iPhone 14 Pro How would you justify paying well over 1000 dollars for a next-gen iPhone ?

[sam_dean]

Yeah, I'm thinking of finally letting go of my iPhone X specifically because 5 years is enough time to see meaningful camera improvements, but being a photographer, I'm realistic that I'll still be disappointed anytime I compare my smartphone photos to my real camera photos. If you don't mind carrying around an extra gadget, you can save yourself a lot of money. Even a basic compact point and shoot still outperform flagship phones.

Best camera you can ever own is the one with you always.

I went through 1-Series, 5-Series and 7-Series bodies with a litany of L fast primes & L fast zooms and yet...

I find myself having more utility with my iPhone.

Our corporate website uses photos from a 2020 iPhone SE and no one ever questioned its image quality.

I just cherry picked stock photos with watermarks and told the non-photog employee to replicate the framing, positioning and posing of the personnel to be photographed with natural light.

80% were.... *shrug* but 19% were passable with 1% was the material we picked from.

Did not need to pay a pro much less have me do the photo work.

 

[klasma]

You only need to buy a new one when the apps and/or websites you absolutely need to use stop working on your current phone. Usually that doesn’t happen until after 5-6 years. And even then you still have the option to buy a used/refurbished model to save some money.

Everything else is just a trade-off between your preferences and your bank account. The justifications for that are, in the end, arbitrary.

 

[ruddyman]

I don't think it worth the price at all to upgrade every year. But if you are savvy with carrier trade in deals (and plan ahead), are willing to switch carriers from time to time, and are a multi-phone household, you can get all your phones for a fraction. I upgrade regularly.

 

[eyoungren]

How's the the utility of storage at the day you replace them?

Not really sure how to answer that. I don't usually replace them. I hold on to them and they get used for other things. I've only turned one device in for credit since I first started using phones (1999).

Right now I still have my HTC Touch Pro, iPhone 3GS, 4, 4s, 5, and 6s+ (which has an active line). Only the iPhone 4 is low capacity (8GB) because it was originally purchased from a member here as my son's first iPhone.

If you're asking how much space is filled up, not much. But that's not really the point. I have the capacity if I need it for anything and it's what I want so that's really what matters to me.

 

[eyoungren]

Will you buy me stuff?

You're going to have to make me really want to.

 

[1rottenapple]

Same…but different (buying a house and no money)!

One of the reasons I got the 11 Pro Max, 512GB in 2021.

I can haz both!

I'm keeping my iPhone 14 pro until we install new flooring, complete the backyard, and paid off a significant amount of the solar lol By that time maybe the iPhone 19x extreme ultra will fold out to a large tablet but still be ultra thin.

 

[bondr006]

No need to justify, but discussion with your significant other may be necessary. I get the value out of a product before I move on to the next new one. I don’t believe in credit card debt, so I buy most everything in cash, including my cars. I will drive my car for 10 to 11 years to get the value out of it. I take good care of it along the way, keep it serviced, and get a good buck out of it when I sell it or trade it in towards the next car. I do the same with my iPhones and other electronics. My last iPhone before my 13PM was an 8 Plus that I had for 5 years. I took excellent care of it, kept it in a case and used a screen protector. I got $140.00 trade-in for that 5 year old 8 Plus at the Apple store when I bought my 13PM. Works out to just $192.00 per year for the top iPhone. This is just me, but I find this the best way to get the most value out of the expensive things we buy. Ymmv.

 

[sam_dean]

Not really sure how to answer that. I don't usually replace them. I hold on to them and they get used for other things. I've only turned one device in for credit since I first started using phones (1999).

Right now I still have my HTC Touch Pro, iPhone 3GS, 4, 4s, 5, and 6s+ (which has an active line). Only the iPhone 4 is low capacity (8GB) because it was originally purchased from a member here as my son's first iPhone.

If you're asking how much space is filled up, not much. But that's not really the point. I have the capacity if I need it for anything and it's what I want so that's really what matters to me.

Interesting... carry on.

 

[tornadowrangler]

Hey all,

I live in France and the cheapest iPhone 14 Pro model retails at 1329 euros, that's 1441 US Dollars.

I've had an iPhone for 15 years and used to update every year, lately every two years, but now sometimes ask myself...

Moving forward, what really justifies to spend that crazy amount of money onto an iPhone vs. an Android alternative ?

