Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Superman041

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 16, 2011
367
24
I'm currently on an ancient iPhone X with having it's battery replaced ( which also seems to be dying), I was planning on purchasing the iPhone 15 Pro Max later this year however it's made me think whether to wait for the 16 given it's mooted major changes?

I buy the handset outright with a cheap Sim Only plan as it works out cheaper given I hold the phone for a considerable period of time.

I fully anticipate people to reply to this to say, 'you can always keep waiting for the next model' and 'what constitutes as a major change?' . Ideally I want to change to an iPhone that's revolutionary in terms of how the iPhone X was when first introduced.

When do we think the next revolutionary major iPhone change will be? Should I wait for the 16? ( once again yes I know the 15 isn't even out yet)
 
You seem to not be buying phones to do a job or to perform some tasks, you're applying some completely subjective measure to feel good about the purchase of a shiny new thing. Not sure how we can help you. Nobody outside of Apple really knows what the next iPhone will look like, much less whether the iPhone 16 has any feature that you might consider "revolutionary".
 
I'm currently on an ancient iPhone X with having it's battery replaced ( which also seems to be dying), I was planning on purchasing the iPhone 15 Pro Max later this year however it's made me think whether to wait for the 16 given it's mooted major changes?

I buy the handset outright with a cheap Sim Only plan as it works out cheaper given I hold the phone for a considerable period of time.

I fully anticipate people to reply to this to say, 'you can always keep waiting for the next model' and 'what constitutes as a major change?' . Ideally I want to change to an iPhone that's revolutionary in terms of how the iPhone X was when first introduced.

When do we think the next revolutionary major iPhone change will be? Should I wait for the 16? ( once again yes I know the 15 isn't even out yet)

Until Apple releases their Iphone Fold or Flip, then their is nothing revolutionary on the horizon on the iPhone front i'm afraid, its just going to be the same iterative updates (which most people are content with).
 
I’m just offering an opinion but I saw the X as evolutionary. It just Improved aspects of the iPhone but I don’t recall anything new and unprecedented. Each person has their own thoughts on what constitutes a major update. Certainly some are bigger than others. I thought the 4S was a big update because of Siri. I like the 6s because of Live Photos.

Personally, I’d update soon. Waiting to enjoy things in life doesn’t make sense to me.
 
I want to change to an iPhone that's revolutionary in terms of how the iPhone X was when first introduced.
Revolutionary is not the term I'd use to describe the introduction of the iPhone X.

The introduction of the original iPhone was revolutionary. The introduction of the iPhone X does not in my opinion meet the same bar for 'revolutionary'.

You're going to be waiting a very long time, as the others have said - there's no more. It's all iterations now.
 
I'm currently on an ancient iPhone X with having it's battery replaced ( which also seems to be dying), I was planning on purchasing the iPhone 15 Pro Max later this year however it's made me think whether to wait for the 16 given it's mooted major changes?

I buy the handset outright with a cheap Sim Only plan as it works out cheaper given I hold the phone for a considerable period of time.

I fully anticipate people to reply to this to say, 'you can always keep waiting for the next model' and 'what constitutes as a major change?' . Ideally I want to change to an iPhone that's revolutionary in terms of how the iPhone X was when first introduced.

When do we think the next revolutionary major iPhone change will be? Should I wait for the 16? ( once again yes I know the 15 isn't even out yet)
If your waiting for revolutionary hope your X will last till at least 2028..
 
  • Like
Reactions: eyoungren
you’re gonna have to define what you mean by “revolutionary”.
More and more it seems like when people say they want something “revolutionary” they just mean they want something different. Something it might take a couple minutes to get used to
And when it comes to the iPhone, I say… Fat chance of that happening anytime soon.
The iPhone is a product that’s existed for 15 years, almost 16. There aren’t gonna be many absolutely massive game changing experiences it can give you that you haven’t had already gotten.
It’s a phone, they pretty much all do the same functions these days.
If Apple releases anything this year that might be able to be called “revolutionary”, it will be the headset. Not the *checks notes* 22nd iPhone revision introduction.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eyoungren
Just upgrade your phone if it's dying. If the world economy collapses, there probably won't be a new phone for a while.
 
The question I always have for the "wait it out" crowd is what feature is it that you need on the phone that it doesn't currently have? Also, is it a feature that's currently available on other devices? Or is it some George Jetson type feature that doesn't currently exist anywhere, that you're hoping becomes a reality in a few years?

Coming from an iPhone X, the upgrade would be night & day no matter which device you go with.
 
Well when it's released let us know, otherwise no one has a clue or even what would make it revolutionary for you. It's pie in the sky stuff and unicorns if that's what you want to talk about. :rolleyes:
 
When I upgraded my 7 plus to 12/13PM. It was revolutionary. People who upgrade every year or two may not feel it. I usually upgrade every 5-6 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Evvie
Based on iPhone history, iPhone 15 should be a major upgrade and iPhone 16, less so.

iPhone 12 and 14 were not much to highlight, but the 11 and 13 series were fantastic.
What was such a big difference between 13 and 12? Battery life?

Now there will be USBC and periscope camera. just small iterations.

The revolutionary thing i can think of would be an M3 phone u could plug in a hub connecting screen and keyboard. Running both Macos and Ios.

Something samsung had with the deX.
 
Last edited:
I think the OP refers to the iPhone X as being revolutionary as it was the first ‘All screen iPhone’ with its ‘3D facial mapping’ authentication system and OLED screen. It was sort of revolutionary for Apple, but not the tech industry as Samsung Galaxy phones already had very slim bezels, and android phones had been using OLED for years.
 
  • Love
Reactions: 257Loner
The last time the iPhone was made a huge leap forward, IMO, was the introduction of faster speeds, bigger screens, Apple Pay, and much more useful apps like Uber. This was in the 6/6S/7 era. That was a huge leap. Since then we have just seen iterations of screen and camera improvements.
 
I used to have the iPhone X and remember it fondly, however there is no way I would go back. Each iterative upgrade each year brought a lot of value.

- iPhone 11 was a huge upgrade in terms of camera performance. I remember being completely shocked as I took some pictures during New Years Eve 2019 (that was the standard model, not even the Pro).
- iPhone 12 introduced 5G speeds, super thin bezels and a brand new design. You're getting a much larger and improved 6.1" display in a similar size to your X.
- iPhone 13 introduced a smaller notch, and once again increased camera performance to new levels (with larger lenses allowing more light). Better battery life, better performance. Double the base storage!

Of course, the iPhone is a mature product by now, but even an iPhone 13 would be a nice step up from the X!

The next revolutionary phone might not even be a phone. It might be AR/Apple Glass, or a foldable phone/tablet. Not sure. The iPhone 15 won't be revolutionary I reckon.
 
When do we think the next revolutionary major iPhone change will be? Should I wait for the 16? ( once again yes I know the 15 isn't even out yet)

My take - don’t hold your breath waiting for a future iPhone to get some super-revolutionary new feature that makes it an instant “must buy” for consumers.

What happens is that with longer upgrade cycles, new iPhone features tend to get more iterative. They will still add up to a decent list of improvements over 4-5 years, but the best option for you is to still look at each new iPhone as it is announced and evaluate whether it represents a decent upgrade over your current model.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MacCheetah3
Here are a couple dates to look out for. I wouldn't call these upcoming features "revolutionary" because though they improve the smartphone they don't change the way we use technology:
This possible upgrade could be called revolutionary, for it significantly changes the way we use technology:
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.