Should I get new iPhone?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Jags4186
Posts: 8198
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by Jags4186 »

CrazyCatLady wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 7:38 pm
Jags4186 wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:21 am Seems crazy to me to be using a 6 year old phone but I suppose if you just talk and occasionally text it is fine.

My experience is that if you’re someone who uses a prepaid carrier—which if you’re single or a couple is usually price advantageous—the sweet spot to upgrade is near every single year. Apple has been giving such large trade in values for prior year phones, you basically can always have the latest and greatest for about $380/yr. And if you’re only spending $15-$20/mo on phone service you can practically always have the newest phone for roughly $50/mo all in.

If you’re someone who uses a postpaid carrier and have multiple lines (4 or 5 phones per account) the sweet spot seems to be very 2 years if you’re willing to hop between providers every 2 years. I mean, T-Mobile is giving $1000 trade in value for 2 year old phones. If you have like 5 people on a plan you can get yourself $5000 worth of free phones and service that costs $50/mo. Plus you’ll be getting things like Netflix, AppleTV+, etc.
I have a 5.5 year old android phone that is still in mint condition (rarely out of its case) and just bought a new phone only because they stopped doing updates about a year or so ago and I was worried about security. I switched to the iPhone because of the guaranteed five years of updates and will likely hold on to it for at least that long (with the caveat that I may trade in earlier if they add touch ID and USB-C).

Which prepaid carriers offer such large trade in discounts? I looked before buying my phone and the best I found was the $200 GC and free AirPods from Visible.
You can get a trade in direct through Apple with the added benefit of saving sales tax on the trade in offset. Apple doesn’t accept non iPhone trade ins.

A 5.5 year old android phone in mint condition is still a 5.5 year old phone. I agree that there’s not much performance difference between an iPhone 12 and iPhone 14 but there is a massive gulf between a iPhone 7 and an iPhone 14.
Fremdon Ferndock
Posts: 1181
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2021 11:26 am

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by Fremdon Ferndock »

Jags4186 wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 7:13 am
CrazyCatLady wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 7:38 pm
Jags4186 wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:21 am Seems crazy to me to be using a 6 year old phone but I suppose if you just talk and occasionally text it is fine.

My experience is that if you’re someone who uses a prepaid carrier—which if you’re single or a couple is usually price advantageous—the sweet spot to upgrade is near every single year. Apple has been giving such large trade in values for prior year phones, you basically can always have the latest and greatest for about $380/yr. And if you’re only spending $15-$20/mo on phone service you can practically always have the newest phone for roughly $50/mo all in.

If you’re someone who uses a postpaid carrier and have multiple lines (4 or 5 phones per account) the sweet spot seems to be very 2 years if you’re willing to hop between providers every 2 years. I mean, T-Mobile is giving $1000 trade in value for 2 year old phones. If you have like 5 people on a plan you can get yourself $5000 worth of free phones and service that costs $50/mo. Plus you’ll be getting things like Netflix, AppleTV+, etc.
I have a 5.5 year old android phone that is still in mint condition (rarely out of its case) and just bought a new phone only because they stopped doing updates about a year or so ago and I was worried about security. I switched to the iPhone because of the guaranteed five years of updates and will likely hold on to it for at least that long (with the caveat that I may trade in earlier if they add touch ID and USB-C).

Which prepaid carriers offer such large trade in discounts? I looked before buying my phone and the best I found was the $200 GC and free AirPods from Visible.
You can get a trade in direct through Apple with the added benefit of saving sales tax on the trade in offset. Apple doesn’t accept non iPhone trade ins.

A 5.5 year old android phone in mint condition is still a 5.5 year old phone. I agree that there’s not much performance difference between an iPhone 12 and iPhone 14 but there is a massive gulf between a iPhone 7 and an iPhone 14.
I just did this with a new Apple phone, and there was no trade-in sales tax offset. Buying the phone from Apple and the trade-in are two separate transactions. I paid sales tax on the full price of the phone from Apple. Some other company sends you a prepaid shipping box that you use to send in your trade-in phone. Not sure they are even Apple. What you actually receive can vary from the quote. I got a little more than the quote because my phone was pristine.
"Risk is what’s left over when you think you’ve thought of everything." ~ Morgan Housel
Jags4186
Posts: 8198
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by Jags4186 »

Fremdon Ferndock wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 12:28 pm
Jags4186 wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 7:13 am
CrazyCatLady wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 7:38 pm
Jags4186 wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:21 am Seems crazy to me to be using a 6 year old phone but I suppose if you just talk and occasionally text it is fine.

