I have a third-generation iPhone SE that has stayed on iOS 18 for several years. Has anyone upgraded this model to iOS 26.6? I'm concerned the phone might become slow or buggy as it gets older, and I'd like to keep using it for as long as possible. I'm also unsure whether features such as Liquid Glass require newer hardware.
2 Answers
What are you most worried about with the upgrade? Since you’ve stayed on iOS 18 for so long, the next major version is already fairly close. Some additional Liquid Glass customization is expected later, but the current update shouldn’t automatically make the SE unusable.
I’ve been using iOS 26.6 on a third-generation SE since iOS 26 was released, and I haven’t noticed any slowdown or major bugs. It isn’t my primary phone, but I depend on it for work and it has handled everything I need without trouble.
My main concern is that the phone will feel slow or become unreliable because the hardware is older. I’d rather keep this SE for as long as possible, and Liquid Glass seems like it may be designed with newer hardware in mind.