The good old "Should I buy or should I wait?"

[Virro]

Hey guys!

So I realize that this is not a new question, but I will ask it regardless, and hope that you will bear with me

Here is my situation:

I am currently a happy Iphone 4 owner, but the home button is pretty sloppy and the battery life is nowhere near what it once was!
Furthermore, I have found myself enjoying podcasts a lot when im on the go, and my 16gb Iphone 4 just doesn't cut it anymore.
Im going to Spain this summer and would love to bring every episode of my favorite podcast with me, but it just wont happen with my Iphone 4, so why not upgrade?!
I was thinking of getting an Iphone 5 with 32gb, but now I found myself worried that I will drop a lot of money on this, only to see a 5s or even a 6 drop within the next few months.
I had even considered getting a Galaxy s4 since I found the storage very appealing (i did however, not find the plastic body equally appealing...)

What do I do? Should I assume that the newest addition to the Iphone family will only bring minor hardware changes and no overall design changes, and just drop my money on a 5? Or should I expect major changes in the new Iphone, suck it up and go on a podcast free vacation?

Thank you for reading this (longer than expected) post, and thank you in advance for your help

 

[davidg4781]

Wait.

And I have 7 Hours of 12.8 days worth of podcasts that come out to 12.07GB. And that may include some videos (I tried to exclude as many as I could think of). Are you going to Spain just to listen to them?

 

[Arid]

Sounds like you need an excuse to buy the 5. If you need it that bad, just buy it and don't think twice. You'll love it, at least until the next offering which may take until September before it's released. You'll have a full three months of enjoyment before that happens unless it comes out earlier. The longer you wait, the more regrettable you'll be unless you wait for the next one but then you wouldn't be asking here.

 

[davidg4781]

WWDC is in 8 days. See what Tim has to say.

I don't think they're going to announce iPhones but they could say something like iOS 7 is coming next month along with a new iPhone.

 

[cnev3]

Yeah, i'd wait until WWDC just to make sure a new iPhone is not announced then, which it likely won't. From there it's really a personal preference if you are willing to wait 3 months for the iPhone 5S.

If you don't want to wait and got it now, it wouldn't be a bad decision. It's a great phone and it's going to be future proof for quite a while.

 

[lordofthereef]

If you're interested in android, consider the HTc One. That seems to be the phone for ex-iPhone users.

If the only reason you are wanting a new phone NOW is for podcasts in Spain, definitely wait. You did mention your home button too, but it sounds usable. I wouldn't jump on an upgrade just because I want a few more gb of storage for vacation. Hell, I'd probably consider a used iPod touch before locking down a contract like that. it tall depends on the money you have to spend, too.

 

[parseckadet]

We're in that classic period of time where if you can possibly wait to upgrade then you should, but if you can't then you should upgrade without hesitation. I highly doubt the iPhone will get updated before the September/October time frame.

Are you bringing your laptop on this trip? Is it possible you could download all the podcasts to your laptop before you leave, then manage which ones are on your phone by syncing with iTunes every day or two? If so, then I think this negates the storage capacity issue (though I generally feel that anything less than 32GB is not enough).

 

[Smartass]

If you're interested in android, consider the HTc One. That seems to be the phone for ex-iPhone users.

Yep. Went and bought myself one couple of days ago without seeing it live even once (only saw it online) and damn i love this phone. Great build, nice interface, great camera, holds really well in hand. Had iphone 4 before, hoped that 5 would be something new and great but it really wasnt. Now when i hold my old iPhone 4 it feels like im holding some toy in comparison to "the One"

Oh and the screen real estate is amazing i cant believe how much space i have while reading different pages online...

 

[Mr Kram]

if you need a new phone buy it. if you want a new phone and can afford it buy it. you can always upgrade to the 5s whenever it comes out and sell the 5.

with that being said, wwdc is only a week away and maybe something will be announce. i wouldn't wait beyond that, however.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

If you're interested in android, consider the HTc One. That seems to be the phone for ex-iPhone users.

