Buying an Apple iPhone 12? Stop! Check this out first

Planning to buy an iPhone 12 to experience all the new features that iOS 17 will bring? Well, stop and think first.

iPhone 12 is expected to get the iOS 17 update this year, but you should wait. (Unsplash)

With the iOS 17 announcement on the horizon, there's no better time to buy an iPhone than now. Apple will unveil its latest iOS at WWDC 2023 which is taking place from June 5. Although it will be revealed next month, the iOS 17 update will only arrive when Apple launches its iPhone 15 series in fall. Anyone who's looking to buy an iPhone should consider the iPhone 12 as it offers flagship performance, great cameras as well as the promise of iOS 17 on a budget. However, there might be bad news for iPhone 12 buyers.

iPhone 12 to discontinue

Apple currently sells eight different iPhone models, ranging from the flagship iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max to the slightly cheaper iPhone 12 and the budget iPhone SE. However, Apple tends to discontinue older models with the launch of its new iPhones and Tom's Guide suggests the iPhone 12 could take the fall this year.

Although Apple supports its iPhones for almost up to 5 years, it rarely keeps any one model in production for longer than 3 years. The iPhone 12, which was launched in October 2020 is nearing that 3-year mark and could be discontinued when the iPhone 15 series launches in September.

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However, this does not mean that the iPhone 12 will stop receiving iOS updates. The iPhone 8, which was released in 2017, received the iOS 16 update, which suggests that Apple could support the iPhone 12 for at least two more years before it decides to put an end to the iPhone 12's life cycle.

iOS 17 update: Which iPhones could miss out?

According to the latest reports, several iPhones are expected to receive Apple's next big update. However, some will be disappointed as they will not get it. The reason behind this is that Apple usually supports iPhones for a period of almost 5 years, but as the older chipsets get obsolete, they are incapable of running the latest iOS version.

iPhone models that will miss out: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X

iPhone models that will get the update: iPhone 15 series (Upcoming), iPhone 14 series, iPhone 13 series, iPhone 12 series, iPhone 11 series, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone SE (2020).