Updated: January 3, 2025
Your humble peasant has finally laid his grubby hands on an iPhone. I am now no longer a plebe, for I am able to use a posh phone! Rawr! However, before you get overly excited, I must inform you that the device in my possession is a hand-me-down from a friend, an iPhone 11, dating back to 2019. My friend got himself a brand new device, and instead of throwing out the old piece, he gave it to me. Now, I can do all sorts of cool things and experiments. Chiefly, answer a question, how well does a five-year-old phone handle the "modern" reality?
This question is quite important, because I'm always wondering what the long-term value of mobile devices really is. For example, I still have a bunch of old Androids around, but some of these no longer receive any updates, some of these are a bit slow, some of these are a bit broken. Therefore, should one pay more money and get themselves an expensive iPhone, which ought to be supported for many years, or pay "less" money and get an Android? Because this question is a bit silly, let me elaborate.
From my review five years back ... Suntanning, as it's too pale, hi hi.
Money, support, quality
Until not that long ago, Android devices had notoriously short support windows. You'd get one major upgrade, maybe two at best, and that would be that. So you might have perfectly capable hardware, stuck with old software, plus perhaps a vulnerability or three (these are often overrated, but still).
I got myself a Samsung A54 about a year back. One of the main reasons was the promised five years of patching and upgrades. Nowadays, more and more phone manufacturers are starting to offer more reasonable support times than before, but still, it's a pale shadow compared to what you get for desktop operating systems. Realistically, if you want 5+ years of upgrades, it would seem Samsung, Google, Fairphone, and Apple are the only ones offering that. There might be other companies doing this, so if I left them out, apologies.
The conundrum gets bigger once you factor in other ... factors. For example, the presence of a normal 3.5mm audio jack. You can pretty much forget it. Replaceable battery? Fairphone, but then, it does not offer the latest hardware. Dual SIM? Oh, my, has this become a joke. Many a manufacturer has switched from two physical SIM slots to one plus eSIM, because a) cheapness b) control c) both. Finally, the cost. Pixels offer a clean Android experience, but they are expensive. Samsung has some cheaper (if good) phones, but they come with a horrible UI, as I experienced on my A54. Indeed, if you read my periodic long-term reports with this device, even now, more than a year later, I'm still battling annoyances, pointless "modern" stuff, and other low-IQ things. In fact, I've decided I will not buy any Samsung ever again.
And so, this huge, wondrous space of many, many smartphones suddenly narrows down to a tiny number of options. If you need two SIM trays, it's Samsung only. If you need audio jack, then it's none. If you can live without these conveniences, and you want 5+ years, then it's Samsung, Google or Fairphone. If you want really good hardware, it will cost you. In the end, you're looking at the 800-1,000-dollar range. And this suddenly makes the very expensive iPhone an interesting, viable option, for better or worse.
On paper, the iPhone is everything I don't want. No audio jack, no dual SIM, very costly, and a highly restricted ecosystem. But. What if the cost isn't so high, in relative terms?
Cost and speed over the years
Being able to test this old device is an excellent opportunity to properly evaluate the normalized cost/year ratio for the iPhone, as well as various other Android phones that I've used in the past (or am still using). That said, I must mention I'm not keen on buying expensive, top-end phones, because I don't see the point, therefore, I don't really have an old flagship Android device to compare with an old flagship iPhone. My most expensive Android has been the Motorola One Zoom. It still works!
This device cost around 600 dollars equivalent or so back then. It received almost no updates, and hasn't had any in several years - the applications still get patched frequently. The battery still works like magic, and you can go about 7-10 days in between charges, even with some serious usage. The camera is excellent, the audio is good, and you have a nice 3.5mm jack. All in all, it's fantastic. If only there were more phones like this around, but no, you can't have this goodness nowadays. And probably never again. On the "negative" side, the One Zoom a bit slow (in 2025). The problem is the inevitable bloat in the software stack, which can lead to performance degradation. That's what happens when developers are allowed to write code almost arbitrarily, without constraints. Finesse is a lost art.
I could also mention the very old Lumia 950, w00t. Not an Android, though, and it still works, too. Of course, the ecosystem is utterly busted, but the phone is quick. However, since it can't really do anything properly relevant, it's hard to judge how it would handle modern tasks. Well, primarily, the Internet. Also, not an Android, cor.
Then, I've tested a whole range of cheaper devices, in the 200-300-dollar range, but here, you know from the outset that compromise is a big part of the game. You know you're getting your money's worth, and you're not getting much. In some cases, there's that sweet bang-for-buck formula, and you may land a nice, cheap device that's durable and fun. But as I've experienced with the Nokia X10, you may end up paying more over time, with all too frequent replacements. It's not that different from buying a PC really. You're better off with a 1,000-dollar computer, which will last you say 6 years, than buying two 500-dollar computers, with only three years of use each. There's an optimal ratio somewhere in there, but it's closer to the former than the latter figure.
