3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Buy the iPhone 5 in 2024

If you’re in the market for a new iPhone in 2024, do yourself a favor and cross the iPhone 5 and Phone 5c off your shopping list.

Buying one of these devices might be tempting, but the iPhone 5 isn’t a top option for those looking to save some cash and/or pickup a phone with a 4-inch display.

If you have your eyes on the iPhone 5, or the colorful iPhone 5c, you’re better off going in another direction. Here’s why.

Software Support

Apple ended software support for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c back in 2017. Both devices stayed on iOS 10 and neither will device will get iOS 11, iOS 12, iOS 13, iOS 14, iOS 15, iOS 16, iOS 17, or Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 update. This has some major implications.

If you buy the iPhone 5, you won’t get features from iOS 11, iOS 12, iOS 13, iOS 14, iOS 15, iOS 16, iOS 17 or any of Apple’s upcoming iOS releases. This might not seem like a huge deal, but remember, features aren’t the only thing you’ll miss out on.

These devices will no longer get official bug fixes or security patches from Apple. You might be able to deal with a few problems, but it’s the lack of security that should have you worried. Apple’s devices aren’t immune to exploits.

If you store sensitive data on your phone, this alone should have you thinking about making the jump to another iPhone or an alternative.

Performance

We used the iPhone 5 for many years and we used every single iOS update Apple released for the device. Our experience was mostly good, but performance started dragging in the latter stages of the device’s life.

We had a pretty good run on iOS 10, but our iPhone 5 wasn’t immune to problems. It was laggy and, towards the end, extremely frustrating to use as a daily driver.

There’s no way to go back to an older version of iOS and there’s no way to upgrade to a newer version of iOS. You’re stuck with the performance you get.

If the iPhone 5 you’re looking to buy has a clean install, you might get good mileage out of it at first. However, over time, your experience will almost certainly start to deteriorate as you accumulate more photos, apps, and other data.

Wiping the phone and restoring from a backup will always be there as a nuclear option if the phone becomes unusable, but it’s a huge, time-consuming pain. This is especially true if you have to do it over, and over, and over again.

At this point, with the phone being as old as it is, and with iOS 10 running like it is, it’s probably a better idea to invest in a newer, more capable device. Fortunately, you’ve got plenty of options.

Better Options

If you’re determined to go the iPhone route and you really want the 4-inch display, your best option is Apple’s iPhone SE.

The iPhone SE is cheap, comes with a 4-inch Retina Display, and delivers a better all-around experience thanks to its processor, RAM, and cameras. It’ll also get occasional security updates.

If you aren’t tied to the 4-inch display, make sure you take a look at Apple’s 4.7-inch iPhone SE 2 or iPhone SE 3. They both possess better hardware. And, like the original iPhone SE, they’re extremely cheap.

If you aren’t in love with the iPhone SE or iPhone SE 2, you’ll also want to check out the iPhone XR, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 6s.

And let’s not forget about the mind-boggling amount Android phones out there. You can get an outstanding Android device for under $200.

We loved our time with the iPhone 5, but do yourself a favor and avoid it in 2024. If you’re looking for a new device you can do a lot better without breaking the bank.

Wait for Larger Screens

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According to display analyst Ross Young, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have larger displays. If true, they will be the largest ever for an iPhone. Young believes the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will come with 6.27-inch and 6.86-inch display sizes, respectively. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have 6.12-inch and 6.69-inch displays. Young says these changes will be exclusive to the Pro models and the lower-end iPhone 16 models are expected to keep the same screen sizes (6.1-inches and 6.7-inches). A well-known leaker on Twitter backs up Young's claims. So does MacRumors. So does yeux1122. Young also believes Apple will also change the aspect ratio on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max which will make the devices a bit taller than their predecessors. You can get a sense for these potential changes via these CAD images of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max from 9to5Mac and from these images courtesy of Sonny Dickson.  According to Korean publication Sisa Journal, Apple will maximize the size of the display by implementing ultra-thin bezel technology called "BRS" or Border Reduction Structure. The site claims Apple will apply this change to all four iPhone 16 models. South Korean publication The Elec backs up this assertion.  So, if you've wanted an even bigger display on your iPhone, you might want to hold off on an upgrade this year and wait for the iPhone 16 series.

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