My mother has a 4ish y/o iPhone 6s plus, the battery is really going, so she either needs to get a new battery ($50) or get a new phone. She doesn't want to get one of the iPhone models that no longer has a home button, but she can still get an iPhone 8plus through ATT ($499). I think that would actually be her preference (getting a new phone), and I guess I'd rather her get a new phone than spend money on a battery if the older phone is becoming increasingly obsolete.

So here's the question: is it worth it for her to get an iPhone 8plus, considering that there are now several newer models? (BTW she doesn't want an SE bc they are smaller). Can she expect to be able to use it for several years before it becomes obsolete?

Anything else she should consider?

(Her phone is on my plan, btw, although I don't think that's relevant)

Losing the home button was a deal-breaker for me too. MrsTuner has an X and loves it and I am very happy with my 8 that I got last year. The 8 loses the headphone jack - does she use that? There is a little dongle that can make old headphones still work.

The cheapest option is to get an external battery case for the 6S and just keep using it! Next is to replace the battery - the 6s is still a great phone in so many ways. Mine was getting buggy with the ringer and speaker that I just decided to upgrade. I always stay with the older generation phones as long as I can.

I bought mine through Apple and got a ($75??) trade-in for the 6s which brought the price of the 8 down a bit...

Mr. S gets all of our phones used or reconditioned. There are some very reputable companies out there that will sell you a phone that is a generation or two old. They come with money back guarantee.

We have been doing this ever since the kids needed smart phones, but we didnt want them walking around with the latest and greatest. Never had a problem.

Right now, I'm coming to you live on a samsung s8, which was released in April 2017. Paid a couple hundred dollars for it. Think of all the money I saved.

Let me know if you want me to ask what company he likes.

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Let me know if you want me to ask what company he likes.

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Let me know if you want me to ask what company he likes.

Cindy, that would be much appreciated!

I looked around online at refurbished options, but without it being a company I know, it's hard to tell if it's legit or a rip-off.

My mom will definitely not want to change away from iPhone, she's way to used to that. But if there's a company Mr. Sphinx can recommend some place that has iPhones, please let me know!

Ron, I think she'll be ok switching to a phone without a traditional headphone jack. But yeah, she's not ready to give up the home button.

I suppose I could give up the home button, but I've read enough about the annoyance of relying on facial recognition to unlock that I'm suspicious of that particular detail.

I have an 8plus... I am dreading the day when I need to think about a new phone. :P

You don't need to use the facial recognition. Swipe up with the phone pointed away from your face, the password panel comes up.

I thought the lack of a home button would be a major problem. I was wrong. A few days and I was fully adjusted.

As for your main question, you don't want to go too old. If you do, you risk that they'll stop doing security updates at some point. Or that it'll stop running the OS.

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you don't want to go too old.

Right, that's my concern. The 8plus came out in 2017, so it's about 3 years old right now....

btw I'll share your comments re the button-less iphone. What model do you have?

Mr. Sphinx uses Swappa.

I have an iPhone with no home button. Three days and I was fully adjusted - so much so that my iPad began driving me nuts because it has one! Facial recognition is amazing and I love it! But you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to - as Quirt says, you can just swipe up and enter password. You can probably turn facial recognition off completely (though the convenience of it is great, IMO!)

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Swappa

Cindy, thanks!

So the phones don't seem to be refurbished, mainly just used. What happens if there's a problem with the phone?

We've never had a problem, but I assume there is a warranty? It probably says on the site.

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It probably says on the site.

I checked but didn't see one (I checked the FAQ). Anyway, I'll check again.

Hmmm. AFAICT Swappa itself doesn't offer warranties, it depends on the phone, and the ones I'm seeing are either 30-day or 90-day warranties. Probably my mom won't be too keen on this site... But I might use it when it's time for one of us to get a new phone.

The problem with phone physical keys such as a dedicated home key is atrophy. The key wears out after so many depresses. Over time, the physical key starts to wear out and becomes non-responsive. You have to press the physical key over and over again like 3-5 times before it finally registers with the phone.

A non-physical home key like on the current iphone is just a short upward swipe from the bottom of the screen. I got used to it pretty quick. I prefer large screens without physical keys however there are still some physical buttons on the side of the iphone for volume control and on/off.


All those high tech smart phones become obsolete too soon. It’s called “planned obsolescence”.

The time to replace a phone is when the cost of maintaining the old one is higher than the cost of a new one.

I’d put a battery in it.

QL, my mother's 4 y/o phone (and my 3 y/o) have zero problems with the home button, it works fine.

I have been trying to convince my mom to consider a new model w/o the home button, she's kind of warming up to the idea. But she doesn't want to use face recognition and so is concerned that typing in her passcode each time (since there's not touch ID) will be a hassle...

Steve, she did consider the battery idea, but she wants a better camera, among other things.