Short answer
Yes, update. iOS 27 is one of the best updates older iPhones have had in years — it's faster and cooler than iOS 26, even without the AI features.
Apple put performance first in iOS 27, and owners of older phones are the biggest winners.
Measured speed improvements
Macworld's tests on an iPhone 11 Pro Max showed big gains over iOS 26:
| Task | iOS 26 | iOS 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Open Camera | 0.98 s | 0.65 s |
| Take a photo | 3.61 s | 2.44 s |
| Load Maps | 3.01 s | 1.36 s |
New features older iPhones get
- Keyboard clipboard shortcut and faster emoji keyboard.
- Independent volume for alarms and timers.
- Custom passes in Wallet.
- Better audio message playback in Messages.
- High-resolution frame extraction from videos.
- Larger Home Screen widgets.
- A Liquid Glass transparency slider.
Cooler running
Older phones also run cooler on iOS 27, which suggests more efficient background processes — good news for battery health over time.
What older iPhones miss
Apple Intelligence and Siri AI need iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 or later.
Sources
- Macworld: iOS 27 makes older iPhones faster
- MacRumors: iOS 27 compatible iPhones
- Apple Newsroom: iOS 27 availability
Find Next Phone is an independent retailer. Apple, iPhone and iOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. Illustrations are our own and are not Apple product images.