I switched to a 4-year-old iPhone and cured myself of the upgrade bug

Every September, Apple convinces millions of people that their current iPhone suddenly feels old. There’s always a new camera feature, a faster chip, a longer battery life, or some AI-powered trick designed to create that familiar feeling: maybe it’s time to upgrade.

This year, I decided to test something. Rather than moving forward, I went backwards. I swapped my iPhone 17 Pro Max for an iPhone 13 Pro Max as my main phone. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to see how much I would actually miss. And the answer surprised me.

After weeks using a four-year-old iPhone, I realized something uncomfortable for Apple’s upgrade cycle: modern iPhones have become so good that the differences barely matter for most people anymore. Sure, I missed a few things. But not nearly enough to make me desperate to go back.

The iPhone downgrade that didn’t feel like one

Before switching, I expected the iPhone 13 Pro Max to feel outdated. After all, we’re talking about a phone released in 2021. It still has a notch, and it uses Lightning instead of USB-C. There’s no Dynamic Island or Camera Control, not even Apple Intelligence.

But as I stared using it, it became clear that this is still a modern and quite capable smartphone.

Yes, it’s not as fast or powerful as my iPhone 17 Pro Max. But the speed seems fast enough that it doesn’t bother me most of the day. Apps don’t take much longer to open, and the animations seem smooth, probably because this was the first iPhone to feature a ProMotion display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

The battery also surprised me. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting much, especially since the battery health is below 90%. But for light use, it lasts all day. A battery replacement (which costs much less than a brand-new phone) would certainly make this iPhone last much longer.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max’s cameras are also surprisingly good by today’s standards. I love photography, so every little upgrade matters to me. But to be honest, I’ve realized that I can still take amazing photos with the 13 Pro Max. The cameras are more than good enough for social media.

Things get even better when I use Halide to take Process Zero photos (which I’ve already written an article about here on Macworld).

Sure, I miss having a little more zoom range (it has 3x zoom versus 4x to 8x on the 17 Pro Max) or the ability to filter out background noise in videos with Audio Mix. But overall, the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s cameras are still pretty decent.

At the end of the day, it still feels like I’m using a modern iPhone. Especially since the iPhone’s design hasn’t changed much in four years.

Features I missed, and those I didn’t

There are definitely things I miss from the latest iPhones, but mostly in the “nice to have” category rather than “I can’t live without this.”

USB-C is probably the biggest one. Going back to Lightning feels annoying in 2026, especially because almost every other device I own now uses USB-C. Charging with the same cable as my MacBook, iPad, and accessories is quite convenient, and it’s one of the few upgrades that affects daily life.

I also miss the Dynamic Island more than I expected. Not because it’s revolutionary, but because it quietly improves the experience in small ways.

Foundry

I never saw it as a “must-have” feature, but now that I’m using the iPhone 13 Pro Max, I find myself missing little things like being able to see a timer’s progress or information about my Uber ride without having to open apps or check the Lock Screen.

Returning to the notch feels like going back to an older version of iOS, even though functionality is mostly the same.

At the same time, there are plenty of things I definitely didn’t miss after the downgrade. For instance, I barely noticed that Camera Control was gone.

Apple heavily promoted Camera Control when it was introduced with the iPhone 16 lineup. But it turns out I rarely use it. In fact, I’ve even disabled the touch gestures because I find them annoying. Camera Control has essentially become a shortcut I use to open Halide more quickly.

The same goes for the Action Button, which replaces the old mute switch. I know people who love being able to set different actions for this button, but I’ve never changed its default function, which is to act as a mute button.

Foundry

Another thing I didn’t miss was Apple Intelligence. Yes, the notification summary is pretty convenient. But other than that, I rarely create my own Genmoji, and Siri isn’t very helpful with or without Apple Intelligence at this point.

There are many things Apple announces every year that make us feel like we’re missing out. Everything sounds exciting in the keynotes and ads. But when you take a closer look, you realize that not all of them have a real impact on the basic use of a smartphone.

The best iPhone might be the one you already own

This experiment also reinforced something the tech industry doesn’t always want to admit: smartphone upgrades have become incremental.

That doesn’t mean the new iPhones are bad. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is certainly better than the iPhone 13 Pro Max in many ways. The cameras are better, the display is brighter, and the CPU is more powerful. But maybe you don’t need all that.

Foundry

Years ago, the leaps between each generation were more noticeable, because smartphone technology was still in its early stages. Now, the improvements are refinements that are hard to notice in everyday use.

That’s actually a sign of maturity. Smartphones have peaked in the same way laptops peaked years ago. A modern flagship phone can comfortably last four or even five years without feeling unusable. And Apple deserves credit for that longevity. This iPhone 13 Pro Max runs the same iOS 26 as my iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Tech enthusiasts (myself included) often get excited about new products and see them as “must-haves.” But switching back to an older iPhone reminded me that this isn’t the case for most everyday users. For most people, all they need is a reliable phone.

So yes, a new iPhone is coming soon. And it’s sure to be exciting, especially if the rumors about a foldable iPhone are true. But maybe you’ll be fine waiting another year before upgrading. Or even opt for a cheaper model, like the base iPhone 17 or even the iPhone 17e, instead of the fancier Pro models.

Getting a new phone is always fun, but maybe you don’t need the latest and greatest.