Is it worth upgrading constantly anymore?

4G LTE is worth it. Beyond that...

I don't know that it really is ever worth upgrading. I think that if the phone you currently have has been working for you, it will probably continue to work. If it is getting slow enough, or can't do something you need it to, then you should upgrade. If not, it's just throwing money away.

Not worth upgrading especially if you have 4S. ip5 is very similar except lighter and has easily dented/scratched unibody. it is nicer and LTE is faster but if you are happy, not much change. The experience is improved but no so much so that a yearly update is necessary.

By holding out, you will force Apple & its competitors to innovate (which is unlikely) or reduce price (more likely).

Unless you're into stuff like games, the spec boosts won't help much. The iPhone 3G and 4 upgrades were huge because of getting 3G, having a standard headphone jack and then the Retina display. The addition of 4G is awesome if you're in a coverage area, but I can't imagine it's as huge as going from EDGE to 3G.

My main problem with my 4S is I was stupid enough to get a 16GB version. Whenever I upgrade next, I plan to mortgage my house again to get at least a 64GB model.

2 generation skips for me
I dont need lte..other than that, the 5 doesnt offer anything yet.
Next year, the iphone 5s will be a massive improvement over the 4s

teknikal90 said:

Next year, the iphone 5s will be a massive improvement over the 4s

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Massive update for you coming from a 4S, slight upgrade for us with the i5 now.

well speaking in terms of pure speed and speed alone yes it is worth upgrading just watching my wife uploading a pic to FB In the same time I could upload 6 is almost laughable.

Also believe it or not the camera on the 5 is leaps and bounds better in low light than the 4s was

Now if things like this aren't important to you then no upgrading shouldn't be a priority but if you like speed then definitely get the 5 if the 5s doubles the speed again then I would say after that upgrade I would be good for a while.

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and if its a 5s with the 4th gen iPad coming so quick it could be the 6 for real

If you're buying subsidized phones it's worth noting that you're leaving money on the table by not upgrading every two years.

Basically, AT&T (or whoever) is offering you a $500 gift every two years. If you don't take that opportunity you don't get it. You can get your subsidy every 2 years or every 3 or every 4...the amount stays the same no matter when you take it. So if you spread those out further apart you get less savings over time.

Yes, it is one of those "you have to spend to save" kind of things. You do have to pay for the rest of the phone and re-sign up for 2 more years.

So this isn't me telling you that you have to do it. I'm just offering some info to think about if you're really considering going more than 2 years.

sahnjuro said:

ip5 is very similar except lighter and has easily dented/scratched unibody. it is nicer and LTE is faster but if you are happy, not much change.

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I hope that Apple do something fast about the scratch and bend issues or I will have to wait for the 5S

Tilpots said:

4G LTE is worth it. Beyond that...

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It would have been more worth it if it enabled simultaneous voice + LTE data.

I never get why people upgrade yearly.

I'd say most do it as a hobby (a very small percentage does it because they need to for their job or whatever).

Those who think they can catch up to technology are fools.

Small White Car said:

If you're buying subsidized phones it's worth noting that you're leaving money on the table by not upgrading every two years.

Basically, AT&T (or whoever) is offering you a $500 gift every two years. If you don't take that opportunity you don't get it. You can get your subsidy every 2 years or every 3 or every 4...the amount stays the same no matter when you take it. So if you spread those out further apart you get less savings over time.

Yes, it is one of those "you have to spend to save" kind of things. You do have to pay for the rest of the phone and re-sign up for 2 more years.

So this isn't me telling you that you have to do it. I'm just offering some info to think about if you're really considering going more than 2 years.

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This assumes you want to renew a 2-year contract every time it comes due. With grandfathered plans, your logic doesn't always apply. Sometimes it's better to keep your old phone with an older off-contract plan, buy a slightly used phone off of CL or eBay, buy a refurb unit outright, buy an unlocked new phone and screw the subsidy, etc. A $500 subsidy over 2 years comes out to $21/month. If your old plan is better than the new ones offered by $21/month, upgrading via subsidy makes zero sense.

