The last straw that made me switch to iOS 10 was how much less buggy iOS was than Android at the time. And then I upgraded to iOS 11 and now enjoy the most buggy OS I have ever experienced on any platform, period. Insane UI glitches in the parts of the UI I use the most often (in the Notification Center?really?), frequent random total crashing (which I haven’t seen in any OS—including on the desktop—since the 2000s)...

I actually do not understand how Apple dropped the ball so badly. Someone should not be getting a bonus.

The buggyness hasn’t honestly affected me, but I am disappointed with the performance of iOS 11 on my 6+, specifically in the phone app and calculator.

I get that people have always complained about older phones being slower on later OS releases, but actually the overal, performance of the phone is fine. For some reason there’s a ton of UI lag on loading screens in the phone app and calculator that’s really frustrating. The phone is only a few years old, but feels like my old 3GS. It’s really annoying to have to pause and wait for the UI to become active in two apps I use extensively, and often want to use in a hurry. This is supposed to be a 64bit desktop class CPU. Games load fast and are snappy as hell. How come loading a dial screen is such a massive undertaking? It’s inexplicable.

Maybe the battery slowdown scandal patch, aka iOS 11.3, and/or a battery replacement will help with that. I used to have a 6+ as well and it felt super laggy since iOS 11. Will be interesting to check with the person who was handed my 6+ when iOS 11.3 and the battery switch program become available.

iPhone 6 Plus has 1 GB of RAM.

Apple skims on RAM/GPU when they upgrade screens or come out with something new. Screen updates sell on hype. People can't wait another cycle for better hardware.

iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPad 1, iPad 3, 1st gen Retina MBP, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone X.

My 6 Plus became super slow with iOS 11 and because of the battery scandal i ran the benchmarks but my 3 year old phone essentially benchmarked exactly like a brand new one would.

Had the same problem with my iPhone 6 Plus, the performance was barely tolerable on iOS 11. I think it might be because Apple skimps on RAM so that a few generations down the road it's just not enough anymore. Upgraded from the 6 Plus to a 7 Plus that i got for cheap from a friend and it is A LOT snappier. The 7 Plus has 3GB of RAM, the CPU is also twice the speed tough, which makes a difference as well.

On the note of hardware, are there any decent non-Apple smartphones that are small like old iPhones? I miss being able to fit my phone into my front pocket.

The Sony Xperia Compact line of phones may be a good fit for you.

https://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQjX90edFxs