The Monk Who Tried to Make Peace with 7-Year-Old iPhone

I get the euphoria around an Apple event. I, too, stayed up late into the night to watch the event unfold minute by minute. While it was my call of duty (I extensively cover consumer technology), it wasn’t hard to fanboy over what used to be the benchmark for modern smartphones. In the last few years, iPhone launches have been a bit lackluster. As my daily driver, I’m using the iconic iPhone X, which is now at least 7 years old.

Apple now classifies the iPhone X and first AirPods as “vintage.” pic.twitter.com/RGIkeLqOO4

— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 1, 2024

Why am I still using an archaic device, you may wonder? First, I’ve never had the budget to buy the latest iPhone. They’re too expensive—the top-end model of the new lineup costs more than my monthly income. If you think about it, a new phone never outranked home EMIs, car EMIs, education, etc., etc., you get my drift? And besides, the phone still works. Probably on its last legs, but it works. Let’s see how long I can squeeze out from the phone.

Am I suggesting or recommending that you settle for your old iPhone? Of course not. I’m not recommending anything. The idea is simply to offer some perspective on what happens if you don’t buy a new iPhone, and in this case, for at least seven years.

Also Read: Apple’s iPhone 16 It’s Glowtime Launch Event Set for September 9: What to Expect?

Breathe in 

The iPhone X really tests my patience sometimes—even for someone who’s close to becoming a monk (spiritually, at least).

“Your battery’s health is significantly degraded. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the battery to restore full performance and capacity.”

That pretty much sums up what’s going on with the battery life. With maximum capacity at just 78%, I now have to carry a charger or charging cable everywhere I go. And yeah, the cable is hanging by a thread, with the familiar crack at the port.

By the way, I recently cleaned out the charging port on the iPhone to ensure smoother charging. It’s a delicate process, but it saved me from having to position the phone just right to get it to charge. At one point, I never saw my phone’s battery go above 50%.

I’m not sure if the speaker ports are clogged, but I can barely hear the phone ringing, even at maximum volume. Even calls on speakerphone are a struggle. The difference is painfully clear when my wife’s iPhone 14 rings. I miss my phone’s ringtone.  By the way, it was the entrance theme of WWE wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura. Here’s The Rising Sun

I am a mobile photography enthusiast. And yes, I miss taking high quality video or photos. The iPhone X barely delivers the quality that modern iPhone does. Nowadays, I am shooting quite a few short videos, and I really miss not having the Cinematic camera mode. And I have figured that the camera has also become very buggy. During my last couple of holidays, I carried an old Android smartphone with mighty megapixels (at least on  paper) to get some good clicks. But it was a hassle. Two phones are never easy to manage. Never was. 

Moreover, the banking app on my phone no longer works because the world has moved onto iOS 18. And here I’m on iOS 16.7.10 version. 

Yes, I will talk about what works. For now let’s summarise the pain points, and extra few not discussed at length: 

– Extremely poor battery life 

– Outdated and buggy camera 

– Outdated software and subsequent app compatibility

– Sound quality

– No 5G

– Paint is scraping from all corners 

– Minor dents 

Things that work

While I’ve tried to offset the battery issues by carrying a charger everywhere, for sound, I’ve started using a Bluetooth headset, which does a decent job during voice and video calls.

For now, I can still access most of the popular apps like Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, Netflix, and more. Except for one banking app, I’m not really missing out on anything from an app’s point of view. Since I no longer need to run benchmarks or push the device to its limits just to see how it handles, it can easily manage moderate to heavy usage. My screen time usually exceeds 7 hours, with most of it being consumed by social media and streaming apps.

As for the camera, its quality is relative. It’s definitely inferior compared to modern phones but overall acceptable, especially in good conditions. Good enough to post on Instagram.

To recall, the iPhone X was the first phone to do away with TouchID and introduce FaceID, a face scanner. So, I can unlock my phone just by looking at it. If you compare it to the later iPhone models, the iPhone X really set a precedent. Sure, Apple has tweaked the back panel, colors, and some minor things since then, but I feel the foundation for those changes always traces back to the iPhone X. What I’m getting at is—it’s still a good-looking phone.

Also, I have the 1TB model. So, with more than 5,000 photos (though I’m not sure how many are just WhatsApp forwards or grocery payment screenshots), it’s still going. Slow and sluggish nowadays, but it’s working.

Will I Upgrade My iPhone?

Yes. I don’t fully trust the phone anymore, and then there’s the big FOMO. I enjoy making videos—both long and short clips for social media—and of course, I’d like to hear my phone when it rings. The newer cameras really tempt me to upgrade. Plus, I want to experience what mobile 5G feels like. There’s so much I’m missing out on. And yeah, I need to figure out a budget because it’s going to be extremely expensive. Maybe some holiday schemes will help.

Before I wrap up, don’t forget that Apple has officially announced the date for its highly anticipated “It’s Glowtime” event, where the tech giant will unveil its latest innovations, including the much-awaited iPhone 16 lineup. Apple is expected to reveal at least four new models: the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Each model promises significant updates, both in design and functionality.

So, what do you think of the new iPhone 16 series? Let us know on Twitter. And yes, also let us know your thoughts on the iconic iPhone X, if you remember.