My iPhone 6S+ will be an attempt at a 3 year cycle

[throwthedice]

I currently own a Nexus 4 which I purchased in Dec'12. I'm waiting for the Google event to decide if I should switch to Apple or stick with Nexus line (or moto x...decisions decisions!)

Anyway, I think I'm already in the "3 year cycle" and one of the key factors in making my decision on the next phone is for it to be good enough for 3-4 years. Given that a < $400 LG phone served me well for 3 years (almost), I wouldn't bet against 6s+ lasting the same amount of time (perhaps more than 3).

 

[D.T.]

I've had my iPhone 5 for three years now, it's still perfectly fine and I could easily go at least another year with it but I'm upgrading to the 6S as a treat

Samesies! *high five*

I've had access to current models for dev, but my personal device is a 5 (same as the wife).

We're just keeping them both for backup, and mine is going to my daughter in "iPod mode"

 

[bchery21]

Planning on doing the same, with the 6S AND 16GB of storage. Not that the latter is an issue for me, I've been doing OK with my 16GB iPhone 5 now for 2+ years.

I have the same phone and storage capacity. My next phone will be he iP7.

 

[dwhygienist]

Good call OP. The 6s+ will still be rocking it in 3 years. Easy.

I'm hoping the iPhones live up to the longevity of my other apple products. I have an iMac going on 3 years- longer than any PC i ever owned( they would have internal issues about just over 2 years old). My android phones would get upgraded at 18 months due to necessity - I thought the samsung 4s would get past but no, replaced the battery- still overheating and the charging port is getting loose- it will discharge rather than charge overnight. i see many people with iPhone 4's and 5's still working just fine. Now that the carriers have changed purchasing and repairs/replacement of phones I hope this phone will get past the two year purchase and beyond. I have ordered a 6s Plus (seems to be a favorite to people over 45 years old -just saying) my sister has the new galaxy note because of the larger text and keyboard-

 

[Razeus]

If you purchase both the iPhone and AC+ using an Amex card, Amex will mirror the standard warranty at the end of AC+, giving you three years of protection against manufacturing defects (no accidental damage protection in the 3rd year though).

My Discover card does the same thing. I just remembered!

 

[mattopotamus]

Yes, instead of doing NEXT I just put the whole thing on the AMEX to get this coverage. Just have to keep the receipt (which is easy in your email). Year 1: Apple/AppleCare year 2: AppleCare year 3: AMEX

AMEX doesn't cover shipping but with Apple that isn't an issue. Let's say in year three, you need a new battery like you stated. You go to an Apple Store, they confirm you need a new battery and are out of warranty. Pay for the repair with your Amex. Submit the paperwork to the Amex warranty department; they'd likely want the original receipt, Apple/AppleCare terms (should be able to find a PDF), and the repair. Wait for a check. It doesn't seem too bad since we can use Apple directly at the store just like normal, but the only change is charging the repair and waiting for reimbursement.

Not really related, but all of this Amex talk made me look at my MR points. 116, 232. :O

 

[Watabou]

I've usually gotten new iPhones every 3 years, except the original iPhone.

And If I wanted to, I could have easily used my current iPhone, the 5, for another year, but finally getting touch ID is too compelling.

I've gone from iPhone 2G -> iPhone 3GS -> iPhone 5 -> iPhone 6S

 

[lyceumHQ]

I've had the 5 now for three years.

I had apple care but thankfully have never had a single issue with it that wasn't fixed by a restore.

The battery is now god awful but that's to be expected with a three year old phone.

It's funny. I've watched my friends upgrade to various phones every year and they've either fallen apart after 12-18 months or become so laggy and unusable they were binned and my 5 has carried on ticking away (I've probably jinxed it now and it'll explode tomorrow). Always getting the latest updates and always, as Apple fans say 'just working'.

It's not slow. It doesn't lag. It's never let me down.

So I plan to get the 6s and keep that for at least 2-3 years. Cash depending. And if it lasts half as well as my 5 has I'll be happy indeed.

I'm most looking forward to having Touch ID.

 

[tecnho]

Have fun... See you for iPhone 8 release I guess...

I heard people are starting to camp out in line for the 8 already... Only 1090 days to go! Remember to have the post office reroute your mail to the tent.

 

[mellofello]

Good luck. Wait until the 7 comes out with 0 bezels, and see if you can resist. I know I won't be able too.

 

[squirrrl]

Well folks, I think this will be my last iPhone for 3 years. I usually grab the new one every year since the 3GS (I miss that phone).

I was hoping it would have been the iPhone 6 Plus due to it's big screen (which I was waiting for), but the phone, for me, has been a nightmare and can't wait to be free of it.

