Apple will be announcing iOS 15 at WWDC 2021 early next week. The next major version of iOS is expected to pack some major improvements to Safari, iMessage, and Health app. Apple is also expected to debut a redesigned Control Center experience. With some iPhones getting long in the run, iOS 15 will likely drop support for some of them.
iOS 14 was a major update, yet Apple did not drop support for any old iPhone. For iOS 15, that’s unlikely to be the story. Multiple rumors suggest that Apple will be dropping support for some of its older iPhones, namely the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Apple first launched these iPhones in 2015, so by the time iOS 15 is released, these devices would have received software updates for six years.
As for the original iPhone SE, its 4-inch display is minuscule by today’s standard. It is also powered by the A9 chip, the same one that powers the iPhone 6s.
The iPhone 6s is definitely showing its age in terms of performance as its A9 chip is not enough to handle most of today’s heavy apps and games. Below is the rumored list of iPhones that will be compatible with iOS 15:
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11
- 2020 iPhone SE
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 7
Even if Apple does end up dropping support for the iPhone 6s series and the original iPhone SE, the company would still support more than a handful of iPhones with iOS 15. iPhones also continue to be supported for an extremely long time, which no other Android smartphone can even come close to offering.
On the iPad side, Apple is expected to drop support for the iPad Air 2 with iPadOS 15. The device is powered by an A8X chip, and it was first released in 2014, so it is definitely getting old in the run.
If you are wondering what new features Apple will include in the next version of iOS, make sure to read our roundup of the confirmed iOS 15 features based on leaks.
