Other How do you justify, and pay for, an iPhone upgrade each year?

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I highly doubt anyone would just throw their old phones away. Of course sell while it’s still somewhat new and use the cash to pay for the new one. Then just keep paying the difference every year. But you would miss out on the amazement of jumping directly from a 6 to a XS, for example like I did.

Amen to the last part.

“Starving” yourself by choice for a couple years, holding out on upgrading makes getting the latest and greatest iPhone genuinely exciting when you then finally give in.

I’ll definitely never ever upgrade to the same design twice -The internals might be improved. But there’s no fun in upgrading to a new device that’s essentially indistinguishable from your old one.

I can’t see who would gain much from getting an iPhone 14 if they already have a 12 or 13.

At large, it’s going to be the same iPhone just with a few tweaks and upgrades.

 

[eyoungren]

I think making monthly payments on a phone is nuts. Then when paid off sign up for another new phone with more monthly payments? So always making a monthly phone payment. Even more nuts.
I generally use a phone until the battery shows too much wear, about 3 years after original purchase. Then I shop for a new one. There’s just not enough improvements to justify a new phone every year imo.

It is the very rare time where I can afford to pay off two phones at once. My wife upgrades with me, the exact same model, only she usually chooses a different color. I am allowed to determine when, how and what model as long as she gets the same with me.

So we make payments. Currently we will be done paying off our 11 Pro Maxs in March 2023. Which to you is nuts. I get that.

But we don't upgrade yearly. Our upgrade time is usually 2.5 to 4.5 years. We had the Pixel 3a XL for less than a year and that is the only time since 2009 we've used a phone for less than a year. Our iPhone 6s+ and 6s saw use from 2015 to 2020. I'm still using the 6s+ as a secondary phone and my daughter uses my wife's 6s as her primary phone.

We also don't sell our old phones. They get put to use for other purposes. Currently my wife is using her Pixel as her secondary phone.

 

[antiprotest]

Money is not a problem for me. It's the lack of significant improvements (for me) that prevents me from upgrading regularly. But I know if I wait long enough eventually it will mean a big jump from my current model to the new one. So I wait until I think it's worth it.

 

[Andeddu]

I am a collector and refuse to sell my older phones. I keep my used phones in mint condition via screen protectors & cases and preserve them for posterity. Because of that, I can’t justify purchasing a new phone every single year. Since my first iPhone in 2016, I have upgraded every 2 years.

If Apple do not release a 14 Mini, which I don’t believe they will, I will be keeping my 12 Mini for much longer then I originally anticipated.

 

[Lioness~]

Definitely not upgrade my phone every year. Just when I feel I want another one than the one I have, of some reason.
I am more interested in putting my money on my Macs, before phones.

Now I just need to grab a 13 Mini, before or if they stop selling them. I was thinking of it when they (the Mini's) came out, that I wanted one, but my XR was not that old, so....

 

[gslrider]

I'm wondering if I am missing out on anything but I can't help feeling that I would struggle to afford a new iPhone every year. Do you sell last year's iPhone to someone else and then use the money to buy the latest iPhone?

I never upgrade every year. I usually wait 2 to 3 models. As the upgrades aren’t that considerable for me to spend more money. I was using my iPhone 6S till the iPhone XS came out. I ended up buying the iPhone X from my cousin, because she was upgrading to the XS. The X camera was definitely waaay better than the 6S. When the iPhone 11 Pro came out, I upgraded from the X (I gave my brother the X for his bday. He was still using the 6S). The 11 Pro camera was considerably better than the X.

Still using the 11 Pro. And still loving it. My brother had recently upgraded to the 13. And I have to say, I’m impressed with the camera. And yes, the camera is a major factor in me upgrading. I’m tempted to upgrade to the 13 Pro. But hearing about the upgrades on the iPhone 14, especially the camera. I think I’ll be holding out for the 14 Pro. Then will sell my 11 Pro, and put the money towards the 14 Pro.

And chances are, unless there is some crazy upgrade to the camera, and hardware of the iPhone, from the iPhone 14. I’ll probably wait again 2-3 models before upgrading.

 

[Aeronautical]

I've never bought an iPhone but I use an XR and a 6s, both hand me downs from neighbours. The 6s is my favourite and it's the one I take out with me most places everyday. I've also got a couple of 4s and 5s. If no-one ever bought a new phone then I guess they would never pass an old one on. Buy one whenever you want, hand the old one on if you feel like it, but no point going into debt to get the latest (and I know some people who do). I'll be getting my neighbours 12 in October and it'll be my back-up, mostly staying in the house.

 

[6787872]

you obviously haven’t tried out the newer phones for extended periods of time. screens, cameras and batteries are miles ahead. seems you’re just avoiding paying the premium for the newest

how dare he make responsible financial decisions

 

[TracerAnalog]

I'm wondering if I am missing out on anything but I can't help feeling that I would struggle to afford a new iPhone every year. Do you sell last year's iPhone to someone else and then use the money to buy the latest iPhone?

