The Apple iPhone 5 was released fall of 2012, and yes...I still have it. Nearly every single day since 2014 I have had the iPhone 5s to call, text, go on social media, watch videos, listen to music, and browse the Internet. Confined by my heavy-duty OtterBox case, the phone has proven to be quite durable both physically and functionally.

Even after a couple of years, however, I have first learned that the battery life is significantly low. Officially, Apple states that this phone lasts eight to ten hours whilst displaying videos nonstop. I have found this to be untrue, and the battery life to more realistically last three to five hours. This has led to me troubleshooting: lowering the brightness down to near-black, closing background applications, turning on Low Power mode, and simply using the phone less. What a chore just to have my phone last throughout the day.

The design is simplistic and smooth but lacks customization and a certain quickness. The camera takes about 10 seconds to open with the complex choppy animation, leading me to often miss some once-in-a-lifetime shots. The fingerprint sensor takes about five to unlock. Minute pauses are common in the phone; they can add up and becoming increasingly annoying.

The phone has lasted quite a long time, and suited my intentions quite well, in eighth grade. Now as a high school student that is about to study abroad, this tiny brick in my pocket will no longer suffice, and neither will Apple products. The expensive Apple Earbuds are set to self-destruct after three months and the iTunes application on my computer crashes constantly. Not to mention the poorly managed photo storage system. I plan on switching to something cheaper, faster, yet lasts just as long.

Obviously, it is not fair to compare the iPhone 5 to phones today (and the phone was wrought together with detailed craftsmanship, quite spectacular for its time), but I’ve noticed similar faults in newer versions. “Ugh, this battery barely gets me through the day.” “My phone is so slow!” Bottom line is: if you’re in the market for a cheap, old phone, this may not suffice if you have high expectations, but it may, for instance, for an elderly individual.