Is 8 years long to have an iPhone?

[Halling]

I got my brand new iPhone in February 2017. However, not long after it’s 8th birthday it appears to have died on me just 2 days ago!

Yes it is. I buy new outright and have SiM only package so I expect mine to last for five years or so - but by eight years the technology will have changed and updates no longer be supported, surely?

I find they start slowing down after 3-4 years so amazed yours has lasted that long! Have you had the battery replaced?

Apparently the average amount of time a mobile is used is something ridiculously short like 2 years. I buy Android phones (Samsung) and my last one lasted 4 years before it gave up the ghost, current one is 4 years and still doing OK. So 8 years for an Apple is about what I'd expect (assuming better build quality than an Android).

Thanks for responding and yes!! That’s the thing !! - the only internet app that still worked up until 2 days ago was a very old version of the Facebook app

A lot of standard websites didn’t work - except for some newspaper sites like the Guardian - also YouTube, Wikipedia and Geograph

Ah no I haven’t !! Thanks for the heads up !!

If you haven’t had the battery replaced I am even more amazed! Mine is 3 years old and I have to charge it twice a day with moderate use.

Thank you and no ! Definitely not replaced!! I need to do it I think !!

I wouldn’t bother with that age of phone, the software will be outdated so no point spending more money on it. You would be better putting it towards a new phone.

Treat yourself to a shiny brand new one girl 🥰

I've had two and the batteries only lasted 18 months, my friend always has iPhones and she had the same

I had my last one for 5 years then passed it on to DC3 who had it as his first phone and used it for 18 months. It still works fine although the battery isn't great.

I recently replaced my SE iPhone after 7.5 years.

If like me you keep your phone until it stops working, make sure your new one is as up to date as possible to maximise its life

I bought my first iPhone in 2011, my second in 2015 and my third in 2024. Always because the technology had advanced.
The best one was the 2015. Not wild about the 2024, which seems to do its own thing a lot of the time and has nowhere near the battery capacity of 2015 :-(

I got mine in 2020, the battery is appalling, the volume no longer works properly on a phone call but fine for everything else and it is very slow. I'm thinking of getting a new phone.

Yes it’s practically Stone Age tech by now. Unsupported and obsolete.

Yes that’s what I’m finding !

I buy and keep mine until they die and have only ever got 5 years out of an iPhone. So that's good going!

8 years would be about an iPhone 8 - yes, that's a very long time. Mine had screen freezing problems at about 6 years. I then upgraded from 8 Plus to 12 Pro Max (not new) and am about to go for either a 15 or 16 pro Max.

I upgrade much less often than my kids, one of whom went from iPhone 14 to 16. And doesn't take very good care of them either 🙄. I guess when someone else is buying...

8 years is impressive, think the best I’ve managed is 6 by which time it needed charging twice a day

DS took his iPhone into the apple shop for a new battery. I think it was under £90 ish. Totally transformed the phone and he will now be able to stretch the phone out for another year or so, so well worth it

... Apple said after a few years the battery just goes through too many cycles so won't work efficiently.

Close - mine is a 7 plus

The memory on such an old phone would probably not be adequate for today's photos, videos and apps.

My iphone SE (original ) had to be abandoned 2 years ago as it only had 32 GB. I had to delete apps and photos all the time.

I would not buy a phone with less than 128 GB memory these days.

Once Apple no longer issue updates, the phone becomes a security risk if you're accessing anything you wouldn't want anyone else to get into.