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I am currently using a 13 Pro Max and will most likely trade it in to Apple for the 14 Pro Max depending on how good their trade-in offers are this year. In the past Apple trade in used to only buy the previous model for 50%. Last year they bought back at a higher amount so the yearly cost wasn't that bad. Assuming they have a similar trade-in amount, I believe last year was $790 (for the 12 Pro Max), it won't cost much to upgrade each year. For me, I buy only the base models and I live in a state that doesn't charge sales tax. For those who don't buy base models and who have to pay sales tax, it's probably not worth it to upgrade each year. But for me it's not bad.

As an example, let's say I bought the 13 Pro Max for $1099 and they give me a trade in of $790, it will cost me $309 to upgrade. So, I will have spent $1099 initially plus $309 which is $1408.

Now, then you can compare trade-in offers after 2 years and 3 years. It's best to trade-in after 3 years but it's only a few dollars difference per month to trade-in each year. Here's a chart I made to illustrate this:

One year upgradeTwo year upgradeThree year upgrade
Estimated trade in amount:$790$500$320
Initial purchase amount:$1099$1099$1099
Upgrade cost year 1:$309$0 (no upgrade this year)$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 2:$309$599$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 3:$309$0 (no upgrade this year)$779
Upgrade cost year 4:$309$599$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 5:$309$0 (no upgrade this year)$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 6:$309$599$779
Total spent after 6 years:$2953$2896$2657
Total per month:$41.01$40.22$36.90

Estimated amounts are from: https://web.archive.org/web/20211001122602/https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in
12 Pro Max: "Up to $790"
11 Pro Max: "Up to $500"
XS Max: "Up to $320"

Now, of course if Apple doesn't give as much for the trade in amount, then the math is much different. I'll see what is offered this year and if I want to do that.
 
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There’s no way I’d dream of upgrading from my 13 Pro yet and a good chance I’ll keep it after next year too. It’s just a supremely functional device that excels at everything, and is extremely futureproof due to that processor and all the ram on board. The screen is perfection IMO - having had Pro-motion on my iPad for a couple of years that was the one thing I was waiting for on a new iPhone, and now have. The camera is great. I’m excited about the camera technology moving forward and can see that big steps forward there are what will eventually attract me to a new phone, but I’ll happily wait for those - I’m not interested in iterative year-on-year stuff.
 
I am currently using a 13 Pro Max and will most likely trade it in to Apple for the 14 Pro Max depending on how good their trade-in offers are this year. In the past Apple trade in used to only buy the previous model for 50%. Last year they bought back at a higher amount so the yearly cost wasn't that bad. Assuming they have a similar trade-in amount, I believe last year was $790 (for the 12 Pro Max), it won't cost much to upgrade each year. For me, I buy only the base models and I live in a state that doesn't charge sales tax. For those who don't buy base models and who have to pay sales tax, it's probably not worth it to upgrade each year. But for me it's not bad.

As an example, let's say I bought the 13 Pro Max for $1099 and they give me a trade in of $790, it will cost me $309 to upgrade. So, I will have spent $1099 initially plus $309 which is $1408.

Now, then you can compare trade-in offers after 2 years and 3 years. It's best to trade-in after 3 years but it's only a few dollars difference per month to trade-in each year. Here's a chart I made to illustrate this:

One year upgradeTwo year upgradeThree year upgrade
Estimated trade in amount:$790$500$320
Initial purchase amount:$1099$1099$1099
Upgrade cost year 1:$309$0 (no upgrade this year)$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 2:$309$599$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 3:$309$0 (no upgrade this year)$779
Upgrade cost year 4:$309$599$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 5:$309$0 (no upgrade this year)$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 6:$309$599$779
Total spent after 6 years:$2953$2896$2657
Total per month:$41.01$40.22$36.90

Estimated amounts are from: https://web.archive.org/web/20211001122602/https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in
12 Pro Max: "Up to $790"
11 Pro Max: "Up to $500"
XS Max: "Up to $320"

