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iPhone 4 worth $170?

jbachandouris

jbachandouris

macrumors 603
Original poster
Aug 18, 2009
5,997
3,225
Upstate NY
I know everyones answer will be subjective, but I need to think this out, so I need more input.

I do not qualify for an early upgrade (unless AT&T changes it when their website comes back up), so $499+$18 (+ tax) is my price.

If I sell it to cexchange, they will offer $387.18 which is more than I paid originally ($399-$80 pre-paid Visa Card and $50 Best Buy reward zone coupon=$296). After I sell it, I can buy the iPhone 4 for about $169 of 'new' money with an extra 2 year contract.

I want, but I don't need. My 32GB 3GS has just been replaced by Apple (refurb), so its almost new. If the screen of the iPhone 4 wasn't so nice, it would be less tempting.

So is it worth the investment?
 
I think you solved it by saying you want but don't need, Yeah it would be nice to have but to me If i couldn't get it at the full subsidized price I probably would have to pass and wait til I can upgrade.
 
if its under $200 i would go for it
the longer you wait the cheaper your 3gs gets, plus you are paying less than most people for it
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
Why do people think they need to upgrade to every new iPhone? It's not worth the money. Each revision is barely different from the last.
Click to expand...

This time that is not true. The difference between the 3G and 3GS was negligible. The iPhone 4 has the awesome display, the increased battery life (we hope) and the metal band is suppossed to act as an antenna to improve reception.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
Why do people think they need to upgrade to every new iPhone? It's not worth the money. Each revision is barely different from the last.
Click to expand...
Exactly. It seems like now it's going to be every 2 generations is worth upgrading to. Works out pretty well if you have a 2 year subsidy. However, I do believe this is a pretty good upgrade: 720p video (goodbye Flip), retina display and the A4 (speedy beast!).
 
jbachandouris said:
This time that is not true. The difference between the 3G and 3GS was negligible. The iPhone 4 has the awesome display, the increased battery life (we hope) and the metal band is suppossed to act as an antenna to improve reception.
Click to expand...

I say go for it. Seems like a worthwhile upgrade to me.
 
jbachandouris said:
I know everyones answer will be subjective, but I need to think this out, so I need more input.

I do not qualify for an early upgrade (unless AT&T changes it when their website comes back up), so $499+$18 (+ tax) is my price.

If I sell it to cexchange, they will offer $387.18 which is more than I paid originally ($399-$80 pre-paid Visa Card and $50 Best Buy reward zone coupon=$296). After I sell it, I can buy the iPhone 4 for about $169 of 'new' money with an extra 2 year contract.

I want, but I don't need. My 32GB 3GS has just been replaced by Apple (refurb), so its almost new. If the screen of the iPhone 4 wasn't so nice, it would be less tempting.

So is it worth the investment?
Click to expand...
I don't know if you are willing to go a different route than cexchange but if you were to use craigs you could probably get $450 and on ebay potentially over $500 (~$450 after fees) for the phone which would bring you to about $100 "new money" for what i consider the most major iPhone upgrade to date. So yes even for the aforementioned $170 I would do it, but if you play your cards right you could make it cost less than $100.
 
I don't get why some of you feel the need to ask people over the internet how you should spend your money. It's your money that I'm hoping you worked for. If you truly want something you shouldn't feel bad about buying it.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
Why do people think they need to upgrade to every new iPhone? It's not worth the money. Each revision is barely different from the last.
Click to expand...

Yea, what he said.
You're going to end up spending a bunch of extra money on an early upgrade price, and then before you know it the 5th iPhone will be out. I mean, I'm probably the only one not upgrading to iPhone 4. Only because most of the new features I am not going to use! Who wants to videochat with someone on a 3.5 inch screen when I could do it on my MacBook? Save your money and wait another year. Though it may seem like forever, it will go by fast! Then you'll have the 5th iPhone, and be glad you didn't upgrade to iPhone 4.
 
jbachandouris said:
This time that is not true. The difference between the 3G and 3GS was negligible. The iPhone 4 has the awesome display the increased battery life (we hope) and the metal band is suppossed to act as an antenna to improve reception.
Click to expand...

