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Is buying an iPhone 5 right now a bad deal?

D

dj-method-x

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 22, 2013
4
0
I have just bought an iPhone 5 and I'm having buyer's remorse. I forgot that the 5S will be coming out in a few months and feel like I should have just waited. Should I take the 5 back and stick it out with my broken (screen cracked and lock button non functional) iphone 4 for a few months? Should I get the iPhone 5 now and just sell it when he 5S comes out?

I'm on tmobile if that matters.
 
Can you get by with a prepaid cheap phone? I think we're so close to WWDC that if you can live with what you have, you'll be better off waiting.
 
If you have the 5, you'll be fine. It will be supported for at least another 2 years. The 3GS came out in June 2009 and it was supported through 2012...the 4 came out in June 2010 and it is still being supported today.

I personally am waiting to upgrade because I have a 4S and the differences between the two, functionality wise, are not enough for me to jump to a 5. So I am waiting.

But the 5 should get all of the benefits of iOS 7 since it is being unveiled in just under 3 weeks, and there will not be a new iPhone to debut just yet, so the 5 will have to run iOS 7 to show off all the features.

You'll be fine.
 
dj-method-x said:
I have just bought an iPhone 5 and I'm having buyer's remorse. I forgot that the 5S will be coming out in a few months and feel like I should have just waited. Should I take the 5 back and stick it out with my broken (screen cracked and lock button non functional) iphone 4 for a few months? Should I get the iPhone 5 now and just sell it when he 5S comes out?

I'm on tmobile if that matters.
Click to expand...

If it was any other phone I'd say yeah, but the iphones seem to hold their value ridiculously well for resale, even after the new models come out. I'll bet a 16gb 5 will still get $400-$450 on CL after the 5S comes out, maybe more I'm not sure. So worst case you will spend $200-$250 to buy a full retail 5S. As someone who just got an ip5 about a month ago I'm ok with that, by the time the ip5s comes out I will have 3-4 months of use out of my ip5 and that was worth the couple of hundred bucks. Especially if you are going to be using a phone with a cracked screen and non functional lock button.
 
dj-method-x said:
I have just bought an iPhone 5 and I'm having buyer's remorse. I forgot that the 5S will be coming out in a few months and feel like I should have just waited. Should I take the 5 back and stick it out with my broken (screen cracked and lock button non functional) iphone 4 for a few months? Should I get the iPhone 5 now and just sell it when he 5S comes out?

I'm on tmobile if that matters.
Click to expand...

Lol if you have buyers remorse then it seems like you know it's a bad deal already.
 
It's an iPhone 5. Geez. It won't lose its potential once the 5S comes out. You have one of the best–if not THE best–cell phone out there. Yeah the 5S will probably sport better performances/camera/fingerprint sensor (?) but HEY! NOT a big deal, stick with the 5 and wait for the 6 or 6S. I'm still carrying a 3GS right now. It's sluggish, THAT's when I go for a new phone, not because I don't have the latest... :)

ps: the 5S will NOT be introduced at WWDC, it will most likely hit the stores around October. Tim Cook as warned that most major product updates will come this FALL, and not this summer. Same goes for the iPad.
 
Last edited:
If you need the phone now, why should you have any kind of remorse?
Otherwise bad choice.
 
I expect iOS7 to be revealed at WWDC in June, but I don't think the 5S will come out until September / October.

The only expected improvements for the 5S over the 5 seem to be that it will be faster, have a better camera & possibly a fingerprint sensor.

If your old phone is as damaged as you say, why wait?

Regret nothing.
 
You have 30 days to return it. If you're worried about WWDC, just see if whatever you expect to be announced does get announced. Then decide accordingly. Simple.
 
It's only a bad deal if you drool over the latest and greatest. If you couldn't care less and need the phone now, then just get it. It'll still be a damn fine phone once the 5S comes out.
 
You could return the iPhone 5 and your beat up iPhone 4. Or pay the 149 dollars to get a refurbished iPhone 4. You might be able to make that 149 back when you sell the iPhone 4 when you get the iPhone 5S on CL or eBay.

Don't get me wrong. When the 5S comes out the 4 will lose more value. However a near new iPhone 4 is going to be worth more then the busted up one your using. Plus you'd get to use a new iPhone 4 while you wait.
 