There is never, ever a $500 "gift" waiting for the smart shopper every two years. You have, unfortunately, swallowed the sales reps brochure with that mindset. If its convenient to mentally justify the expense that way for you, have at it. But it's not a "you have to spend to save" thing at all. There are far better ways to save than spending $200 and another $30/month to avoid a one-time capital outlay of $500.

irDigital0l said:

I never get why people upgrade yearly.

I'd say most do it as a hobby (a very small percentage does it because they need to for their job or whatever).

Those who think they can catch up to technology are fools.

Click to expand...

Or they can afford it and just want to get it cause they like the new updates wether that's software or hardware related.

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ReallyBigFeet said:

This assumes you want to renew a 2-year contract every time it comes due. With grandfathered plans, your logic doesn't always apply. Sometimes it's better to keep your old phone with an older off-contract plan, buy a slightly used phone off of CL or eBay, buy a refurb unit outright, buy an unlocked new phone and screw the subsidy, etc. A $500 subsidy over 2 years comes out to $21/month. If your old plan is better than the new ones offered by $21/month, upgrading via subsidy makes zero sense.

There is never, ever a $500 "gift" waiting for the smart shopper every two years. You have, unfortunately, swallowed the sales reps brochure with that mindset. If its convenient to mentally justify the expense that way for you, have at it. But it's not a "you have to spend to save" thing at all. There are far better ways to save than spending $200 and another $30/month to avoid a one-time capital outlay of $500.

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All that is correct if you're on Verizon where you need to pay full price or lose your old plan.
With AT&T you can get a full subsidy and still keep your old plan untouched.
So if you're not taking advantage of those subsidies every 18-20 months you're just wasting them.
Cause your bill will not get any cheaper if you dont upgrade and if you dont plan on leaving the carrier then why not get the new phone?
I know someone that has been with AT&T for over 10 years, dont plan on switching carriers and keeps buying iphones full price or used on ebay for $500-600.
I dont get it why not get them for $199, its not like he's going anywhere
I dont like the idea of contracts or being locked in he says.

ReallyBigFeet said:

This assumes you want to renew a 2-year contract every time it comes due. With grandfathered plans, your logic doesn't always apply. Sometimes it's better to keep your old phone with an older off-contract plan, buy a slightly used phone off of CL or eBay, buy a refurb unit outright, buy an unlocked new phone and screw the subsidy, etc. A $500 subsidy over 2 years comes out to $21/month. If your old plan is better than the new ones offered by $21/month, upgrading via subsidy makes zero sense.

There is never, ever a $500 "gift" waiting for the smart shopper every two years. You have, unfortunately, swallowed the sales reps brochure with that mindset. If its convenient to mentally justify the expense that way for you, have at it. But it's not a "you have to spend to save" thing at all. There are far better ways to save than spending $200 and another $30/month to avoid a one-time capital outlay of $500.

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What are you talking about? I always kept my grandfathered plan when getting a new iPhone with a subsidy and my bill doesn't change.

You seem to be coming up with plans to keep the grandfathered plan, but I don't see why you need a scheme. I always just kept it, no problem.

Applejuiced said:

All that is correct if you're on Verizon where you need to pay full price or lose your old plan.
With AT&T you can get a full subsidy and still keep your old plan untouched.
So if you're not taking advantage of those subsidies every 18-20 months you're just wasting them.

Click to expand...

Ah, thanks for this.

What a surprise, that I didn't realize that Verizon found yet another way to screw their customers. I should have guessed that's what was going on here yet somehow didn't.

Tilpots said:

4G LTE is worth it. Beyond that...

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I agree with this 100%. I will keep me 5 for a while... Now that I'm on lte I don't see the point of upgrading again... But you never know what killer feature apple will add...

wlossw said:

I agree with this 100%. I will keep me 5 for a while... Now that I'm on lte I don't see the point of upgrading again... But you never know what killer feature apple will add...

