You need a reliable daily driver for modern apps, banking, or long-lasting battery life. 1. Performance and Software Support
The A9 chip and 2GB of RAM struggle with 2026-era web browsing and multitasking, often leading to lag and frequent app crashes. 2. Battery Life and Durability
Many essential modern apps—especially banking, high-end games, and newer versions of social media like WhatsApp—now require iOS 16 or later.
Most units on the market today suffer from significant chemical aging. Even with a "healthy" battery, expect only 6 to 8 hours of use .
Battery health is the biggest hurdle for used iPhone 6s buyers.
While Apple surprisingly released a security patch in early 2026, the 6s is permanently stuck on iOS 15. It is now four major versions behind the current iOS 26.
Collectors, young children as a first "emergency" device, or those needing a cheap secondary music player thanks to its retained headphone jack .