Upgrading from Iphone 8 – how modern do I need to go?

My iPhone 8 is having issues (battery poor, front camera/light not working).

Thinking of upgrading but only by getting second hand one and not spending more than £200 if possible.

Dont have any extensive needs – just messaging, internet and basic apps.

What sort of version should I be looking at for a noticeable improvement.

You can get a 12 for around £200 (ie, somewhere like GiffGaff) and that would be more than enough. If you want the phone to look ‘like new’, you’d have to drop to an 11 which is still a very capable phone.

The 2020 iPhone SE is more or less an 11 in a 7/8 body. For what you say you need, it’s probs the best upgrade bang for buck. It’s the same sized case, but with much better internals. You can get one for under a hundred on Back Market.

^ iPhone SE 2020 is good.
Mrs_OAB has a 13 mini which also seems the shizzles and was very cheap compared to other Apple handsets, while also being a step up in nice screen etc compared to the SE.

SE if you just want more of the same – home button, Touch ID, etc. Backmarket have the 2022 SE for under £200, it’s a very modern processor, will be quick and supported for ages.

FaceID and the swipey full screen is just better though IMO and why everything else has gone to it (current SE will be the last with a home button). If you don’t mind a bit of change then an 11 or 12 should be doable.

iPhone 11 is still a decent phone. My wife has my old one and it still looks and works like new.

It’s a shame that ‘mini flagships’ are a dying breed. I get that they’re niche, but for a lot of folks – that don’t game or watch movies on their phones, the smaller size has all the advantages (especially mountain biking shorts pockets or packs with smaller pouches) with non of the disadvantages of lack of punch. They’re perfect. I think the 13 mini is that last one that Apple are making. I’ve kept an eye on 2nd prices for a bit, and I’ll probs get one when my 2020SE dies a death.

I’m waiting on a 12 mini arriving today – bought via eBay from what is hopefully a reputable seller. £202 for 256gb in ‘good’ condition. Bought big as mainly using for offline music listening, no real need for that capacity in normal use so you could get cheaper.

Came to the conclusion 12 was oldest I wanted to go to.

Just upgraded from 11 to 14 so my kid could go from 8+ to 11.

I don’t think you need to go beyond 11.  Honestly, if it didn’t have a different colour case on it I couldn’t tell the difference.

Same question as the OP but for an 8 plus as I have poor eyesight. I don’t suppose there’s anything the same size and shape so I can keep my leather case?

I’ve just gone from an 8 to a 12Pro and am really pleased, marked improvement.
Was about £280 from BackMarket. Great service from them. Ordered around 11am on the Saturday, delivered before 10 on the Sunday morning.

I sold my nearly new se 2020 to pay for a battered 13. Its better in every way other than one handed operation (I have short fingers)

Camera is better, battery life is better, screen is better. I had an 11 that I gave to my eldest when I got the SE, I don’t know if the 13 is much better than that, but smallest capacity is 128gb which is better, 64gb doesn’t last long if you want to use apps for lots of different things and have pictures/music on hand.

I’ll get a pro next time though, a telephoto lens would be super useful on holiday.

It’s a shame that ‘mini flagships’ are a dying breed. I get that they’re niche, but for a lot of folks – that don’t game or watch movies on their phones, the smaller size has all the advantages (especially mountain biking shorts pockets or packs with smaller pouches) with non of the disadvantages of lack of punch. They’re perfect. I think the 13 mini is that last one that Apple are making. I’ve kept an eye on 2nd prices for a bit, and I’ll probs get one when my 2020SE dies a death.

yep – 13 mini here for exactly these reasons. Don’t know what I’m going to do in 3-4 years time.

And OP, I went from 8 to 13 mini. seemed like a worthy jump in features, plus the battery and charge port were knackered. Paid more than £200 though.

Check on “cheapest_electrical” on eBay. It’s the Tesco mobile outlet with returns/open box etc.

I just bought a grade “B” iPhone Mini 12 (from a V1 SE) for around £200. It came and it was ablsoultely mint, 100% battery life. I think it is pretty much brand new but grade B is supposed to have marks and signs of use.  Easy enough to return too if they send you a lemon.