Yup, exactly that. Plus luck to have a job that pays enough to afford such luxury. Let’s face it, there is no real argument for upgrading each year, it’s an indulgance.

 

[FyerFyer]

Not being high and mighty, but in the grand scheme of things, is upgrading a phone each year a good contribution to the world? Not saying it is, not saying it isn’t, but for me I do like the idea that I only upgrade every 4 years. My MBP is 2012, and my last phone before my 11 was a 6s, and that phone is still v good.

 

[AstroRexaur]

I'm wondering if I am missing out on anything but I can't help feeling that I would struggle to afford a new iPhone every year. Do you sell last year's iPhone to someone else and then use the money to buy the latest iPhone?

yes, i do trade in with Apple. Apple gives you the "same" price compared to selling it on ebay/craiglist/facebook marketplace and without the hazard/scam or fees. I do it every year due to depreciation, at the end you'll spend the same money if you wait 1/2/3/4 years to buy a new one.

 

[Steve121178]

I'm wondering if I am missing out on anything but I can't help feeling that I would struggle to afford a new iPhone every year. Do you sell last year's iPhone to someone else and then use the money to buy the latest iPhone?

I upgrade every year and usually give my last current phone to a member of my family.

I am unsure if I will upgrade this year as the differences have been so incremental the last few years. We'll see.

 

[Rainshadow]

There is no justification for replacing fully functional hardware, period.

You should consider an "upgrade" if, AND ONLY IF, the old hardware can't to the job NEEDED.

This is a truly ridiculous comment. Most things our phones do are levels of quality and efficiency. The earlier models of iPhones take pictures but not as well.

I don’t upgrade every year myself but I sincerely laugh when folks scoff at the price. If you use them for work, these things complete more tasks and needs than an office of staff did 75 years ago. It’s a small price to pay for what they are capable of if you use them to their potential.

People pay way more on vehicles and upgrade them far too often in my opinion. It’s a matter of perspective. The cost of a phone per month (or outright) costs less than the interest on a car/truck loan for a year in many cases.

 

[JahBoolean]

If I valued my iPhone more as a device. I'd budget some of my Tax Write-Offs towards that end. The website I use to buy my electronics nowadays has a very tightly integrated marketplace, reselling would mostly take place here.

 

[AppleWes]

The way I justify it? I don't worry about what others do with their money and focus on keeping myself happy.

 

[Graham Caracas]

Like everyone else here, I'm just another mindless consumer who buys anything they put in front of my face. I'm so busy, it's just easier to toss the old one in the landfill and buy new. I pay for it by credit card because that's what they tell me to do.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I'm wondering if I am missing out on anything but I can't help feeling that I would struggle to afford a new iPhone every year. Do you sell last year's iPhone to someone else and then use the money to buy the latest iPhone?

My wife and I had been buying a new iPhone every other year until the Apple Upgrade Plan came out and made it even easier to upgrade every year. Before the Apple Upgrade Plan we'd sell our iPhones or give them away to family.

After the Apple Upgrade Plan, you pay a monthly fee for the iPhone ($30/mo for example (when it first came out)) and then after a year, you get the option to get a new phone - Apple takes back your phone and mails you the new phone for about the same monthly rate. (This was obviously in the early days). The 12 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max can be $63-$73 a month now.

Apple makes it INCREDIBLY easy to trade in your old phone. Last iPhone was the first time I got out of the Apple Upgrade Plan and bought on the Apple Credit Card for 24 months 0% interest. Apple offered me something like $790+ for my 12PM when I upgraded to the 13PM. Granted it's a little more than half of what I paid for it but ... makes upgrading frequently a lot cheaper.


Now if I may ask... how do people afford to spend $6/day at Starbucks (not counting waiting in that massive line)?! That's $1600 a year (assuming not going on weekends) and not counting time spent. Hey, if people can afford it, and that's what they want, works for me.

Hope that helps answer the question. Most people I know keep their iPhones for a very long time, trade in for a few hundred.

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Some thinking out loud (and I apologize in advance because I'm horrible at math):

Hypothetical based off of Apple's own resale values: Say you buy a $1600 13 Pro Max. You keep it 3 years. First year's resale is $900, for example. Next year's resale is $650. Third year resale is $350. Let's say the new iPhone in 3 years is $1800.

Keep phone 3 years and sell back to Apple: $1600 spent, $350 back, and buying a $1800 iPhone (in 3 years) = out $3050 over a 3 year period.
Keep phone 2 years and sell back to Apple: $1600 spent, $650 back, and buying a $1700 iPhone (in 2 years) = out $2650 over a 2 year period.
Keep phone 1 year and sell back to Apple: $1600 spent, $900 back, and buying new phone in 1 year at say $1600 = $2300 over a 1 year period or $3000 over a 3 year period.

