4S is becoming faulty, so I'm now caught in the 'Apple Purchase Dilemma'

You could always buy the 5s unsubsidised (16GB model as they keep their value the best) and sell as soon as the 6 comes out. If you keep the box, accessories and the phone in mint condition, the loss you make should be relatively small - maybe $100-200, depending on where you sell.

Otherwise, you could go the opposite way and try and pick up a cheap (but working) iPhone 3GS or 4, again probably costing you relatively little. This should tide you over until the 6 is released.

However I'd definitely wait and try and get the 6, either by doing one of those things or just waiting it out. It looks like it will be a big upgrade, and it's only three months away now.

cambookpro said:

You could always buy the 5s unsubsidised (16GB model as they keep their value the best) and sell as soon as the 6 comes out. If you keep the box, accessories and the phone in mint condition, the loss you make should be relatively small - maybe $100-200, depending on where you sell.

Otherwise, you could go the opposite way and try and pick up a cheap (but working) iPhone 3GS or 4, again probably costing you relatively little. This should tide you over until the 6 is released.

However I'd definitely wait and try and get the 6, either by doing one of those things or just waiting it out. It looks like it will be a big upgrade, and it's only three months away now.

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I would 100% recommend against paying full price for the iPhone 5s at this time. Absolutely DO NOT PAY FULL PRICE.

You aren't going to lose $100-200 with the 16gb model.

You are going to lose at at least $300 minimum if you pay full $650 plus taxes for the 16gb model with intention to resell it at Sept 2014 launch of new iPhone.

Why?

1. Apple lowers msrp of current top of line iPhone by $100 when they launch new iPhone or phase it out completely fast

2. You are competing with current used iPhone 5S being unloaded. Most will resell at $300-400 at most for the 16gb 5s model. Your "new" 5S with 9 plus month warranty won't command more than a $50 premium over current resell market. N

What I would recommend is if you absolutely need an iPhone for next 3 months to try to buy a used iPhone on Craigslist/eBay.

Most iPhone 5S used 16gb are selling for around $350-400 in excellent condition in the Craigslist market these days. Sometimes u can find huge bargains. I picked up a near perfect verizon factory unlocked iPhone 5s 32gb for $420 last month.

If you are able to pick up a used 5S for $350. You should be able to resell it for $300 easily come September 2014.

So consider the $50 "loss" just a 3 month rental.

That's what I would do. Look for used iPhones on Craigslist.

I recently bought a 16GB 5S through eBay with its original box, all accessories and in impeccable condition for £350. Not too bad considering Apple's RRP would dictate nearly £200 higher for the same product.

So you can definitely get some good deals for 5Ss on eBay -- they're not all that much more than the 4Ss.

I would restore as new just to see if that fixes your problem. If that doesn't work.

3. Pay the 4S replacement price at an Apple store for 100-200 (whatever it is). Then sell it when the 6 comes out and upgrade to the 6.

You'll be selling a virtually new iPhone so your get about as good of a price as you can. This will likely cover that 100-200 dollar replacement cost.

Mildredop said:

So my 4S is doing some really weird things - sometimes decides there's so signal when there clearly is, calls don't come through (I just get a voicemail), randomly reboots itself and the phone will often die when the battery is at as much as 35%.

So I need a new phone. It appears I have 2 options:

1. Sell the 4S and buy a 5S. But the 5S is 9 months old and still at full price. In a few months the 6 will come out and I'll have an almost new but suddenly old 5S.

2. Hold out and hope I can cope with the 4S until the 6 comes out at which point my 4S will drop significantly in second-hand value. Plus, there's a chance my 4S will die altogether before the 6 comes out.

Unless there's another option I'm missing?

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Yes. Get an "out of warranty" repair from Apple. Basically, they will give you an identical refurbished 4S at a cost much lower than a normal refurbished phone.

I bought an unlocked google phone for 300 unlocked... this will hold me over until the next iPhone comes out AND I have a phone I can use overseas.

cynics said:

I would restore as new just to see if that fixes your problem. If that doesn't work.

3. Pay the 4S replacement price at an Apple store for 100-200 (whatever it is). Then sell it when the 6 comes out and upgrade to the 6.

You'll be selling a virtually new iPhone so your get about as good of a price as you can. This will likely cover that 100-200 dollar replacement cost.

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It's $199 for 4s replacement out of warranty. Most credit card companies also reimburse double warranty so credit card may cover the out of warranty replacement cost

So Op. Hopefully u purchased with credit card and it's less than 24 months old.

Mildredop said:

So my 4S is doing some really weird things - sometimes decides there's so signal when there clearly is, calls don't come through (I just get a voicemail), randomly reboots itself and the phone will often die when the battery is at as much as 35%.

So I need a new phone. It appears I have 2 options:

1. Sell the 4S and buy a 5S. But the 5S is 9 months old and still at full price. In a few months the 6 will come out and I'll have an almost new but suddenly old 5S.

2. Hold out and hope I can cope with the 4S until the 6 comes out at which point my 4S will drop significantly in second-hand value. Plus, there's a chance my 4S will die altogether before the 6 comes out.

