I'm interested in opinions from folks on this forum regarding pros and cons of my particular iPhone situation
I have a two-year old iPhone Xs Max that I've just discovered has a non-functioning rear (main) camera. Otherwise the phone is working fine. I have dropped the phone recently and suspect that the camera problem was caused by that drop (the phone is in a protective case but I dropped it flat on its back on a hard tile floor).
I don't have AppleCare+ (this experience may cause me to re-think that decision for my next phone purchase). The phone is nearly paid off so for the purpose of this discussion I own it free and clear. I use AT&T however I won't have any particular tie to AT&T with the phone paid off.
The phone satisfies all of my needs and for my usage I have no need to get one of the latest and greatest models.
I feel like I have a few alternatives. I can afford any of these choices but I don't want to 'waste' money:
1) Repair - I can have the phone repaired at my nearest Apple Store, however it will cost $599 (fixed fee for repairs out of warranty). If I do that then I would probably have a new battery installed at the same time ($69), resulting in a phone that should be essentially refurbished and good for use for several more years.
I know that there are other authorized repair places - would that be significantly less expensive?
2) Replace - I could (I think) replace the phone with another (new) iPhone Xs Max if prices have dropped significantly for remaining new models that might be available. I have done some initial searching to see if I can get an attractive price on a new Xs Max and so far have been disappointed in what I'm able to find. Reason for getting another Xs Max would be to minimize the replacement cost, plus I could use my current case and save some money - I'm thinking it 'should' be possible to find a brand new Xs Max for roughly the same cost as a repair at the Apple Store?
3) Swap with my wife and replace / upgrade - My wife and I both have Xs Max iPhones with same specs. She uses her phone considerably more for photo taking, so I'm thinking of taking her phone for my own use, and then getting a newer model for her, one of the currently available new iPhone models. Camera improvements seem to me to be the biggest reasons for spending money on a newer model, or getting the latest model.
Whichever model we might purchase will obviously be better than our current Xs Max. With the iPhone 12 now released, is the 'best value' for an average user one of the iPhone 11 models, or should we go ahead and take the bigger step to a new iPhone 12? She likes the big screen so we would probably get a 12 Pro Max.
4) AppleCare+ would have cost me (I think) $15/mo, less than what I will now end up paying whichever direction I choose. However, this will be the first time I've had such an expensive repair needed, for many years. I'm therefore still inclined to go without AppleCare for any new phone I end up purchasing.
Bottom line, I think, is that either 1 or 2 will be least expensive, maybe equivalent. A new phone will be a few hundred, perhaps several hundred, more - but will be better/faster and probably more satisfying going forward.
We do not yet have 5G in our area and I do not know how soon it may be offered here.
I have a two-year old iPhone Xs Max that I've just discovered has a non-functioning rear (main) camera. Otherwise the phone is working fine. I have dropped the phone recently and suspect that the camera problem was caused by that drop (the phone is in a protective case but I dropped it flat on its back on a hard tile floor).
I don't have AppleCare+ (this experience may cause me to re-think that decision for my next phone purchase). The phone is nearly paid off so for the purpose of this discussion I own it free and clear. I use AT&T however I won't have any particular tie to AT&T with the phone paid off.
The phone satisfies all of my needs and for my usage I have no need to get one of the latest and greatest models.
I feel like I have a few alternatives. I can afford any of these choices but I don't want to 'waste' money:
1) Repair - I can have the phone repaired at my nearest Apple Store, however it will cost $599 (fixed fee for repairs out of warranty). If I do that then I would probably have a new battery installed at the same time ($69), resulting in a phone that should be essentially refurbished and good for use for several more years.
I know that there are other authorized repair places - would that be significantly less expensive?
2) Replace - I could (I think) replace the phone with another (new) iPhone Xs Max if prices have dropped significantly for remaining new models that might be available. I have done some initial searching to see if I can get an attractive price on a new Xs Max and so far have been disappointed in what I'm able to find. Reason for getting another Xs Max would be to minimize the replacement cost, plus I could use my current case and save some money - I'm thinking it 'should' be possible to find a brand new Xs Max for roughly the same cost as a repair at the Apple Store?
3) Swap with my wife and replace / upgrade - My wife and I both have Xs Max iPhones with same specs. She uses her phone considerably more for photo taking, so I'm thinking of taking her phone for my own use, and then getting a newer model for her, one of the currently available new iPhone models. Camera improvements seem to me to be the biggest reasons for spending money on a newer model, or getting the latest model.
Whichever model we might purchase will obviously be better than our current Xs Max. With the iPhone 12 now released, is the 'best value' for an average user one of the iPhone 11 models, or should we go ahead and take the bigger step to a new iPhone 12? She likes the big screen so we would probably get a 12 Pro Max.
4) AppleCare+ would have cost me (I think) $15/mo, less than what I will now end up paying whichever direction I choose. However, this will be the first time I've had such an expensive repair needed, for many years. I'm therefore still inclined to go without AppleCare for any new phone I end up purchasing.
Bottom line, I think, is that either 1 or 2 will be least expensive, maybe equivalent. A new phone will be a few hundred, perhaps several hundred, more - but will be better/faster and probably more satisfying going forward.
We do not yet have 5G in our area and I do not know how soon it may be offered here.