Enter the iPhone ...
And now, there's the old iPhone 11. How good is this device? Well, let's start with the physical traits:
- The audio seems busted. The sound is tinny. You need an external device for anything sound-related really. For this, you can either use Bluetooth stuff, which I absolutely hate, or get a Lightening-to-jack adapter, and use a simple, honest pair of headphones. I opted for the latter, of course, as this is much cheaper, you won't run out of batteries, there won't be any connectivity problems, and you won't look like someone with a voluntary case of hearing impairment.
- The battery is okayish - it can do 2-3 days, and has effectively degraded to 80% its original capacity.
- There aren't any scuffs or marks on the screen - the previous owner was relatively careful, and carried the phone in a silicon case (non-branded) most of the time.
Quite all right, considering the age and the usage ... And I have all five fingers, don't worry. One be shy.
Now, on the software side:
- This iPhone 11 received the latest iOS 18 without any trouble. Apart from the AI-related nonsense, which I'm glad isn't supported, you get the exact same experience as with any other supported iPhone. Same looks, same features.
- The operating system is very fast. I can't tell you exactly how today differs from my responsiveness and speed perception back when I tested this device, but it's sprightly, quick, with no visible lagging whatsoever. Everything works smoothly. I would say, identical to my A54, for example.
Then, let's not forget the awesome Lockdown Mode, which both adds security and convenience, and for me, the latter is more important, as it neuters all the bad coding practices that software developers shove into their apps and websites. Beautifully, Lockdown Mode cripples stupid code. Great. It is funny this feature is advertised for journalists and alike, people who might be potential hax0ring targets, but not for ordinary folks who don't want stupidity in their lives. I think the Lockdown Mode should be the default - no image previews, no messages with attachments from unknown contacts, no remote fonts, no JIT nonsense, and so much more.
What about peasantly conveniences?
Ah, it seems I made some progress here. With enough tenacity, you can even get the iPhone to behave, it seems. Most crucially, there's an adblocker for Safari, which means, I can actually contemplate using the iPhone for browsing, as I refuse to do so without an adblocker. Sadly, if you prefer a different browser, you won't be so lucky. In iOS, all browsers must use WebKit, so effectively, they are just frontends for the same engine. And in Firefox, there's no adblocker available, which is silly. Maybe Brave can do it, as it should come with its own built-in adblocker, so I will need to test that.
I was also able to load my music onto the phone, without using iTunes - I also tested that option in Linux, just to see whether it would work, and it didn't. Namely, with the glorious VLC media player, you can copy your music onto the iPhone just fine. Or, for music and more, you can use the equally glorious and fun KDE Connect tool, which lets you pair the device with your Plasma desktop. Again, this means I have mastered another venue of sane, everyday usage. Another obstacle removed.
I disabled the iCloud stuff, completely. Well, there's Game Center, and you can't toggle it off. The Settings app hangs when you try to do that. Game Center does nothing at all. No iMessages for me, either, as I don't see a point, just like with RCS. Say no fads!
There were some snags, too. If you change your region to a peasantly one, iTunes won't work - you will only get a blank iTunes U page. Stupid. Likewise, here and there, the iPhone may decide to be wise and try to localize content for you.
But wait, let's start at the beginning, duh ...
The setup
Quick and relatively simple, especially compared to Android. I did go through every single setting, but ultimately, there isn't much to do. Now, I've not inserted a SIM card into the phone, as I don't have a spare one, but the operating system setup still insisted on a number for "verification" purposes. Meh. Then, I had to toggle a few things off, like sharing feedback with developers (don't want), and a couple of advertising-related questions. All in all, quite mild, I must say.
Sensitive Content Warning - the prudishness of this section is laughable. In my mind, sensitive content is political crap, blatant propaganda, fear mongering in the news, hyperbole, clickbait, violence, and other manners of modern, low-IQ stuff that I never want to see. Why not filter out that? What has nudity ever done to anyone?
I toggled Siri off (and by proxy Apple Intelligence), but I also had to go through every single app, and toggle off the "Learn from this app" thingie. Basically, it comes down to Search and Analytics, and those cover the majority of privacy-related items in the operating system. Location off, too, of course.
