TLDR: Just had 6s replaced, want ApplePay in Japan, get Apple Watch 3 or sell the 6s and get an iPhone X to use with Apple Watch 1 (first generation not "series 1")?
I love my iPhone 6s, I've had it for two years, and it's still a great device. While the iPhone X was mildly intriguing when announced I wasn't planning on upgrading this year. But...
The battery/throttling fiasco has been a real pain point for me this year (battery issues started early in the year & inconsistent performance, which I would later learn was due to severe throttling began in mid summer), and TBH this whole fiasco is probably one of the most disappointing things I've seen Apple do during all the years I've been a fan. BUT, Apple has done right by me with a new 6s and some other perks so I'm willing to let it go.
Anyway, I spend a lot of the year in Japan, and unfortunately neither my iPhone 6s, nor my Apple Watch 1 (AW1/S0) is capable of using ApplePay there (a big deal when using mass transit every day). I was originally planning to get a cellular Apple Watch 3 (AW3) to, among other things, scratch that itch, but the severe carrier restrictions, additional monthly fee, and the balkanized regional LTE bands, really turned me off on the idea for now. TBH, ApplePay aside, the cellular features were the only real reason I wanted an AW3, so I'd really prefer to wait for AW4 to make it better.
Which leads me to my current dilemma, I REALLY want ApplePay (in Japan) so should I: A) sell the like new 6s and get an iPhone X (to use with my AW1) OR B) keep my new 6s and get an AW3 (GPS model).
Primary uses for my phone are: Twitter, Safari, Facebook, Mobile scanner w/ OCR (primary sources, books, newspaper articles, etc), messaging, tethering to MBP, some Netflix, light gaming (Vita & Switch for serious gaming)
So far I see the advantages/disadvantages of each combination for my use case as follows:
1) iPhone 6s + AW3
+ ApplePay on the wrist is more convenient & less taking the phone out means less chances to drop.
+ Significantly cheaper, I can basically break even after selling my Apple Watch 1 and some other things.
+ Resale prices in Japan, combined with the price delta vs the US, are such that with some luck I'll take little to no loss on the watch, even if I sell to upgrade to AW4 next year.
+ TouchID (FaceID is cool, but in many situations I still feel TouchID is superior)
+ Home Button (some things, like control center just work better in my short experience with both)
- No more AppleCare+ means that if I drop & break my 6s I've just wasted A LOT of money.
- Really want cellular on the AW, so I'll likely have to go through the hassle of reselling the watch at some point.
-resale value of iPhone 6s will drop when the 90 day warranty ends / the phone gets some use / as we get closer to or pass the launch of new phones this year.
2) iPhone X + AW1
+ AppleCare+ keeps my blood pressure down if I drop the phone.
+ I do a lot of scanning so OIS could be a big plus
+ Better battery life especially with black home & lock screen/app dark modes/grayscale/smart invert colors is really appealing for those days when I need all day battery life.
+ No need to do the AppleWatch buy/sell/buy dance twice in a year.
+ faster/beautiful screen/other new phone advantages (nice but for my use none of these are make or break)
- EXPENSIVE, even getting the phone at $850, it still comes out to $1050 with AppleCare+. While I can sell my 6s for around $500 (and some other things for a bit as well) in Japan, that's still a good chunk out of pocket & hard to justify with a brand new 6s.
- ApplePay less convenient than on wrist
- Loss of TouchID
- Loss of home button
- Curious to see where iPhone goes next year, if I like it, iPX2 could be a good choice, if not, iPX will be much cheaper next holiday season.
If you read this far thanks for bearing with me. Opinions, thoughts, things you think I've missed welcome. Thanks in advance.
I love my iPhone 6s, I've had it for two years, and it's still a great device. While the iPhone X was mildly intriguing when announced I wasn't planning on upgrading this year. But...
The battery/throttling fiasco has been a real pain point for me this year (battery issues started early in the year & inconsistent performance, which I would later learn was due to severe throttling began in mid summer), and TBH this whole fiasco is probably one of the most disappointing things I've seen Apple do during all the years I've been a fan. BUT, Apple has done right by me with a new 6s and some other perks so I'm willing to let it go.
Anyway, I spend a lot of the year in Japan, and unfortunately neither my iPhone 6s, nor my Apple Watch 1 (AW1/S0) is capable of using ApplePay there (a big deal when using mass transit every day). I was originally planning to get a cellular Apple Watch 3 (AW3) to, among other things, scratch that itch, but the severe carrier restrictions, additional monthly fee, and the balkanized regional LTE bands, really turned me off on the idea for now. TBH, ApplePay aside, the cellular features were the only real reason I wanted an AW3, so I'd really prefer to wait for AW4 to make it better.
Which leads me to my current dilemma, I REALLY want ApplePay (in Japan) so should I: A) sell the like new 6s and get an iPhone X (to use with my AW1) OR B) keep my new 6s and get an AW3 (GPS model).
Primary uses for my phone are: Twitter, Safari, Facebook, Mobile scanner w/ OCR (primary sources, books, newspaper articles, etc), messaging, tethering to MBP, some Netflix, light gaming (Vita & Switch for serious gaming)
So far I see the advantages/disadvantages of each combination for my use case as follows:
1) iPhone 6s + AW3
+ ApplePay on the wrist is more convenient & less taking the phone out means less chances to drop.
+ Significantly cheaper, I can basically break even after selling my Apple Watch 1 and some other things.
+ Resale prices in Japan, combined with the price delta vs the US, are such that with some luck I'll take little to no loss on the watch, even if I sell to upgrade to AW4 next year.
+ TouchID (FaceID is cool, but in many situations I still feel TouchID is superior)
+ Home Button (some things, like control center just work better in my short experience with both)
- No more AppleCare+ means that if I drop & break my 6s I've just wasted A LOT of money.
- Really want cellular on the AW, so I'll likely have to go through the hassle of reselling the watch at some point.
-resale value of iPhone 6s will drop when the 90 day warranty ends / the phone gets some use / as we get closer to or pass the launch of new phones this year.
2) iPhone X + AW1
+ AppleCare+ keeps my blood pressure down if I drop the phone.
+ I do a lot of scanning so OIS could be a big plus
+ Better battery life especially with black home & lock screen/app dark modes/grayscale/smart invert colors is really appealing for those days when I need all day battery life.
+ No need to do the AppleWatch buy/sell/buy dance twice in a year.
+ faster/beautiful screen/other new phone advantages (nice but for my use none of these are make or break)
- EXPENSIVE, even getting the phone at $850, it still comes out to $1050 with AppleCare+. While I can sell my 6s for around $500 (and some other things for a bit as well) in Japan, that's still a good chunk out of pocket & hard to justify with a brand new 6s.
- ApplePay less convenient than on wrist
- Loss of TouchID
- Loss of home button
- Curious to see where iPhone goes next year, if I like it, iPX2 could be a good choice, if not, iPX will be much cheaper next holiday season.
If you read this far thanks for bearing with me. Opinions, thoughts, things you think I've missed welcome. Thanks in advance.
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