Beloved Marvel actor Chris Evans made waves a few years ago when he upgraded from an iPhone 6s to an iPhone 12 after eight years of using the former. Like many others, Evans loved the thin design and the home button. The actor’s iPhone upgrade received all that attention because he’s a famous star, but plenty of iPhone users might have been in a similar situation. People keep their smartphones for longer than they used to. According to Assurant data for the first quarter of 2025, the average age of an iPhone that’s traded in is 3.79 years, and growing.
Fast-forward to the iPhone 17 series, and we have an even more extreme upgrade case going viral on social media. A man upgraded his 2009 iPhone 3GS to the brand-new iPhone 17 Pro, recording the entire stunt on the 16-year-old iPhone, including his experience with Apple retail store employees. As evident in the Instagram video, some were amused to see him use such an old iPhone model, while others praised him. They all told him the iPhone 3GS has no trade-in value, but one staff member advised him to try to resell the handset rather than recycle the device with Apple. Collectors might appreciate the aging device and offer a better price, as is the case with the original iPhone. However, it turns out the stunt was fake, and the user hadn’t actually upgraded from a 16-year-old iPhone. That said, there’s something nostalgic about seeing the world through an iPhone 3GS, which makes this stunt wholesome.
It was all a publicity stunt
Alex Greenberg documented his iPhone 3GS upgrade to the iPhone 17 Pro, recording his early visit to an Apple store to reserve the 1TB blue iPhone 17 Pro model he wanted. While he shared the clip on Instagram only a couple of days ago, it’s likely he purchased his handset on Friday, when the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 models started selling in stores. The short line in front of the Apple store indicates it’s the iPhone launch day. All three iPhone 17 models are sold out online, at the time of this writing.
Greenberg uploaded a second clip on Tuesday on Instagram where he came clean. The entire thing was a stunt. He does have a working iPhone 3GS model, which he used to record the video above. But he’s a longtime iPhone user who owned several iPhone models over the years. He actually upgraded from an iPhone 15 model, not the iPhone 3GS. That’s something he nearly gave away in the original video when he mentioned the iPhone he usually buys, before realizing that he was “upgrading” from an iPhone 3GS.
The second video also provides a key correction for the upgrade video that went viral. Greenberg initially said he was upgrading from the 2008 iPhone 3G in that video, not the iPhone 3GS that was launched a year later. Still, it’s impressive that a device made in 2009 still works after so many years. The video quality, while clearly shaky, is impressive for a handset that features only a 3-megapixel rear camera capable of shooting 480p video. Greenberg’s second video, seen below, was also shot with the same iPhone 3GS model.
