iPhone 17 How hard is it to convince oneself being in need of a new iPhone?

[Giuanniello]

I mean,

what is the innovation (...), beside battery and planned obsolescence, convincing you to upgrade from year to year?

Here on iPhone 15ProMax and a 13ProMax which I gave to my son, until battery runs and I can use a few apps I really can't imagine a reason to upgrade

 

[FreakinEurekan]

My 12 Pro was doing fine; things like Apple Intelligence, 120Hz display, Dynamic Island, Always-On Display, Crash Detection, USB-C, etc. weren’t enough to justify the cost to me.

What got me into a (refurbished) 15 Pro Max was the 5x zoom which I felt would be beneficial for a vacation. I wasn’t thrilled about a BIGGER phone but actually it’s not bad from a size perspective.

I can also look at it from the opposite perspective - what features (even if they weren't buying factors) would I be willing to give up, if there was some benefit to doing so? Of the above - the only feature (besides the camera) I find a LITTLE helpful is USB-C. I use exclusively Qi/MagSafe for charging at home - but if I have a rental car without a built-in Qi charger, it's nice to be able to grab one of my USB-C travel cables and not have to have a separate Lightning one handy.

But it’s a very personal metric. Look at the differences in the on-line compare tool and figure out what it’ll cost - your calculus will be different from mine.

 

[geta]

You can always swap in a new battery if that's the only problem your phone has, but if one of the apps you use regularly no longer supports your old device/iOS, then that's a good reason to upgrade.

 

[eyoungren]

How to answer this…

iPhones and iPads I purchase based on want. If I want it, I will get it. I don't need to convince myself that I 'need' it. I don't need to justify to anyone, let alone myself, that I need it.

I also don't let need determine color, capacity or model. Again. I get what I want.

Sometimes I do need it, and in those cases wanting it lines up with that.

The problem is finances. And also wanting it. If finances were never an issue I would always be getting what I want when I wanted it and need would never, ever, be part of the equation. Because most of the time, what I want, is greater than what I actually need.

My current iPhone is the 11 Pro Max. Since I upgraded to it in 2021 I have yet to see a new model iPhone that I want. For those who routinely read my posts around here, they know that I have a light use case for a phone, so a lot of the things that attract people to getting a new phone do not interest me. Thus, most of the newer iPhones have just been a series of the same phone with a new version of iOS installed.

However, this year, need is actually going to force my hand. T-Mobile (my carrier) is beginning to shut down 4G/LTE and my iPhone is LTE max, no 5G. Sooner or later, I'm going to have to upgrade to something I want. But organizing the finances is the problem, otherwise I would have already upgraded. I can tell you though, that unless something real good happens it will not be to the most current model iPhone (in the color, capacity and model that I want).

 

[CSAppleFan]

I went a period of time where I could only afford the free iPhone carriers were offering. Those were usually a couple generations old at that point. Now that I can afford to I have been getting every phone since the 14 pro. I’ve sold or traded it in previous one to off set the cost. I think the 18 might be the last time I do this and just let it ride for 2-3 years. It gets boring after a while I guess lol

 

[drrich2]

When it no longer supports the latest version of iOS, it's getting pretty old, and the hardware is behind the times. At that point, I figure the camera capability in the latest phones has probably improved (would love more optical zoom).

I've got a 12 Pro Max. It's fine. I like it. Wife has a 15 Pro and daughter has a 16 Pro; I think the kid gets better results snap shooting at indoor spectator entertainment events, but otherwise I'm okay. Original battery and still lasts pretty well.

I'm curious to see what the 18 iPhones will offer, but unless it's 6x optical zoom or better, it's iffy whether the upgrade would be worth it to me. I don't want a foldable phone.