Other What other iPhone model(s) did you consider when upgrading?

[TechLord]

As the title says. I think many of us consider more than one model when choosing to upgrade. So for all who upgrade recently (2019, 2020, 2021 etc) who were not 100% sure from day one which phone you wanted, what model did you end up buying, and what model came 2nd in your considerations?

I went from the 11>12. I was open to all four models; but it ultimately after consideration and testing out all the 12 series models, it came down to either the 12 pro max or the 12 for me. I like big phones and I've been tempted by the max phones for a while. I chose the 12 in the end, because I know I'll upgrade to the 12S/13 pro max for 120hz, so it just made sense to go for the cheaper model this year.

 

[secretk]

My journey was so absurd. So far I have always had Android phones. I had a 4.6 inch Sony phone that was 3 years old. I wanted to change it. Back then I wanted small portable phone with great battery and on that Sony delivered. With my usage it was like 3-4 days battery life. However the camera sucks. So I wanted a phone with good camera. I am not a fan of Samsung. In my country it is difficult to find Pixels or OnePlus so I was considering iPhone 12 mini. However my mother brought a good point. Given the price of the phone I want to use it for the next 4-5 years and I have eye issues so I was not sure that the mini would work in the long run. So then it was the regular 12. However the 12 did not have the best camera setup and camera was the thing for me. Plus at that point the price difference was not huge as 64 GB would not work for me either way (because photos and I do not pay for iCloud). In the end I chose the pro for the camera and the 6 GB RAM. I hate tabs and apps reloads so I decided that 6 GB would be future proof given my plans on how long I want to keep the phone.

 

[bubulol]

iPhone 12 Mini and nothing else, but i hesitated so long about picking the color: torn between black or white.
If iPhone 12 Mini wasnt there, i would go on iPhone 12 by default, i cant buy 12 Pro because its over 1k, psychological price barrier
I am reasonable Apple user, always going on the best performance/price ratio
Next upgrade -> i m planning to upgrade my iPad Mini 5, i really like mini/compact devices and always been an iPad Mini worshiper but iPad Mini 5 design is so outdated (huge bezels, physical home buttons)
I think my main choice is next Macbook Air/Pro 14 (if its too expensive, i would downgrade on current MBA M1), followed by iPad Mini 6

 

[TechLord]

My journey was so absurd. So far I have always had Android phones. I had a 4.6 inch Sony phone that was 3 years old. I wanted to change it. Back then I wanted small portable phone with great battery and on that Sony delivered. With my usage it was like 3-4 days battery life. However the camera sucks. So I wanted a phone with good camera. I am not a fan of Samsung. In my country it is difficult to find Pixels or OnePlus so I was considering iPhone 12 mini. However my mother brought a good point. Given the price of the phone I want to use it for the next 4-5 years and I have eye issues so I was not sure that the mini would work in the long run. So then it was the regular 12. However the 12 did not have the best camera setup and camera was the thing for me. Plus at that point the price difference was not huge as 64 GB would not work for me either way (because photos and I do not pay for iCloud). In the end I chose the pro for the camera and the 6 GB RAM. I hate tabs and apps reloads so I decided that 6 GB would be future proof given my plans on how long I want to keep the phone.

Good point on the ram. Since I only intend to have my 12 for 1, maybe 2 years if I decide to skip the 12S, the 4GB doesn't bother me. But if I was someone who wanted a phone for 4-5 years, the ram would have been a greater consideration for future proofing. I also hate app reloads; I do notice a slight improvement over my 11 which also has 4GB, thanks to the A14. The 11 was lightning fast but it felt like apps like discord were always reloading no matter what; doesn't happen on my 12.

 

[TechLord]

iPhone 12 Mini and nothing else, but i hesitated so long about picking the color: torn between black or white.
If iPhone 12 Mini wasnt there, i would go on iPhone 12 by default, i cant buy 12 Pro because its over 1k, psychological price barrier
I am reasonable Apple user, always going on the best performance/price ratio

I always go for silver/white. This is the first black iPhone I've owned and I love it. I think the new graphite on the pro(s) is the perfect colour for me since I love gray and I hope it sticks around next year. I'm pretty dull, its only neutral colours that interest me.

 

[secretk]

Good point on the ram. Since I only intend to have my 12 for 1, maybe 2 years if I decide to skip the 12S, the 4GB doesn't bother me. But if I was someone who wanted a phone for 4-5 years, the ram would have been a greater consideration. I also had app reloads; I do notice a slight improvement over my 11 which also has 4GB, thanks to the A14.

Here the iPhones are too expensive to make myself buy one if I know that I would use it only for a year . This is why I had to be sure that it is a device I can use at least 4 years. And yes RAM is important for me as I line have natural talent for switching apps. I can make any iOS device reload tabs and apps. Not sure what I do but I am really that good . I have had cases where a tab would reload on Safari and my whole post text would be gone. Or OneDrive would not be able to refresh and save files properly. I would end up with some file artifact that cannot be opened.

