I see the price of the iPhone 5s has tumbled to around £160 new. I like the phone’s size and everything else but don’t want to be left high and dry in a year’s time because software has changed or apps won’t work etc. Would I be mad to buy a 5s right now? Ta.

Brand new £160 – wow thats way below cost of production. Mrs B’s phone is a 5 and it runs everything just fine, all the latest software. IMHO that phone will be good for years to come re software upgades/usage etc

Where have you seen it at that price?

Perfectly decent phone if you don’t need to run the latest game.

The best phone Apple have done IMO. The ones after it feel cheap.

Refurbished are £140 on ebay

Apple just released the IPhone 5SE
It has almost the same processor and camera as the iPhone 6 s and build quality is spot on.
For the 16gb one it comes in at £359 making it the cheapest iPhone yet
Think this phone will be a cracker as the iPhone 6 and 6s are just too big in my opinion

The only problem I can see is the earpiece if quite far where you speak into, can be a problem if u have a tiny head.

cupid – good point, but I use an ear trumpet fashioned from a buttercup. How the devil are you? I’ll buzz you soon.

O2 will said I can buy a 5s from them for that price – sign up, pay off the phone immediately, no contract. It’s cheap now because the 5se has just been launched. Seems like there’s not a ton of difference between the 5s and 5se though, unless you’re picky about features. To me, not worth an extra £200.

I’m still using a 4s. It works.

I am using 5S for both work and personal. I was given a 6 but hated it as found it to big. Wife tried it aswell and was not a fan.

Hoping to try an SE at some point soon!

I’m still using a 4s. It works

Plus 1

I bought an iPhone 5s 64gb from the Apple Store when it was released and it still runs everything with no problems and still a decent battery life, but I don’t have/play any games or really bother with process hungry apps. Online browsing, pics, mail, music (iTunes/Iplayer radio) and viewranger/navigon gps is pretty much all I use it for, I doubt apple will drop software updates for a couple of years yet. I still use my iPhone 4 plugged into my kitchen speakers for Iplayer radio/internet radio functions and it works fine.

I like my 5S which I’ve had about 8 months or so. Does all I need and Apple are yet to cripple it with new software as they like to do eventually. I’m confidently hoping for another year out of it and then see what the prices are like on an SE with a decent amount of storage.

It has almost the same processor and camera as the iPhone 6 s and build quality is spot on.

The build quality is terrible I looked at them on Thursday it felt cheap and nasty.

I recently got an old 4s out of retirement and it works fine. Just updated itself to the current os too.

I’ve just ‘upgraded’ from a 4 to a 4s about 3 hours ago. 5s has got plenty of life left if my 4 was still ok – although it didn’t run the latest OS, but was fine.

O2 will said I can buy a 5s from them for that price – sign up, pay off the phone immediately, no contract.

was that in store or online?

I’m still using a 4s. It works.

+1

And when it dies, I’ve another one in the drawer and then a 5S after that.

Always handy when my kids are upgrading all the time and they feel sorry for old Dad 🙂

The build quality is terrible I looked at them on Thursday it felt cheap and nasty.

How so? They are built like the 5S, which is a tank.

They’re very plasticky nothing like a 5S feel worse than a 5C which al least doesn’t feel flimsy.

They’re very plasticky nothing like a 5S feel worse than a 5C which al least doesn’t feel flimsy.

Well, that is odd.

I just sold a 5S, had it for 18 months or so, and currently have a SE and a 5C in front of me, and genuinely have no idea how someone could come to that conclusion.

It is as the one I tried in the shop certainly did.

The 5se is a much much better phone than the 5s although they look very similar the se is so much more powerful and camera much better at 12. Mp. As for build quality the 5c 6 and 6s seem to me to be a lot more fragile than the 4s 5s and 5se

The battery on 2 of my 5S and other friends 5S: crap.

Great little phone if you’re not a heavy user.

I would get the SE. But the 5S is so cheap and if you’re not a heavy user, it’s a bargain for an Apple iPhone.

Where is the 5S cheap, tho?