Great phone, love the full screen and Face ID and the camera is brilliant (IMO). Portrait mode looks great (IMO AGAIN).

How far back do they support software and security updates? Might come into the equation to get at least a bit of future proofing

I know nothing about Apple products so no idea if this is an issue or concern though

Another thumbs up for “cheapest_electrical” on eBay.  Look out for the 10 or 15 % off offers across selected sellers as they are usually included.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/06/apple-commits-to-5-years-of-iphone-updates-though-it-usually-releases-more-anyway/

They have committed to a minimum of 5 years for the iPhone 15 Pro but the above article says it’s likely you’ll get 7+ years of updates.

“But in reality, Apple usually hits or exceeds this seven-year timeline for updates—and does so for iPhones released nearly a decade ago and not just its newest products.

2017’s iPhone 8 and iPhone X, for example, are still receiving iOS 16 security updates. 2015’s iPhone 6S and 2016’s iPhone 7 were receiving iOS 15 updates as recently as March 2024”

Another vote here for Backmarket (great service from them) and suggest iPhone 12 or 13. I bought a 12 mini last year which looked brand new. I chose it over the 13 on price having checked out the specs and decided there really wasn’t anything on the 13 that would persuade me to pay the extra.

As a solution to the ‘big’ phone issue, my solution has been to just leave it at home. I find it strangely liberating although I accept it’s not for everyone.

It’s bloody annoying though, I grant you that. I can’t believe we’ve seen the end of smaller phones

How far back do they support software and security updates? Might come into the equation to get at least a bit of future proofing

As disco-stu says, Apple are really good at keeping the software up together – my 10” iPad Pro is now 6 years old, and the OS has just had a full update to iOS 17. It may not get updated to 18, but it’s starting to struggle a bit, and I’m really liking the look of the latest iPad 13” Pro with the Magic Keyboard, which turns it into a quasi-laptop with touchscreen, touchpad and a fully specced keyboard. It’s storage is 512Gb, whereas the latest iPad gets 2Tb, as will the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

I prefer large phones, I’ve got fairly large hands and small phones almost require a bloody stylus otherwise I’m touching several keys at once – I’ve still got an iPhone 4s upstairs, and I can’t believe I used to use such a small phone! Compared to my 15 ProMax, it’s almost microscopic!

Its better in every way other than one handed operation (I have short fingers)

did you know you can swipe down at the bottom of the screen to bring the top downwards for easier one handed operation?

I bought a 12Pro from Backmarket last night. I’m not precious about my phones so went for the cheapest condition/colour combo that allowed me to use Klarna.

I went from 7 (plus) to 12 (mini) this year.

I went from an 8 to a 13 mini. Hopefully the current phone will last long enough for Apple to re-introduce a mini when they get to iPhone 18

If they applied the “ever decreasing” bezels and notch of recent pro versions to something mini sized (same dimensions but with more screen space), it’s hard to believe it wouldn’t sell well enough to justify its place in the range.

My phone has arrived and doesn’t work properly…

Anyone know if there a fix for this or am I sending it back?

Send it back, it looks like it may have had the camera replaced with a non genuine one or at least not done correctly. Face ID probably won’t work?

For refurbs either the Apple Outlet Store or Currys Outlet on eBay are the only places I’ll use now.

It’s a shame that ‘mini flagships’ are a dying breed.

I don’t know about Apple but outside of that world the horse hasn’t just bolted, it’s Evo-Stick.  I’ve been trying, and failing, for years now to get a small phone which isn’t garbage.  Every one I get is slightly bigger than the last one presumably in the hope I won’t notice.  I don’t want a phablet, I want a modern version of my Nokia 6510. 😁

It’s a shame that ‘mini flagships’ are a dying breed.

For those of us in the Android camp, the Samsung S24 is probably the best bet currently with a 6.2 inch screen. Not exactly “mini”, but not as big as the flagship Ultra/Pro models. Similar lifespan to an iPhone, too, with at least 5 years of updates.

Have to say the 13mini was close to making me move to iOS, but I couldn’t really justify it when my S21 is still going fine. And yeah: the smaller size is ideal for biking and running.