Design mattered for me too btw because I am not a fan of the rounded edges. I mean iPhone 11 design and older would not have made me buy them. I like the new squared design. This is pure preference but this is how I feel .

 

[TechLord]

Here the iPhones are too expensive to make myself buy one if I know that I would use it only for a year . This is why I had to be sure that it is a device I can use at least 4 years. And yes RAM is important for me as I line have natural talent for switching apps. I can make any iOS device reload tabs and apps. Not sure what I do but I am really that good . I have had cases where a tab would reload on Safari and my whole post text would be gone. Or OneDrive would not be able to refresh and save files properly. I would end up with some file artifact that cannot be opened.

Design mattered for me too btw because I am not a fan of the rounded edges. I mean iPhone 11 design and older would not have made me buy them. I like the new squared design. This is pure preference but this is how I feel .

I never disliked the rounded design, it was comfortable and looked fine to me, but I feel A LOT more comfortable using my 12 caseless over my 11. My 11 did feel like a bar of soap when holding it; the 12 feels more sturdy. I'd say I do prefer the square design overall.

 

[bubulol]

I always go for silver/white. This is the first black iPhone I've owned and I love it. I think the new graphite on the pro(s) is the perfect colour for me since I love gray and I hope it sticks around next year. I'm pretty dull, its only neutral colours that interest me.

Yeah, i am like you, only neutral colors
Even if i can admit why most of users are fond of Pacific Blue, it aint a neutral color
Sure its nice color though but i really like when a device fits to your own ecosystem, blue is too distracting

 

[secretk]

I never disliked the rounded design, it was comfortable and looked fine to me, but I feel A LOT more comfortable using my 12 caseless over my 11. My 11 did feel like a bar of soap when holding it; the 12 feels more sturdy. I'd say I do prefer the square design overall.

I don't hate it, I just do not like it enough to pay over 1000 $ for it (this is how iPhones are priced in my country).

 

[bubulol]

I don't hate it, I just do not like it enough to pay over 1000 $ for it (this is how iPhones are priced in my country).

Well, in EU, we always overpay Apple devices
iPhone 12 Pro are nearly 1200 eur / 999$
Airpods Max cost around 650 eur / 550$
Dont wanna talk about Macbook because its even higher lol (MBP 16)
That's why i am more reasonable than most of users here, 999$ is still a psychological price barrier but its even worse for us (european)

 

[secretk]

Well, in EU, we always overpay Apple devices
iPhone 12 Pro are nearly 1200 eur / 999$
Airpods Max cost around 650 eur / 550$
Dont wanna talk about Macbook because its even higher lol (MBP 16)
That's why i am more reasonable than most of users here, 999$ is still a psychological price barrier but its even worse for us (european)

Yep, I am in EU too and I feel similar to you. I mean my iPhone 12 pro costed more than my 15.6 inch laptop you know. (Just to clarify I use that laptop non stop - like whenever I am at home, I am on it). That's kind of absurd. I would be crazy to buy it if I am not sure that I would use it for the next 4-5 years.

 

[rui no onna]

Honestly, the iPhone SE2 and 12 mini were my only options. My iPhone 7's battery had gotten so bad in 2019 that I almost replaced it with a $700 iPhone 8 256GB since I can't stand bigger phones.

Nice thing about the SE2, it was super affordable so could get both that and 12 mini.

 

[glenthompson]

My wife upgraded from a 6s+ to a XS Max so I took her 6S+ to use for a few months to see how i liked the larger form factor. Decided I liked the larger phone so went with the XR. Display and cameras are not quite as good as her XS Max but sufficient for me. Liked the cheaper price. Apple gave me a traded in for my 6S that was similar to what I would net selling on eBay so did that deal. I tend to hang onto phones for 4 years so will make the next upgrade to a 13 or 14. My XR is still working fine for me.

 

[LFC2020]

My journey was so absurd. So far I have always had Android phones. I had a 4.6 inch Sony phone that was 3 years old. I wanted to change it. Back then I wanted small portable phone with great battery and on that Sony delivered. With my usage it was like 3-4 days battery life. However the camera sucks. So I wanted a phone with good camera. I am not a fan of Samsung. In my country it is difficult to find Pixels or OnePlus so I was considering iPhone 12 mini. However my mother brought a good point. Given the price of the phone I want to use it for the next 4-5 years and I have eye issues so I was not sure that the mini would work in the long run. So then it was the regular 12. However the 12 did not have the best camera setup and camera was the thing for me. Plus at that point the price difference was not huge as 64 GB would not work for me either way (because photos and I do not pay for iCloud). In the end I chose the pro for the camera and the 6 GB RAM. I hate tabs and apps reloads so I decided that 6 GB would be future proof given my plans on how long I want to keep the phone.

