Never buy the new model. Always buy last years model (at least). Make it last 4 or even 5 years if you can.
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Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18?
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Kriss_De_Valnor
macrumors regular
Happy with my 16 Plus and going to keep it for the next 5 years. I'm sorry Apple.
In that case, you might as well switch over to Android and find yourself saving money and getting better specs in return.
With Apple, you will end up paying 1k just to get 12gb of ram. You can find deals on Android with 512storage/12ram around 500-600 dollars.
rhinosrcool
macrumors 68000
Well, I just got the 17 pro max. It's great. The 18 pro max is going to be higher and not much better, so I said why not? I thought about the regular 17 but the 8 gb ram was too low and the cameras are not as good. The only thing that tempted me about the 18 pro max is the purple color? (Dark Cherry). I like that. However, I'm set.
Do my strategy. I’ll replace my iPhone 15 Pro with a refurbed or used iPhone 17 Pro after the iPhone 19 is released next year in 2027. That’s a four year upgrade cycle from when I bought my iPhone 15 Pro. I’ll do the same for my 2023 M3 Pro MacBook Pro. When the M7 Pro MacBook Pro comes out next year I’ll get a refurbed or used M5 Pro MacBook Pro to replace it.
Buying new in this artificially hyper inflated world is for chumps or for companies who amortize such purchases for tax reasons.
Buying new in this artificially hyper inflated world is for chumps or for companies who amortize such purchases for tax reasons.
Genelec8341
macrumors 6502
That's mostly true IMO except in my case of a 14PM, finally having USB-C is compelling.
My battery is at 90% and does everything I need, but there are iOS quality of life features that Apple could unlock for older phones like mine but won't.
BabaBooey24
macrumors newbie
The 17 is literally the perfect iPhone. It's got all the pro features without the bloat.
ckieran
macrumors newbie
Yeah with sales in Australia and constant talk of price increases, my partner upgraded her 12 pro to a 17 pro a week ago ... I'm hoping it was the right move 😅 If the 18 pro goes up by 200USD then we have saved $500 AUD overall with sale price so that would have me feeling vindicated 🥹
Tough times in tech atm :/ Ramageddon and chip tax are both taking the shine off keeping tabs on emerging tech - is any of it worth it any more? 🤷🏻♂️
Tough times in tech atm :/ Ramageddon and chip tax are both taking the shine off keeping tabs on emerging tech - is any of it worth it any more? 🤷🏻♂️
No innovation other than folding a screen that will degrade literally from opening the box, minor spec bumps and increasing ram and HDD prices. Save your money and make your current phone last.
Same situation here. My last multiple phones worked great, had specs well beyond anything I needed, and were replaced only because they no longer got security updates. In no hurry to replace a working device over speculation of what may or may not be available in the future.
Nope. Don’t see a point in buying the old iPhone with its replacement so close.
dannyyankou
macrumors P6
I’ll probably upgrade from the 16 Pro Max to the 18 Pro Max. Mostly for the Ceramic Shield 2, which I hope Apple expands to the back glass as well.
jchap
macrumors 6502a
I think the point of this article was that the price may go up on the 17 when the 18 is released, so it thus may make sense to buy the 17 now, for certain users.
jchap
macrumors 6502a
Mmm, just think of all the time and money we could save if we stop keeping tabs on emerging tech.
conmee
macrumors 65816
Upgraded my 14 Pro to 17 Pro. Miss the stainless steel and it just looks nicer/less utilitarian than the 17 Pro. That said, I wanted USB-C. While that has been great (my lossless song library now syncs over in 15mins instead of 2hrs and the USB-C connector is much more convenient than Lightning), what really blew my mind was the battery life. The 17 Pro has completely outclassed my old 14 Pro in terms of battery life even with both at 100%. Two other things that were pleasant surprises: the max brightness on the 17 Pro caught me by surprise when I was taking some photos in direct desert sunlight. I was squinting and lining up a shot and then bam! the brightness kicked in and that was very nice. Thought that was mostly just a marketing spec but I definitely benefitted from the additional max brightness. Lastly, the 48MP for ultra wide makes for a noticeable improvement and the 4X optical/8x cropped is a great upgrade from 3X on 14P/15P and I like it better than the 5x on the 15PM. So all in all, battery life, USB-C, 48MP, 4x optical, and max brightness are all the things I appreciate vs my old 14 Pro. P.S. And more RAM if you’re into local AI or just future-proofing. 🙂
andiwm2003
macrumors 601
If you are buying a non pro then I assume money is a parameter in the decision and then I would consider buying the 17 now or even a 15 or 16. There is not much relevant improvement in the non pro line. The only thing that matters are improvements in the camera of the pro line and maybe the satellite connectivity, and even that only matters if you want or need those features. Aside of that the phones are good enough for everything anyway. The screen quality is sufficient too. Buying the 18 only makes sense if you won't miss the money you throw out. Same is true for the 18pro.
My strategy is usually to keep my phone for at least 5 years because the improvements are really not worth it to upgrade every year or two. After 5-6 years you get a completely new experience because camera and processor and other features (satellite connectivity) have improved a lot. PI usually go for the pro line because of the three camera lenses (wide, regular, zoom). And even then I'm considering a 17pro instead of the 18pro as I don't want to spend more than 200 dollar per year on a phone or 1000 dollar every 5 years.
My strategy is usually to keep my phone for at least 5 years because the improvements are really not worth it to upgrade every year or two. After 5-6 years you get a completely new experience because camera and processor and other features (satellite connectivity) have improved a lot. PI usually go for the pro line because of the three camera lenses (wide, regular, zoom). And even then I'm considering a 17pro instead of the 18pro as I don't want to spend more than 200 dollar per year on a phone or 1000 dollar every 5 years.
Gfive
macrumors member
Well, besides speed… nowadays I buy a iphone when i need a new one, not because its a new version… did that in the past, but now it does not matter.. design stays kind of the same so why border… will keep my iphone 15 max pro for 1 ot two extra years… flip phone could be fun but not forthat price… its not that great…. i had hoped for more innovation….
Genelec8341
macrumors 6502
There is no zoom- A zoom is any lens with variable focal length. Don't confuse that with telephoto. 🙂 Brought to you by the MR lens police.
iPhones no, computers yes : some M2 / M3 computers' ssd and some processors configurations were worse than M1. Bringing back 60Hz sounds unreasonable, specially after the info that they now buy iPhones displays almost 2 times cheaper than before.