Now that the 6S Plus has 2GB of RAM, it should go the full distance. I'm going to get AppleCare+ for it which covers me for the 2 out of the 3 years I plan to own it.

Sure future phones will have f/1.8-2.0 lenses. Sure it might gain bigger batteries. But as of now, I think phones have become good enough to go multi-year upgrades. Apple seems to support their phones for 3 years with OS upgrades. The 2GB RAM should keep things speedy.

Wish me luck!

I wish you luck because I hope to do the same. If I can last for 2 years with a Nokia 521 + and iPod Touch, then I think I can handle three years with the iPhone 6s+. With any luck, iPhone 8 will be my next purchase.

Incidentally, my wife has still been going strong with her iPhone 5S, though I think she regrets getting the 16GB version since we've had a kid since then and she has to keep transferring photos to her computer.

 

[Razeus]

It's the only reason I got 128gb version and my wife the 64gb version. Hopefully by iPhone 8, we'll be on 256gb models.

 

[Sarah Jones 799]

Same here I going to run my iPhone 6s till the iPhone 7s first time I'm skipping next year been updating each year.

 

[entropi]

I still use my iPhone 4 32GB as my main phone. I love it and use it a lot - most for planning, music & photos. (I seldom use it for making calls) I've had it for four years now. The battery is still really good. The camera can feel a bit slow sometimes and the calendar also takes some time to open... but still: I ask myself - what do I want and what do I need? I was thinking about getting the 6S plus 128GB, but lost interest and can't really see my need for a new phone right now)

 

[ucfgrad93]

Well folks, I think this will be my last iPhone for 3 years. I usually grab the new one every year since the 3GS (I miss that phone).

I was hoping it would have been the iPhone 6 Plus due to it's big screen (which I was waiting for), but the phone, for me, has been a nightmare and can't wait to be free of it.

Now that the 6S Plus has 2GB of RAM, it should go the full distance. I'm going to get AppleCare+ for it which covers me for the 2 out of the 3 years I plan to own it.

Sure future phones will have f/1.8-2.0 lenses. Sure it might gain bigger batteries. But as of now, I think phones have become good enough to go multi-year upgrades. Apple seems to support their phones for 3 years with OS upgrades. The 2GB RAM should keep things speedy.

Wish me luck!

Good luck. I've done 24 months before, but that was really stretching it. I usually upgrade at 18-24 months.

 

[wxnats]

I never did the annual upgrades until now; something tells me I'll be upgrading annually, as long as there are beneficial features added for each iteration.

 

[valinda]

I went from my iPhone 5 to Samsung Galaxy S5, then back to a iPhone 6+. Returned the 6+ back to
Verizon because I decide it was too large. Now I am back to my iPhone 5, waiting on my 6s 128 GB
iPhone to come in. I want to keep this one for at least 3 years, because this is getting kinda crazy!
This 6S will be the first phone I will own that has more than 16GB.

 

[ziggo]

I upgrade every year and I will continue to do so. I am an iPhone upgrade whore

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

I was using an iPhone 4 up until the iPhone 6 came out. It can be done.

 

[tecnho]

I was using an iPhone 4 up until the iPhone 6 came out. It can be done.

Damn... Is the iPhone 4 the one that introduced that "snake" game?

 

[flur]

I went from my iPhone 5 to Samsung Galaxy S5, then back to a iPhone 6+. Returned the 6+ back to
Verizon because I decide it was too large. Now I am back to my iPhone 5, waiting on my 6s 128 GB
iPhone to come in. I want to keep this one for at least 3 years, because this is getting kinda crazy!
This 6S will be the first phone I will own that has more than 16GB.

Haha, this sounds like me when I was on Android, upgrading every 9 months. So glad to be done with that.

 

[pika2000]

To me, the biggest limitation of modern phone longevity is the battery. I have an iPhone 5, and going through its second year and after iOS7 and 8, it cannot even last half a day reliably.

 

[einmusiker]

2 years

 

[oldmacs]

To me, the biggest limitation of modern phone longevity is the battery. I have an iPhone 5, and going through its second year and after iOS7 and 8, it cannot even last half a day reliably.

My iPhone 5 got replaced 2 months ago, and even the brand new refurb with a new battery barely lasts

I don't think the 5's strong point was the battery sadly.

 

[sunking101]

My iPhone 5 got replaced 2 months ago, and even the brand new refurb with a new battery barely lasts

I don't think the 5's strong point was the battery sadly.

It was great on iOS6 but for some reason the i5 battery never liked iOS7 or 8.