Need an iPhone for testing iOS apps...what's a good compromise?

[jkj2000]

I work for a company that provides a third party API to developers. They intergrate our API into their apps (web, iOS and Android) and as part of the launch preparation we get pre-release versions to test with on various devices.

I do most of the Android testing but would like to help with the iOS side of things. I'm more of an Android guy and don't need all the bells and whistles but at the same time I don't want a used iPhone that is hopelessly outdated. I would like something that has some useful life left in it.

I see the latest iPhone SE is $399 and it has iOS 13 and should be solid for at least three years. What about the previous generation SE, can that run iOS 13 as well? How long until it's out of date and no longer supported in the latest iOS releases? Should I look at another used iPhone model that's cheaper than the current SE but has a couple of years useful life left on it? I'd prefer not to have to buy a new SE but at the same time don't want to pinch pennies on a device that will be essentially a brick in 1-2 years.

 

[Ravynmagi]

The iPhone 6S and SE are essentially the same phone, same dual core A9 processor and 2GB of RAM and both still support iOS 13 and upcoming 14. But these are the oldest phones still supported, so logic says that they probably only have about 1 more year of support in them. The good thing though is they still run iOS 13 quite well and can be found used very cheap, under $100 used.

The iPhone 7 is a quad core A10 phone and might be the sweet spot. I think this phone should be supported for at least 2 years. And only costs $150 used.

The iPhone 8 is a 6 core A11 and runs about $250 used and should last you about 3 or 4 years I speculate.

I’d probably lean towards an iPhone 7 or 8.

 

[jkj2000]

Thanks for your reply. I'll look around for an iPhone 7 or 8. Just wondering, but are iPod touches a possibility for testing apps, or too limited in some way(s)? None of the apps I'll be testing require using the telephone, but wasn't sure if there are other limitations it has vs an iPhone.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I don't know much about iPods. I am kind of surprised to see they still exist. But sure enough, Apple came out with a new 7th gen iPod Touch last year. The previous 6th gen is 5 years old now, so Apple doesn't update the hardware often. Looks like you'd definitely need the newest model to get the current iOS 13 and upcoming 14. But you can pick a brand new one up for $200. It has a decent A10 processor, which is the same one found in the iPhone 7. So the iPod 7th looks like a stripped down iPhone 7, no phone, no biometrics, smaller display. I might still lean towards an iPhone 7 if you can find a good one under $200. But I could see the temptation of buying a new iPod Touch 7th Gen brand new for $200 as well.

Another thing are iPads. The newest iPad 7th Gen retails for $329. But I've seen it on sale for $250 once. I imagine with patience you may see another sale on these. I looked at used 6th Gen iPads on eBay, but they are selling for over $250, seems a bit expensive when you can buy a brand new 7th Gen for not much more.