iPhone 6(S)/Plus iPhone 6S Users - are you finally upgrading to an iPhone 12 after 5 years? I'm currently on the fence. Upgrade worth it?

[NathanDrake]

On the one hand, the iPhone 6S has been a wonderful device that has lasted me so long. I mostly use my phone for web browsing and fairly simple music/video apps. The upgrade to the 6S from a 4 for me was pretty huge, especially with the increase in RAM to 2GB. Things loaded extremely quickly/fast in comparison.

AT&T is offering me $350 to trade-in my old iPhone 6S...and that's the earliest version of iPhone they are allowing such trade-ins for. Effectively I will get the iPhone 12 for $449. I am not sure if similar offers will be had next-year for such an old phone (probably not).

I like most everything I see about the iPhone 12; having 5G being future proof is nice, I assume the new 6.1" OLED is a big improvement over what I have in the 6S, and the improvements in shatter/water resistance. The main negatives are that I am a little disappointed in the lack of 120 Hz, not a big fan of the notch on top, I'm a little unconvinced I'll like FaceID as much as the 6S touch ID, there's only 4GB of RAM (2GB more than my 6S), and only starting off with 64GB of memory...

I am hoping that my next phone will last me another few years at the very least as I am not necessarily a huge techie that needs the latest and greatest. My phone upgrades have gradually gone from every year or every other year to 4-5+ years now and I don't expect that to change much.

My alternative is to replace the 6S battery and just roll with that until next year, but that almost feels like throwing good money after bad; there's no guarantee I will get $350 for my 6S next year, there's no guarantee we will get 120 Hz screens or TouchID, or the notch removed...

 

[alanderp]

Not really in this boat, but I dusted off my iPhone 6s after selling my 11 Pro Max last week. I applaud whoever still uses the 6s and prior devices as their daily drivers... My 6s doesn't last more than an hour or so now, it'll be a fun 3 weeks until 11/6!

Whatever device you guys do choose to upgrade from the 6s, you will love it.

 

[VermontsFinest]

My take is if you can get $350 trade in for that phone, take the money and upgrade. Easy call, that's amazing value for a 5 year old phone.

 

[QuarterSwede]

I’m going from a 6S Plus to a 12 Pro Max. Even without a ProMotion display the camera system is incredible, as I’m sure reviews will show. There is no question for me. It’s time.

 

[Nextup12]

I went from the 6S to the XS and found that jump to be astronomical. Would imagine this would be mind blowing. It was a bigger upgrade than I had expected in every way.

 

[alanderp]

I went from the 6S to the XS and found that jump to be astronomical. Would imagine this would be mind blowing. It was a bigger upgrade than I had expected in every way.

This is what I was thinking as well. I was going to give in and get the 12 Pro instead of waiting 3 weeks for what I really wanted. I think sticking with my old temporary 6s until 11/6 will make me really appreciate the wait, and possibly bring back that "spark" of getting a new toy.

 

[NathanDrake]

I went from the 6S to the XS and found that jump to be astronomical. Would imagine this would be mind blowing. It was a bigger upgrade than I had expected in every way.

what did you find to be the biggest game changer?

I mainly waited so long because I knew 5G was on the horizon. Even if it isn’t widely available yet, I wanted it to future proof my next phone

 

[iphone1105]

I'll be upgraded my iPhone 7 Plus after all these years, about time. Liked the new/old form factor and the blue really won me over. Been a while since an upgrade too!

 

[NathanDrake]

Also does anyone have experience pre-ordering through AT&T.com ? Is it going to be a madhouse with bots and low supply or should I be able to pre order one fairly easily?

trying to get a PS5 Pre order was insanity

 

[TechLord]

My dads a 6S user. His phone is practically unusuable on IOS 14, his battery depletes by the second, no clue whats wrong with it as its battery health is in the upper 80s. I'm giving him my iPhone 8 which I currently use as a spare if my 11 is out of action for whatever reason. He's using almost all of his 34gb memory so the 64gb memory will be a nice upgrade.

 

[tranceking26]

I went from my 6s to an 11 earlier this year.

If I could pick one great improvement it's battery life, I can go 2 days without charging, where the 6s would need both battery and battery case charged once a day at night.

 

[TechLord]

I went from my 6s to an 11 earlier this year.

If I could pick one great improvement it's battery life, I can go 2 days without charging, where the 6s would need both battery and battery case charged once a day at night.

I can go 2 days also and I'm not a light user. The 11 really has great battery life.

 

[the-seeker]

I have a 6s plus. My daily driver for 5 years. Not a single scratch. Touchwood. I replaced my battery last year as part of the replacement program. Lasts a whole day. Plenty fast for what I use it for.
Honestly, I'll miss the touch-id and the 3.5mm audio jack. So, might just end up keeping my 6S plus.

 

[Jimmy James]

Nope. Good enough is good enough.

 

[glenthompson]

I went from a 6s to a XR. Most immediate change was the battery life. Found I really liked the larger screen size but I had a short stint using my wife’s old 6s+ to see how well the size worked for me. I don’t see 5g being a big deal for my locations for at least a couple of years. By then I’ll be ready for the iPhone 14.

My wife gave the 6s+ to her dad who is very happy with it. He’s 95 so his needs are minor. The large size is easier for him to handle.

 

[aKansasKid]

Those of us like me for whom the 6s has been “good enough” all this time are probably well served for an equally long time by the $599 iPhone 11 now. I haven’t been missing whatever the iPhone 12 6.1 inch adds for an extra $200.

 

[NathanDrake]

Those of us like me for whom the 6s has been “good enough” all this time are probably well served for an equally long time by the $599 iPhone 11 now. I haven’t been missing whatever the iPhone 12 6.1 inch adds for an extra $200.

Is 5G expected to be more prevalent in a few years?

 

[aKansasKid]

Is 5G expected to be more prevalent in a few years?

Won’t matter to me. LTE will still be here for a while, and it’s plenty fast. And probably cheaper for the near term.

 

[satchmo]

I’ll be updating from a lowly iPhone 6. Apple is giving me the grand sum of $45 as a trade in towards a new purchase. ?

Thinking I might just keep it as a burner phone or just for sentimental reasons.

 

[KOTN91]

Yes, of course it’s a big upgrade from a 6 lol. I’m trying to figure out whether it’s a big upgrade from XR and I’m leaning towards yes. Also that trade in value is insane. We truly get shafted in the UK

 

[JBGoode]

My dads a 6S user. His phone is practically unusuable on IOS 14, his battery depletes by the second, no clue whats wrong with it as its battery health is in the upper 80s. I'm giving him my iPhone 8 which I currently use as a spare if my 11 is out of action for whatever reason. He's using almost all of his 34gb memory so the 64gb memory will be a nice upgrade.

My 6s currently does that (on iOS 13) and battery health app indicates 95% health. Don't believe for a second that the battery health displayed by the iPhone is accurate. Coconut battery tells a different story and displays health as anywhere from 50% to 75%. Bottom line is that It's a 5 year old phone so unless he's had his battery replaced once or twice already or the phone is newer, your Dad's battery is bad regardless of what the health app says.