Other Upgrading Mother’s IPhone

[FyerFyer]

Hi everyone,

So my mother has been using a 6s for years, but it’s pretty much broken and the memory is tiny in it(16gb).

I’d like to get her a newer model, but not sure which one to get. I have a 11Pro max which is great but too big for her.

Any suggestions on which models to go for/avoid?

Budget isn’t massive so the 15 wouldn’t be possible. Gonna try and get something with 128gb maybe, is that enough?

 

[eyoungren]

iPhone SE3 would be my suggestion.

 

[FyerFyer]

iPhone SE3 would be my suggestion.

I did look at this but then I saw an IPhone 12 with the same memory is about the same price?

Are these ok?

 

[eyoungren]

I did look at this but then I saw an IPhone 12 with the same memory is about the same price?

Are these ok?

I can only argue merits generally because I do not know specifics. My kids use the SE2 and I use an 11 Pro Max. The SE2 has been a solid performer for my kids and the cost has been low for me.

I would expect more features from the iPhone 12 than an SE3 because that is the flagship line, or at least it was when the 12 series was new. So the question is, what does your mother do with her phone? Does that warrant the extra features and tech advances of the 12? Or is your thought simply trying to get her the 'best' you can at the most affordable price?

If you can get her the 12 at a price lower than the SE3 then by all means I'd go for it. I was just suggesting the SE3 because I know the SE line to be an all around good performing phone.

And the SE3 still has TouchID and a home button if that matters.

 

[Reverend Benny]

I would say go for a phone with FaceID. Not sure how old your mum is but the older you get the worse the fingerprint reader seem to work (wrinkly and dry fingers).
IF the regular 12 or 13 aren't to big for her i'd say go for it.
If she is a fan of a smaller phone maybe you can find a 13mini for a decent price.

The regular 12 isn't a bad phone if you can make a good deal on one.

 

[KaliYoni]

So my mother has been using a 6s for years, but it’s pretty much broken and the memory is tiny in it(16gb).

I’d like to get her a newer model, but not sure which one to get. I have a 11Pro max which is great but too big for her.

Any suggestions on which models to go for/avoid?

Budget isn’t massive so the 15 wouldn’t be possible. Gonna try and get something with 128gb maybe, is that enough?

You don't mention much about your mother's comfort level with technology or her usage patterns but this is a good article and discussion on TidBits, a respected Apple/Mac-focused website:

iPhone Recommendations for Senior Citizens - TidBITS

Many people find themselves helping older friends or family members with reduced physical or cognitive capabilities. Adam Engst distills advice from a pair of TidBITS Talk discussions that asked about the best iPhone and simplifying the iPhone experience for older people.

tidbits.com

 

[FyerFyer]

Thanks all

I’m looking at the 13 mini aswell as that seems quite good!

 

[Makayla]

If she is used to 6s an SE 3 would be perfect for her.

An elderly relative is using my old 8 Plus (with a brand new battery) and she loves it.

 

[rui no onna]

I did look at this but then I saw an IPhone 12 with the same memory is about the same price?

Are these ok?

The iPhone 12 has an older chipset so iOS support will probably stop 1 year earlier than the SE3. It should have longer battery life compared to the SE3 though.

The SE3 looks exactly the same as her 6s complete with home button. For my mom, that's a big advantage. She hates using my dad's FaceID-based iPhones.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I vote for the iPhone 12 or 13. Keep it simple. Even these older phones will last her years.

 

[bjmaxwell]

ngl I just watched "Love Has Won" on Max and your subject line creeped me out.

 

[bjmaxwell]

Also, maybe go with the 13? It's like right in the sweet spot as far as value goes. Same nice design (and processor) as the 14, better receiver speaker design than the 12 (smaller, stays cleaner) and still has a physical SIM (if thats desirable for you guys).

If you can get your hands on a mini, that might be all the better, seeing as the display would still be larger than her 6s but just as small in the hand (narrower and taller, iirc?) Battery life is a caveat, but if she's used to the battery on an old 6s, I bet it'd be a big upgrade anyway.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

I would ask her what desire she has for change. She may tell you that she loves what she knows and that would make the SE3 a no brainer. She gets relatively modern internals with modern software and an improved camera, all while she doesn’t have to stress over change and you can increase the storage at a budget price.

If she is intrigued by change or desires it, then it comes down to perceived value and preferred size of the phone. Have you asked her what she prefers?

 

[Sami13496]

My mother was using iPhone 7 for years. For her next phone we considered SE3 and iPhone 11 (regular). I explained that if she wants the same form factor as 7 with TouchID then SE3 is a great option. On the other hand if se wants to try bigger phone and FaceID iPhone 11 is an excellent inexpensive option as well. Important thing was that both of those phones have LCD display so we could be sure she won’t have problems with the screen. Newer iPhones like iPhone 12 have OLED display. Smartphones with OLED screens may cause headaches, eyestrain, or nausea for some people who are sensitive to Pulse Width Modulation (PWM).

 

[TracerAnalog]

Hi everyone,

So my mother has been using a 6s for years, but it’s pretty much broken and the memory is tiny in it(16gb).

