I've been obsessed with my iPhone for three years now, and I'm still not ready to give it up. But eventually, I'll have to upgrade. So, I thought I'd share my honest review.
The Basics
The current price is around 44,990 rubles, and I paid about 106,000 rubles for it three years ago.The display type is OLED.The package includes a box, the phone, a manual, a SIM ejection tool, and a charging cable.
The Colors and Storage Options
RedStellarSpace GrayBluePinkWhiteThe storage capacity options are:
128GB256GB512GBI chose the Stellar color and 512GB storage.
I'll save the details about the other specs for Apple's official website, but I wanted to share my personal experience with using this phone.
Design
One thing that really caught my eye is how great this phone looks. I was hoping for a super light, pure white color, but I'd call it more of a warm white. The finish is glossy, and it looks really premium, just like all Apple gear.
There's just one downside to this phone for me: the cases. With this phone, I've been using clear silicone cases, but they get all yellow and worn out super fast, so I have to replace them every couple of weeks. If you know of a case that doesn't yellow over time or at least lasts longer than a month, let me know - everything I've tried so far starts to yellow around the edges after two weeks and looks pretty gross.
I just can't bear to go without a case, so I'm being careful with it. As for other cases, I love the color of this iPhone and don't want to hide it behind a bunch of colorful cases. Otherwise, the exterior looks perfect.
On the right is the side button:
On the left are the volume buttons, the silent mode switch, and the SIM card slot:
The speakers are located at the bottom:
At the top is the front camera, which is barely visible and the top speaker:
The main camera is located on the back:
And of course, the Apple logo:
Speakers
The speakers here are absolutely fire, loud and clear. Watching videos and listening to music is a total pleasure. No crackling even at max volume, which is super important to me as a music lover. After 3 years of use, nothing's happened to them, the only thing is that you need to clean them periodically, as they get clogged with dust. During sound playback, both the top and bottom speakers work, creating an immersive sound experience.
Camera
I'm seriously impressed with how well the camera performs. Photos are super clear and vibrant. The only downside is that it struggles a bit in low-light conditions – I'm not sure if I just need to tweak some settings or what. Another thing that's bugging me is that when I zoom in by 0.5x, the image quality takes a hit.
I've been experimenting with all the different modes, from cinematic effects to portrait and slow-motion. You can even create some pretty professional-looking videos. In my line of work, this iPhone has been a huge help – check out these collages I made using photos taken on this device:
Battery Life
This is probably a major concern for many users – the battery does take a hit over time. After three years of using my iPhone, the battery looks like this:
I find myself needing to charge it a couple of times a day, but that's probably because I use my iPhone pretty intensively. If you're not as heavy a user, you might only need to charge it once a day. And the good news is that it charges super quickly – you can get a full charge in about an hour.
I've gotta say, I know I'll probably need to swap it out soon, but I'm already super used to it. I love its looks and size - it's super comfortable to hold in my hand, so if I were to choose something similar, it'd be something with a similar design and size. There are those Max versions of iPhones, but to me, they're just too big in my hand and uncomfortable - maybe that's just a matter of getting used to it.
I don't want to replace the battery either; I'd rather just get a new phone altogether, if you ask me.
Originality / Repair
The settings let you check all the info about your iPhone, including the serial number, maintenance history, and repair records. That's super handy if you're buying a used phone and need to see what's been done to it - the iPhone keeps track of all that.
The notification shade is super convenient - just swipe down from the top right corner:
You can adjust the volume, brightness, turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on/off, set Do Not Disturb mode, find a song in Shazam, and tons more from there. The notification shade is totally customizable.
General Impression
Of course, I'm way more satisfied with this phone than not. There are some minor downsides, but where's the perfect phone, right? It's been three years and it's never let me down - no freezing, no lagging, and the Face ID and other features always work flawlessly. I'd only ding it for the camera, which is great, but I know there are other versions out there where it's even better, like the 11, which had smoother video recording.
Other than that, I'm more than satisfied.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible!
Watches that know you
My go-to MacBook from Apple - but it fell short of perfection