For the same amount of money I could probably get 3 Xiaomi phones with equivalent specs.

Looking forward to all your thoughts

(I've got mine but am interrested into other people's take)

Why upgrade every year or two years? Keep the phone until it breaks, stops working or receiving updates, you are no longer satisfied with it, or a new one has a feature you feel is worth the money. Maybe that is every year or two for some people, but for many its 4-5.

My last 2 iPhones I have bought used/refurbished. You don't have to spend crazy amounts of money to have a good iPhone.

And think about it this way, if a $1441 phone lasts 4 years, that would be like buying a new $360 phone every year.

 

[bradman83]

I normally upgrade every two years but I'll likely keep my 13 Pro until the 16s come out.

Carriers in the US often run oddly generous trade-up incentives which knock down the cost of the phone, so you often don't have to justify paying full price. Verizon in the US gave me a $1000 credit to trade in my old 11 Pro towards my current 13 Pro ($1100 USD for the 256 GB version) spread out over 24 months, so if I keep the phone for two years it will have cost me $100 + tax out of pocket, and I'll be able to trade it in for whatever offer they have next down the line (though Verizon has moved to 3 year payment contracts for devices).

 

[boss.king]

I keep phones longer than most people, so the initial price isnt that bad if you consider it broken out over five years. I still don’t think I’d pay that much for a phone though. I barely paid that much for a laptop. In your shoes, I’d be looking for a used model from last year.

 

[unchecked]

I don’t. I used to update my phone every third year. 4S, 7, and now my iPhone 11 Pro is in its 4th year and may very well last another year into its 5th.

 

[rocketbuc]

I tend to keep my iPhones for quite long periods. Used my beloved 6 for many years, a battery replacement basically turned it into a new phone after some 5 years of use. On a 13 mini now.

I could upgrade more frequently but don’t see a need for it. I am using my phone for business so i would be easy to justify…yet, I don’t need to.

 

[Tsepz]

Hey all,

I live in France and the cheapest iPhone 14 Pro model retails at 1329 euros, that's 1441 US Dollars.

I've had an iPhone for 15 years and used to update every year, lately every two years, but now sometimes ask myself...

Moving forward, what really justifies to spend that crazy amount of money onto an iPhone vs. an Android alternative ?

For the same amount of money I could probably get 3 Xiaomi phones with equivalent specs.

Looking forward to all your thoughts

(I've got mine but am interrested into other people's take)

At this point in the game it’s literally up to you and what you want.

You can go buy an iPhone SE 2022 and have about 80% of the experience of a modern flagship phone, or buy a iPhone 14 non-Pro and have about 95% of the experience of a top end flagship.

Where do you yourself place value though?

I personally like a big screen, like the stainless steel tank feel of a Pro iPhone model, I am now used to 120hz high refresh screens between my iPhone, iPad and Android, I always want a great camera, I want long battery life, long software support and I am still enjoying iOS (despite its cons), after a decade of using androids as my main daily drivers iOS has been a nice step away as it is to me aesthetically pleasing.

Honestly as long as you know what you put the most value on in your phone, justifying won’t be an issue. In todays smartphone it’s difficult to go wrong whether you go iOS or Android.

 

[VinegarTasters]

You should not update your iPhone every year (the hardware that is). That is just ridiculous. Do you throw away a notebook computer every year to get the latest version? Do you buy a new car every year to replace your previous car? There is a price point where you should not spend over in order to to get the latest version (every year). That price is 200 dollars. Anything above that should be more than a year depending on the price point. A car for example, people would not change cars every year. They at most (earliest) will probably change cars after 5 years. More likely 7 years. It is same with playstation consoles. They release every 7 years (sometimes there is a pro version in between, but that is optional). So for iPhone, the optimal time to upgrade is 5-7 years. 5 if you are fashionable. 7 if you are conservative.

 

[Rich74]

I don’t think about it I just pay it.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Hey all,

I live in France and the cheapest iPhone 14 Pro model retails at 1329 euros, that's 1441 US Dollars.

I've had an iPhone for 15 years and used to update every year, lately every two years, but now sometimes ask myself...

Moving forward, what really justifies to spend that crazy amount of money onto an iPhone vs. an Android alternative ?

For the same amount of money I could probably get 3 Xiaomi phones with equivalent specs.

