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a-m-k

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 3, 2009
1,448
111
I have had my trusty 6s since a day after its debut in 2015 and surprisingly, I haven't had to replace my battery should I expect problems other than a battery that will eventually deplete to 0% battery capacity?
 

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
May 31, 2007
8,185
17,723
Florida, USA
My mother is still using my iPhone 6 that I got in 2014, so six years already. She had the battery replaced but other than that it's working perfectly.

I could see an iPhone lasting 10 years or more if well taken care of. The battery will need replacement, but it's a consumable so that's not surprising.
 

C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
51,392
19,459
I have had my trusty 6s since a day after its debut in 2015 and surprisingly, I haven't had to replace my battery should I expect problems other than a battery that will eventually deplete to 0% battery capacity?
Battery will become unstable in one way or another and/or have rather bad battery life quite a bit before it gets anywhere even close to something like 0% capacity.
 

Scott Baret

macrumors regular
Mar 6, 2011
107
116
All of my batteries have usually lasted about 2 ½ years before becoming problematic. The rest of the phone has usually been fine, save for a stuck button on the 4S.
 
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a-m-k

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 3, 2009
1,448
111
It dies completely before it hits 2% battery life sometimes, but lately I have gotten all the way to 1%. I just checked my phone and the maximum battery capacity is 74%.
 

glenthompson

macrumors demi-god
Apr 27, 2011
2,983
842
Virginia
My wife had the battery replaced on her 6s+ due to reduced life. After using it for some months she upgraded to a Xs Max. I took over her old phone to get an idea of how I would like a larger phone (had been using a 6s). Used it for a few months and then got a XR. We subsequently gave the 6s+ to her father who is still using it with no problems. That’s 5 years and still going strong.
 

1rottenapple

macrumors 601
Apr 21, 2004
4,707
2,723
Well if you drop less then $70 on a new battery I bet you will feel like your 6s is a new phone! But if you just use it as a phone and minor uses, heck that thing will only become obsolete when telecoms stop supporting 4g and it becomes a wifi only device.

But generally apple iphones are generally reliable, kinda like toyotas lol. I have an iphone 4 that still turns on and works. I had an 5s that I ruined, it worked last year but when I tried to changed the battery I ruined a connector cable. The 5s was such a great phone, took it traveling for the first time. Too bad I broke it.
 
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ericwn

macrumors G4
Apr 24, 2016
11,868
10,484
I have had my trusty 6s since a day after its debut in 2015 and surprisingly, I haven't had to replace my battery should I expect problems other than a battery that will eventually deplete to 0% battery capacity?

Really depends on the individual device. I’d guess most could make it 3-5 years with the occasional battery change.
 

Lwii2boo

macrumors 6502
May 12, 2020
437
832
Paris, France
Battery : after 2 years of use, use a new one is the right timing.
Phone : 5-6 years of software support. The thing is in practice you don't really "need" to change before this but you probably would like to change after 3-4 years of use to get a all new one with visible improvements.
 
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eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,831
26,944
I have had my trusty 6s since a day after its debut in 2015 and surprisingly, I haven't had to replace my battery should I expect problems other than a battery that will eventually deplete to 0% battery capacity?
Let me go ask my iPhone 3GS, my 4, my 4s, my 5 and my 6s+. I'll get back to you on that.
 

kanga1622

macrumors regular
Sep 21, 2016
181
117
My 7+ is a great phone other than battery life. I’ve used it HARD for 4 years and haven’t replaced the battery. We plan to pass this down to either a grandparent (so we can FaceTime) or as a trainer phone for our preteen. It could easily last another 2-3 years or even longer if we replaced the battery.
 

now i see it

macrumors G4
Jan 2, 2002
10,689
22,383
I've got an iPhone 4S that works perfectly fine (for a 4S) that I don't use anymore. Same story with my iPhone 5. Both work fine.
The question really isn't how long it will last but how long will you have the patience to use it.
 

macsound1

macrumors 6502a
May 17, 2007
823
854
SF Bay Area
I still use a 6S with my gimbal because it's the last iPhone that doesn't have optical image stabilization.
Same general state that you're in, battery doesn't last forever, but there's no reason it won't last forever as long as you replace the battery at some point.
 

mnsportsgeek

macrumors 601
Feb 24, 2009
4,381
6,850
I'm kind of shocked your battery wasn't problematic 2 years ago. I find 2 years is how long my batteries last and I can push it to 3. At least on the phone that I use 1-2 cycles a day on. On an iPad, watch, or airpods they batteries last a lot longer.
 

retta283

Suspended
Jun 8, 2018
3,180
3,480
YMMV in these situations, but I think they last. Battery failures are the biggest problem, and depending on the model replacement isn't too hard if you're patient. I have an iPhone 3G that I got in 2008 and it still works excellently. I was using it daily in early 2019, and it worked okay for anything non-internet related. Phone, iPod and contacts/calendar all worked great for me.

Had a 5S that I got in 2013 that still works somewhat, but battery is very depleted. My 6S was made in 2016 and works good, again battery is depleted.
 
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BugeyeSTI

macrumors 604
Aug 19, 2017
6,870
8,727
Arizona/Illinois
I still have my 6S from 2015 as a backup phone. Battery has been replaced a year after I got my X in 2017 and it sits in it's box only turned on to make sure the battery stays between 30-80%. Was my favorite iPhone by far..
 

New York

macrumors member
Sep 13, 2014
50
57
I'm still using an iPhone 6 with a replaced battery while waiting for the iPhone 12.
Is my 6 a collector's item yet? ;)
I'm the same as you. I know quite a few people still using a 6 with no plans to upgrade though, because the phone works perfectly ok. The main reason I'm upgrading to a 12 (mini) is because the 6 no longer gets software updates, which means I don't have full functionality on my Apple Watch and AirPod Pros ?. Plus, there is finally a smaller size option... I explored upgrading earlier but the larger sizes were a deal breaker for me. I'm looking forward to improved responsiveness and a much better camera. I prefer the square design too, so that will be icing on the cake.
 

shadow puppet

macrumors 6502a
Dec 2, 2012
607
2,436
4th padded cell on the right
I'm the same as you. I know quite a few people still using a 6 with no plans to upgrade though, because the phone works perfectly ok. The main reason I'm upgrading to a 12 (mini) is because the 6 no longer gets software updates, which means I don't have full functionality on my Apple Watch and AirPod Pros ?. Plus, there is finally a smaller size option... I explored upgrading earlier but the larger sizes were a deal breaker for me. I'm looking forward to improved responsiveness and a much better camera. I prefer the square design too, so that will be icing on the cake.
My 6 works great but the software problem is finally catching up with me. There's a few apps I really want to use but aren't available for the iPhone 6. Although I normally don't wait this long to upgrade, I don't need to upgrade every cycle. Our landfills are full enough and I don't know how much my old iPhone can be recycled. In the past, I have donated the old phone to a local Veterans center.

I also freely admit the photography nut side of me would love more camera options.
 
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