Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Do you sell/buy with every new model, or wait for your upgrade?

Which do you do?

  • Sell my old phone, buy the new iPhone model every year.

    Votes: 27 47.4%

  • Wait for my upgrade, buy whichever phone is best at that time.

    Votes: 17 29.8%

  • Buy new phones every year regardless, because I'm awesome like that.

    Votes: 10 17.5%

  • I still have a 3G, what is this "upgrade" you speak of?

    Votes: 3 5.3%
  • Total voters
    57
Prototypical

Prototypical

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 22, 2011
416
60
Nebraska
Just out of curiosity, do you:

-Sell your old phone and buy the new model every time one is released?

OR

-Wait and buy a new phone only on your scheduled carrier-subsidized upgrade?

OR

-Keep your old phone, and buy new phones every year (like a boss).

As for me: I keep trying to justify selling my 4S to buy something new, but I only upgraded a year ago. I've never purchased a new phone without the upgrade and I'm far too lazy to bother with selling the old phone, finding a temporary phone, and ordering/waiting for the new one. Unless Verizon does something crazy for the Nokia / WP8 release, I suspect I'll wait for the iPhone 5S / 6 / new new NEW iPhone to be released. Or unless you guys can convince me otherwise. :D
 
I wait for my upgrades. I've been lucky in the cycle so far as far as upgrades (specs, design, etc.) go.

Started with the 3G, skipped the 3GS, got the 4, and missed the 4S.

I also skipped the iPad 2 and went from the original to the third gen.
 
I wait for my plan to end, which means I upgrade phones every two years. I'm still on my iPhone 4 and my plan ends in December.

Waiting on the official announcement next Wednesday, but I have a vested interest in iOS (I have several Apple products that I have linked together through iCloud) so I will most likely get the iPhone 5.
 
Excluding the 3Gs (saved for my kids to use as iPods), I've sold every one of my wife's or my iPhones, dating back to the original model, for a profit and was not eligible for a full discount upgrade only once so overall, I've actually made money by choosing the iPhone.
 
I'm not on a cycle per se. If the new phone looks substantially better, I'll buy it.

So far I've had the Original, 3GS and the 4. I'm planning to buy the 5.
 
If the offset from the sale only means I pay about $100, I'll upgrade. Otherwise, I have no problem waiting.
 
cambookpro said:
I'm not on a cycle per se. If the new phone looks substantially better, I'll buy it.

So far I've had the Original, 3GS and the 4. I'm planning to buy the 5.
Click to expand...

As much as some people gripe about the "marginal improvements" between models, it actually works out nicely for people who skip generations (like yourself). If you wait two years, you're getting a pretty heavily upgraded phone as a reward for your patience. If you upgrade every year, it may not be worth the time, effort and money to switch.
 
Wait for upgrade. Didn't feel the need to upgrade 4 to 4S however the next one should have more new features in the hardware.
 
I've sold my current iPhone and used the money to help fund the new model twice. My current next upgrade is Jan 10, and this time I'm not sure if I'll upgrade to the new iPhone or not.
 
I've been on the "new every two" cycle as well. 3G to 4 to 5? :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
I wait for my upgrade. Even then I don't necessarily use it. I didn't upgrade to the 4s from my 4 as I didn't think it was worth it.
 
My first iphone was the 4; it was the release I needed to finally convince me to leave T-Mobile.

I bought the 4S because my upgrade came 2 weeks after it was released. I picked up the 4S at BestBuy (to keep my RewardsZone points going) and they bought back my 4; and the whole thing ended up being a wash pricewise--with the exception that I picked up a few accessories.

This time, my upgrade doesn't come til June. I dont' really want to wait, so I'm tempted to repeat the same cycle but just pay the silly 200.00 it will end up being when they buyback my 4S for 250. I'll probably always get the current model just because it would seem the resale value of a 2-gen old phone wouldn't cover the cost of the upgrade.
 
I have a good system to keep getting the new version every year. I added my wife on my plan last year in order to upgrade to the 4s. So now every year I can upgrade for 199. This year my 2 year contract is up and next year my wife's 2 year contract is up. A revolving door of new iphones!:)
 
Jnyce said:
I have a good system to keep getting the new version every year. I added my wife on my plan last year in order to upgrade to the 4s. So now every year I can upgrade for 199. This year my 2 year contract is up and next year my wife's 2 year contract is up. A revolving door of new iphones!:)
Click to expand...
But what happens the year when the wife decides that SHE wants the new iPhone? ;)
 
I get the upgrade and keep my old device as a backup. I can't be without a phone for more than a few hours (work requirement) so if my phone happens to fall in a puddle or something on Friday night, I need a phone before Monday.
 
I paid the extra money to upgrade from the 4 to 4S. I was like 8 months away from being able to upgrade.

But I sold my 4 to one of those phone recycling websites and got like £120 for it. Ended up actually profiting as well as getting the new handset.
 
Last time my carrier charged £20 for every month remaining on your contract. I have 15 months left.. So that's £300 to buyout and upgrade early.

But I can sell my iPhone4s back through a recycling scheme for £270. So I'm only paying like £30.
 
In the past I have kept my iPhones and passed them down to my kids. However, I just sold my Black factory unlocked 4S and will probably do the same with my new White 4S if I do decide to get the new iPhone this year.

Sent from my iPhone 4S via Tapatalk
 
Prototypical said:
As much as some people gripe about the "marginal improvements" between models, it actually works out nicely for people who skip generations (like yourself). If you wait two years, you're getting a pretty heavily upgraded phone as a reward for your patience. If you upgrade every year, it may not be worth the time, effort and money to switch.
Click to expand...

I know, that bit of waiting eventually pays off!
Can't wait for Siri in my next phone! :D
 
For those of you who sell, what do you do while you wait for the new phone to release / ship? Do you keep a backup smart phone to use, or do you just go without for a few weeks?
 
I buy a new phone everyyear and pass my old phone off to my mom (don't laugh at me). So she just get's my previous iPhone and I get the new one, everyone is happy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back