Used iPhone question

Willow

Never thought I'd cave, looking for a used iPhone for my daughter. Either a 12 or 13. She will be 12 in a month, in the past she's the one that mentioned 12 or 13 as they have tons of cool cases and accessories. I'm thinking a 128g or could we get away with 64g? She uses Google One we have tons of storage for pics and vids. I see some on Amazon as renewed or on our local used market listings. What should I look for? I know nothing about Apple products. We are an Android family. I'm at a loss...

Thanks ahead of time.

Willow

I'll add that music and movies/tv are all streamed we have 650gb data plan between 4 of us.

sgmsmg

Just something to keep in mind is that eventually older iOS devices stopped being supported and no longer get updates. This could mean a lack of security patches and certain apps/browsers no longer work. I don't know how old this phone is but might be worth researching.

Willow

You are correct and make a valid point. I'm thinking she'll probably upgrade in a couple years. Or it'll get damaged. Lol.

bcwsrt

Batteries on some of those years didn't last too long. My daughter's 12 is shot. I'll be upgrading hers for Christmas. My 11 and my wife's old 8 that I just upgraded had better batteries. All are/were running the current iOS, though not all features are available without having the newer hardware inside.

128GB should be OK if you have room for photo and video storage elsewhere. 64GB might be pushing it, though. Apps take up some space ...

VR3

Android with iPhone home screen

Mixing Google/Microsoft ecosystems with Apple is a real pain

Kex

Either one will be a very good phone so it will mostly depend on what deal you get.

One advantage for the 13 is that the base storage was increased to 128GB for that model. I would worry that 64GB might be too restrictive. At 12 years old, she’ll probably want to try out lots of apps, download music and take lots of photos and videos. Apps, music and photos/videos are the main hogs of storage space, although iOS will attempt to optimize storage using iCloud (5GB free, 50GB for $1/month). The OS requires 11GB and System data (cache etc.) may use up another 5GB or more.

In terms of updates, the oldest iPhone that is compatible with iOS 18 (released September 2024) is the XS from September 2018. Expect 6-8 years of updates from the release date of the phone.

All iPhones are fully supported until it has been 5 years since the product was discontinued. The iPhone 12 was released in 2020 and discontinued in September 2023, so support will likely end in September 2028 or later. For the iPhone 13, support will likely end in September of 2029.

The iPhone 13 is no longer sold new by Apple. The 14 new is $600.

You may be able to score a refurbished 13 from Apple HERE. Refurbished products from Apple will be indistinguishable from a brand new phone, other than the packaging. Availability varies daily however and sometimes only higher configurations are available, making them somewhat expensive.

I have never bought an Amazon “renewed” iPhone so I can’t say how much wear is obvious, but even in the best “Premium” state ($370), the battery is only guaranteed to have at least 80% of battery. Most iPhone batteries will be fine for 3-4 years from new, but once they dip below 80%, degradation quickly becomes noticeable and either the phone or the battery should be replaced within a year.

My 2.5Y old iPhone 13 Pro shows 88% battery health. It should last until September 2025 with at least 80% battery. Another family member has a 5Y old iPhone 11 Pro. The battery is still at 80%.

Hope that all helps.

Clipdat

KexGPT

Kex

Welcome back @Clipdat! 🙏

Willow

Kex wrote: »

Either one will be a very good phone so it will mostly depend on what deal you get.

One advantage for the 13 is that the base storage was increased to 128GB for that model. I would worry that 64GB might be too restrictive. At 12 years old, she’ll probably want to try out lots of apps, download music and take lots of photos and videos. Apps, music and photos/videos are the main hogs of storage space, although iOS will attempt to optimize storage using iCloud (5GB free, 50GB for $1/month). The OS requires 11GB and System data (cache etc.) may use up another 5GB or more.

In terms of updates, the oldest iPhone that is compatible with iOS 18 (released September 2024) is the XS from September 2018. Expect 6-8 years of updates from the release date of the phone.

All iPhones are fully supported until it has been 5 years since the product was discontinued. The iPhone 12 was released in 2020 and discontinued in September 2023, so support will likely end in September 2028 or later. For the iPhone 13, support will likely end in September of 2029.

The iPhone 13 is no longer sold new by Apple. The 14 new is $600.

You may be able to score a refurbished 13 from Apple HERE. Refurbished products from Apple will be indistinguishable from a brand new phone, other than the packaging. Availability varies daily however and sometimes only higher configurations are available, making them somewhat expensive.

I have never bought an Amazon “renewed” iPhone so I can’t say how much wear is obvious, but even in the best “Premium” state ($370), the battery is only guaranteed to have at least 80% of battery. Most iPhone batteries will be fine for 3-4 years from new, but once they dip below 80%, degradation quickly becomes noticeable and either the phone or the battery should be replaced within a year.

My 2.5Y old iPhone 13 Pro shows 88% battery health. It should last until September 2025 with at least 80% battery. Another family member has a 5Y old iPhone 11 Pro. The battery is still at 80%.

Hope that all helps.

I'm not concerned with downloading pictures and videos or music. She streams music and Netflix and prime. Pictures and video go to Google One. I am thinking refurbished. Battery is not huge concern as she's in school and there is a no phone in class policy so using it maybe 30 mins before school then after 530 pm once she comes back from school and dance...then dinner. So from 630-830pm. If that. Which is why I consider the 64. But leaning towards 128g.

agingboomer

You might check out the Apple Certified Refurbished page for iPhones = https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/iphone

Kex

I checked in with my teenagers. They are using 56 and 46GB of their available storage, so you might get away with 64GB.

The price difference will likely be less than $100, so you’ll have to decide for yourself if that’s significant or not.

Willow

I just checked her pixel and she's using 34gb out of her 128. She's had it for 2yrs now.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I have a 12 Pro Max, if you’re interested shoot me a PM.

PSOVLSK

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

I have a 12 Pro Max, if you’re interested shoot me a PM.

I’d trust a phone Danny had over an Amazon renewed.

txcoastal1

PSOVLSK wrote: »

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

I have a 12 Pro Max, if you’re interested shoot me a PM.

I’d trust a phone Danny had over an Amazon renewed.

Agree^^^
I have purchased a phone from Danny

Willow

No question there at all. Unfortunately she doesn't want the max pro, too big for her. She would also like purple or white.

Thank you kindly for the offer

billbillw

I'd recommend looking at Swappa. They have pretty good guarantees and they are very strict about conditions. Since many people are upgrading in a 2 year cycle for the new 16, you may find deals on the 14. I definitely wouldn't go older than a 13 for OS updates.