If the only reason you are wanting a new phone NOW is for podcasts in Spain, definitely wait. You did mention your home button too, but it sounds usable. I wouldn't jump on an upgrade just because I want a few more gb of storage for vacation. Hell, I'd probably consider a used iPod touch before locking down a contract like that. it tall depends on the money you have to spend, too.

HTC One doesn't have a memory card slot which is the only reason the OP is even considering Android.

I wouldn't wait, it is highly unlikely Apple will release a new iPhone anytime soon. Announce, maybe. But released and available to buy, I'm pretty sure not.

I would recommend a vacation with no electronics (other than a GPS). And if you really do want to upgrade to a new phone, iPhone 5 is what I recommend. The new iPhone 5S (or whatever it will be called) won't have a storage bump (very doubtful). Most likely hardware bump like A7 chip with better graphics, better camera, etc. For most smartphone users, performance is more than adequate (much like PCs and PC users), it's really just about improving the device apart from raw computing power. So waiting is pretty much pointless.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I'd wait for the iPhone 10. It will run Android apps as well as iOS and has a built in laser hair removal system. It comes with a retina scanner and 8G as standard. The screen folds out to the size of the iPad, but then folds up to the size of the iPod Nano when not in use. It runs on Uranium enriched Fusion drive so the battery lasts all year.

 

[Knockoutjosie]

Think about this op; people are still buying the 4s.

 

[lordofthereef]

HTC One doesn't have a memory card slot which is the only reason the OP is even considering Android.

I wouldn't wait, it is highly unlikely Apple will release a new iPhone anytime soon. Announce, maybe. But released and available to buy, I'm pretty sure not.

I would recommend a vacation with no electronics (other than a GPS). And if you really do want to upgrade to a new phone, iPhone 5 is what I recommend. The new iPhone 5S (or whatever it will be called) won't have a storage bump (very doubtful). Most likely hardware bump like A7 chip with better graphics, better camera, etc. For most smartphone users, performance is more than adequate (much like PCs and PC users), it's really just about improving the device apart from raw computing power. So waiting is pretty much pointless.

The only reason he is considering android? That's a bit of a stretch...

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

The only reason he is considering android? That's a bit of a stretch...

I'm not stating that in general. I'm stating that based on what the OP wrote.

... I had even considered getting a Galaxy s4 since I found the storage very appealing (i did however, not find the plastic body equally appealing...) ...

 

[lordofthereef]

I'm not stating that in general. I'm stating that based on what the OP wrote.

He said storage is appealing on the sgs4. By this he could mean he can get more inboard storage at a lesser price. Or perhaps something else. There are other phones with removable storage, so your conclusion is certainly not one I would come to. But I can see it, I guess. I try not to assume, which is why I made a recommendation. He can take it, or he can leave it.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

He said storage is appealing on the sgs4. By this he could mean he can get more inboard storage at a lesser price. Or perhaps something else. There are other phones with removable storage, so your conclusion is certainly not one I would come to. But I can see it, I guess. I try not to assume, which is why I made a recommendation. He can take it, or he can leave it.

Point taken.

 

[Smartass]

there's actually a "only made for China" version of HTC One which has a removable storage

but srsly, i never understood whats the big deal about this removable storage thing. I had it in lots of phones but never did really need it. And as i saw more and more new phones come without it

 

[Virro]

Thank you guys for all the great responses!
I was under the impression that i would get an email if anyone responded, so i didn't check my thread. I decided to go ahead and get the 32gb iphone 5 and i am loving it! I might have needed an excuse to buy one, but dammit am i glad i did!
Thanks again!

 

[lordofthereef]

Thank you guys for all the great responses!
I was under the impression that i would get an email if anyone responded, so i didn't check my thread. I decided to go ahead and get the 32gb iphone 5 and i am loving it! I might have needed an excuse to buy one, but dammit am i glad i did!
Thanks again!

Enjoy!