iPhone 8/Plus Couldn't justify buying the iPhone 11

[now i see it]

Just because a new iPhone comes out every year doesn't mean it's a worthwhile upgrade. It all depends on how old your "old phone" is.
At the rate of recent incremental improvements, I think it takes and will take at least 5 years before a new model seems worthwhile. And in the future, as there's less & less to improve on, the time span will stretch even longer. The days of 7 year upgrades are upon us (if the device lasts that long). My iPhone is 5 years old & still works the same as when I got it. (Original OS)

 

[newellj]

Personally, I wouldn't run a 5 year old OS. There have been too many security updates since then, not to mention a lot of genuinely useful features updates. Further, there's hardware that I value that couldn't be paired with a phone that old or at least couldn't be paired with a version of iOS that old (recent series Watches, for example). However, that's up to individuals to evaluate, and if it works for you it's certain that you've avoided spending a fair bit of money over the last five years.

 

[nordique]

When I upgraded from my iPhone 6S to my iPhone 8 (not plus), it didn't feel much like an upgrade. It had the same form factor, display and overall look and feel. For me it didn't matter, because I was hyped to upgrade to a new device after being with the 6S for two years.

Just a week after upgrading, the excitement was gone and I didn't feel like I was having a brand new iPhone at all. It just felt like having an 6S with upgraded camera's and a slight speed bump.

I don't want to make that mistake again. That is why I couldn't justify buying the iPhone 11. The price is really good for what you get, but I'm not getting more out of it than what I have now. Spending an extra 300 euros on the iPhone 11 Pro with an extra camera lens and a better display is not worth it either, in my opinion.

This isn't about whether I have the money to buy a new phone or not. But after weighting all the pro's and con's, I'm not motivated enough to spend my hard earned money on a new device this year.

How do other iPhone 8 (not plus) users experience this?

Personally, I’ve never got phones based on their appearance

For me it’s been the internals And user experience that matter the most

So, 5s to 6 felt like a waste of money to me

But 6 to 6s did not

I’m not planning on getting the 11 pro, but that’s because I don’t see the advantage - for my needs - over the X

Battery life would be main selling point but I end the day with 20-30% on my X with pretty lengthy use. Performance isn’t an issue and neither is the camera, for my use.

 

[Elitegate]

Personally, I’ve never got phones based on their appearance

For me it’s been the internals And user experience that matter the most

So, 5s to 6 felt like a waste of money to me

But 6 to 6s did not

I’m not planning on getting the 11 pro, but that’s because I don’t see the advantage - for my needs - over the X

Battery life would be main selling point but I end the day with 20-30% on my X with pretty lengthy use. Performance isn’t an issue and neither is the camera, for my use.

Agreed. 5s to 6 that's the same phone except for the design & display. And since i care about actual improvements when it comes to camera, CPU performance etc. It made perfect sense for me to skip the 6 and get the 6s to replace the 5s. iPhone X is an amazing phone to this day same with the 8 Plus and i see no real sense to upgrade to the 11. Maybe 2021 or next year when Apple does something innovative and cool again but i'll doubt that.

 

[Jimmy James]

Yeah, I just went through the same process with my Ferrari. I thought about replacing my 488 with the Pista. But then I realized it wouldn’t really change my driving experience enough. I know it’s difficult for some people to fathom but it’s perfectly fine to take a practical approach and keep a car for more than 2 years.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

Just because a new iPhone comes out every year doesn't mean it's a worthwhile upgrade. It all depends on how old your "old phone" is.
At the rate of recent incremental improvements, I think it takes and will take at least 5 years before a new model seems worthwhile. And in the future, as there's less & less to improve on, the time span will stretch even longer. The days of 7 year upgrades are upon us (if the device lasts that long). My iPhone is 5 years old & still works the same as when I got it. (Original OS)

Personally, I wouldn't run a 5 year old OS. There have been too many security updates since then, not to mention a lot of genuinely useful features updates. Further, there's hardware that I value that couldn't be paired with a phone that old or at least couldn't be paired with a version of iOS that old (recent series Watches, for example). However, that's up to individuals to evaluate, and if it works for you it's certain that you've avoided spending a fair bit of money over the last five years.

I don't get why people would want to use an old OS. There has been many security updates

https://www.cvedetails.com/product/15556/Apple-Iphone-Os.html?vendor_id=49

 

[Elitegate]

Yeah, I just went through the same process with my Ferrari. I thought about replacing my 488 with the Pista. But then I realized it wouldn’t really change my driving experience enough. I know it’s difficult for some people to fathom but it’s perfectly fine to take a practical approach and keep a car for more than 2 years.

Trust me, the driving experience between a 488 and a Pista is different. But i'll get your point.

 

[sdilley14]

I have an iPhone X and plan on holding it for another year. I normally upgrade every 1-2 years. I've had the X for two years now. It still works perfectly and suits my needs - navigating through apps is still very quick, the camera is more than sufficient for my needs, etc.

I usually find some sort of small reason to upgrade but I'm not finding it with the 11/11 Pro. The "notch" is still excessively large, the 3-lens camera implementation looks gaudy, no bilateral charging function, bezels are still too big, no Touch ID implemented into the display. Had they addressed any of the things I listed I probably would have upgraded. I'm ok waiting another year for the next phone.

I'm also looking forward to the $46/mo savings on my phone bill for the next year! I financed my $1k iPhone X through Verizon and its finally paid off.

Dumb caveat to my story. I cracked the screen on my phone a couple months ago. Apple charges $300 to fix the screen. Normal iPhone X trade in value (good condition, no cracks) is $400. I asked them if they would give me the $400 trade in value with the phone as-is (cracked screen) and I would upgrade to the iPhone 11 Pro Max. They declined doing that and would give me exactly $0 for a phone with a cracked screen. I would have to pay $300 for the new screen then they would give me $400 trade in value, so $100 net trade-in on a phone I just paid off to the tune of $1k. No thanks, lol. I begrudgingly paid the $300 to get the screen fixed and they missed out on a sale (I know they don't care).