5S 32GB vs. 6 16GB

Zivan, why do you say that she will "Struggle" with having space on the phone? She may be one of those who wouldn't want music on her phone, or maybe she doesn't want to pay for apps, so the ovice dreamreader, knfb reader etc are out. Realistically, if this is for her, why are you making the decision? As for lag,it's not a huge problem, unless she has to have the latest and greatest each year one comes out. I'm sure the five wil be stopped supported before the five S will. You're talking in terms of a tech person who does want the best, but again if this is for someone are they involved in the decision at all? If they aren't they should be, and if they are involved, what are her feelings?

First, the storage needs depend on her usage: audio books, movies, music, large audio game apps, and extra voices (like Alex) will take up room. However, if she doesn't plan on storing music locally (maybe she'll use Google Music or iTunes Match), or reads books in text rather than audio, 16GB will be fine.

The 5S is still a capable phone, and will, I expect, be supported for a couple more years. Have you considered waiting until the next iPhone comes out at the end of the year? If the past is any indicator, this will drop iPhone 6 prices by $100, letting you get a 64GB iPhone 6 for the same amount as the 32GB iPhone 5S costs today.

Hello Zivan,

Unfortunately, we can't make an "official" recommendation one way or the other...but rather, we can offer our own personal opinions on the matter.

If it were me, I'd personally get her the phone that will be the best long-term investment. If the past is any indicator, the iPhone 6 will be supported through software updates one year longer than the iPhone 5S, so that would in turn mean that her phone will be capable of running the latest operating system that much longer. The iPhone 6 also has a larger battery, so she will have less possibility of needing to charge it during the day. If Apple Pay is of interest, one might also wish to consider the iPhone 6.

As far as storage, a larger storage option would probably be best if you want to cram the device full of large audio and video files (1GB per file, that kind of thing) and the like. I'm not sure where you live, or what audio resources you have access to...but if storage is the number-one concern, the choice seems to be the 32GB iPhone 5S.

In the end, you'll have to make this decision for yourself. I personally think a 16GB device is worth the tradeoff given that the iPhone 6 is newer and, by extension, VoiceOver will run better on later operating system versions than will the iPhone 5S. It will also receive software updates longer into the future and is thus more "future-proof" than the iPhone 5S is.

Hi Zivan. Thanks for answering my question, and i'm certainly glad your teen is in the decision making process. :) The six plus has a larger screen, larger battery, and will also prevent the constant charging. Keep in mind any gps app she runs, will decrease the battery as iwth blind square, navagon and others. There's also more room for apps on the screen so maybe her important every day use apps can take up one page instead of three. There is also folders you can create of course so she could have a school, entertainment folder etc. Everyone else is right, it is your decision in the end. Btw the way, the six plus was a sugestion in case, as someone said you wait, and the price drops. Also if you have other trade in devices, an old iphone iPod iPad you can also trade those in for a gift card before you buy, saving you a little money if you maybe wanted a higher storage option.