Now, of course if Apple doesn't give as much for the trade in amount, then the math is much different. I'll see what is offered this year and if I want to do that.
this is a great breakdown, and validates that the true cost to upgrade yearly may not be all that much. ~300 dollars saved by upgrading after 3 years but you also are missing out on enjoying even the small upgrades by doing so. Or about $0.16/day if my quick math is correct.

i'm happy to pay 16 cents to have the latest phone every year
 
I am currently using a 13 Pro Max and will most likely trade it in to Apple for the 14 Pro Max depending on how good their trade-in offers are this year. In the past Apple trade in used to only buy the previous model for 50%. Last year they bought back at a higher amount so the yearly cost wasn't that bad. Assuming they have a similar trade-in amount, I believe last year was $790 (for the 12 Pro Max), it won't cost much to upgrade each year. For me, I buy only the base models and I live in a state that doesn't charge sales tax. For those who don't buy base models and who have to pay sales tax, it's probably not worth it to upgrade each year. But for me it's not bad.

As an example, let's say I bought the 13 Pro Max for $1099 and they give me a trade in of $790, it will cost me $309 to upgrade. So, I will have spent $1099 initially plus $309 which is $1408.

Now, then you can compare trade-in offers after 2 years and 3 years. It's best to trade-in after 3 years but it's only a few dollars difference per month to trade-in each year. Here's a chart I made to illustrate this:

One year upgradeTwo year upgradeThree year upgrade
Estimated trade in amount:$790$500$320
Initial purchase amount:$1099$1099$1099
Upgrade cost year 1:$309$0 (no upgrade this year)$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 2:$309$599$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 3:$309$0 (no upgrade this year)$779
Upgrade cost year 4:$309$599$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 5:$309$0 (no upgrade this year)$0 (no upgrade this year)
Upgrade cost year 6:$309$599$779
Total spent after 6 years:$2953$2896$2657
Total per month:$41.01$40.22$36.90

Estimated amounts are from: https://web.archive.org/web/20211001122602/https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in
12 Pro Max: "Up to $790"
11 Pro Max: "Up to $500"
XS Max: "Up to $320"

Now, of course if Apple doesn't give as much for the trade in amount, then the math is much different. I'll see what is offered this year and if I want to do that.
Thank you for the detailed breakdown. I’m typically on a 2 year upgrade cycle. As such, I wasn’t really considering upgrading from my 13 Pro for another year, but your chart is making me question that decision. My battery life is down to 92%, so I’ll definitely be paying to have it replaced within the next few months, if I decide to wait until the 2023 upgrade cycle. Factoring in the battery replacement cost, it makes even more sense for me to upgrade annually.

Of course, let’s not forget to factor in the cost of new cases, but that’s a strictly optional expense.
 
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Planning to switch from the iPhone 13 Mini to a 14 Pro. My Mini just doesn't cut it in the battery life department for when I'm travelling a lot and using Google Maps and what not.

It's great for the boring day at the beach or at home doing remote work, but man when I do need it when I'm taking international travelling and having to jump between Ubers, Google Maps to walk 1km or just doing a bit of multi tasking it completely drains the battery by mid afternoon.

This wasn't an issue when I moved from the 11 Pro -> 12 Mini -> 13 Mini but now my lifestyle changed a bit.
 
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Hang on, you will spend north of 1000 £/$ just to get USB-C??? Did I read that right? Hardly a killer feature. Convenient, yes. But not >1000 £/$ convenient.

I usually spend $200-$400 to upgrade from one generation to another... Like for example last year Best Buy was running a promotion where I traded in my 12PM and got the 13PM for a $249 difference. Other years I have sold my old phone privately and since iPhones hold resale value really well and I always get the top of the line model, I usually get close to what I am spending on the new one.
 
I will hold onto my iPhone 12 Pro Max another year. iOS doesn’t really offer anything new and exciting so I would just go back to using the phone the exact same way and the 12 Pro has not slowed down one bit. The price increase in Euro will be the biggest turn off.