Looking forward to all your thoughts

(I've got mine but am interrested into other people's take)

I keep my phones longer than most, I upgraded from 7 plus to 12 Pro max, paid in full. Tmobile and Apple last year ran special, and I got 13 PM for 99 bucks after I traded in my 12 PM.
That said, I am not gonna lecture people on how long they should keep their phones, or what is best value for some one else. Not my money, folks are free to spend their money as they wish. Xiaomi is trash for me, but may be good enough for some. Buy what you like, and enjoy the phone.

 

[TechnoMonk]

You should not update your iPhone every year (the hardware that is). That is just ridiculous. Do you throw away a notebook computer every year to get the latest version? Do you buy a new car every year to replace your previous car? There is a price point where you should not spend over in order to to get the latest version (every year). That price is 200 dollars. Anything above that should be more than a year depending on the price point. A car for example, people would not change cars every year. They at most (earliest) will probably change cars after 5 years. More likely 7 years. It is same with playstation consoles. They release every 7 years (sometimes there is a pro version in between, but that is optional). So for iPhone, the optimal time to upgrade is 5-7 years. 5 if you are fashionable. 7 if you are conservative.

You should not lecture other people on what is ridiculous. For some iPhone may be a splurge, just like for some eating out, drinking, playing golf, travelling or other hobbies in life. Do what makes you happy, show some judgement when it comes to money and debt. Like anything else in life, it depends on resale value of something you are upgrading.

 

[laszlo182]

I used to upgrade every year but moving onto a 2 year cycle. Money isn’t an issue it’s more to do with the fact we are only seeing minor upgrades

if money isn’t issue then why not get even minor upgrades?

from my experience even when it seems like a smallest update eventually i realize i wouldn’t go back

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

if money isn’t issue then why not get even minor upgrades?

from my experience even when it seems like a smallest update eventually i realize i wouldn’t go back

Money isn’t an issue for me and I could buy a shiny new iPhone every year but I also have principles. Buying a slightly better phone every 12 months is just unnecessary. These phones are capable enough for longer periods of time and are designed to last longer than just a year. People are too wrapped up in the most materialistic of things these days and mobile phones thankfully have matured to a point where having the latest and greatest every year has been a dwindling demand for some years now.

 

[KOTN91]

It’s pretty rare for people to just buy a phone outright, it’s £50 a month or whatever with an upgrade every other year. Sone will choose not to upgrade so the £50 becomes £15-20 for years 3 and 4

 

[Wahlstrm]

Find a number you’re comfortable with spending per month.

For me and for a phone it’s about €30/month.

If the price goes up then just keep it longer (or buy something cheaper).

A €750 iPhone: 25 months.
A €1400 iPhone: 47 months.

Would it be realistic for me to keep the same phone for 47 months?

Not really, so a €1400 phone is basically a no go for me.

But you can usually get “last years model” for about 40% off as soon as the new one is released so that’s what I tend to go for now instead.

 

[Jackbequickly]

I have been paying, outright, over a thousand dollars for years now. As much as I use, depend and enjoy my ProMax, I consider it well worth the money. I do the trade in every year which means for around $600 I get the latest.

 

[one more]

Another voice from France here. 🖐️ I love my Apple gadgetry and do not want to switch platforms to Android, Windows, Linux or whatever. However, I update it smartly and with minimal waste. I can always find people in my friends & family circle I can sell or give my Apple stuff to, which I usually do.

I also usually go for non-Pro line of Apple products, as everything worthy will trickle down to their regular models sooner or later. Right now I use iPhone 12 mini, iPad Air 4 and MacBook Pro 13” from 2015 (it was the only laptop with Retina screen back then) and all of them perform just fine for what I need them to do. If I needed to replace any of them today, it would be iPhone 13 mini, iPad Air 5 and probably some sort of a refurbished MBA, as I use it rarely.

I have been using Apple gear for about 17 years now, starting with their first generation iPod Shuffle 😉, so am happy with most of their stuff. I guess getting 2-3 Android phones vs 1 iPhone is a form of a “rebellion” against Apple’s pricing, yet the experience will not be the same. IMO, Apple stuff is just so much more elegant and enjoyable to use that it is well worth that extra money.

 

[shinigamii]

I personally will get a new iPhone when the price is less than $1000. Now I have the 14 Pro and it is the best in the market so after a few years I'll change the device instead of changing it every year!