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The "S" versions are the TRUE versions

pika2000 said:
Every iPhone release is actually a significant upgrade if you look into the improvements Apple made to the SoC every year. So internally, I think every year is a significant upgrade.

Number cycle pros:
- new physical design
- design last you for 2 years
Cons:
- may have physical issues (4: antenna gate, 5: durability of the chamfered edge/scratches, 6: bendgate) that are not immediately known in internal testing

S-cycle pros:
- addressing issues of the physical design
Cons:
- your phone will look old within a year
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I mostly agree, although it does seem like the S-cycle devices typically get a bigger speed boost than the Numbered-cycle devices.

The one exception is the iPhone 5. A6 and 1GB of RAM was a massive jump over the A5 w' 512MB. I don't think the transition from A7 to A8 was quite as dramatic.
 
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To me, the non-S phones have seemed to focus on hardware, and the S phones focus on software. Not always true, but that's a generalization. I'm on the S cycle myself; the only non-S phone I really lusted after was the one with the NFC chip for Apple Pay. The rest were "eh, I can wait for that".
 
I'm a yearly upgrader, but I can certainly say I have enjoyed all of my S cycle phones more so than their non-S counterparts. It makes sense really they are all the best parts of the non-S phones but with additional improvements.

Luckily I get to experience both sides since I upgrade yearly.
 
Four oF NINE said:
Right.. So what? I get the better phone by waiting a year. It all works out.
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Which is the case every time if you wait. What I'm saying is in the grand scheme of things the S model isn't a new design, it's a year old design with new internal hardware. Whether it's new for you is irrelevant because you had to wait and its the same design as last gen.
 
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MrX8503 said:
Which is the case every time if you wait. What I'm saying is in the grand scheme of things the S model isn't a new design, it's a year old design with new internal hardware. Whether it's new for you is irrelevant because you had to wait and its the same design as last gen.
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Well, for me, S-cycle is a better value for my money. To each his own.
 
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It’s simple, Apple brings out a ‘revolutionary’ new model but this will inherently have unforeseen bugs and design flaws. The s models always fix these and also introduce new enhanced functionality. iPhone 7 will again have unforeseen issues.

Anyone with a clue who buys used would also purchase an s model, as it’s future-proof and well built.
 
aka777 said:
It’s simple, Apple brings out a ‘revolutionary’ new model but this will inherently have unforeseen bugs and design flaws. The s models always fix these and also introduce new enhanced functionality. iPhone 7 will again have unforeseen issues.

Anyone with a clue who buys used would also purchase an s model, as it’s future-proof and well built.
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Exactly. I always try to get the 's' version of the iPhone. The exception was the iPhone 5, which I bought in January 2013, but it was stolen in 2014, so I got a 5s. Funnily enough, that 5s was dropped in a lake earlier this summer, so back to an used 5. Can't wait for the 6s this fall!
 
aka777 said:
It’s simple, Apple brings out a ‘revolutionary’ new model but this will inherently have unforeseen bugs and design flaws. The s models always fix these and also introduce new enhanced functionality. iPhone 7 will again have unforeseen issues.

Anyone with a clue who buys used would also purchase an s model, as it’s future-proof and well built.
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What unforeseen issues? The ones that a few people here or there experience?
 
C DM said:
What unforeseen issues? The ones that a few people here or there experience?
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iPhone 4 antenna and iPhone 6 plus bending were the big ones. iPhone 4 probably being the worst since the phone was not usable as a phone without a case if you held it with your left hand. iPhone 5 I didn't really follow since I didn't buy it - I don't think they had much beyond the scratched slate phones IIRC
 
terraphantm said:
iPhone 4 antenna and iPhone 6 plus bending were the big ones. iPhone 4 probably being the worst since the phone was not usable as a phone without a case if you held it with your left hand. iPhone 5 I didn't really follow since I didn't buy it - I don't think they had much beyond the scratched slate phones IIRC
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As I recall not everyone by far had an issue with the antenna with the 4, and the CDMA version didn't even have that issue. Bending was overblown as well and certainly didn't affect that many. Certainly some issues here or there, just as there have been some with S versions that some people have experienced. Basically far from saying that it's somehow silly to go for the numbered version somehow and it only makes sense to go for the S one.
 
terraphantm said:
iPhone 4 antenna and iPhone 6 plus bending were the big ones. iPhone 4 probably being the worst since the phone was not usable as a phone without a case if you held it with your left hand. iPhone 5 I didn't really follow since I didn't buy it - I don't think they had much beyond the scratched slate phones IIRC
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The iPhone 4 thing was largely a non issue because IMO that phone needed at least a bumper to avoid scratching the glass surfaces. To be honest I'd say most iPhone models need something because they have usually been kind of slippery. Its actually common problem on many phones, I had to put a back cover with better grip on my S4 or else it would already be in pieces.
 
MrX8503 said:
Which is the case every time if you wait. What I'm saying is in the grand scheme of things the S model isn't a new design, it's a year old design with new internal hardware. Whether it's new for you is irrelevant because you had to wait and its the same design as last gen.
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I can tell you it's not irrelevant to me, and I'm the one I'm buying the phone for.

I suppose that's the divide here. People that want to have the newer design first "just because", and those that prefer a more thoroughly refined version you wait a year for.
 
Four oF NINE said:
I can tell you it's not irrelevant to me, and I'm the one I'm buying the phone for.

I suppose that's the divide here. People that want to have the newer design first "just because", and those that prefer a more thoroughly refined version you wait a year for.
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Except the next new design version still gets hardware imrovements over the previous S version, so it's not just silly new design and that's it.
 
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C DM said:
Except the next new design version still gets hardware imrovements over the previous S version, so it's not just silly new design and that's it.
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I never said it was "just a silly new design". What I'm saying is there are two versions of each new design, a lesser one first and a better one second. It doesn't mean there's a right or wrong answer here.. A lot of people prefer the first year of the design, possibly most iPhone users that are on a two year cycle.. And it obviously doesn't apply to those people that get a new iPhone every year. I'm only expressing my personal preference and why I feel that way.
 
Four oF NINE said:
I never said it was "just a silly new design". What I'm saying is there are two versions of each new design, a lesser one first and a better one second. It doesn't mean there's a right or wrong answer here.. A lot of people prefer the first year of the design, possibly most iPhone users that are on a two year cycle.. And it obviously doesn't apply to those people that get a new iPhone every year. I'm only expressing my personal preference and why I feel that way.
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Seems like your sentance about those who want it "just because" more or less implied what I mentioned.
 
I'm not so sure.

The 7 will most likely be a redesign, with Force touch that was first introduced in the S and by then will actually have apps that make use of it. Expect the battery life will get a decent bump.
 
I just upgrade every year. It's nice to have my parents on my plan, since all they need is a flip phone.
 
Four oF NINE said:
Right.. So what? I get the better phone by waiting a year. It all works out.
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Until the new numbered version releases, which then makes it immediately obvious you are using last year's model - for an entire year.

I have the 6+. But again, other than laying it upside down next to a 6S+ you wouldn't know.
 
terraphantm said:
iPhone 4 antenna and iPhone 6 plus bending were the big ones. iPhone 4 probably being the worst since the phone was not usable as a phone without a case if you held it with your left hand. iPhone 5 I didn't really follow since I didn't buy it - I don't think they had much beyond the scratched slate phones IIRC
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I'm willing to suffer a few issues as well as be a 'beta' tester in exchange for having a new external design of the phone.
 
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