Apple will no longer repair the iPhone 5

Getty Images/Justin Sullivan

• Apple will no longer support the iPhone 5 with repairs, as it
  is now considered “vintage.”
• There are now few options for people who prefer smartphones
  with displays under 5 inches.

Apple added the iPhone 5, which came out in 2013, to its list of
“vintage and
obsolete products” for the US.

This means that Apple will no longer repair the hardware for the
iPhone 5. iPhone 5 owners with broken devices, whether it’s
accidental or simply from old age, will have to buy a newer model
(I suppose they could even get a second-hand iPhone 5 in working
condition, but I wouldn’t recommend that route now that Apple
won’t repair the phone). 

Apple describes vintage products as “those that have not
been manufactured for more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.” As
for “obsolete,” that’s a classification for devices that were
discontinued seven years ago. The iPhone 5 isn’t quite obsolete
yet.

The iPhone SE was the last
phone that Apple sold with a 4-inch display. The company stopped
selling the iPhone SE in September.
Business Insider/Steve Kovach

Apple doesn’t sell the iPhone 5’s successors with 4-inch
displays, including the iPhone 5C, or iPhone 5S, or the iPhone
SE. If an iPhone 5 owner wants to upgrade to one of those phones,
they’ll likely need to buy it second-hand.

Read more


:

Apple quietly killed off 4 older versions of the iPhone —
including the last versions that had a headphone
jack

The iPhone 7, which Apple still sells, is going for a great value
of $450 from Apple these days. Still, it’s not the small phone
that iPhone 5 owners are used to. In fact, Apple no longer offers
any iPhones with displays under 4.7 inches. 

Apple users who prefer smaller displays may even be forced to
look at Android devices, but even those are hard to find with
displays under 5 inches. It looks like the days of smaller
smartphones are numbered.