I’d like to get her a newer model, but not sure which one to get. I have a 11Pro max which is great but too big for her.

Any suggestions on which models to go for/avoid?

Budget isn’t massive so the 15 wouldn’t be possible. Gonna try and get something with 128gb maybe, is that enough?

How eager is she to relearn the interface? The iPhone SE (2022) is almost the same (incl. home button) and will allow for a mostly seamless transition to iOS17. It is also quite a bit faster.

 

[FyerFyer]

Thanks again everyone

It looks like the 13 mini but they seem quite more difficult to find in the UK for some reason..?

 

[AlmightyKang]

The battery is terrible on the minis. I have a friend who has one and has to carry around a powerbank with her all day as well which makes it bigger than the 13 normal.

I'd go for a standard 12 or 13. The 12 was the first "new design" device and they are excellent.

My mother still has the 6s I bought in 2015. Has been a great phone over the years!

 

[okkibs]

I would not get a 13 Mini. The battery life isn't all that good and unless she absolutely needs the smaller form factor the display will either have tiny fonts or not much space if the font size is increased. The regular iPhones and Pro iPhones are not too big and still provide plenty of space even with increased font size which older folks tend to use more.

I would not get an iPhone 11 or 12 either. These are soon going to be out of support. Only iPhones running the latest iOS are guaranteed to receive updates for all known vulnerabilities. Aside from that it wouldn't make much sense spending hundreds on a new smartphone only to be stuck on an older OS very soon. For example the iPhone 11 might not even receive the new iOS 18 this year in September. For the iPhone 12 iOS 18 could be the last version.

At the very minimum I'd get a regular iPhone 13 and only if you can get one really cheap - which is definitely possible if you wait for something to come along on craigslist. People who replace their iPhone after around 2 years will start to jump on iPhone 15 sales in the next weeks and months so you'll certainly find these iPhones used soon.

Prices aren't as good on the apple refurbished store but for around $550 you can get an iPhone 13 there with a new housing and new battery, meaning they are as good as new including the full warranty (1 year). They are sold out there all the time though, I think they are quite popular. They are the last model without the new notch as well.

Otherwise I'd recommend the iPhone 14, it's been out for a year so you'll get at least 4 years of full iOS support and still benefit from minor sales $100 off or something. It's not much, but it's still cheaper than the newest iPhones.

Personally I just get last year's iPhone to save a bit of money. I don't get older models because they just don't last as long. Especially the SE I now avoid as my experience is that they become sluggish earlier and battery life will turn terrible long before they're out of update support. If I had just the money for the SE I'd much rather get better Android hardware, my 2020 SE needs to be recharged 2-3x per day if I actually use it since after the first year of ownership costing me more money in replacement batteries when the first battery failed after just barely 2 years with over 1000 charge cycles.

The current SE seems to do a bit better, but I'd get an Apple refurb store iPhone over that SE regardless. Since they come with fresh batteries as well you won't have these battery problems.

For me the best iPhone hardware for the money is the 14 Pro but that money might be wasted here, your mum might not care about a high refresh rate screen or more RAM or any of the other differences. And coming from a 6s a regular non-pro iPhone will be plenty of an upgrade.

I would not use the 6s anymore. It just barely still got the Apple Triangulation trojan horse vulnerabilities fixed, who knows what else there is that makes this device just as unsafe to use.

 

[FyerFyer]

Interesting thanks.

So the battery on the smaller ones are not great. Mmm, ok. Thing is the normal sized IPhones are a lot bigger than a 6s (I think).

14 is out of budget and unnecessary. 13 is probably the top tbh

 

[okkibs]

Just because the 6s is smaller doesn't necessarily mean the modern iPhones would be too big. They are still fairly compact, it's at least much closer to the 6s than to big phones like the Pro Max.

I'd get a 13, 13 Mini if size is more important than battery life, or the SE from here: https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/616074177 $149, and please double check this but it seems you can set it aside for 60 days and unlock it for all carriers afterwards. For that price I'd consider the 2 month wait acceptable and the phone could be used on Wifi in the meantime and then have the SIM swapped after the wait time.

As I said the SE isn't something I'd recommend as it would likely be insufficient in 2-3 years already but for 150 bucks that's obviously much less of an issue.

 

[FyerFyer]

Just because the 6s is smaller doesn't necessarily mean the modern iPhones would be too big. They are still fairly compact, it's at least much closer to the 6s than to big phones like the Pro Max.

I'd get a 13, 13 Mini if size is more important than battery life, or the SE from here: https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/616074177 $149, and please double check this but it seems you can set it aside for 60 days and unlock it for all carriers afterwards. For that price I'd consider the 2 month wait acceptable and the phone could be used on Wifi in the meantime and then have the SIM swapped after the wait time.

As I said the SE isn't something I'd recommend as it would likely be insufficient in 2-3 years already but for 150 bucks that's obviously much less of an issue.

Thanks for this.

I think she will need the 128gb at the least as she takes lots of photos. Plus I’m in the UK too