thing I think of is how much update it will get in the future. In my country a 32 GB costs 579. Versus a 6S with an unofficial whooping price of 889 (64 GB). Living in Italy sucks.
Click to expand...
My son loves his 5S that he got for his B-Day. He had the 4S before and didn't want to go with the iPhone 6 so we got him the 5S. He doesn't want a phone any larger than this.
 
5S? The touch ID generator? Ahhh yes. It was nice....
tumblr_ntlb6kR96w1sn9jflo2_4001.gif
 
I am still using my 5S. I have considered giving up and going along with the bigger phone bandwagon and getting the 6S just because Apple Pay and 3D Touch would be nice to have. I just love the design and size of my 5S and every time I have tried the 6 design it is more difficult for me to hold and use the phone one handed. That and the round edges make it extremely slippery.
 
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I use a plus and I can use it one handed, an I'm a smaller than average guy, and my hands aren't unusually big or anything. This was a big concern for me before I bought it, but one handed use is fine and completely possible.

The only real behavior change I've made from the 5s to the 6 Plus, is taking it out of my pocket whenever I sit down. You can't have a plus in your pocket and sit comfortably.
 
azfalcons said:
I just think all these "why I don't like "insert phone" model here are ridiculous.
Click to expand...

I guess I feel completely the opposite as a lot of us enjoy seeing what other people are doing and using and what their thought process was to get there.

Perhaps just scroll right past these thread titles if it's not your thing?
 
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I will say this. Last fall I had an iPhone 5 and preordered an iPhone 6 to be delivered on launch day. At times I hated the device and couldn't handle the size. Truly took me 3 months to get used to. Then I started wanting the Plus and got that 3 months after. Truly in love with the Plus. Now I couldn't go back if someone paid me. I think it takes patience and time to get used to the bigger size.
 
I upgraded from the 5S to the 6S and while I like and will keep the 6S, I agree with all the OP's points. When I upgraded from 3GS to 4S, it felt like a major upgrade. Likewise when I upgraded from 4S to 5S. 5S to 6S doesn't seem like such a big upgrade. The 5S was still doing well, running fast enough on the latest iOS. The new features of the 6S (3D touch, Live Photos and always-on "Hey Siri") are nice to have, but not (for me) game-changers like the introduction of Siri or the introduction of Touch ID. The larger screen is good, but makes the phone harder to handle. The better specs (fast CPU, more RAM, higher resolution photos, greater capacity) are what will pay off in the end, but fo what I am doing at present, the 5S was adequate.
 
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