I am actually considering the Samsung Flip 4, just to try something new (I’ll still have the 12 Pro Max)
 
I will hold onto my iPhone 12 Pro Max another year. iOS doesn’t really offer anything new and exciting so I would just go back to using the phone the exact same way and the 12 Pro has not slowed down one bit. The price increase in Euro will be the biggest turn off.

I am actually considering the Samsung Flip 4, just to try something new (I’ll still have the 12 Pro Max)
I was thinking about getting the 14 PM from my 12P because of pro motion. But after using my wife’s 13PM it’s really not a big deal.

It’s definitely nice but my eyes adjust fine. Helps that iOS is so damn smooth at 60fps.
 
I have the pink iPhone 13 that I won off of a giveaway a few months ago and I have a silver iPhone 13 Pro. I plan on keeping the 13 just because it’s my favorite - I’ve been waiting for another pink iPhone since they got rid of rose gold! Plus I got it for free! I love the 13 Pro as well but I also love upgrading every iPhone season, so I’m looking to upgrade to the 14 Pro!
 
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Now that the 14/14 Pro have been released, anyone has a change of heart and now would like to upgrade from 13/13 Pro?
 
Now that the 14/14 Pro have been released, anyone has a change of heart and now would like to upgrade from 13/13 Pro?
No. I have never done annual upgrades and my 13 Pro Max is still pretty much state of the art. Well next to it anyway. Still solid battery wise. Runs fast, great photos etc. The 14 Dynamic Island looks cool but not enough to upgrade. That’s me though.
 
Now that the 14/14 Pro have been released, anyone has a change of heart and now would like to upgrade from 13/13 Pro?
No not at all. Effectively my 13 Pro just became this year’s 14 (non pro) although it still keeps a few niceties like Pro-motion and the 3x telephoto for itself. The fact that the 14 is reusing the very same chip from my phone suggests that it’ll be supported for a good long time yet, which is great.

The 14 Pro of course has slightly better cameras and the always on screen as expected, those will be nice to have one day but are in no way worth the upgrade right now. The “dynamic island” is a neat trick but I’m one of those who has never, ever had any issue with the notch!
 
No not at all. Effectively my 13 Pro just became this year’s 14 (non pro) although it still keeps a few niceties like Pro-motion and the 3x telephoto for itself. The fact that the 14 is reusing the very same chip from my phone suggests that it’ll be supported for a good long time yet, which is great.

The 14 Pro of course has slightly better cameras and the always on screen as expected, those will be nice to have one day but are in no way worth the upgrade right now. The “dynamic island” is a neat trick but I’m one of those who has never, ever had any issue with the notch!

Well I never had an issue with the OG notch to begin with so Dynamic Island, as cool and trendy it will be, is not something that I want now. Happy to keep my 13 PM for another year or two.
 
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Forget about 13. After seeing these European prices, I have half a mind to try and push my iPhone 8 for yet another year instead of upgrading this year like I was fully intending on doing before the event.

I can actually get a US model for myself through family, which would be more reasonably priced, but as a frequent international traveller no physical SIM is just an absolute deal breaker until things change in the wider world enough to support that.

I have my tiny travel pouch with various SIM cards from around the world that takes me 30 seconds to swap between. I have no interest in complicating that process until I absolutely need to.
 
So we are about two months away from the annual iPhone event and I’m sure I’m not the inky one who’s excited about it.

With that said, I’ll skip the 14 PM since I just got my 13 PM and intend to keep it for 2-3 years because it’s just a phenomenal iPhone. It’s the peak of the iPhone X design and function. It’s about time I give my bank account a break for a couple of years since I’m settled into the 2021 flagships in the forms of 13 PM, Ti S7 and the M1 Pro.

Who else is gonna skip the 14 (any models) and why?
It's almost never worthwhile to upgrade from the previous model. New iPhones are never really intended to woo people who have last year's model, since it's usually just last year's phone with 1 or 2 new features and few people are pushing their phone so hard that they need a faster processor after 1 year. They're made for people who haven't upgraded in 2-3 years or more.

So I think the question should be, who's actually upgrading from a 13 series phone and why?
 
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