What it’s like switching from an iPhone 5S to an iPhone XR

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

I’d been putting it off. 

Before October 26, I hadn’t gotten a new phone since Christmas Eve 2014. I’d resisted the temptation of the new phones that my colleagues were reviewing, coveting the cameras their phones carry but telling myself that my iPhone 5S was still kicking, and therefore should be fine.

But in July, things started going awry. Sure, I’d been losing battery much faster than I’d like for a while now, but then my Touch ID stopped working, and my phone stopped taking calls. I got good at typing my passcode and carrying around my charger, but once I couldn’t connect with the world by phone, things got bleak.

So, after almost four years and much consultation with BI’s tech reporters, I made the switch at their recommendation to the iPhone XR. What ensued was a bumpy — if not exhilarating — transition. 

What’s been the most groundbreaking and life-changing is the BATTERY LIFE.

Lydia Ramsey/Business Insider

No longer do I have to worry about losing 10% of my battery before even getting into the office in the morning. I can listen to my podcasts or read through a story and still have 99% left after my commute.

At the end of the work day on my old phone, I’d often be left with battery life in the single digits. Now, I can go a whole day without dipping below 60%.

All this to say, I’m glad I made the leap when I did.

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

The iPhone XR was the first device in almost four years I actually got excited about switching to. Though, had the health of my 5S not deteriorated so quickly, I could still see myself benefitting from the size.

If I could put all of the updates I got from the XR into the size of the 5S, that might be the perfect phone for me — though with the discontinuation of the smaller iPhone SE, I’m not expecting that to happen any time soon.