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Buying an iPhone 4 now

S

Sebastiano

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 30, 2008
19
0
I have the option to upgrade to an iPhone 4 (8GB) for £160. I would like to switch to the iPhone at some point, but I am worried that with iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 likely to make an appearance before the year is out, the 4 will become redundant.

I am not fussed with having the very latest model, but to what extent is the 4 likely to stop being catered for in the near future and is it worth the purchase now?
 
Sebastiano said:
I have the option to upgrade to an iPhone 4 (8GB) for £160. I would like to switch to the iPhone at some point, but I am worried that with iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 likely to make an appearance before the year is out, the 4 will become redundant.

I am not fussed with having the very latest model, but to what extent is the 4 likely to stop being catered for in the near future and is it worth the purchase now?
Click to expand...

Well the iPhone 4 will get iOS 6 as announced by apple but it won't have all the features. If you don't need or want the latest and greatest the iPhone 4 is a great phone.
 
At this point, I wouldn't get an iPhone 4 unless it was a steal.

I expect that Apple will treat the iPhone 4 like the iPhone 3GS this time next year (The iPhone 4 will run a very limited number of features in iOS 7).
 
I recently bought an iPhone 4 because the off contract prices are quite good now and I wanted to try the iPhone out. Obviously you're not getting the latest and greatest but you can always jailbrake to get all the features if you want.
 
The iPhone 4 is a solid device, if you are wanting a reliable phone with lots of apps available. The 4S has a better camera (8 mp vs. 5 mp) and Siri. Otherwise, they are about the same. The poster above is right, though - the iPhone 4 won't get the full iOS6 - only parts of it.

As with all things electronic, they are outmoded after a period of time by newer device models and improvement to the operating systems. Apple is unique in that it continues to support older models for a number of years. I know people who JUST bought a iPhone 3G and are thrilled! It really depends on your needs and desire to stay with the latest and greatest.
 
Thanks for your replies. I think I will move to an iPhone of some description whatever happens.

Given that I can get a new iPhone 4 for £160 (as part of a contract), is there anything stopping me from selling it for around £350-400 and putting that money towards the iPhone 5 when it comes out? Or would the 5 be too expensive to make it worthwhile?
 
Sebastiano said:
Thanks for your replies. I think I will move to an iPhone of some description whatever happens.

Given that I can get a new iPhone 4 for £160 (as part of a contract), is there anything stopping me from selling it for around £350-400 and putting that money towards the iPhone 5 when it comes out? Or would the 5 be too expensive to make it worthwhile?
Click to expand...

I think it would be very hard to sell an used iPhone 4 for £350, even if it in mint condition. If the next generation iPhone is spectacular, as it is expected to be, I think the market will be flooded with the iPhone 4S making the iPhone 4 less desirable and more difficult to sell on.

Honestly, If I were you, I'd wait for the next iPhone (speculated to arrive september/october). If you can afford it and you like it, go for that and enjoy a proper iPhone experience with the latest and greatest iPhone. If you can't afford it, iPhone 4S will be available to you cheaper than it is now with most, if not all of the features of iOS6.

Also, in the UK, it can work out quite cheap, relatively speaking, to buy the phone unlocked outright from Apple (assuming you have the cash available) and then picking up a sim only contract.

Here's mine:
iPhone: £500
Contract: £10/month (300 minutes, unlimited texts, 1gb data)
Cost over 2 years: £500 + (£10*24 months) = £740
Effective Cost/month: ~£30

In summary: Don't buy an iPhone now. Wait a few months till around october. See what is available -> have a look at your funds -> decide on the new iPhone or an iPhone 4S
 
Sebastiano said:
Thanks for your replies. I think I will move to an iPhone of some description whatever happens.

Given that I can get a new iPhone 4 for £160 (as part of a contract), is there anything stopping me from selling it for around £350-400 and putting that money towards the iPhone 5 when it comes out? Or would the 5 be too expensive to make it worthwhile?
Click to expand...

If you have to pay £160 for an 8gig iPhone 4....u are being mugged off.....unless your contract is like £10 a month or something.......you can even get an iPhone 4S for free nowadays on around £35 a month!! And who knows, in October or whenever the new one is out, it will be even cheaper probably!
 
If you want an iPhone right now then get the iPhone 4S. The A4 is old and complete garbage now a days. There is a night and day difference between the performance of the 4 and 4S. Plus 8GB is such a low storage capacity that you will regret it within a few months.
 
cperchard said:
If you have to pay £160 for an 8gig iPhone 4....u are being mugged off.....unless your contract is like £10 a month or something.......you can even get an iPhone 4S for free nowadays on around £35 a month!! And who knows, in October or whenever the new one is out, it will be even cheaper probably!
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for your responses, guys.

To explain what I was thinking of doing: £36/mo for 300 minutes, unlimited texts, and 500MB of data. Handset is free. The contract is only 12 months, so after it finishes I can come onto a SIM only plan. On my current SIM only plan I get the same amount of minutes/texts/data for £15/mo so subtracting this means I'm effectively buying the handset for £158 or so.

I think I'll probably wait until October and hope that a similar contract becomes available for an 8GB 4S...
 
AQUADock said:
I recently bought an iPhone 4 because the off contract prices are quite good now and I wanted to try the iPhone out. Obviously you're not getting the latest and greatest but you can always jailbrake to get all the features if you want.
Click to expand...

Same here. I paid just over $200 for my 16GB 4 used. I don't have any doubts I'll be able to get my money back, considering it is (and will remain) in mint condition.
 
I must really suck at taking pictures because pictures taken with 4 and 4S look the same. All grainy as hell no matter lighting. And SIRI? I only use her to tell her to call somebody when im driving, and from time to time to set up alarm. Get 4 and dont worry about 4S. You are not missing anything.
 
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