The iPhone 5 is pretty damn snappy. I've never felt like its performance was inadequate. Also, very few games and apps fully utilize the current A6 chip, so it's going to be a while before a lot of apps utilize the next chip.

Also, whatever iOS features it gets, the iPhone 5 will have.

Really the only thing we may be missing is a .5" larger screen.
 
The 5S may be a very negligible improvement, I'd keep what you have.
5f1.jpg
 
cnev3 said:
The iPhone 5 is pretty damn snappy. I've never felt like its performance was inadequate. Also, very few games and apps fully utilize the current A6 chip, so it's going to be a while before a lot of apps utilize the next chip.

Also, whatever iOS features it gets, the iPhone 5 will have.

Really the only thing we may be missing is a .5" larger screen.
Click to expand...
I agree the iP5 is a very capable phone and the most stable device I have owned. It seems silly pushing onto the next iPhone so soon when the limitations of the present model have not be reached yet. If the next iPhone is going to have a 5" screen, I think I'll stick with the present one.
 
If you can make it with your broke down phone I'd do that, if it was so bad that you hated it....you can always sell your 5 and buy the 5s. Who knows on the actual differences on the 5s hardware wise, it could be minor like the 4s or huge like in certain android lines. I bought the 5 in march and the only issue I has was paying 200 for a phone that at that point was a bit out dated (I'm a believer in old every six months lol).
 
I'm trying to decide whether or not to upgrade, as well. I have a 4S, and just recently became eligible for upgrade on AT&T. I'm not sure if I should upgrade to the 5 now, or wait for the 5S. I had the original on launch day, skipped the 3G, eligible for and got the 3GS, skipped the 4, eligible for and got the 4S. I'm someone who carries a ton of media on my phone, so I have a 64GB, that is maxed. I can wait for a 5S, but it probably isn't going to come out until Sept/Oct. If it comes out with 128GB, I'll be happy. And given the history of 3GS going to 32GB and 4S going to 128GB, the 5S might move up. The other potential upgrades probably aren't that big a deal to me. Obviously a form factor change would be cool, but I don't see it happening with this release.

So, I could upgrade to the 5 now, and essentially make myself eligible for when the 6 comes out, or soon after. Likewise, right now my 4S is only one generation old, so may have more resell value than it will have when the 5S comes out. If I wait for the 5S, it pretty much means I will miss the 6, which is when the next likely form factor change takes place. :confused: Decision, decisions ...
 
Wooderson00 said:
So, I could upgrade to the 5 now, and essentially make myself eligible for when the 6 comes out, or soon after. Likewise, right now my 4S is only one generation old, so may have more resell value than it will have when the 5S comes out. If I wait for the 5S, it pretty much means I will miss the 6, which is when the next likely form factor change takes place. :confused: Decision, decisions ...
Click to expand...

Personally I would much rather be eligible for an upgrade when the new iPhone comes out compared to when the "S" products are released.
 
dj-method-x said:
I have just bought an iPhone 5 and I'm having buyer's remorse. I forgot that the 5S will be coming out in a few months and feel like I should have just waited. Should I take the 5 back and stick it out with my broken (screen cracked and lock button non functional) iphone 4 for a few months? Should I get the iPhone 5 now and just sell it when he 5S comes out?

I'm on tmobile if that matters.
Click to expand...

Depends on how much you paid for it.

If you got it for 129 (with two year contract). Keep it for now...not sure how much of an upgrade the 5s will be.

If you paid more....take it back, and get it cheaper or just wait for the refresh in late Sept on early October
 
TyPod said:
Wooderson00 said:
So, I could upgrade to the 5 now, and essentially make myself eligible for when the 6 comes out, or soon after. Likewise, right now my 4S is only one generation old, so may have more resell value than it will have when the 5S comes out. If I wait for the 5S, it pretty much means I will miss the 6, which is when the next likely form factor change takes place. Decision, decisions ...
Click to expand...
Personally I would much rather be eligible for an upgrade when the new iPhone comes out compared to when the "S" products are released.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's kinda what I'm thinking, as well. I might just get the 5 now and make myself eligible close to when the 6 comes out.
 
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