Apple has officially discontinued these three iPhones

By Bryan M. Wolfe Published September 11, 2024

Someone holding a natural titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max. — Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Apple introduced four new iPhones this week at the company’s “It’s Glowtime” event. Soon after, as it usually does following new iPhone announcements, Apple retired several older iPhones.

On Monday, Apple announced the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max — adding to the existing lineup that includes the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and third-generation iPhone SE. To make room for the newest iPhones, Apple is no longer selling the iPhone 13, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Recommended Videos

The discontinued iPhone models will still be available at third-party retailers for a while. In some cases, they may be sold at substantial discounts. Even though Apple no longer offers these phones for purchase, they will continue to receive iOS and security updates for a long time. For example, Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 update will support iPhones starting with the 2018 models, including the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

iPhone 13 standing upright showing back. — Apple iPhone 13 Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Before purchasing an older phone, it’s important to note that Apple Intelligence will only be supported on the iPhone 16 series and the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. It will not work on any other older iPhone models. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max also include larger displays.

The iPhone 16 series will be available for sale starting this Friday, September 13, with the first orders being shipped one week later on September 20. These phones offer several new features, including all-new chips, a new Camera Control feature, new colors, and more. Camera improvements are also coming to all four models.

In addition to the new iPhones, Apple has announced the Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4, as well as slight improvements to the Apple Ultra 2, AirPods Max, and AirPods Pro 2.

Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer

Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.

Topics

Mobile

An Apple insider says a new iPad is coming in spring 2025. Here’s what we know

Someone holding the iPad (2022) with the display turned on.

Apple did not release any new iPads in 2023. However, this year marked a significant change with the introduction of all-new versions of the iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Notably absent from this list is the standard iPad, which hasn't been updated in nearly three years. This is expected to change in the coming months. According to MacRumors, Apple plans to release an updated iPad alongside the iPhone SE 4 in spring 2025.

While limited information about the upcoming iPad is available, several details have emerged in recent months. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the new tablet is expected to support Apple Intelligence, just like all iPads released in 2024 do. This support suggests that the 11th-generation iPad will likely have a newer A-series chip and at least 8GB of RAM.

Mobile

If your iPhone can handle iOS 18.2, it can probably handle iOS 19

An iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18, showing its home screen.

The last few iPhone updates have brought a lot of changes with them. Just take a look at iOS 18.2: It introduced a ton of AI-powered features that had never before been available. If you have an older phone, it's easy to worry that its hardware won't be up to snuff for the next round of updates. For now, you can breathe easy: If your iPhone can handle iOS 18, then it should also work with iOS 19, according to a new leak.

The news comes from the French site iPhoneSoft. Although Apple guarantees five years of support for its devices, some devices get supported for longer periods of time, but this tip suggests that any phone currently capable of downloading and installing iOS 18 will also work with iOS 19, although some features could be limited.

Mobile

Have an old iPhone or iPad? You can no longer use this iCloud feature

An iPhone 6S in gold held against a red pipe.

If you own an older iPhone or iPad, it may be time to consider upgrading. As of December 18, the minimum requirement for using iCloud backups is iOS 9 or later, as support for iOS 8 and earlier versions has ended. This information was initially communicated to Apple users in November.

As noted by MacRumors, while iCloud support for devices running iOS 8 or earlier has ceased, you can still create manual backups on a Mac or Windows PC. If your device is currently on iOS 8, but can upgrade to a newer version, your iCloud backup capabilities will be restored.