My experience is that if you’re someone who uses a prepaid carrier—which if you’re single or a couple is usually price advantageous—the sweet spot to upgrade is near every single year. Apple has been giving such large trade in values for prior year phones, you basically can always have the latest and greatest for about $380/yr. And if you’re only spending $15-$20/mo on phone service you can practically always have the newest phone for roughly $50/mo all in.

If you’re someone who uses a postpaid carrier and have multiple lines (4 or 5 phones per account) the sweet spot seems to be very 2 years if you’re willing to hop between providers every 2 years. I mean, T-Mobile is giving $1000 trade in value for 2 year old phones. If you have like 5 people on a plan you can get yourself $5000 worth of free phones and service that costs $50/mo. Plus you’ll be getting things like Netflix, AppleTV+, etc.
I have a 5.5 year old android phone that is still in mint condition (rarely out of its case) and just bought a new phone only because they stopped doing updates about a year or so ago and I was worried about security. I switched to the iPhone because of the guaranteed five years of updates and will likely hold on to it for at least that long (with the caveat that I may trade in earlier if they add touch ID and USB-C).

Which prepaid carriers offer such large trade in discounts? I looked before buying my phone and the best I found was the $200 GC and free AirPods from Visible.
You can get a trade in direct through Apple with the added benefit of saving sales tax on the trade in offset. Apple doesn’t accept non iPhone trade ins.

A 5.5 year old android phone in mint condition is still a 5.5 year old phone. I agree that there’s not much performance difference between an iPhone 12 and iPhone 14 but there is a massive gulf between a iPhone 7 and an iPhone 14.
I just did this with a new Apple phone, and there was no trade-in sales tax offset. Buying the phone from Apple and the trade-in are two separate transactions. I paid sales tax on the full price of the phone from Apple. Some other company sends you a prepaid shipping box that you use to send in your trade-in phone. Not sure they are even Apple. What you actually receive can vary from the quote. I got a little more than the quote because my phone was pristine.
When you receive the trade in amount you are credited the trade in plus the sales tax on that amount. If you have 7% sales tax and you get a $100 trade in value, you will receive a $107 credit. That explains your "pristine" iPhone trade in amount.

They tell you this when you process the trade in:

Image
Fremdon Ferndock
Posts: 1181
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2021 11:26 am

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by Fremdon Ferndock »

I'll see if I can retrieve my trade-in statement. Maybe the reason I got more than the quote was because I some sales tax refund too.

I checked the amount of the refund (don't have a statement) and it exceeded the trade-in quote by pretty close to the sales tax rate in my area, so that's probably what happened -- they refund the amount of sales tax on the trade-in price. I just thought they were being nice. I stand corrected.
"Risk is what’s left over when you think you’ve thought of everything." ~ Morgan Housel
strbrd
Posts: 109
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2013 8:39 am

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by strbrd »

I have an original SE. I'm tentatively planning to buy a new one around Black Friday or pre-Christmas with a deal. I have a new SE for work though, and don't love it. Maybe a 13 mini?
Jags4186
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Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by Jags4186 »

strbrd wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:43 pm I have an original SE. I'm tentatively planning to buy a new one around Black Friday or pre-Christmas with a deal. I have a new SE for work though, and don't love it. Maybe a 13 mini?
For a light user who keeps phones a long time it may make sense to get the largest phone vs the smallest phone. A light user should get 2 days out of a charge on a “Max” or “Plus” sized iPhone 14. My wife has a 13 mini and has to charge during the day. Charging 2x a day vs every 2 days means your battery should degrade roughly 4x faster. Of course it is not terribly expensive to replace the battery.
strbrd
Posts: 109
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Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by strbrd »

Jags4186 wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:48 pm
strbrd wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:43 pm I have an original SE. I'm tentatively planning to buy a new one around Black Friday or pre-Christmas with a deal. I have a new SE for work though, and don't love it. Maybe a 13 mini?
For a light user who keeps phones a long time it may make sense to get the largest phone vs the smallest phone. A light user should get 2 days out of a charge on a “Max” or “Plus” sized iPhone 14. My wife has a 13 mini and has to charge during the day. Charging 2x a day vs every 2 days means your battery should degrade roughly 4x faster. Of course it is not terribly expensive to replace the battery.
size (smallest) is probably my top priority, not battery life. i can charge at my computer at work, no big deal at all. i've replaced my current phone's battery; wasn't terribly expensive or difficult.
Topic Author
mbres60
Posts: 1303
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 1:47 pm

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by mbres60 »

strbrd wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:43 pm I have an original SE. I'm tentatively planning to buy a new one around Black Friday or pre-Christmas with a deal. I have a new SE for work though, and don't love it. Maybe a 13 mini?
May I ask why you don't love it?