Unless there's another option I'm missing?

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It would suck to buy a 5s right now especially with such a small screen.

iPhone7ate9 said:

It would suck to buy a 5s right now especially with such a small screen.

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Yes because that darn 5S is so unusable and everyone needs a 5"+ smartphone. Exactly! All iPhones that pre-date any iPhone that may hit the market with a large screen are absolute garbage. What an intelligible statement and observation!

OP: If you need a phone then buy it. If you can get by with a non-smart phone or whatever then get the iPhone 6 when it comes out, do that. I mean, your iPhone 5S purchase today, if you were to make it, will still be a solid purchase. I assure you and if possible, i would offer a large sum of money to back this up, that if you buy an iPhone 5S today and the iPhone 6 comes out in 3 more months then your iPhone 5S will function exactly the same way. It will be "old" only because you bought it 3 months ago. The aging process of an iPhone is not somehow expedited because there is a new iPhone on the market.

Mildredop said:

Thanks all for the replies, some good advice.

I bought it over 2yrs ago, although it was faulty and got replaced by Apple - so the handset is less than 2yrs. Does that make a difference?

I think I might get a 2nd hand 5S and then sell it when the 6 comes out. It's all extra annoying because I've moved to a SIM only deal which had 4G - but of course the 4S can't do 4G!

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Yeah, unfortunately the credit card extended warranty only covers 2 years from the original date of purchase. So you won't qualify for the extended warranty.

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GoCubsGo said:

Yes because that darn 5S is so unusable and everyone needs a 5"+ smartphone. Exactly! All iPhones that pre-date any iPhone that may hit the market with a large screen are absolute garbage. What an intelligible statement and observation!

OP: If you need a phone then buy it. If you can get by with a non-smart phone or whatever then get the iPhone 6 when it comes out, do that. I mean, your iPhone 5S purchase today, if you were to make it, will still be a solid purchase. I assure you and if possible, i would offer a large sum of money to back this up, that if you buy an iPhone 5S today and the iPhone 6 comes out in 3 more months then your iPhone 5S will function exactly the same way. It will be "old" only because you bought it 3 months ago. The aging process of an iPhone is not somehow expedited because there is a new iPhone on the market.

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I agree with you for the most part if you plan to keep the iphone 5S for the next two years.

But most of us on these boards think resell value and performance of the phone in addition to "timing of the new iphone" because of the way Apple prices their products. Unless their are sales going on it is just plain stupid to pay $199 on contract for a 16GB iphone 5S today.

I would consider the 5S if it were on sale with a contract like the $79 Walmart 5S pricing these days.

But I would not buy the 5S at $199 contract price. Absolutely do not recommend buying full $650 iphone 5S price either.

Trade it in at Best Buy mobile or get the 5S at Walmart for a reduced price. I traded in my 5 and got $210 for it. I paid a $1.99 for a 32 gig 5S since the prices were reduced $100 for all models.

GoCubsGo said:

Yes because that darn 5S is so unusable and everyone needs a 5"+ smartphone. Exactly! All iPhones that pre-date any iPhone that may hit the market with a large screen are absolute garbage. What an intelligible statement and observation!

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You're right about that, totally how I feel.

iPhone7ate9 said:

You're right about that, totally how I feel.

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That's how you feel. Others may not care as much about screen size.

Tubamajuba said:

That's how you feel. Others may not care as much about screen size.

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Yes, but that's how I feel.

iPhone7ate9 said:

Yes, but that's how I feel.

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I do believe we agree that that's how you feel.

Mildredop said:

So my 4S is doing some really weird things - sometimes decides there's so signal when there clearly is, calls don't come through (I just get a voicemail), randomly reboots itself and the phone will often die when the battery is at as much as 35%.

So I need a new phone. It appears I have 2 options:

1. Sell the 4S and buy a 5S. But the 5S is 9 months old and still at full price. In a few months the 6 will come out and I'll have an almost new but suddenly old 5S.

2. Hold out and hope I can cope with the 4S until the 6 comes out at which point my 4S will drop significantly in second-hand value. Plus, there's a chance my 4S will die altogether before the 6 comes out.

Unless there's another option I'm missing?

Click to expand...

Hold out and cope.

Assuming you are on ATT. Go buy a cheap GoPhone, Nokia 520 $70, to hold you over for iPhone 6.

Restore as new. Solved.

I am in the same boat with my 4S. Restored made no difference. Its doing the same things as OP mentioned. I bought my 4S a little over 2 years ago. I tend to hang onto my phones for a long time and not always buy the newest. I love my 4S but maybe it is time to bite the bullet and buy a 5S and wait till the 6S comes outs and stay on the S cycle.

Get yourself a dumb phone for a few months. Maybe you'd like the freedom it brings.

If I were in your shoes, I would buy a 5S now, then sell it for a nominal loss when the 6 comes out. It sounds like your 4S is on it's last leg. I would sell it before I dies completely.

Finally upgraded to the 5S. My 4S just was not cutting it anymore, it served me well for 2 and a half years. Hopefully I get that out of the 5S and move on the 6S or 7.

I am getting excellent battery life out of my 5S.