Other Is paying for higher GB iphone worth it now? Noticed buyback websites paying less for them. My use is holding photos.

[restock3eee]

I frequently sell things on buyback websites and noticed higher capacity iphone/ipad are getting less money. I'm not really a professionaln photographer but use my iphone to store photos. I did recently upgrade from the lowest tier icloud storage to the next one. I don't think I will put a ssd drive magnetized to the back of my iphone.

Not sure how Apple trade-in works but is getting higher TB worth it anymore?
I might just get 256gb iphone 17 instead of 1tb or whatever the lowest and highest will be.

 

[gigapocket1]

As a guy who has a 4tb family storage plan that’s increasing out of space. I’m moving over to Immich and synology photos.
I just don’t want to keep paying this price per month.
If you are buying iCloud storage though, then your storage on your phone doesn’t really matter. Just make sure you choose optimize photos in settings.

 

[zenmacx]

My photos are especially valuable as well as the fact that I take a vast number of them. Weekly I move them from my iPhone to my local network, which includes a Synology NAS.

This system insures I have complete control of all my photos as well as all the work and tens of thousands of files I've created over the years.

It's nice not to rely on cloud services for my data, the security local storage provides brings great peace of mind.

 

[acorntoy]

Reselling a higher GB phone will always result in a higher loss of value than a base.

Apples trade in program values phones based on the model- a 256GB model has the same trade in value as a 1TB model.

As somebody who has a large amount of lossless music/audiobooks/ and takes videos i'm perfectly happy with my 512GB model.
I need my files available and when i'm traveling having local storage has been a godsend more than once.
I only have the 50GB icloud and keep everything local if possible. I will gladly accept the greater depreciation for the larger amount of local storage space.

I personally take advantage of my carriers "trade in and get 1k" every few years as it often values the phone $500-$700 more than what it is actually worth. But it also values the base the same as a higher GB model.

Unless you specifically need it or want it, you shouldn't be getting a higher than base model.

 

[comptr]

I always get the 1tb model but if I do upgrade this year I am thinking to drop to the 512 model as I will upgrade next year for the folding iPhone and when I get that I will get it with the top storage but I take a lot of pics and videos and I keep them all on my phone so I am getting close to where I could max out a 512 gb iPhone.

 

[eyoungren]

Don't trade in, don't sell, always get the highest capacity offered whenever buying. Also have a 2TB iCloud sub.

Don't need the largest capacity, don't need the sub. I just want them. So, yes - worth it for me.

 

[hovscorpion12]

Higher storage iPhone is a personal preference. How many apps you use, how many photo & video you take. It's only "worth it" if you see that you are running out of storage.

 

[adrianlondon]

I don't keep many photos on my phone. I export them from Photos on my mac (they sync from the phone using iCloud) then remove most of them.

I've always done it this way from when I had a phone with just 16GB of memory, and I still only have the basic 5GB iCloud storage.

I do sometimes think of changing this, when friends simply use their phone to show me photos they've taken many years ago, but I upload all mine to a website so can always show them there if necessary.

 

[4sallypat]

.....
Not sure how Apple trade-in works but is getting higher TB worth it anymore?
I might just get 256gb iphone 17 instead of 1tb or whatever the lowest and highest will be.

I always buy the base storage iPhone because over the decades of iPhone models owned, I never get over 50% of the storage - even after transferring from previous phones.

Most of my stuff is stored locally (Studio Mac 1TB & Google drive with unlimited storage).

Everytime I trade in with Apple, the process of data transfer to the new iPhone is assured and I don't have to deal with private selling...

Well worth it for me to trade it in.

Going from 16 Pro to 17 Air.

 

[Happy_John]

Entry level spec Apple products recoup more of their original cost than products where the users have chosen upgrades.

At the end of the day, buy the device you need, with the specs you need. Don't buy based on supposed resale/trade-in value.

Just as other commenters have said, I also use local network storage for file storage, so, with a phone or iPad, I'd get one with the basic storage option, and just move things on and off the server when I need them.

 

[ayephoner]

I should use something other than native storage for my media, but it's just too easy compared to doing anything else. I have the 256gb option and it's nearly full. I need to either free up space or get more storage.

 

[klasma]

It’s certainly not worth it for resale value, and otherwise it’s only worth it if you’re likely to end up needing the added storage during your expected ownership period of the iPhone.

 

[Ctrlos]

You buy for what you need now, not what it might be worth in future. iPhones, like every other consumer product (with the curious exception of real estate) depreciates as time goes on. If you do things annually then the iPhone upgrade program might be worth it otherwise keep for 3 years, get a few hundred back and then move on.

 

[MisterSavage]

Higher storage iPhone is a personal preference. How many apps you use, how many photo & video you take. It's only "worth it" if you see that you are running out of storage.

This is exactly what I was going to say. If not enough storage is making day to day life painful then it seems like more storage is worth it, regardless of what the buyback price is.

 

[FunkyTang]

Seems like the 1TB storage iPhone sell at a higher value if you sell direct to a user rather than trade in.

 

[Happy_John]

Seems like the 1TB storage iPhone sell at a higher value if you sell direct to a user rather than trade in.

iPhones, irrespective of spec, almost always sell at a higher value if you sell directly rather than trade in.

It's on the basis that a trade-in is less work, and there's charge for that convenience.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Buying more than you need to try and get more on trade-in is very poor money management and is something that happens on this forum all the time. Trade-in should not enter into the buying equation at any time. Either you can afford the phone you want outright, or you can't. Any money gained from a private sale or trade-in should be viewed as incidental.

 

[Happy_John]

Buying more than you need to try and get more on trade-in is very poor money management and is something that happens on this forum all the time. Trade-in should not enter into the buying equation at any time. Either you can afford the phone you want outright, or you can't. Any money gained from a private sale or trade-in should be viewed as incidental.

Phones, laptops, EarPods etc. are tools, not speculative investments. Don't buy stuff you're not going to use.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Phones, laptops, EarPods etc. are tools, not speculative investments. Don't buy stuff you're not going to use.

That is very true. The problem is the average Joe reads this forum and if not careful, will see a very warped sense of tool and money management justified as wise.