The App Store
I have to say, it's rather disappointing, but I expected that. Like Android, it's too flashy, too ADHD, designed to make clueless people click and buy and whatnot. Also, if you want to use it, you MUST write down your address in the store details, even if you have no payment method configured. Why? If this is, again, some weird geo-restriction thing, then I hate it. On one hand, the phone "guesses" where you are very neatly based on various parameters, like say the IP address of your Wi-Fi access point, or it uses your country region or whatever, but then why does it need a physical address? Especially if I have ZERO intention of using money through the App Store, the same way I don't ever want to do that in Android. Is this about user data? Don't know, don't care.
On top of that, there are way too many ads. I don't care. When I search for something, I don't need the top 50% of the screen to be covered by an ad, often in languages I can't even read. This is double-ironic, because the store is soooooo restrictive about what content you can have - and what you can't buy, like music or books or whatnot, based on your region, but it has no problem serving you ads for content that is 100% irrelevant. Perhaps this has to do with data protection and personalization, in which case, this is commendable, but also unnecessary to begin with.
The sensors
The iPhone has two permanent annoyances. If you don't set up Face ID, you will forever have a red badge with the counter of 1, telling you to finish your setup. Nope, don't want, GTFO. And yet, this nonsense will remain there, for all eternity, until you either succumb to pressure or replace the ecosystem.
Bluetooth toggles itself to ON after every system patch. Basically, I turn it off, as I hate it, and then, come a system upgrade of some sort, major or minor, on next reboot, Bluetooth will be running. Stupid and pointless. I don't want to use this, or spend any money on buying over-expensive peripherals. Not interested.
Back to everyday use
What else? Gestures. I don't like them. I prefer a normal menu bar (three-button one in Android), or a physical button, like you used to get on very old iPhones. These gestures are too monkey-like for my taste. Seems like the whole smartphone thing is all part of one giant simian conditioning for the low-IQ masses. Then, the camera takes photos as HEIC, by default. Nope, don't want. The Photos app is a bit confusing. I couldn't find a way to select all images and delete them at once. Also, if you customize the view and remove the Utilities section, you won't be able to find Trash AKA Recently Deleted, where you can in fact select all. Meh.
Overall impression
Well. Now that I've had a chance to actually use this phone for more than a few hours, I was able to work around some of its problems - or "get used to them" in some of the cases. Here and there, I had a genuine lack of knowledge, and so I had to do some light reading to figure out how something works. In fact, here and there, I grudgingly accepted the "Apple way" as an acceptable method. But some things are plain pointless, and infuriatingly so, because you cannot change them.
The BIG problem is, if you don't like it, there's no middle ground. The alternative is the Wild West called Android, with its 5,449 versions, from vanilla to ultra-customized, with dozens and dozens of menus and options and privacy tweaks and annoyances. Here, you have a relatively peaceful ecosystem, but you must accept it and its limitations. Otherwise, it's the peasant highway.
I must admit, a week or two after I configured the device, my initial impression has changed, positively. Couple that with my previous iPhone endeavors and gradual resolution of usability problems, like music, adblocking, etc, and I have a more favorable view of the device and its operating system than before. I can definitely understand why people would buy and use this, if they're not in the mood to play nerd wars. And now, we must conclude, and answer the question that I wrote early on in this article.
Conclusion
Five years down the road, the iPhone 11 seems to hold quite well. The operating system is tight, there's no doubt about that. With Lockdown Mode on, adblocker in place, and music in VLC, it's almost usable for my taste. The hardware is solid, albeit the audio and the battery have deteriorated, and I've not seen the same thing with my One Zoom, for instance. But then, iOS 18 seems way smoother than how the Motorola's phone copes with modern workloads.
You can't remove some of the annoyances, like Face ID setup and Bluetooth, those will forever be in your way, and you must work around them. But, at the end of the day, you can get the job done, although the actual usability model will be different from Android. That's the baseline you must accept if you wish to use this device. So, yes, it seems the initial cost of the iPhone 11 has paid off, in terms of long-term viability. If you're willing to use the device for its entire life span, you're hitting good annual cost-value ratios, for sure. But that does not mean it's perfect or superior to everything Android, especially if you find a nice, friendly device with decent support and good hardware. Alas, if only there was a way to take the best of both worlds ...
A second question: could Dedo use this phone for good? I'm not sure. My impression of the ecosystem has improved, considerably, over the years. I now understand and respect the logic behind the iPhone and the iOS. I might even be willing to try this, if I were given a phone for free. Hello! But I think I'm still too much of a peasant to fully immerse myself in this world. Some things simply rub me off the wrong way, and I can't shake them off. The address bar being at the bottom of the interface in Safari, the gestures, little things like that. However, I really like the Lockdown Mode, I like the smooth upgrades and relatively simple privacy management. And thus, undecided, more optimistic, yet still hesitant, I must end this piece.
Cheers.