5 Cheap iPhones You Shouldn’t Buy in 2020

If you’re looking to buy a cheap iPhone and keep it for awhile, there are some models you should absolutely avoid during your search for a new device.

Apple’s iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max might be tempting, but they’re extremely expensive. The iPhone 11 starts at $699, the iPhone 11 Pro starts at $999, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max starts at $1099.

Former flagships like the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR are also solid options, but they also come at a substantial cost.

They might be cheaper than they were when Apple first released them all the way back in September of 2018, but they still cost a pretty penny.

The iPhone XS still costs over $700 without a trade-in, the iPhone XS is still close to $1000, and the iPhone XR still retails for close to $600 at some retailers.

If you want to buy into the Apple ecosystem and don’t want to pay those prices for a new phone, you don’t have to. Apple’s got a great selection of cheap iPhones with names like iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, and iPhone 6s.

If you want to go cheaper still, you’ve also got options like the iPhone SE. Apple’s 4-inch flagship is extremely cheap and it recently got upgraded to Apple’s iOS 13 update.

If you are in the hunt for a new iPhone, those are the cheap iPhones that should be at the top of your shopping list. They come with the best hardware and support for the price.

With that in mind, we want to take you through the cheap iPhones that shouldn’t be on your shopping list at this point. These are the cheap iPhones you should avoid buying in early 2020.

iPhone 6

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If you want a new iPhone, but you don't want to spend a ton of cash, you might have your eyes on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.  Apple no longer sells its flagships from 2014, but you can find them on sale at a variety of retailers. The prices are attractive for those on a budget, but you're much better off going with the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, or something newer.  The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have stayed behind on iOS 12. Apple confirmed the bad news at WWDC 2019 when it announced iOS 13. This might not seem like a big deal, but it is.  First of all, it means the devices won't get any new features down the road. That means no Dark Mode and that means nothing from iOS 14 and beyond unless you jailbreak.  More importantly, it means the devices won't get regular bug fixes or security updates from Apple. While you might be able to live with the lack of features, missing out on patches and fixes is far from ideal.  The hardware on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is also aging. The cameras aren't great and the processors are years old which means you won't get the best performance in key areas like gaming, speed, and battery life. Far from it actually.  If you spend a little more money on the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus or the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus for that matter, you get more capable hardware, an upgrade to iOS 13 and a full year of improvements (new features, bug fixes, and security updates).

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