Full list of iPhones set to become obsolete that could serve as a warning to get a new one

Look, let’s be honest, no matter how old we get, plenty of us still write a Christmas list.

Even if it’s just things we want to get ourselves, we can’t help but plan a little treat for the festive season.

And maybe your treat is a little bigger and you’re gearing up to get a new phone. But maybe that’s not even much of a treat and more of a necessity – especially if you’re an Apple user.

That’s because if you’ve been holding on to your iPhone for too long, it could be set to become obsolete.

Yep, as another year comes to a close, the Apple tech graveyard grows. So, this may serve as a warning to get yourself a new one.

Another device hits the graveyard. (Getty Stock)

What makes an iPhone obsolete?

This list of ‘obsolete’ products doesn’t just apply to phones but all of Apple devices. Basically, once an Apple item hits its tenth birthday, then the company can’t order repair parts for it anymore – although according to the tech lords, they’re considered obsolete if it stopped distributing them for sale more than seven years ago.

At that point anyway, your iPhone will be long past its warranty period.

So yeah, that means if your phone really packs in and breaks, then it’s probably going to stay broken.

The customer service site explains: “Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products.”

And it’s not just that, it doesn’t receive those important iOS updates so it’s left open to security vulnerabilities. Let’s be honest though, as soon as you stop doing those software updates it seems like your phone is on its last legs anyway.

The iPhone 6 Plus is obsolete. (Getty Stock)

iPhones now obsolete in 2024

• iPhone (original)
• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 3GS
• iPhone 4
• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 5,
• iPhone 5C
• iPhone 5S
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6 Plus

‘Vintage’ before obsolete

Typically, Apple’s smartphones tend to receive between six and eight years of software support, and usually they will become obsolete long after they stop receiving updates.

But before a device does become obsolete, some of them get labelled as ‘vintage’. The following iPhones are considered to be vintage and so will become obsolete in the upcoming years:

• iPhone SE (1st generation)
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus

So, if you own one of these ‘vintage’ or obsolete models of iPhone, perhaps you may really want to get writing that letter to Santa this year.