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Keep my iPhone 4 or upgrade to 5?

F

FHayek

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 24, 2012
101
5
I am eligible for a phone upgrade through Verizon. I have a iPhone 4 and I'm thinking about getting a 5. Here's the deal:

The upgrade price is ~$199 with a 2 year contract, Verizon offered me $110 for my current phone, it's in mint condition and works well.

Not knowing much about the 5, is it worth the ~ $80 I would have to pay?

FH
 
Absolutely. I have a feeling the 4 will become rather obsolete as updates for iOS 6 come out and when 7 eventually comes along. The 5 is noticeably faster than the 4 as well.
 
RadioShack has it on sale for 150 right now and you get 30 back in store credit. That's what I just did. Then you could sell the phone yourself and easily get 200 or more for it.

I'd definitely say upgrade though. I just switched from a 4 to 5 and this phone is so much faster.
 
Upgrade mate. I went from a 4 to a 5 and was initially hesitant at first due to the fact that the 5 didn't seem to be much different but it is noticeably quicker, better camera and an overall nice design and build. I'm glad I upgraded.

Go for it!!!
 
I just upgraded from the IP4 on ATT to the IP5 on VZ. If I were you, having seen the rumors popping up about the 5S I would wait.

The IP5 is a huge step forward in hardware performance period. It is faster and apps run much better on it. Also you get LTE.

The new larger screen is a nice to have as far as I am concerned - both are retina.

It is much lighter and I like that the back is no longer all glass.

Software you get Siri, panoramic photos and voice turn by turn directions in the IOS software on the 5 and NOT the 4. The caveat to that is I find Siri is a nice to have but not necessity as there is already dictation on the 4. Panoramic photos are cool but not a reason for upgrading hardware. And you get a much better map app with Google Maps for FREE with Voice turn by turn directions on the 4.

I personally don't have regrets upgrading as I needed to do it to take advantage of the Share Everything plan with my wife and her 22% discount through her work.

If you think you can continue to live without LTE and don't absolutely need the new features in hardware and software in IOS6 then I would definitely wait for a few more months for the 5S. If the rumors are true and the 5S comes out in June and has all the new options in colors, screen size and new hardware you may be better waiting 6 months AND you can still sell your 4 for decent money. Like I said, if I wasn't making the switch from ATT to VZ to take advantage of the discount I would have waited it out for the 5S.

BTW - giving them your 4 for $110 is highway robbery. It is convenient for you but right now if it is factory unlocked you can get $250-300 on CL or Ebay. You can at least get $150-180 on gazelle.
 
Not trying to start anything here, and while I agree with your statement I find posts like these extremely unhelpful to OP's who are trying to make their decision. In his case it isn't a straight forward upgrade or not... they are dangling a little carrot in front of him to take his iPhone 4 off his hands for $110 if he upgrades. While I think that is a clever tactic on Verizon's part to lure him into the upgrade and lock in a new 2 year contact, he is trying to decide if that factor alone is worth him upgrading. If it were a simple do I upgrade or not then of course you upgrade when you need to just as I would tell someone if they should wait for an announcement or buy the current model they should by what they need when they need it.

IJBrekke said:
Upgrade when you need to. If your phone does what you need it to do, keep it. If you need some of the new features, upgrade.
Click to expand...
 
I upgraded my 4 to a 5 yesterday :) But i'm keeping my 4 as well, it's totally worth the money regardless. Phone feels so sleek and light. Way faster, and first time using Siri feels cool even though I've never thought it'd be entertaining and actually forgot about it til something popped up and reminded me.
 
To OP: Just upgraded my Wife's 4 to a 5 yesterday at Best Buy Mobile.

Did trade in of iPhone 4 Best Buy offered $165.00

iPhone 5 is $149.99 plus tax until January 5.

Walked out with a $1.30 on a gift card. No out of pocket cost....was a no brainer.
 
Still keeping my iPhone 4 (as it works fine).