Welcome back to greatness. 😃🍎👑

 

[LFC2020]

Thought I could use to a smaller screen again, got the 12 in that sexy navy blue colour, loved everything about the phone, size, weight, but soon realised smaller screens aren't for me anymore, missed the larger wider display, returned it for a 12 pro max.

 

[Shanghaichica]

None. I have to have the max. The others are too small.

 

[eyoungren]

We went with the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The iPhone 12 Pro Max was my only other consideration, although the XS Max was a possibility.

When we get new phones, we get the max capacity offered for that particular model. In this case, that's 512GB. The XS in the size with that capacity was out of stock with our carrier and the 12 Pro Max at that capacity required more down than I was prepared to pay - with a higher monthly payment.

We are in a 5G market (I think we are at least), but I don't need 5G so the only reason I would have pursued the 12 Pro Max in that capacity would have been for 5G.

So, that's why we went with the 11 Pro Max. That'll give us 2.5 to 4.5 years or so, by which time the models released after the iPhone 13 (or whatever Apple will call it) will be in our price range.

I'm happy - I've got a 512GB iPhone 11 Pro Max, which so far seems better than the Pixel 3a XL it replaces. I do however, continue to use my iPhone 6s+ as a backup. Planning on selling our Pixels - the first time I've ever done that with old phones.

 

[Robbosan]

Just got the 12 64gb as it was same price as i sold my 11 pro 256gb for.

 

[MisterMillz]

I considered other models. I literally purchased every 12-series device at one point or another. When the dust settled, I ended up with a 512GB iPhone 11 Pro.

I much prefer the feel of the rounded edges—although the flat edges do provide a more secure/tackier feel in the hand. I also feel like 5.8” is a solid screen size...especially since the newer 6.1” models act like the previous 5.8” screens instead of the old 6.1”+ screens regarding landscape usage. Figure I’ll hold onto this bad boy until they go back to some form of rounded edges in 2 or 3 years. Only thing I miss is the Qualcomm modem. Signal was night and day different—still good, but the 12s are noticeably better.

 

[Robbosan]

Signal was night and day different—still good, but the 12s are noticeably better.

that was enough for me to ditch my 11 pro, and 5G is excellent here.

 

[Shanghaichica]

We went with the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The iPhone 12 Pro Max was my only other consideration, although the XS Max was a possibility.

When we get new phones, we get the max capacity offered for that particular model. In this case, that's 512GB. The XS in the size with that capacity was out of stock with our carrier and the 12 Pro Max at that capacity required more down than I was prepared to pay - with a higher monthly payment.

We are in a 5G market (I think we are at least), but I don't need 5G so the only reason I would have pursued the 12 Pro Max in that capacity would have been for 5G.

So, that's why we went with the 11 Pro Max. That'll give us 2.5 to 4.5 years or so, by which time the models released after the iPhone 13 (or whatever Apple will call it) will be in our price range.

I'm happy - I've got a 512GB iPhone 11 Pro Max, which so far seems better than the Pixel 3a XL it replaces. I do however, continue to use my iPhone 6s+ as a backup. Planning on selling our Pixels - the first time I've ever done that with old phones.

Didn’t get on with the pixel in the end?

 

[eyoungren]

Didn’t get on with the pixel in the end?

It's a good phone and I like it. I've never had any problems with it. Android 10 and 11 are also fine as well and I've got apps on it I like (such as Nova Launcher and Textra). Pushbullet and AirMessage allowed me to text on my Macs and also continue to use iMessage. Most of the services I use are either Google or Dropbox anyway. I have no complaints.

But…

I guess it just comes down to 'feel' and therefore preference.

By way of explanation, I've driven Nissans, Toyotas and Hondas most of my adult driving life. All are good cars, but each car 'feels' different. Hondas are very smooth and their clutch is very forgiving. Nissans drive like old buckboard wagons, but their handling is amazing and Toyotas, while good performers, tend to have a mechanical feel and a high clutch point. I prefer Hondas just because they feel good to drive.

So, it's like that. The Pixel is a good phone, but the iPhone feels better for some reason.

 

[dk001]

iPhone? None. had a 11 ProMax and knew if I upgraded it would be the 12 ProMax.

Android? Leaning towards the OnePlus 9 Pro to replace my Razer.

 

[tranceking26]

I was content with my 6s but then a great deal on eBay turned up, so now I have an 11.

So not much deciding which version but wether to take the offer or not.

 

[Spetsgruppa]

if i can be honest...i was anti iPhone since my iPhone 7 Plus died on me until i saw the 12 Pro Max. I would rather get a $2000 Xiaomi/Samsung rather than an iPhone... but now no way im going to Android again for my personal phone xD