Help! iPhone 5 now or...

[rockarollr]

My wife and I are both in need of new phones. Our phones are the original iPhone 4 and the home buttons on each one *might* work every 3 or 4 presses. Needless to say we're more than tired of the wonky home buttons on both iPhones. The thing I have a problem with is buying the iPhone 5 and having technology that is nearly to the halfway point of its lifecycle, then having to live with it for the next 22 to 24 months because of the obligation of a 2-year contract. If we had the cash up front to purchase unlocked (and not under contract) units, we would. But, alas, we don't have that kind of disposable income just laying around that we could part with at once. Also, for those that would suggest it, subsidizing one iPhone 5 and purchasing the other at full price is also not an option for us at this point in time.

I would much rather wait it out and get something newer (and with a larger screen) if I could convince the wife to wait, too. The problem is, she's insisting she can't live with the wonky home button another day. I, personally, could wait it out another 5 or 6 months if I had to. Our other option, of course, is to get her the iPhone 5 she wants now and for me to go with a (I know, I know!) Samsung Galaxy Note II. I have been looking at those, too.

Is the iPhone 5s right around the corner? Is there going to be a larger iPhone with a 5" screen soon? Would I be making a mistake (or a not-so-wise decision) buying an iPhone 5 for the both of us right now?

Decisions, decisions. Any suggestions? Anyone?

[Spink10]

Do you have an Apple store in your city? If yes - setup an appointment and see if they will fix your home button - (though not Apple's official policies my friend had an out of warranty iPhone replaced because of a home button problem). Worth a shot - then you dont need to worry about waiting.

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Inquire how much it would cost or if they replace these out of warranty - hint hint

[rockarollr]

Thanks for the suggestion, Spink. While there is an Apple store about 35 miles away from us, I don't think the wife would go for simply getting the home button fixed. She's pretty insistent that it's time for a new phone.

I'm pretty much stuck with getting her a new iPhone 5 now, which she'd be perfectly happy with. I'm just very indecisive about what to do for myself. It's me that's grappling with whether or not to settle for what I feel is a phone that's nearly ready to take the back seat to something newer and more advanced. Being stuck with an obsolete phone for 18 months is a hard pill for me to swallow, being the techie that I am. Knowing that going in makes it even harder!

[Giuly]

Calling the iPhone 5 obsolete six month before the 5S comes out is a bit harsh. It's not like you run simulations to cure cancer or something like that on it. Or... do you?

That said, the iPhone 5 is amazing, fast enough for everything you throw at it and it has a great camera. If you need a phone now, go for it. If the iPhone 5S release will be anything like the iPhone 5 release, most likely you won't have one before November anyways.

Just get the iPhone 5. It's just great, and it will be in 18 month, too.

[RedCroissant]

Originally Posted by rockarollr

My wife and I are both in need of new phones. Our phones are the original iPhone 4 and the home buttons on each one *might* work every 3 or 4 presses. Needless to say we're more than tired of the wonky home buttons on both iPhones. The thing I have a problem with is buying the iPhone 5 and having technology that is nearly to the halfway point of its lifecycle, then having to live with it for the next 22 to 24 months because of the obligation of a 2-year contract. If we had the cash up front to purchase unlocked (and not under contract) units, we would. But, alas, we don't have that kind of disposable income just laying around that we could part with at once. Also, for those that would suggest it, subsidizing one iPhone 5 and purchasing the other at full price is also not an option for us at this point in time.

I would much rather wait it out and get something newer (and with a larger screen) if I could convince the wife to wait, too. The problem is, she's insisting she can't live with the wonky home button another day. I, personally, could wait it out another 5 or 6 months if I had to. Our other option, of course, is to get her the iPhone 5 she wants now and for me to go with a (I know, I know!) Samsung Galaxy Note II. I have been looking at those, too.

Is the iPhone 5s right around the corner? Is there going to be a larger iPhone with a 5" screen soon? Would I be making a mistake (or a not-so-wise decision) buying an iPhone 5 for the both of us right now?

Decisions, decisions. Any suggestions? Anyone?

Are you both required to upgrade at the same time? Why not get her the 5, send me her 4S ;-), then wait and upgrade to the 5S? I personally am not going to upgrade through AT&T because T-mobile's prices are looking better and better every day.

