Is it worth attempting to reball the baseband on a 2011 iPhone 4S by myself?

AlexJones

Junior Member
Jan 18, 2026
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When I received an iPhone 4S from a friend and connected it to a computer, iTunes automatically started updating it and then displayed the following error:
ERROR: device didn't accept BasebandData
ERROR: Unable to successfully restore device
Failed to restore device (-1)
ERROR: Unable to restore iDevice (-1)
Would I be able to perform the baseband reballing myself if I very rarely do soldering and only have a soldering iron with a thick tip? Is it economically reasonable to buy a replacement baseband chip for this iPhone? Also, when buying a new modern smartphone or a current used one, is an Android phone always sufficient for most users, and are iPhones with the bitten-apple logo just a luxury whim for wealthy people and an unnecessary waste of money?