iPhone 14 Pro Advice on upgrade plan for 13 mini -> 14 pro -> 16

[Drosera]

I'm going travelling for 6 months and my 13 mini just isn't cutting it with battery life and the camera. I therefore want to sell it and get a refurb iPhone 14 pro for my trip instead. Then consider getting an iPhone 16 when I'm back.

I'd love some advice on best way to go about it! Current plan:

1. Wait for iPhone 16 to drop in Sept, hoping prices drop for iPhone 14 Pro refurbs.
2. Buy 'like new' refurb iPhone 14 pro from GiffGaff for around £670 (hopefully less)
3. Sell iPhone 13 mini on Backmarket for around £235 (probably less)
4. When I come back from traveling in Feb 2025, consider trading in Iphone 14 Pro for an iPhone 16 (I really want the USB C and AI functionality). Hoping I'll have kept the 14 Pro in like new condition so can get full trade in price for it from Apple.

One consideration is I'll be in Germany for September, instead of the UK. So might have to look for German alternatives to Giffgaff & Backmarket.

Am I missing anything? Any better ideas?

Thanks in advance!

 

[now i see it]

You’ll save the most money by just buying a good condition used iPhone 14 instead of a refurbished unit.
When you sell it in a month you should be able to sell it for about the same price you purchased it.

A refurbished iPhone will have a built in premium added to it which you’ll lose during resale

 

[Drosera]

You’ll save the most money by just buying a good condition used iPhone 14 instead of a refurbished unit.
When you sell it in a month you should be able to sell it for about the same price you purchased it.

A refurbished iPhone will have a built in premium added to it which you’ll lose during resale

Where would you recommend getting a good condition iPhone 14 Pro from and for how much? And then where would I sell it afterwards?

 

[Drosera]

I've had a look at eBay and it seems difficult to find a 'like new' condition iPhone 14 Pro for under £600, so the £670 from GiffGaff with its warranty and extra checks seems like a good deal to me?

 

[Eric_WVGG]

fellow Mini fan here with an oddball opinion: I think you should try the iPhone 15+.

I think the mid-sized iPhone represents the "worst of both worlds." It's too big to be a nice handheld device, and too small to be a useful pocket tablet.

Before the Mini came out, I switched from an iPhone SE to a 10S Max. I actually really liked it, it was like an iPad Mini Mini. But of course I switched to iPhone Mini immediately.

If you're already planning on getting a 16 later down the road, just give the 15+ a try today. You'll love the battery life, and might wind up seeing things my way. If you hate it, the 16 Pro is just a few weeks away.

 

[dathomso]

15 Plus has great 1x/2x camera, battery life is much better than 15 Pro (so should best 14 Pro as well), and it is lighter than 14 Pro with similar display to 13 Mini, only larger... Love my 13 Mini but for extended travel, 15 Plus makes way more sense.

 

[Drosera]

Thanks for the suggestions... take your point that 15 plus is around same weight as 14 pro - but doesn't it cost more? Also I don't know if 15 plus will slip into shorts pockets as easily...

I just want an improved camera to capture memories/wildlife spottings (macro will be great for this!) and a battery that lasts the day. Incase I lose/break it, plus as it'll be only for 6 months, I just want these upgrades for the cheapest price hence iphone 14 pro seems a good option, especially once the 16 is out. Does that make sense?

If the 15 plus camera is as good or better than 14 pro and it's the same price or cheaper, maybe I'd consider it. But I don't want a massive jump in size from mini either... hmmm

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I travelled recently with my 13pm (+ an old 6 as a backup just in case). Over a week in NYC, I signed up for uber, hotels, events & some trendy $&!#bag barcoded restaurant nonsense. During those signups, the power & speed to load the endless web services was useful. In every other moment of that trip, I either hated the bulk of that giant brick swinging around in my pocket, pulling my shorts down running to catch a ride, & being a hassle to accidentally sit on with hands full, OR, I’d already switched the sim card back to the slowwww 6. Smaller is better for travelling. That said, I also travel with a nikon z7 in a jacket pocket/bag, but.. thats different.

 

[Drosera]

Just reading this: https://nanoreview.net/en/phone-compare/apple-iphone-15-plus-vs-apple-iphone-14-pro. Battery life is impressively better tbf, but 14 pro still has a better camera with optical zoom which is prob more important for my photography needs?

 

[one more]

You can get a 14 Pro in “excellent” condition from the UK Backmarket for 636£. Then you can sell it back to them, probably not losing so much.

However, depending on how AI takes off, the prices for anything older than 15 Pro might also drop down more than usual by the spring 2025. But then again, iPhone SE 2025 should be coming out at the same time.

 

[The Apple Bitch]

Am I missing anything? Any better ideas?

Yes, you could rent an iPhone for a month, and then buy the iPhone 16 (or continue using the mini) afterwards. I don't know what price you could get but I suspect it's below $15.

Edit: Though it read one month, not 6 months... Ignore my comment.

Edit 2: Rent an iPhone for a month and then buy the iPhone 16 🧠 📈 📉 📈😆😇

 

[Eric_WVGG]

Just reading this: https://nanoreview.net/en/phone-compare/apple-iphone-15-plus-vs-apple-iphone-14-pro. Battery life is impressively better tbf, but 14 pro still has a better camera with optical zoom which is prob more important for my photography needs?

oh, yeah, if photography is a big deal then you'll definitely appreciate the telephoto on the Pro. And no, the plus isn't shorts friendly.

honestly I wish they'd ditch the ultra-wide on the non-pro models in favor of telephoto.