Doing the Apple Upgrade Plan - $63-$73/mo - you only pay half of the phone's value in a year then get a new phone, so in a sense, you're only paying $800 or so a year vs paying outright like the above - and getting a new phone every year. Apple Upgrade Plan is the way to go if you want to upgrade frequently. $876 year 1, $1752 year 2, $2538 year 3. (For example).

Yes, iPhones are getting REALLY expensive. You really only save $ keeping your iPhone for more than 3 years. I find after 2 years the want and reason to upgrade is fairly strong. I use my iPhone enough that upgrading every year or every few years is a must for me.

Picture of Apple's trade in values at the moment. (May 22 2022).

 

[hcherry]

Unless you have some compelling reason to do so, repeat "compelling", why bother?
I have an iPhone XS Max. I love it. The battery still lasts throughout the day (but I am retired; a busy working dude might get different results), etc. I don't have the latests and greatest camera, but the photos taken with my XS are superb.
I tend to wait four of five iterations before selling my old iPhone and buying new one. I will look hard at the 14 when it comes out. MOREOVER, when you sell, sell it on Craigslist. You will get considerably more than you will get at ANY of the online sites. You don't have to screw around with trust issues: I meet the buyer in a public place where it is safe, and I demand that payment be in cash. Have sold four this way; all w/o any problem.
Good luck.

+1 regarding Craigslist.

The glory days was when we were able to buy subsidized phones, sell after a year or two for more than you paid to begin with.

 

[Mark Stone]

Unless you have some compelling reason to do so, repeat "compelling", why bother?
I have an iPhone XS Max. I love it. The battery still lasts throughout the day (but I am retired; a busy working dude might get different results), etc. I don't have the latests and greatest camera, but the photos taken with my XS are superb.
I tend to wait four of five iterations before selling my old iPhone and buying new one. I will look hard at the 14 when it comes out. MOREOVER, when you sell, sell it on Craigslist. You will get considerably more than you will get at ANY of the online sites. You don't have to screw around with trust issues: I meet the buyer in a public place where it is safe, and I demand that payment be in cash. Have sold four this way; all w/o any problem.
Good luck.

This is the way I think also. I used my last iPhone, an 8 Plus, for about 4 years before I upgraded to my current 13, and my wife pretty much had to talk me into it - the 8 Plus was still fast, strong, had an excellent camera, great battery, great screen - no probs. My sweet missus thought I deserved the newest. But to me (not everyone - and that’s ok), Eye Phones stay so viable for so long, it doesn’t make much sense to upgrade annually. But people that want to, and have the means, why not?

EDIT - I will add that the iPhone 13 is a far superior device when compared to the 8 Plus - but the 8 wasn’t chopped liver.

 

[Silentwave]

I generally do every year. There were one or two where I skipped one, but now I do the iUP.

I use my phone quite a lot for every thing except phone calls. It runs my life for me. But a generation or two there wouldn't be a big sacrifice. Where they always get me is the camera. I take thousands of pictures and videos every year. I used to be a photographer in a past life, but now that I have put that in the past my iPhone is the camera that is with me every minute. I take the pictures to remember these moments. Why not make it the best one possible?

 

[calstanford]

There is no justification for replacing fully functional hardware, period.

You should consider an "upgrade" if, AND ONLY IF, the old hardware can't to the job NEEDED.

If everyone would have your world view we'd all be jobless as the economy would be gone.

What you're saying is: "Never buy a new pair of pants just because they're pretty/you look good in them. Only buy if the old ones has so many holes and lost all it's colour!"

 

[pianostar9]

for its intended purpose only (making calls)

By the way, you added an assumption there that the purpose of a smart phone is just to make calls, when in reality, the intended purpose of buying one is likely for some other reason, or you could just buy a “dumb phone”

 

[Johnny Irons]

I upgrade when I get a good deal. I don’t like paying for phones when I can get them for almost free. It’s not a money issue as I could afford to upgrade every year if I wanted. I have other hobbies that are exponentially more expensive and more important to me that I would rather spend money on.

I got my XS for free from ATT. Kept it for three years and just recently traded it in for a 13pro and got $800 trade in for it. Yea I have three years of “credits” from ATT but it’s not like I am going to change cell service anyway so essentially I paid $200 for my new phone. Same with my wife and my grown daughter who is still on my plan, so $600 for three new phones instead of $3000. In three years we will do that same thing again.

I don’t knock anyone who upgrades every year. If it makes you happy then I’m all for it. I just don’t care enough about phones to upgrade every year.

 

[Dhonk]

I used to upgrade every year, but not since the iPhone X. I had that for a few years before they introduced the 12mini. Of course I got that for free like millions of others due to the generous offers. I’m sure my next one will be free as well.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I upgraded to the iPhone 6s in fall 2015 then upgraded to the iPhone X 2018. Even for me that was quick upgrade cycle. I still have the 6s which I use as a backup. The X though has been such a workhorse. It’s certainly my most used electronic device. I could easily justify upgrading every year, but I just have seen the need to. But 2023 is when I finally make jump to something new. After that, I probably won’t upgrade until 2027.