2011 iPhone 4 still powers on but is effectively e-waste, ZDNET test finds
A ZDNET reporter tested his 2011 iPhone 4 and found that after 15 minutes of use, a dying battery, no 3G support, and outdated iOS make the device little more than e-waste.
The reporter, who used the phone for four years before upgrading to an iPhone 6s in 2015, said the device took a full overnight charge but delivered only about 15 minutes of active use. The iPhone 4 depends on 3G networks, which were fully phased out in the United States in 2022, although some countries such as France are expected to keep 3G running until at least 2028.
The phone can connect to Wi-Fi, but only on the 2.4GHz band, and the reporter’s router supported it. However, the device failed to authenticate with iCloud, preventing sign-in and blocking a factory reset through Apple’s service. Safari also could not load modern websites because the old iOS does not support current security certificates, HTML, or CSS.
Because the iCloud sign-in failed, the App Store was off-limits, leaving the user with only pre-installed apps or sideloaded software. The iPhone 4 can still connect to a Mac using the old 30-pin dock connector, which preceded the Lightning connector introduced in 2012, the reporter noted.
The reporter concluded that while the phone might still serve as an iPod, recycling it makes more sense given its limitations.