iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s and older in Kenya: should you buy one?

People still search for these phones in Kenya, often for a child, a collection or a spare. We have not given price ranges here, because we did not find reliable current listings. They are mostly sold second hand, so condition sets the price.

How old are these iPhones?

• iPhone 5s: released 2013, A7 chip, Touch ID. Stopped at iOS 12.
• iPhone 5 and 5c: released 2012 and 2013. Stopped at iOS 10.
• iPhone 4s: released 2011. Stopped at iOS 9.
• iPhone 4: released 2010. Stopped at iOS 7.
• iPhone 3GS and older: collector items rather than working daily phones.

Battery and screen parts for these models can be hard to find, and quality varies.

What they can and cannot do

They can still make calls and send texts, but they will not run current versions of WhatsApp and many other apps. They also feel very slow on modern websites, and some secure sites may not load at all.

Reading the model number

Older iPhones have a model number printed on the back:

• A1332: iPhone 4
• A1387: iPhone 4s
• A1586: iPhone 6

What we would do instead

For anything beyond a collection or a basic backup, buy something newer. See our guide to the cheapest iPhone worth buying, or our guides for the iPhone 6 and 6s and iPhone 7.

Storage sizes you may see

• iPhone 5s and 5: usually 16GB, 32GB or 64GB.
• iPhone 5c: usually 8GB, 16GB or 32GB.
• iPhone 4s and 4: smaller sizes, down to 8GB.

Storage this small will struggle with modern apps, even when they do run.

Should you repair one?

Usually not, unless it holds photos or data you want to recover. A battery or screen may cost a large part of what the phone is worth. If you only need your data, ask a repair shop whether it can get the phone working long enough to back up. Our repair cost guide explains the questions to ask.

Watch out for fake listings

Very old models are sometimes advertised with confusing names, such as "iPhone 5se" or "iPhone S5". Check the model number on the back and in Settings. Our list of iPhone models that do not exist can help you spot a problem.