Apple recently updated its list of vintage and obsolete devices. The list now includes the iPhone XS in the vintage product category.
According to Apple, products are classified as vintage if their distribution was stopped between 5 and 7 years ago. Apple also has an obsolete category for products older than 7 years. The full list is available on Apple’s website.
The iPhone XS was launched in 2018, but it was still sold by resellers until much later. Hence, it has now reached the 5-year distribution-less period to be considered vintage by Apple.
The XS was the last of the ‘S’ upgrades of iPhones. Launched alongside its big brother, the iPhone XS Max, the phone featured a 5.8-inch AMOLED display and was powered by the A12 Bionic chipset. It was merely an incremental upgrade to the iconic iPhone X, with the only upgrades being the chipset and the primary camera.
What Happens If You Still Own a Vintage Product?
If you still own any of the vintage products, you can continue to use them as usual. If you run into problems on these devices, Apple will still offer repairs for them at authorized service centers, but the repairs will be subject to the availability of parts. As for obsolete products, Apple will discontinue all hardware services, and service providers will not be able to order any parts. The only exception is the batteries of Mac laptops, which will be available for an extended period of 10 years.
You can still get vintage and obsolete products repaired via third-party service centers. Though the parts used might not be genuine Apple-made or Apple-certified, they may still work. You just have to make sure that they are of high quality and are manufactured by a known manufacturer. It should also be noted that using aftermarket parts may lead to certain features not working on some of the devices, such as Face ID and True Tone. So, always be careful while repairing.