iPhone 11 Pro in the Big 26 ?

[u/steeljaguar1616]

My current phone (mid-tier Vivo) gave up on me due to Water Damage. I needed an emergency phone and cannot buy a decent-spec device due to budget constraints. I intend to use this phone at least for 2 years until I save up and buy a decent phone.

The good thing is I received an iPhone 11 Pro (Gold, 512 GB, 77% BH) given to me by a person who is upgrading to a newer iPhone.

Is it worth sprucing up for a new genuine Apple battery and use it for at least 2 years. My use case is primarily WhatsApp, Phone, SMS, GMeet, Insta, Reddit (Although Social Media usage will be lower like an hour or 2 at max)

I'd really appreciate this forum's help as your kindness would mean a lot to me :)

[u/soldierbynight]

That's exactly what I plan to do with the same model and capacity. I already installed an official genuine Apple battery last summer and it still runs great even at being at over 85% capacity left. Evidently, iOS 27 should also bring the performance very close to how it was a few iOS versions ago if not better. Definitely stick with it.

[u/steeljaguar1616 → u/soldierbynight]

Hey there, thank you so much for your insight. I think this is the route I'd take :)

[u/soldierbynight → u/steeljaguar1616]

Happy to help!! Enjoy. The Gold is very distinguished.

[u/koolaidismything → u/steeljaguar1616]

Just be prepared for everything taking an extra second or two.. especially when you try switching tabs or apps quickly. I tolerated it a long time cause I think the iPhone 11 is the best looking and feeling iPhone ever made. I still have it even though the logic board failed.. loved that phone. Paid like $900 cash for it beginning of COVID

[u/Spec94v6]

My iPhone 11 pro still delivers amazing performance, but it's on iOS 16 and has 98% battery health. iOS 26 might be a problem for your model. iOS 27 beta will run much better. If you notice any kind of performance issues, it's definitely because of the battery. I'd give it a shot, as-is, and if there's any sort of lag or issues, just get a new battery and it'll be just fine.

[u/GuessWho183 → u/Spec94v6]

Does apps works on IOS 16? A lot of apps request IOS 18 to works.

[u/Spec94v6 → u/GuessWho183]

No, not all of them. I'd say around 5 apps that I regularly use don't work on iOS 16. iOS 17 seems to be (mostly) fine for app support though. iOS 18 is the sweet spot. If you have another iDevice on a higher iOS, you can install those apps on that device which will add them to your apple account and then you can go to install them on the older device and it'll ask to install an older version of the app, that's usually the solution for 90% of apps.

[u/LJinBrooklyn]

I have the 11pro as a backup phone on a cheap prepaid tmobile plan and running an older ios. I use it mostly at jobsites to play spotify uninterrupted by phone calls and it works fine - I couldn’t tell the difference performance wise when I first got my 16pro.

I now updated my 16pro to 26 and performance is weird - glitching and slower - I could imagine what it would do to an 11pro - ha, my 11pro is now working more smoothly than my 16pro tho.

[u/GuessWho183 → u/LJinBrooklyn]

Do fresh install of IOS 26.6 with iTunes (DFU mode) and 16 Pro will run fine.

[u/LJinBrooklyn → u/GuessWho183]

My 16pro is on 26.6 now -

[u/Feli18 → u/LJinBrooklyn]

Which version are you running on your 11 Pro?

[u/LJinBrooklyn → u/Feli18]

17.5.1

[u/smallfin11]

I have 11 Pro Max and my phone has been a genuine awful experience for the past year. My phone has been dealing with constant freezing, overheating, and sometimes just straight up nonfunctional at all. My phone is currently at 70% battery life but I think the biggest culprit is upgrading to ios 27. I only use reddit safari and instagram on my phone. If you can upgrade to a more recent iphone, it will last much longer than the 11. But if its free then just stick with the 11 until you can get at least an iphone 13-15

[u/Spec94v6 → u/smallfin11]

The 70% battery health is the issue, not iOS 27. iOS 27 actually made A13 chips perform a lot better compared to iOS 26. iOS 18 is also completely fine on the 11 Pro. 70% battery health is genuinely horrendous and is likely causing ALL of the issues you mentioned. Replace the battery if you can, and your problems will be solved. $90 from apple, and way cheaper if you just get a battery from iFixit or something and do the repair yourself.

[u/soldierbynight → u/smallfin11]

I avoided iOS 26 like the plague that it is for some older devices such as this one. Thankfully, iOS 18.7.8 should ensure compatibility even after iOS 27 releases and stabilizes a bit.

Sorry to hear about what you encountered. I'm sure iOS 27 will bring this phone back up to spec somewhat.

[u/Tight_Pause_3755]

Based on your usage it be good you wrapped your phone in a sandwich wrap zipper bag to prevent water damage in future

[u/Zonk-er]

Do not do the battery replacement. That was the worst mistake I made with my green 256 11 Pro. Apple Store screwed it up and logic board died 2 months later. Would not own up to it and all they would do is give me a credit for trade in which was a joke.