Should I buy a new iPhone 4 or 5?

[Arnezie]

With technology you never I mean never buy old. Always buy newest you can afford. Fools buy old only to then realize in 6-8 months its so obsolete it ruins the experience of enjoying it. If you got the 200 buy the 5 if you don't have it save it and buy the 5

[Datafreak]

Originally Posted by DoNoHarm

Hey people, are the iPhone 5's worth it?

I have an old iPhone4 that I'm happy with and I'm out of contract with AT&T. Since I live and work in buildings that have AT&T antennas above them, I know I'm going to stick with AT&T for the next two years. Therefore, it makes sense for me to sell my existing iPhone 4 for $200 and either

1) buy a new iPhone 4 for $0 (and pocket the 200)

or

2) buy the new iPhone 5 with the 200.

I don't care about Siri, the camera, or the increased size of the iPhone 5. Frankly, I'm even a little worried about the aluminum scuffing on the iphone 5 and I'm annoyed about the adaptor change. Yet obviously it's a newer phone that won't be obsolete, etc. etc.

For those who bought the iphone 5, which option would you recommend? Thanks guys!

You pretty much answered your own question.

[bisnicks]

Originally Posted by iClive

Subjective but some do like the longer but same width screen.

Is there any evidence about this yet?

How is a better screen subjective? It has 40% better contrast, it's not just taller.

Yes. On 3G it way outperforms the 4/4S. On 4G LTE it's about the same as what the 4/4S had. I'd say that's improvement.

[breezie]

Originally Posted by iClive

Thank you for taking the time to put the whole thing into perspective.

How could anyone possibly perceive the 4/4S (under contract) being the correct purchase?. If the OP is set on buying a phone, the 5 is the only logical choice. His current options are getting a $200 phone for $0 or a $600 phone for $200. What he does with the 5 after he buys it (keep or sell and get a 4/4s) is another discussion.

Imagine you're in the market for a new car and you have the choice between a free Honda Civic or $5000 for an antique roaster (valued $100k). Arguing on how you need a reliable car like the Honda to drive daily would in no way justify it as being the correct purchase.

The only reason this logic would fail is if the buyer of the phone was rich and valued the time needed to sell a phone and buy another more than the amount he'd be saving. However, if you're making $400/hr- you really shouldn't be asking the original question in the first place.

[brando123b]

Coming from a 4, the 5 is a massive update. Everything is near instant now. Many things which I thought were slow due to 3G, were actually slow because the phone was outdated.

5 > all.

[mKTank]

Originally Posted by brando123b

Coming from a 4, the 5 is a massive update. Everything is near instant now. Many things which I thought were slow due to 3G, were actually slow because the phone was outdated.

5 > all.

Oh yeah, that's another thing. Don't know why I forgot. The 4's 3G connectivity is trash. iTunes Match almost never smoothly worked at all. The 4S fixed this but the 5 goes a step further with LTE.


But nooooo the iPhone 4 is still gooood lemme tell you about my .6mbit download speeds and how you're stuck with it for the next 3 years.

[imbogus1]

Buy the 5 !!! Incredible performance

[dejo]

Mod Note: This thread was closed for clean up off off-topic bickering and insults. Now that it's reopened, please stay on topic and within the rules or it will be closed again and those violating the rules will be punished. Thank you.

[iClive]

Good call! Thanks

[daveathall]

I would sell the iP4 for 200 and get a iPhone 5 on contract for the 200, I would then sell the iPhone 5 for 5 or 6 hundred and then buy a 4S for a couple of hundred which would give me a new, more up to date phone and some money in my pocket.

That is assuming that I didn't need the features on the 5.

[FieldingMellish]

Nothing wrong with old tech if you save a bundle and are not hamstrung by the difference. Which means it is about what the buyer expects of a device. One thing is for certain - besides saving, you won't be the one working out the bugs.

I own Macs of all kinds of vintages plus the newer models. The old ones still word process, email, edit images, and all kinds of stuff. Same with the phone. A 4 or 4s will still make calls, do email, text, take pics and whatever else.

[QCassidy352]

5 is better in just about every way. It will also seem that much better in two years, when it can run (some of) iOS 8, while the 4 probably won't see an update past iOS 6.

[DoNoHarm]

Thanks for all the replies people! I've decided that I'm going for the 4s, as many people on this forum suggested. The primary factor behind my decision was the Siri functionality and the fact that the smaller form factor fits into this nook I use in my car, is more pleasant to hold, and will scratch less easily. In the long run, even if the iphone 5 cost $0 and I had to pay $100 more for the 4s, over two years, $100 is irrelevant.