 

[coachgq]

I'm going travelling for 6 months and my 13 mini just isn't cutting it with battery life and the camera. I therefore want to sell it and get a refurb iPhone 14 pro for my trip instead. Then consider getting an iPhone 16 when I'm back.

I'd love some advice on best way to go about it! Current plan:

1. Wait for iPhone 16 to drop in Sept, hoping prices drop for iPhone 14 Pro refurbs.
2. Buy 'like new' refurb iPhone 14 pro from GiffGaff for around £670 (hopefully less)
3. Sell iPhone 13 mini on Backmarket for around £235 (probably less)
4. When I come back from traveling in Feb 2025, consider trading in Iphone 14 Pro for an iPhone 16 (I really want to USB C and AI functionality). Hoping I'll have kept it in like new condition so can get full trade in price for it from Apple.

One consideration is I'll be in Germany for September, instead of the UK. So might have to look for German alternatives to Giffgaff & Backmarket.

Am I missing anything? Any better ideas?

Thanks in advance!

I would buy a 15 pro and not worry about the 16. If you’re looking at 14 pro, go with 15 pro to get 18.1 goodies that you won’t get with 14 pro or 15 standard.

 

[Berti10]

I'm going travelling for 6 months and my 13 mini just isn't cutting it with battery life and the camera. I therefore want to sell it and get a refurb iPhone 14 pro for my trip instead. Then consider getting an iPhone 16 when I'm back.

I'd love some advice on best way to go about it! Current plan:

1. Wait for iPhone 16 to drop in Sept, hoping prices drop for iPhone 14 Pro refurbs.
2. Buy 'like new' refurb iPhone 14 pro from GiffGaff for around £670 (hopefully less)
3. Sell iPhone 13 mini on Backmarket for around £235 (probably less)
4. When I come back from traveling in Feb 2025, consider trading in Iphone 14 Pro for an iPhone 16 (I really want to USB C and AI functionality). Hoping I'll have kept it in like new condition so can get full trade in price for it from Apple.

One consideration is I'll be in Germany for September, instead of the UK. So might have to look for German alternatives to Giffgaff & Backmarket.

Am I missing anything? Any better ideas?

Thanks in advance!

German here.
1) you can use rebuy.de (great site, you can even get extra 10% of cash for Trade-IN, but just have CE marking) but
2) those are EU devices, thus have no mm-Wave antenna etc. .Also AI won‘t launch here anytime soon, so maybe there are other hardware differences

 

[toobravetosave]

i really like my 15 plus and will be yelled down into oblivion for saying the pro models aren’t worth it

 

[xxFoxtail]

Since you’re waiting for the 16 to come out before buying the 14 Pro, why not just buy the 16 and save whatever time, money and hassle with buying and reselling the 14?

 

[Drosera]

Since you’re waiting for the 16 to come out before buying the 14 Pro, why not just buy the 16 and save whatever time, money and hassle with buying and reselling the 14?

Because of the risk of losing/damaging a brand new expensive phone whilst traveling - we're talking Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc.

 

[Drosera]

German here.
1) you can use rebuy.de (great site, you can even get extra 10% of cash for Trade-IN, but just have CE marking) but
2) those are EU devices, thus have no mm-Wave antenna etc. .Also AI won‘t launch here anytime soon, so maybe there are other hardware differences

Wait... what's an mm-Wave antenna and why would UK phones have them but not EU?

 

[Surfsalot]

14 pro was a dog imo, heavy and average battery.

 

[Surfsalot]

Because of the risk of losing/damaging a brand new expensive phone whilst traveling - we're talking Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc.

I did a month in Bali with my 15 max in a OB symmetry case, no issues.

 

[Populus]

Given that the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro are coming with so many camera improvements, why not buy straight the iPhone 16/16Pro for your trip? I guess you’re afraid of damaging it, but using a good case should protect it enough…

Because of the risk of losing/damaging a brand new expensive phone whilst traveling - we're talking Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc.

From my humble opinion, going with an iPhone 13 Pro, 14 Pro, or 15 Pro in your hand, is going to catch the same attention from thieves than the new 16 Pro, which will probably be very very similar from the outside to the previous models. My advice to save money, time and hassle, is to buy directly an iPhone 16 or 16 Pro and a good case (and a tempered glass of you want to).

 

[Berti10]

Wait... what's an mm-Wave antenna and why would UK phones have them but not EU?

It’s an special 5G Antenna for the US (looks like a flush button on the right lower side), where you have super fast internet with line of sight to the cell tower. It is not approved in the EU, we only have regular 5G modems and the CE marking in that spot.

 

[Berti10]

mmWave 5G antenna - CellBotics

Über Google auf cellbotics.com gefunden

images.app.goo.gl

 

[Drosera]

It’s an special 5G Antenna for the US (looks like a flush button on the right lower side), where you have super fast internet with line of sight to the cell tower. It is not approved in the EU, we only have regular 5G modems and the CE marking in that spot.

Ah I see - I'm based in Europe (UK) so imagine the iPhones in germany will be same as UK so not an issue?

 

[Drosera]

I think I'll see what prices all round are when the iPhone 16 line launches and take it from there!