Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How long between upgrades?

  • less than 1 year (specified below)

    Votes: 4 1.2%
  • 1 years

    Votes: 94 29.3%
  • 2 years

    Votes: 86 26.8%
  • 3 years

    Votes: 69 21.5%
  • 4 years

    Votes: 39 12.1%
  • other (specified below)

    Votes: 29 9.0%

  • Total voters
    321
Every 2 on average , hand it down to my kid , then by the time I upgrade again 2yrs later , his “hand me down” phone is 4 yrs old and ready for an upgrade.

I also enjoy being not too far behind the “latest and greatest”.

I do feel yearly incremental upgrades are not enough to justify spending $1000.
 
I do not feel the need to give Apple any more money, and with that being said, here's why. I purchased a mid 2017 27" 5k iMac less than a year ago, only to discover it cannot get HRD10 or Dolby Atmos, however Windows machines of 2017 vintage can. They want me to upgrade to a 2019 iMac in order to have that capability. For the amounts of money they ask for their gear, they better damn well provide the services others provide for much much less. They'll get no more of my money. I'll buy used and use them instead. Sooner or later this will affect your phone purchases also in some way, I would bet money on it. They don't care about you, they only care about your money. Get a clue.

Edit: For my emotional spelling mishaps:), lol.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Aydy
Every 3 years typically, depending on the options available. Not a fan of the current lineup so I'm holding out.
 
I have always said 2 years, but because every new iPhone feels more or less like an incremental upgrade now, i say it's more like 3 - 4 years now. For example, iPhone 7 to 8 or X to Xs is not worth it, and Xs Max to 11 Pro Max is also something i would not do, considering the high pricing of those phones. You just need to keep the phone in good condition and have the battery replaced every year or two.

My 8 Plus for example i will have for one year now soon (Xr didn't appeal to me), and i have no intention of upgrading so far. And yes, upgrading to the Xs Max or 11 from the 8 Plus would be more than just an incremental upgrade, i know. But my phone already has so many features, i do need everything single bit that's new.

If i pay 1000 - 1500$ for a phone (outright and full payment) i am not going to replace it a year later, unless i'm crazy rich. I have to work for those things, and i cannot justify spending atleast 1099$ in the Apple Store (plus tax), just to replace that expensive phone just one year later with almost the same phone that is slightly improved.

I had my 5s for a bit over 2 years, the 6s close to 3 years and the 8 Plus i wanna keep atleast until September 2021. Have it since December 2018.
 
You have to upgrade every year because there's so much incredible new tech every year. Nobody who really loves Apple and who demands best-in-class devices can afford to wait 2 or more years to upgrade.

More casual users its OK if they only upgrade every 18-24 months.
 
The last couple of cycles have been, if memory serves, about two years. Got the X a couple of months after launch, and a couple of weeks ago gave it to my father and got the 11 Pro Max. Before the X I had the 7, which is now used by my mother. So I guess about two years? Let's say two years.
 
Yearly now, thanks to carrier incentives that make it a lot more appealing/easier to upgrade every refresh cycle.
 
I upgrade every 3 or 4 years. I've had a good run with my iPhone 7.

But less than two months after I changed the battery (September this year) it met an untimely demise. I had a nasty fall while running and besides messing up my knee really bad I destroyed my iPhone. Shattered glass, bent frame, broken camera. It was the one day I ran with my phone in my hand because I forgot my pack.

The phone wasn't worth saving, unfortunately. So I upgraded and moved up to a 128GB iPhone 11. It's the first new iPhone I bought since an iPhone 6S in 2015 (my 7 was a hand-me-down from a family member).

I'm still getting used to the size but it's a fantastic upgrade. The big screen isn't as easy to hold but is so much nicer for photos, videos, browsing, gaming, email, just about anything. Hopefully this will last me a good 3 or 4 years!
 
  • Like
Reactions: andondragov
Used to be less than a year... now I am on 2 years old iP7 and got no desire to update... actually hoping for pwm free samsung flagship to jump on android..
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.