But here's another thought. Could you live with a wonky home button? If so, just trade phones(if they're exactly the same). Then you could take the wonky one to the Apple Store and you then have time to wait for something even better than the 5.

[rockarollr]

I would like to thank each of you all for your replies. We went to the AT&T store (our carrier) and checked out each phone in person. We spent enough time with each phone to know that it was exactly as I suspected... a hard decision. The wife was leaning toward the Samsung phones and I was still on the fence about it. Then, we saw that AT&T had a promotion going on Galaxy smartphones. When we bought the first one at regular price, we could get the second one for $100 less. Needless to say, between the wife's preference, the cost savings and my becoming a bit bored with iOS, we decided to brave it and go with the Samsung phones this time around. The end result was that we both ended up with the Samsung Galaxy Note II.

Should they not serve us well or Apple comes out with something phenomenal once again, we can always switch back. Sometimes branching out and trying something new can be a good thing. Only time will tell.

[rockarollr]

<deleted>

[WhiteIphone5]

Originally Posted by rockarollr

I would like to thank each of you all for your replies. We went to the AT&T store (our carrier) and checked out each phone in person. We spent enough time with each phone to know that it was exactly as I suspected... a hard decision. The wife was leaning toward the Samsung phones and I was still on the fence about it. Then, we saw that AT&T had a promotion going on Galaxy smartphones. When we bought the first one at regular price, we could get the second one for $100 less. Needless to say, between the wife's preference, the cost savings and my becoming a bit bored with iOS, we decided to brave it and go with the Samsung phones this time around. The end result was that we both ended up with the Samsung Galaxy Note II.

Should they not serve us well or Apple comes out with something phenomenal once again, we can always switch back. Sometimes branching out and trying something new can be a good thing. Only time will tell.

how's it going so far? ive had every iphone and the HTC indredible, EVO, Nexus,S3. im thinking note II since iOS is getting boring

[davidg4781]

Isn't the Galaxy S IV supposed to come out in March?

Not to cause trouble or anything, but you were worried about the next iPhone launching in 6 months.

[rockarollr]

@david4781 - I think the Galaxy S IV is supposed to be unveiled in March. I'm hearing that the actual launch won't be happening until close to summer time, however. Had I gotten a Samsung Galaxy S III, that might have concerned me. Being that the Note II is in a category by itself and is a different phone entirely, I wasn't too concerned with the launch of the S IV.

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After 11 days with the Samsung Galaxy Note II (and Android), fumbling to use the gargantuan thing as a phone out in public, numerous times of the phone crashing back to the home screen and just generally not being happy with my decision, I decided to take the Note II back to the AT&T store for an exchange.

I would like to say that I am now the proud owner of a brand new, black and slate, 32 GB iPhone 5. The wife decided she was perfectly happy with her Note II and kept it. My exchange cost me an additional $100 plus tax (I lost the $100 discount for buying a second Samsung smartphone) but I feel that it was, without a doubt, worth the additional cost. I, personally, am happy to have my familiar iOS back and the hole in my home's ecosystem patched back up. Having a Samsung phone in an otherwise entirely Apple world (my home) just didn't work for me. I gave it a try and Samsung showed me why the Apple choice is still superior in many ways. Android has come a long way, but it still feels a bit clunky and unpolished, to me, in comparison to iOS 6.

I feel like I am, once again, content and back where I belong. Again, thanks for all of the replies and input. The feedback was much appreciated.

[Omnius]

Depending on when you got your phones, you may have been still in some sort of warranty. I got dirt cheap like 2.00/month insurance to fix anything on my 4S when I bought the phone. The iphone 4 is really not so ancient as to justify a serious purchase or expenditure.

further, if you've managed to damage the home buttons from pressing too hard too often, you could have probably had it fixed rather cheaply.

[Paskell]

There is suppose to be a cheaper iPhone and a bigger one being made. Apparently the cheap one will have plastic case instead of metal/glass iPhones usually get released around every 6 months

[LaunchpadBS]

Galaxy Note 2...? really? why no buy an ipad mini, you wont be able to fit that in your pockets either