iPhone 5s
Hacker ApprovedRanked 18 of 46 smartphones by recommenders
People recommend the 5s for its compact form factor, long software support, and reliable typing and daily use. Main caveat: support has ended, forcing upgrades to newer phones.
13 people recommended iPhone 5s in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from 20 comments.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- mixed feelings
- 1
- warn against or regret it
- 2
The record
Recommended in 5 of 12 months
In 8 different threads.
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
Why it carries the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 6.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 8 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 31% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 20 of the 20 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Compact form factor, well built
“IMHO the 5S form factor was perfected, any change after that is unnecessary”
Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e” “What an excellent form factor and construction”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “iPhone Duo” “iPhone 5s was peak form factor IMHO”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “iPhone Duo” Long software support from Apple
“i'm mildly impressed, even if this update is only to keep the lights on and nothing else.”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch” “this degree of legacy support is a case of Apple doing a good thing and deserves praise”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch” “iPhone 5S (or SE?) running iOS 6 is still the best combo ever.”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Wayland desktop for Linux with skeuomorphic design” Reliable typing and daily use
“The iPhone 5S is the last one I can reliably type on.”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “Today, we hacked what we'd set out to hack: the iPhone” “when I used the iPhone 4S and 5S I had no problems”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “iPhone Duo” Enjoyable camera
“I used to adjust exposure a lot on phones like the iPhone 5s”
Comment from 13 Aug 2026 in “Google launches Pixel 11 Pro Fold” “I remember really enjoying the camera in my iPhone 5s.”
Comment from 13 Aug 2026 in “Google launches Pixel 11 Pro Fold”
Other smartphones people recommend
The four most recommended other smartphones, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone | 438 | 190 | 789 | 36% | 12 | 7 yrs97 people | — |
| Fairphone | 110 | 42 | 94 | 54% | 12 | 3 yrs14 people | — |
| iPhone 13 mini | 105 | 32 | 44 | 70% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Apple iPhone Pro | 90 | 45 | 138 | 39% | 12 | 4 yrs24 people | — |
| iPhone 5sThis page | 13 | 1 | 2 | 87% | 5 | — | Approved |
Also compared with iPhone SE, Jolla Phone, Nokia N900 and Apple iPhone 12 mini.
What people said
All 20 opinions about it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The iPhone 5S is the last one I can reliably type on.”
“iPhone 5S (or SE?) running iOS 6 is still the best combo ever.”
“once they get there, they're quite innovative”
“I kept my 5S as long as possible, until my carrier wouldn't even provide cell service to it.”
“What an excellent form factor and construction”
“iPhone 5s was peak form factor IMHO”
“when I used the iPhone 4S and 5S I had no problems”
“Which of course wasn't nearly as good: no always-on display”
“I used to adjust exposure a lot on phones like the iPhone 5s”
“I remember really enjoying the camera in my iPhone 5s.”
“IMHO the 5S form factor was perfected, any change after that is unnecessary”
“I haven't enjoyed the iPhone since it could sit flat on a table.”
“They bricked those devices just by flipping a switch remotely.”
“it's reasonably straightforward to replace the battery of the iPhone 5s”
“I liked that phone a lot. It did, at the time, everything I needed”
“this degree of legacy support is a case of Apple doing a good thing and deserves praise”
“i'm mildly impressed, even if this update is only to keep the lights on and nothing else.”
“iPhones had a lot of moments like that…”
“These devices are are small, snappy and powerful enough in 2025.”
“When I had to buy an iPhone 13 because support for the 5s ended”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.