Other How many of you don't upgrade every year?

[MultiFinder17]

My history, and the primary motivators that got me to upgrade:

2G (4GB): 2007 - 2010
Upgraded to a 3GS after three years to get iOS 4 and more storage.
3GS (32GB): 2010 - 2013
Upgraded to a 5 after three years to get a retina display.
5 (32GB): 2013 - 2016
Upgraded to an SE after three years to get a phone with more RAM.
SE (64GB): 2016 - present
Got a 7 to supplement the SE to use the SE on a second line as a dedicated school phone.
7 (128GB): 2017 - present

I currently have a 7 as my personal phone and an SE as my school phone for parents to call/text. I seem up upgrade every three years or so, which I suppose would make me due for an update soon. However, I honestly have no burning desire to upgrade either of them, as they both do everything I need of them! I suppose when they stop doing what I need, I'll upgrade, but for now I'm perfectly happy. They both run amazingly under iOS 13. I don't have a pressing reason to update like I did with any of my previous iPhones.

 

[einmusiker]

I don’t anymore. It’s a complete waste of money. I can afford to upgrade but I choose not to. I did for the first 4 iPhones. Then I went android for a few years. Then I upgraded yearly for iPhone 6s, 7, 7s. But now I’m just holding on to my 8s plus because it’s a fantastic phone and I don’t need anything from the newer models for probably another year and I’ll buy refurbished when I upgrade next time. Apple’s prices have jumped the shark in relation to value imo

 

[millerj123]

I’m still on my 6S, so that should tell you something.

The problem is usually envy, which is fueled by these youtubers talking about their new phones (which they get for free as review units) every week or so.

But after all being said, majority of consumers are keeping their phones longer, stretching the typical 2 year cycle into 3, 4 years, or even longer.

I only upgraded to my 6s because family had ruined their phones, so I could hand mine down. That was going from a 5. I'm hopeful the SE2 has the size and specs I want, but I'm in no hurry to upgrade if not.

 

[MacRazySwe]

I'm selling my iPhone X and use the funds towards the iPhone 11, which will only cost me $350 to upgrade. not bad at all for me. There's no reason for me to keep my iPhone X while the used resale price keeps going down.

The iPhone 11 is $699. You're essentially getting $350 for your iPhone X and you actually consider this a good deal?

You've just lost $650 on your iPhone X.

Now if that wasn't enough, you're getting a new phone which will depreciate yet again, when your previous phone works well and is in several ways superior to the model you're replacing it with?

You could have kept using your iPhone X for two more years, sold on Craigslist and still get $350 two years down the line I'm sure.

I sincerely hope you make better financial decisions when it comes to the big money items in life.

 

[shah1]

coming from an iPhone 6S that I've owned since 2016, I've just bought a used XS for £545. Not massive increase in price over what I paid for my 6S (£380 or £390) at the time which was also used but as good as new however, for the difference in price, I've got a completely new design, screen and materials used overall. In addition to that, I've jumped from a 64gb phone to a 512gb which will do rather nicely as the 6S was running out of space for all my content.

 

[44267547]

Every year. Partially because of my employer grants me that privilege to upgrade new hardware and well, because I like new tech. (Preferably from Apple.)

 

[sparksd]

I don't. I could well afford to but see no reason to. I like the high-end devices (I'm a retired engineer and tech geek) but I do feel that my personal cost-benefit trade-off on these new phones is making an upgrade more difficult to justify or, more importantly, care about. I can see my XS Max staying with me for some time to come.

 

[jetlagged]

The iPhone 11 is $699. You're essentially getting $350 for your iPhone X and you actually consider this a good deal?

You've just lost $650 on your iPhone X.

Now if that wasn't enough, you're getting a new phone which will depreciate yet again, when your previous phone works well and is in several ways superior to the model you're replacing it with?

You could have kept using your iPhone X for two more years, sold on Craigslist and still get $350 two years down the line I'm sure.