Click to expand...

agree. and last time i upgraded with an outdated phone by the time, and i swore i would never buy an outdated one ever again. because it is simply a pain for user like me who just use a phone for as long as possible. since i still have $15 data plan with att and i don't use data that much, i'm okay with signing another 2 year contract. but after two years i'm done, i will jump to t-mobile for good.

I am going to use my iPhone 4 until the apps does not work anymore. That is my go signal to get a new one.


Oooopppss.. I hope Apple will not see my comment.

with iPad mini, my iphone 5 becomes a dumb phone now. it's much more enjoyable to work with bigger screen on the iPad mini even though it's still not retina yet.

i think i might skip the next and next generation of iPhone, well at least until 2015.

Here is a scenario where it might be upgrading. This is based on personal experience.

I have an account with 5 lines. 2 of the lines are tied to dumb phones. I can always resell my previous version of iPhone to cover the costs of my new iPhone. I have enough extra lines that I will always have one open for an upgrade for me to use.

Except for my initial costs of buying the iPhones in 08, I have always sold my iPhones for enough money to cover the costs of my new ones. It has been zero out of my pocket for years.

Now here is your other option. You can always buy the new iPhone, leave it new in the box and make a profit. Yes you use up your upgrade but if you are not planning to swap for a couple years, why not help cover your cell phone bill costs.

People said the same thing when the first iPhone came out. There's always room for improvement.

Ya I'm really hoping the gadget nerd in me can hold on for 3yrs with my 5. In fact I'd like to use straighttalk to save money when I finish my contract. I'll use my mini as my gadget addiction.

Upgrading is a matter of choice.

If you cant afford it then why bother?

I also don't feel the need to upgrade from my iPhone 4S.
I haven't updated past iOS 5 so its still pretty fast. Sure its lacking LTE, but 3G is fast enough and my plan is so small (I'm personally fine with it), I don't want to deal with LTE data leaks. I really only use my phone for email, messaging, phone calls, facebook, photobucket, twitter... not so much games or anything. Also the issues with the iPhone 5 are very concerning. Bending, scratching, massive LTE data usage, etc.

The only thing is that its a waste of an upgrade if I don't buy a new phone.

ReallyBigFeet said:

This assumes you want to renew a 2-year contract every time it comes due. With grandfathered plans, your logic doesn't always apply. Sometimes it's better to keep your old phone with an older off-contract plan, buy a slightly used phone off of CL or eBay, buy a refurb unit outright, buy an unlocked new phone and screw the subsidy, etc. A $500 subsidy over 2 years comes out to $21/month. If your old plan is better than the new ones offered by $21/month, upgrading via subsidy makes zero sense.

There is never, ever a $500 "gift" waiting for the smart shopper every two years. You have, unfortunately, swallowed the sales reps brochure with that mindset. If its convenient to mentally justify the expense that way for you, have at it. But it's not a "you have to spend to save" thing at all. There are far better ways to save than spending $200 and another $30/month to avoid a one-time capital outlay of $500.

Click to expand...

actually, at&t would LOVE for you to never upgrade your phone. they pay hundreds of dollars upfront to Apple every iphone that is signed to a new 2 year contract. the price of the plan remains the same regardless of whether you are in a 2 year contract or whether you have completed the contract, so at&t is still earning X amount of money from you, minus the subsidy they pay to apple if you forgo your upgrade

for at&t, the grandfather plan is untouched upon upgrading to a new device. it truly is leaving money on the table if you don't upgrade as soon as you are eligible. i have 4 lines and i have upgraded every time either by re-selling the newly upgraded phone or selling the old phone. the end result is that the it pays to upgrade as long as you're happy with the service. this may change though if more compelling pre-paid plans comes around adequate amounts of data and price, but in the current landscape upgrading as soon as the option is available makes sense