[iClive]

A sensible and well reasoned decision IMHO

[VandyChem2009]

Originally Posted by DoNoHarm

Thanks for all the replies people! I've decided that I'm going for the 4s, as many people on this forum suggested. The primary factor behind my decision was the Siri functionality and the fact that the smaller form factor fits into this nook I use in my car, is more pleasant to hold, and will scratch less easily. In the long run, even if the iphone 5 cost $0 and I had to pay $100 more for the 4s, over two years, $100 is irrelevant.

Well I hope you aren't one of those people that like to be up to date because buying the 4s at this point and signing a 2 year contract will have you keeping that until the iPhone 6. If you don't care about being current you are better off with the 4s.

[pnoyblazed]

if you don't have an iPhone 5 by now, you might as well wait for the 5S or the 6.. the iPhone 5 is already old news

typical shelf life of smart phones is ~3-4 months

[pommie82]

Best thing to do wait for the 5s to come and when one comes available just put your name on one there no point going back in hardware its just pointless because at the end of day things get out of date no matter what.

[Jordan921]

Buy the 5! You'll be very happy.

[DoNoHarm]

Originally Posted by dejo

Mod Note: This thread was closed for clean up off off-topic bickering and insults. Now that it's reopened, please stay on topic and within the rules or it will be closed again and those violating the rules will be punished. Thank you.

Wow, ha ha. Such drama for a simple question!

[VandyChem2009]

Originally Posted by DoNoHarm

Wow, ha ha. Such drama for a simple question!

LOL punished.

[Bahroo]

Originally Posted by iClive

Subjective but some do like the longer but same width screen.

Is there any evidence about this yet?

Yeah I get 6 hours of LTE browsing when I would get only 6 hours of 3G on my old iPhone 4. The A6 chip is built on a 32nm design as compared to the 45nm on the A4 chip in the iPhone 5. The faster you can do something on a phone , the less the processor will be on so...its not like the battery life is much better its a little better..BUT THATS with LTE, a bigger screen etc and the battery capacity it self is about the same as the previous two iPhones and considering all that, its quite damm amazing.

----------

Originally Posted by DoNoHarm

Thanks for all the replies people! I've decided that I'm going for the 4s, as many people on this forum suggested. The primary factor behind my decision was the Siri functionality and the fact that the smaller form factor fits into this nook I use in my car, is more pleasant to hold, and will scratch less easily. In the long run, even if the iphone 5 cost $0 and I had to pay $100 more for the 4s, over two years, $100 is irrelevant.

My 5 does not have any scratches on it, I suggest you should get the white 5 as it doesnt have a anodized coating like the black 5. (Btw i have a black 5 and itbis still pristine)

[BiggAW]

Originally Posted by Minhimalism

If you really want an iPhone 4, buy a 5, sell it, buy a 4 used, and pocket a LOT more than $200 saved.

^^^ This. But I'd keep my options open, and only upgrade to the latest LTE phone. LTE is coming, and coming fast, even on AT&T, so it's foolish to lock into something that doesn't have it unless you get a lot of $$$ for flipping an iPhone 5.

[Minhimalism]

Originally Posted by BiggAW

^^^ This. But I'd keep my options open, and only upgrade to the latest LTE phone. LTE is coming, and coming fast, even on AT&T, so it's foolish to lock into something that doesn't have it unless you get a lot of $$$ for flipping an iPhone 5.

Yup it's better to just be future-proof (for a while) and not have to upgrade your phone later. T-Mobile doesn't even have LTE yet but I'm very ready and eager for them to launch it next year!

[Beeplance]

As long as it can satisfy your needs, I'll say go ahead with an iPhone 4 if you want. I'm actually considering a second-hand iPhone 4 as well, since all I want is a functional phone that works. The fastest & the latest doesn't appeal to me that much even though I know the iPhone 5 is one of the best device available right now.

[BiggAW]

Originally Posted by Minhimalism

Yup it's better to just be future-proof (for a while) and not have to upgrade your phone later. T-Mobile doesn't even have LTE yet but I'm very ready and eager for them to launch it next year!

Exactly. If you're using an upgrade, you should only get the latest and greatest, considering a $100 difference is a small percentage of what you're paying for service over two years. I got the 4S the day it came out, and I sort of have 5 envy. However, the lack of a jailbreak, Google Maps, cheap charger cables, and Lifeproof case accessories is holding me back. Plus, I don't want to have to re-buy all the Lifeproof stuff, that's like another $150 on top of $100 for new charger cables (RIP-OFF) and $400 for the upgrade.