I sincerely hope you make better financial decisions when it comes to the big money items in life.

i can understand your argument but who are you to judge someone financially when you don’t know the other person on the other end. I sincerely hope you were brought up much more respectful and with manners because that is not how you talk people in real life or online. Because that’s a shame

 

[NaimNut]

I typically upgrade every 2 years.
With my iPhX I was going to wait 3 years but since I'm into photography I'm going to upgrade to the 11Pro in the next couple of weeks.

 

[MisterSavage]

i can understand your argument but who are you to judge someone financially when you don’t know the other person on the other end. I sincerely hope you were brought up much more respectful and with manners because that is not how you talk people in real life or online. Because that’s a shame

Agreed. It costs me around $2 a day to upgrade my iPhone annually. If a person can afford it who is someone else to judge? I think it's silly to spend money on things such as watching sports but more power to people who enjoy it.

 

[revmacian]

I keep my phones until they no longer meet my needs, usually 3 or 4 years.

 

[MacRazySwe]

i can understand your argument but who are you to judge someone financially when you don’t know the other person on the other end. I sincerely hope you were brought up much more respectful and with manners because that is not how you talk people in real life or online. Because that’s a shame

I know nothing about your financial situation, I'm just saying that if you apply the same logic to a $100k car purchase, and then decide to trade it in for $35k after two years, maybe you wouldn't consider it such a good deal?

I questioned your reasoning. Don't be offended. If that last part came across as harsh, then I do apologize. We all do our man-maths from time to time to justify things we don't need.

 

[akash.nu]

I know nothing about your financial situation, I'm just saying that if you apply the same logic to a $100k car purchase, and then decide to trade it in for $35k after two years, maybe you wouldn't consider it such a good deal?

I questioned your reasoning. Don't be offended. If that last part came across as harsh, then I do apologize. We all do our man-maths from time to time to justify things we don't need.

That’s entirely depends on how much 100K is worth to someone. Money & purchase decisions are always individual situations. Never a global rule. So you can’t really comment on someone’s decision without knowing anything about them. Not having a go, I recognise that you’ve already apologised.

 

[Gin Gin]

I used to be on a 2 year upgrade cycle, I got every "S" model starting with the 3GS. Then I got an 8+ and decided to keep it a few years. I'm still happy with it so will keep it another year at least. Maybe I'll upgrade next year.

When I upgrade, I give my old phone to my mom. She's still using my old 6s.

 

[simplysly]

I AM DONE WITH UPGRADING. WHEN IT BREAKS I WILL RECONSIDER MY OPTIONS.

I used to find any excuse to upgrade my devices.... A small dent here, maybe running a tad slow etc etc the list is literally endless. Now im content with my devices. When they stop serving their purpose thats the day I will re enter the market.

 

[Dino F]

iPhone
iPhone 3G
iPhone 4
iPhine 5
iPhone 6
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone X
iPhone 11 Pro

I always skipped the ‘S’ models, but used to jump in quickly when the new model came out. Recently I’ve done that less and not felt the need to upgrade anywhere near as much.

Almost the same as my upgrade patterns:

iPhone 3G
iPhone 4
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
iPhone 7 (iPhone Upgrade Program)
iPhone 8 Plus (iPhone Upgrade Program)
iPhone XS (current phone) (iPhone Upgrade Program).

I never saw the point of the 'S' upgrades (for me) as they really never offered anything new over the non 'S' models.

I could have upgraded my XS this year to a new iPhone 11 or 11 Pro but didn't really see the need as I'm not a photo user so none of these features would entice me (I also hate the look of the 11 Pro camera arrangement) so kept the XS - often touted as one of Apple's best ever phones.

 

[Nipommu]

I don't upgrade unless there is a physical design change. And no, iPhone 11 Pro is NOT a different design as the XS or a X. They are the same chassis. They are the same thing other than better internals. It goes like this: 2g & 3g,3gs & 4,4s & 5,5s & 6,6s,7,7s,8 & X,XS,11 Pro & 12 (2020 model). I'm getting the next design change model which is next year. I've owned every physical design change model since 3gs. Currently on the X.

 

[Puppuccino]

I’m torn between an XR and SE2 (when released) but I rarely update because of the cost and hassle of selling the old device. I usually have a device for at least 2, sometimes 3 years.

