Is an iphone 4s a rubbish phone for a teenager?

[AckWhatToDo]

My son tells me it is. I thought it was a great phone, despite not being the latest sort. Who is right? Is it true that you can no longer update the 4s?

What do your teens have?

If it was an old one of yours that you were handing down for free, then it'd be better than nothing.

I really don't think it'd be worth paying for one tho. Apple are absolute bastards for making older model phones unusable. Google planned obsolescence.

My two have iPhone SEs for £15 a month each. They are happy with them (they prefer the smaller handset because it fits in their pocket).

It’ll be horribly slow and the battery will be shot, and it will have zero street cred.

Much better to get a cheap Android from a Chinese firm you’ve never heard of like one of these www.trustedreviews.com/guide/best-cheap-mobile-phones because although they won’t have streetcred in the playground at least they’ll actually work properly, have a decent battery and run modern apps, and if everyone else is playing Harry Potter Pokemon he’ll be able to join in.

The phone will still work but a lot of apps etc won't run on an older phone, the camera won't be great and it will have zero resale value by the time he's finished with it. Plus Apple has been slated in the news for purposely slowing down older phones in an effort to force people to buy new ones. A 4 would be fine as a free hand-me-down but I wouldn't spend money on anything older than a 6.

I don’t even think a 4S is OK to use as a phone, because you can’t rely on the battery still working in an emergency.

My battery is fine. If there was an emerency you could use a land line or pay phone or ask someone for help??

I’m about to get rid of my 10 year old son’s 5c as it’s about to become defunct for the very narrow needs he has for it.

What do you mean about it becoming defunct? I was about to give my old 5c to my son, are Apple stopping it updating etc? (layman's terms please!!)

It's been paid for many moons ago so I'm on a monthly "contract" with Tesco for £20.

That's a lot of money for a SIM only contract!! I have an iPhone SE on a two year contract with ID mobile for only £16pm!

Msvestible- i have same SE contract for my 11year old. paid £150 upfront ( Xmas present) for iPhone 7 and £23 a month for 13 year old. Much better than £20 Sim only x

Is mine sim only? I get calls, texts and Internet. I can stop the contract at any time.

I don't want to buy a phone for £150 and then pay £23 on top every month. I don't have the £150!

My battery can last a few days if I don't use the Internet.

Would anyone like to send me the iPhones their teens won't use please

@Friedgreen

Also, as it is no longer being supported by Apple if he does try to use it on the internet he is likely to get his details stolen

Likely? I think that's scaremongering. He needs to be careful, but then people should be careful online anyway.

I used to have a 4s. Itvwas great back then but it's pretty useless now (my mum has it and all she does is call & text)

Ds has the iPhone 5. He's 14 & it serves his needs but it is getting slow.

Wtf I’m 35 with my own earnings and everything, an iPhone 5 is fine for me! Not planning on upgrading until it physically doesn’t work any more 😂 these kids sound spoiled, sorry!

I really rate Honor phones. They are really cheap but not sure they cut it with teenagers.

I'm sim only (very nice expensive smart phone as a parental present) so I pay for a sim only contract. I pay less than £10 for 2GB data, plus unlimited texts and a lot of phone minutes.

Please go sim only shopping and then if you like your provider, phone them up to cancel and say that you've found x deal for z price which is why you're leaving. The cancellation people tend to have powers to match it.

www.moneysupermarket.com/mobile-phones/sim-only/

www.uswitch.com/mobiles/compare/sim_only_deals/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo_y9w9js2AIVp5PtCh1LWwvDEAAYASAAEgIB4_D_BwE

And yes if your getting an iphone there's no point getting a 4 (or even a 5 as apple will stop supporting it).

I have a 4s and so does dd. They are both perfectly fine, do everything you need and no problems with the battery.

depends how old your teenager is? Ds(12) has a 4s and is very happy with it. DD(14) would rather poke her eyes out with an old stick than be seen dead with it (it was her old phone), she saved up and bought herself a second hand 6.

alphajuliet it’s not being supported by Niantic from the end of February onwards, and all he uses it for is Pokemon Go. I think it is one of the ones that will no longer get iOS updates, so as time goes on you’ll get fewer and fewer things that work with them. The battery life isn’t great on it either to be fair, but it has had a fair bit of welly.

My 13 year old has a second hand iPhone 4s. After reading this thread I shall be grateful she's been happy with what she's been given.

Honestly, the young people I know wouldn't be seen with anything before a 6.

Honestly I can't afford a fucking i phone myself and I have a full time job. Spoiled is right!
Smart phones have only been in general use by kids for less than a decade, and yet we have a situation where a phone that cost £££ 3 years ago or whatever is "rubbish". I wish parents would just decide en masse not to buy into the idea that an 11 year old needs an amazing phone with tons of apps etc.
Phones are such a source of anxiety for young teens it's ridiculous.

Phones are common, smartphones are common. You may not have the funds or desire to have one, but that doesn’t mean you can dictate what everyone else chooses to have.

Hand me downs are usually ace for us, we all enjoy playing games together (we stomp all over the place indulging the need for Pokemon acquisition) and the children enjoy emailing their dad. The only reason I’m replacing the 5c with another phone is that it’s not fit for purpose any more and I refuse to use a non-Apple product.