Most of my rules of thumb about how long technology is supposed to last come from the early 2000s and are wildly out of date. In general, more affordable parts for mass production means our at-home tech fizzles out much faster than it used to, but those of us stubborn enough to hold onto something until its dying beep may need a little guidance on when to let go. To save you all from that heartbreaking moment where your iPhone simply refuses to ever start up again and you’re suddenly without any phone at all, here are some tips on when you might want to consider springing for a new one.
WHAT IS AN IPHONE’S LIFESPAN?
Many people see a decline in performance around the twoyear mark. A lot of this can depend on wear and tear, along with how many times you’ve dropped your iPhone, but since this seems to be a pretty consistent trend for most iPhone users, I think two and a half years is a more accurate measure for how long your iPhone will work well.
Some people keep their iPhones for five years or more before they squeeze out that last drop of life, and a lot depends on how many trips to the Genius Bar you’re willing to make and how much you want to spend on new batteries, screens, and other physical parts. Overall, you can expect a regular iPhone to be in your life for at least two or three years. If your iPhone 13 or 14 is still working fine, you probably don’t need an iPhone 15 (but that doesn’t mean you can’t upgrade if you want to). On the other hand, if you’re rocking a much older model, an upgrade might make more sense.
WHEN SHOULD I BUY A NEW IPHONE?
This story is from the iPhone Life Spring 2024 edition of iPhone Life Magazine.
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This story is from the iPhone Life Spring 2024 edition of iPhone Life Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
LOCK YOUR APPLE ID WITH A PHYSICAL KEY
Security keys are physical items that can be used to verify your identity when logging into your Apple ID. If you are planning to use security keys, make sure you have at least two. Apple requires you use two, so that if you lose one, you will have another as a backup. At iPhone Life, a brand we recommend is the Yubico Yubikey 5Ci ($75).
IT'S TIME TO USE YOUR APPLE WALLET!
Apple Wallet lets you virtually store your credit and debit cards, rewards cards, boarding passes, movie tickets, and more all in one secure place.
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Color me a virtual-reality optimist. Alongside writing for iPhone Life, I’m a video game developer, 3D artist, and sci-fi author. I own a Meta Quest 3 and use it all the time to play games and view 3D models as I work.