My upgrade cycle has been;

1. iPhone 4 (second hand)
2. iPhone 5S (new)
3. iPhone 6 (new)
4. iPhone SE (new, current)

I can now add iPhone 11 to the list 😁

 

[JagRunner]

Depends on my mood and wants at the time lol

 

[phillytim]

Its crazy to me how everyone wishes to upgrade every year. I have an XR and my wife got an 11. I used for 3-4 days and honestly couldn't find any reason to upgrade. Sure the night camera is amazing but I can't even recall when I wanted to take a photo at night and really missed out. How long do you keep your current phones for?

I would bet that most everyone DOES NOT upgrade every year; in fact, I'd bet that most people nowadays keep their phones an average of 3-4 years.

Used to be, it was an easy decision to upgrade every other year - when 2-year carrier contracts were commonplace; but once carriers dropped contracts (and subsidized phone pricing), we keep our phones longer now that we must pay the actual price of phones - and those prices have gone up astronomically.

I'm a techie, but I was completely satisfied with the performance & capability of my iPhone 6s Plus - a phone I kept for 4 years, and would have kept a 5th year had it not developed a hardware problem. Smartphones have become so commoditized, and feature advancements have slowed to a crawl, that most folks are happy with what they got. Just as PC sales slowed after processor features & speed improvements have slowed to a crawl, and are good enough for most everyone.

 

[JagRunner]

Yeah, most people I know DO NOT upgrade every year. In my office, I am the only one that upgraded this year. Everyone else still has either an 8, 8plus, or X....I think I'm the only one in my office with a phone newer than the X lol

People just do not want to upgrade every year now that phones are so expensive.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Yeah, most people I know DO NOT upgrade every year. In my office, I am the only one that upgraded this year. Everyone else still has either an 8, 8plus, or X....I think I'm the only one in my office with a phone newer than the X lol

People just do not want to upgrade every year now that phones are so expensive.

My office is very similar in that nobody has a current 2019 iPhone and most have 8’s or the XR. I get the impression people upgrade when they feel they need to, not because they need the latest and greatest. I’m on an 8+ and have no need to upgrade yet as the phone is still very capable. The cost does make people question the need to upgrade even if they can afford to. It’s just rather pointless wasting money when iPhones are good for a few years and very little changes year on year.

 

[JagRunner]

My office is very similar in that nobody has a current 2019 iPhone and most have 8’s or the XR. I get the impression people upgrade when they feel they need to, not because they need the latest and greatest. I’m on an 8+ and have no need to upgrade yet as the phone is still very capable. The cost does make people question the need to upgrade even if they can afford to. It’s just rather pointless wasting money when iPhones are good for a few years and very little changes year on year.

Yeah, I upgraded to the Pro Max when I probably didn't need to. My XS Max was fine. But I do have to admit I like the battery life on the Pro Max. The screen is really crisp and bright and I like the matte back finish compared to the XS Max..the pictures also look really good..but did I NEED it? No. The tech nerd in me just wanted it lol

My coworkers tease me about my phone upgrades....they say I can afford it because I don't have any kids yet. They call my devices my children lol

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Yeah, I upgraded to the Pro Max when I probably didn't need to. My XS Max was fine. But I do have to admit I like the battery life on the Pro Max. The screen is really crisp and bright and I like the matte back finish compared to the XS Max..the pictures also look really good..but did I NEED it? No. The tech nerd in me just wanted it lol

My coworkers tease me about my phone upgrades....they say I can afford it because I don't have any kids yet. They call my devices my children lol

It is very true that when you have children your mindset changes. You’ll rather spend money on them than yourself and most parents will tell you that. Phones are very standard nowadays though and most of us do the mundane social media and messenger use over most other things. People often justify a new phone due to the camera but a good photo on a year old phone is not going to show a stark difference to a good photo on a latest device. It just boils down to what you say, you want it rather than need it.

 

[MisterSavage]

People often justify a new phone due to the camera but a good photo on a year old phone is not going to show a stark difference to a good photo on a latest device. It just boils down to what you say, you want it rather than need it.

Sometimes yes but this year I would not agree with that. The third lens and night mode make for drastically better photos than my XS did.