Although for $80 that's a really good deal.

Also just curious...does Verizon have a phone-trade program or something? We're they just like "if you want we can give you credit for your current iPhone 4".
 
Why not get it from either best buy or Walmart for cheaper? You could sell your phone for atleast $150 and basically get a free upgrade.
 
DO NOT TRADE IN YOUR IPHONE 4 FOR THAT PRICE. In mint ccondition you could feasibly get $250 or more. Just take HQ pics of it.

I just sold an AT&T 16GB iPhone 4 (in what I would call good condition) for $220 on Craigslist the day after Christmas. I literally received 15 emails in 2 hours from people wanting to buy it. Met a guy at the mall and sold it that same day.

That could easily pay for your 5.
 
Make the upgrade, i did and it is a huge upgrade from a 4. I paid full price so i could keep my unlimited data and i still think it is worth it. LTE is great night and day difference on Verizon.
 
All,

Thanks for all the insight. I think I will get a 5 and try to sell my 4 via CL.

Can anyone suggest a method or link to prep my phone for re-sale? I want to make sure it's completely clean before going to a stranger.

FH
 
FHayek said:
Not knowing much about the 5, is it worth the ~ $80 I would have to pay?
Click to expand...
Worth's always a subjective matter and it's impossible for people to tell you what is or isn't worth it to you. You have to supply us with your criteria for worth on any topic you're asking about. For any topic and any price some will find it worthwhile and some will not.

If you don't know much about the 5 then start at http://www.apple.com/iphone/

If you have some specific questions we can definitely answer those.

FHayek said:
Can anyone suggest a method or link to prep my phone for re-sale? I want to make sure it's completely clean before going to a stranger.
Click to expand...
Here's a starting point for that:
https://www.google.com/search?q=pre...sugexp=chrome,mod=11&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
 
FHayek said:
I am eligible for a phone upgrade through Verizon. I have a iPhone 4 and I'm thinking about getting a 5. Here's the deal:

The upgrade price is ~$199 with a 2 year contract, Verizon offered me $110 for my current phone, it's in mint condition and works well.

Not knowing much about the 5, is it worth the ~ $80 I would have to pay?

FH
Click to expand...

Best Buy is offering $50 off and I traded my iPhone 4 16gb also in good condition and got $150 for it...you may want to check your local store.
 
Finns71 said:
To OP: Just upgraded my Wife's 4 to a 5 yesterday at Best Buy Mobile.

Did trade in of iPhone 4 Best Buy offered $165.00

iPhone 5 is $149.99 plus tax until January 5.

Walked out with a $1.30 on a gift card. No out of pocket cost....was a no brainer.
Click to expand...

Did the same, but got Best Buy to price match Wally World's $127 price on same model. Gave my 4s (bought off of contract) to my wife to replace her 3gs with a broken screen. Used Reward points and BB gift card received as a christmas present to get it down to $30 out of pocket.

It ended up costing less than it would have to have her broken screen on the 3gs replaced. We're also holding onto an upgrade just in case.
 
vincelam said:
wait for 5s
Click to expand...

I agree! Provided you are happy with your iPhone 4, I'd wait for the next iteration.

I upgraded from the 3GS to the 5 and, apart from the obvious improvements such as speed and weight, as far as I am concerned, the 5 doesn't do that much more than the older model.
 
Well just an FYI att's 3g is much faster then Verizons, so I would be careful if you care about internet speeds when choosing another carrier. I am lucky to have gotten an iPhone 5 on verizon and have the ability to have LTE, but I had the 4s with them and the 3g speed in my area (Houston) is slow. I wish I would have stayed with ATT and plan to go back to them (never thought I would say this), but when I dont have LTE (rare but it does happen) I hate using my iPhone 5.

As for the question at hand, I say go ahead and upgrade if you are a person that doesn't always have to have new tech. We have no clue when the 5s is going to come out and for all we know it will not be until september.
 
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