I’m still using an iPhone 4 but that’s probably because it’s been living in a Lifeproof Case 😆

I just got a new 5s on contract on EE for £174 (that’s the delta over 24 months vs a SIM only deal so I’m sure you can argue the point)

A few more thoughts from me based on above

I have an old 4 which still works reasonably well, it is the model that had wifi issues (bad chips) and mine is currently not working but my point is that its still going and runs ok iOS software

I have a 6 and big screen with large text size is great for my old eyes so I can use it without my reading glasses. 99% of my use is messaging and web access,mI’d get the plus size next time. Its been robust enough, my prior phones I did not use a case but I do with the 6 as its too thin otherwise

@wk I’d agree the SE is a very nice phone from specs but £160 vs £350 I’d go with the 5S too

It costs about £30 to make an iPhone so it’s still a rip off

don’t want to be left high and dry in a year’s time because software has changed or apps won’t work etc.

My iP4 (no ‘s’) is 5 years old, hasn’t been able to take new OS updates since iOS7- all the apps I’ve always used still work, even ones that have had numerous updates.

It costs about £30 to make an iPhone so it’s still a rip off

Who let the Android user in here?

MrAdamW has an iPhone SE. We went on holiday to Cornwall the other week and amazingly just before the SE was announced he managed to lose his iPhone 5. I got him the 64GB version as 16GB isn’t really enough these days.

It seems a nice phone, just right for those who want an iPhone but not the 6’s size. And it does applepay and fingerprint sensor etc. A neat phone at a reasonable price (for Apple).

I like the 6S size.

Just right for big blokes.

The battery on the SE lasts a bit longer.

I recently took out a cheap contract on a 5S, mainly because I wanted an iOS phone again after using Windows for a year or so. Seems well made, but perhaps not as robust as my older iPhone 4S which is still going strong. Battery life is poor compared with the 4S, and I am an extremely light user.

The biggest problem for me is after a couple of years with larger phones I keep misplacing it in the house, which is really starting to piss me off, but that it hardly the phones fault.

good deal on eBay at the moment

http://www.ebay.co.uk/rpp/electronics/refurbished-tech-smartphones/apple

I’m still stuck on a 4s as they sold out of the 64GB 5SE on release day (at the Apple Store anyway which is where I want to get one for a couple of reasons). I disagree they feel cheap but they are surprisingly light (noticeably lighter than a 6s and from memory seemed lighter than my 4s but I didn’t have it on me at the time to directly compare).
For a cheap iPhone I think the 5s still has a lot going for it, especially if you’re not looking at running demanding apps or are overly concerned about the camera quality. For me though the 5SE is just about cheap enough to justify the extra cost over the 5s

(at the Apple Store anyway which is where I want to get one for a couple of reasons)

Those reasons being? Not having a dig, genuine curiosity.

In relation to the 5 SE build quality, I got one on launch date, which is going back incidentally*, they do feel oddly lighter than it’s predecessor. Not quite ‘plasticky’ like Drac mentions, but doesn’t seem to have the heft the 5S had. Other than that it’s nice and quick and the size I want….BUT….I am not sure it would be the end of the world if I had to use a 5S instead. Especially if a new one was £150+ less.

*Loose power button, which may or may not be prevalent across the range.

Combination of it being truly unlocked (not locking to the first carrier it’s set up on as supposedly happens with SIM-free phones bought elsewhere) also there’s a fair chance I may need the 14 day returns option. Now that I’ve had chance to play with one in store I could order online from Apple but from what I understand it won’t be any quicker than waiting for new stock to arrive in store.

Interesting note about the power button, will keep an eye on whether it’s a widespread issue or not

Interesting note about the power button, will keep an eye on whether it’s a widespread issue or not

It’s nothing major, and may be negated by using a case, but the tolerances could have been a bit tighter. My replacement wont be here till 19th which is a bit of a bummer. Like you I am getting direct from Apple due to their 14 day open box return policy, as I have dealt with rev 1 Apple products before and sometimes it takes a couple of goes to get it right.