For those who don't like charging the battery every day... when you say you do it during the day, what do you do at night? I charge mine at night while I sleep. I don't need to charge it during the day except on a rare occasion.
Topic Author
mbres60
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Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 1:47 pm

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by mbres60 »

Jags4186 wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:48 pm
strbrd wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:43 pm I have an original SE. I'm tentatively planning to buy a new one around Black Friday or pre-Christmas with a deal. I have a new SE for work though, and don't love it. Maybe a 13 mini?
For a light user who keeps phones a long time it may make sense to get the largest phone vs the smallest phone. A light user should get 2 days out of a charge on a “Max” or “Plus” sized iPhone 14. My wife has a 13 mini and has to charge during the day. Charging 2x a day vs every 2 days means your battery should degrade roughly 4x faster. Of course it is not terribly expensive to replace the battery.
Is your wife a heavy user? Charging 2x/day sounds like a lot to me.
Jags4186
Posts: 8198
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by Jags4186 »

mbres60 wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 6:51 pm
Jags4186 wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:48 pm
strbrd wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:43 pm I have an original SE. I'm tentatively planning to buy a new one around Black Friday or pre-Christmas with a deal. I have a new SE for work though, and don't love it. Maybe a 13 mini?
For a light user who keeps phones a long time it may make sense to get the largest phone vs the smallest phone. A light user should get 2 days out of a charge on a “Max” or “Plus” sized iPhone 14. My wife has a 13 mini and has to charge during the day. Charging 2x a day vs every 2 days means your battery should degrade roughly 4x faster. Of course it is not terribly expensive to replace the battery.
Is your wife a heavy user? Charging 2x/day sounds like a lot to me.
I’m not saying she goes from 100 to 0 to 100 to 0 every day. But I frequently see her coming home from work with it down at 20%. I’m sure she is streaming Spotify most of the day.
strbrd
Posts: 109
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2013 8:39 am

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by strbrd »

mbres60 wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 6:49 pm
strbrd wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:43 pm I have an original SE. I'm tentatively planning to buy a new one around Black Friday or pre-Christmas with a deal. I have a new SE for work though, and don't love it. Maybe a 13 mini?
May I ask why you don't love it?

For those who don't like charging the battery every day... when you say you do it during the day, what do you do at night? I charge mine at night while I sleep. I don't need to charge it during the day except on a rare occasion.
I just often forget at night, and I now use my phone for work (2FA login codes, mainly, now that I have my work phone) so it's right in front of me, near the plugs.

The new SE is bigger and more awkward in my hand. So far I can't discern any better-quality photos. Icons look unnecessarily large. Dunno, dumb stuff. I really like smaller phones.
Topic Author
mbres60
Posts: 1303
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 1:47 pm

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by mbres60 »

strbrd wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 7:00 pm
mbres60 wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 6:49 pm
strbrd wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:43 pm I have an original SE. I'm tentatively planning to buy a new one around Black Friday or pre-Christmas with a deal. I have a new SE for work though, and don't love it. Maybe a 13 mini?
May I ask why you don't love it?

For those who don't like charging the battery every day... when you say you do it during the day, what do you do at night? I charge mine at night while I sleep. I don't need to charge it during the day except on a rare occasion.
I just often forget at night, and I now use my phone for work (2FA login codes, mainly, now that I have my work phone) so it's right in front of me, near the plugs.

The new SE is bigger and more awkward in my hand. So far I can't discern any better-quality photos. Icons look unnecessarily large. Dunno, dumb stuff. I really like smaller phones.
Thanks. I have small hands too so something to think about.
livesoft
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Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: Should I get new iPhone?

Post by livesoft »

quantAndHold wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 3:03 pm
livesoft wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:45 am
finite_difference wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:47 amThose trade-ins aren’t “free”. The carriers lock you into a 2-year contract and include various fees to make up the price of the phone.
My phones are unlocked and in my personal case had nothing to do with carrier. I only point this out because I think what you mentioned is typical, but is not always the case.
Nobody just gives out a phone for free with no strings attached. If you really, truly, honestly got a new phone for free with no strings attached, it was by a method that isn’t available to OP. So the advice to get a free phone somewhere isn’t really actionable.
Ha! -> https://www.androidpolice.com/200-free- ... -best-buy/
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