The metal band for better reception is unlikely.

You're trying to convince yourself to pay $170 for a better screen, battery life and reception.

The current iPhone's screen is already brilliant, it's not like you really need a better screen, but whatever. I'm sure you won't even be able to tell the difference.

Battery life -- yeah, $170 for another hour of battery. :rolleyes:

Better reception -- Apple didn't claim that so I find it incredibly unlikely.
 
jbachandouris said:
This time that is not true. The difference between the 3G and 3GS was negligible.
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I skipped the 3GS. A minor improvement and it would have reset the 2 year contract. Apple's major product upgrades seem to synch with a 2 year contract. So people who have to always have the 'latest and greatest' even when the latest is a minor improvement will be on a cycle of never paying the subsidized price.
 
brdnboy said:
I don't know if you are willing to go a different route than cexchange but if you were to use craigs you could probably get $450 and on ebay potentially over $500 (~$450 after fees) for the phone which would bring you to about $100 "new money" for what i consider the most major iPhone upgrade to date. So yes even for the aforementioned $170 I would do it, but if you play your cards right you could make it cost less than $100.
Click to expand...

So far no offers from CL that were not scammers.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
The metal band for better reception is unlikely.

You're trying to convince yourself to pay $170 for a better screen, battery life and reception.

The current iPhone's screen is already brilliant, it's not like you really need a better screen, but whatever. I'm sure you won't even be able to tell the difference.

Battery life -- yeah, $170 for another hour of battery. :rolleyes:

Better reception -- Apple didn't claim that so I find it incredibly unlikely.
Click to expand...

I take it you're not eligible to upgrade either? I think that the upgrade is worth $170. And you could actually sell your 3GS for more, making the $170 go down.

AWESOME screen, better battery, fantastic camera (with HD recording, flash, better low-light photography), beautiful design, better reception, etc...definitely not worth an upgrade :rolleyes:
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
There is absolutely no evidence that this is true.
Click to expand...

You're right, since it hasn't been released to the public yet. But wasn't the reason for this new design for better reception (wether it be 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.)? Regardless, I still think that selling a phone for more than you paid, and paying a little more is worth it. It's the biggest evolution of the iPhone with some great features.
 
JohnnyQuest said:
You're right, since it hasn't been released to the public yet. But wasn't the reason for this new design for better reception (wether it be 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.)? Regardless, I still think that selling a phone for more than you paid, and paying a little more is worth it. It's the biggest evolution of the iPhone with some great features.
Click to expand...

That's what was implied, but the fact that Steve never made it explicit is very telling that it in no way improves reception.
 
jbachandouris said:
I want, but I don't need.
Click to expand...

Most of us don't need the new iPhone, we want it. Do you need an LCD TV? Do you need a home theater? No, but we're lucky to live in a society where we can afford to pay for these luxuries.

If you can afford the new iPhone, then by all means go for it. I understand your need for different perspectives, but the simple fact of the matter is if you can afford it, why not?

jbachandouris said:
So is it worth the investment?
Click to expand...

I'd say yes, I bought my 3GS for 200 and sold it a year later for 400. The same will probably go with the 4.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
That's what was implied, but the fact that Steve never made it explicit is very telling that it in no way improves reception.
Click to expand...

Right on... yet if we technically think about it, the original iPhone up to the 3GS had all the antennas and wavelength-band recognition on the back, in the inside... so all the connectivity may not only have been hindered by the outer shell of the device, but also your hands around it... so an outer-bound antenna is as close to the open air frequencies as you can get... maybe the reception is improved just slightly... but as you said.. Steve would make the slightest improvement an announcement... so this may not have had much of an impact other than for visual design.
 
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