To buy or not to buy an iPhone 4S

[mgVK]

Hi,
My wife's birthday is coming up and she had wanted an iPhone.

Since iPhone6 at $700+ is way out of my budget, I was thinking of getting her a new(not used/refurbished) iPhone 4S 32GB(at $323 on Amazon). I am looking at an unlocked version, just in case she has to leave the US in an year or so. Hoping the 32GB will allow the OS to be upgraded to iOS8.

But I found that 4S production has stopped, and whatever pieces that are available may not come with any company warrantee.

So would it be a dumb idea to buy the 4S now? I was hoping that this can be used for at least 3 more years.

Or, is it even dumber to expect that I can get a really new 4S in the first place?

Also how "used" do most refurbished devices look? What about their reliability?

I don't mind going up to $400, if there are better options.

-VK

 

[TechZeke]

For $300, you could get a used good/new condition iPhone 5 off of eBay. For $400 you could find a 5S.

My cousin bought a used iPhone 5C from eBay from the Gazelle eBay store for $230. Flawless. My old iPad 3 was bought used and still works to this day. There is nothing wrong with used, you end up saving a boatload of money.

$323 for a 4S in 2014 is a ridiculous. Especially since support for it will be dropped by next year.

 

[Applejuiced]

The 4S is over 3 years old and will soon be abandoned and not supported with any more updates by Apple.
Get something newer, a 5C or iphone 5 would be priced pretty close and would be a better option.

 

[mofunk]

Have you tried asking several mobile companies what your options are? Write everything down and compare your options. You could buy into a contract and just add international service. I know several people who do that. Really who uses the phone to make calls? I would look into who has the best international service. Get a 5s or 6.

 

[XTheLancerX]

Avoid the 4S with everything you have right now. It is really slow now, and is likely on its last OS version. Next year you will already start hearing complaints that she can hardly find any apps that still work for her phone because the OS is too old, but since the device is old it can't be updated. I know it may be a little tough when you're on a budget, but reaching a little farther into your wallet will most likely be worth it in the long run.

 

[lordofthereef]

4S will run iOS 8. Most likely it will not go beyond that (incremenetal and security updates, yes, iOS 9 and beyond, no). If security is of any concern, that means she will get less than a year of security updates. For me, $300 is just too much.

You can easily find a used 5S in great condition for $350-$400. With a little searching you may even find one with Apple care. The 5S, if Apple follows their own footsteps, will be on iOS 10. it runs iOS 8.x just as well as it did 7. It's actually the first Apple device that I personally couldn't notice a difference in speed and productivity.

At the end of the day, the extra $50-100 might be a deal breaker for you. I don't know your exact financial situation. But $300 for a device that, by the sound of it, needs to last a couple of years, would not be a smart purchase for me.

 

[BensonTT]

Using a 4S now is like AOL dial up.. LoL

 

[rigormortis]

i got a slightly scratched trim iPhone 5 16 gb AT&T locked from eBay for 180

it was really hard to get one for that low, they usually sell for 200+

swappa is a good place to buy used iPhones, because they check the imei (serial number of the phone), so you have a better chance of getting one that will work

ebay is the wild wild west of iPhones, there is a lot of blacklisted and bricked iPhones (meaning activation locked) on sale there. swappa is a better place to buy stuff

don't expect iPhone 5 phones to be in mint condition, they all have scratches on the trim

don't rule out the 5c. as long as you get a 16 or 32 gigabyte 5c, its better then a 5

if you can only get your hands on a 8 gb 5c, then skip it

i had a real bad experience with AT&T recently. from now on, forget the imei checkers on AT&T phones.
if the seller gives you the imei

go to AT&T.com website
go to shop
go to wireless
go to bring your own phone or tablet

enter the imei of the phone in question. if it is a good imei it will allow you to to order a sim
dont complete the actual order , just make sure it doesn't report the imei number as bad


if there is a problem with the sim, you have to call 1 800 331 0500 for them to tell you your out of luck and send it back

 

[mgVK]

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions.
I have ditched my plans to buy a new 4S. Will instead go with a 5S from eBay.

-VK

 

[XTheLancerX]

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions.
I have ditched my plans to buy a new 4S. Will instead go with a 5S from eBay.

-VK

That's good to hear, she will be much happier now and in the future with this device! iPhone 5S is still killing it with iOS 8 too, so it's a night and day difference when comparing to the iPhone 4S, which for the record, stutters with Notification Center, Control Center, Spotlight, going into Safari Tab View, sending messages, etc. All of those are smooth as butter on the 5S, from what I've heard!

Be sure to triple check that the 5S is genuine if you are buying it from eBay. If a deal is too good to be true, it very well could be a fake. Just be careful, okay?

 

[shenfrey]

My mrs has an iPhone 4S and its really starting to show its age, so I would not recommend it. She often complains about how slow it is, and has to do numerous resets.

 

[Badrottie]

Get an iPhone 5C not 5S. Your wife will love any color and they are very dirty cheap!!

 

[ucfgrad93]

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions.
I have ditched my plans to buy a new 4S. Will instead go with a 5S from eBay.

-VK

Going with a 5s is a wise decision. These are still being sold by carriers so you might want to check with yours to see what kind of deal they are offering.

 

[XTheLancerX]

Get an iPhone 5C not 5S. Your wife will love any color and they are very dirty cheap!!

Lower price comes with a compromise, though. And if OP wants to buy from a carrier, only 8GB 5Cs are available now, which is a horrible, crippling amount of space. 16GB is doable depending on the user, but almost everybody will have problems with 8GB.

Also, 5C is a year behind in specs, so it's going to not last as long as the 5S. Plus the 5S has Touch ID, better camera, will generally be faster and smoother, and is still offered in 16GB and 32GB options. I think the 5S is probably more worth it even though it's more expensive.

 

[Badrottie]

Lower price comes with a compromise, though. And if OP wants to buy from a carrier, only 8GB 5Cs are available now, which is a horrible, crippling amount of space. 16GB is doable depending on the user, but almost everybody will have problems with 8GB.

Also, 5C is a year behind in specs, so it's going to not last as long as the 5S. Plus the 5S has Touch ID, better camera, will generally be faster and smoother, and is still offered in 16GB and 32GB options. I think the 5S is probably more worth it even though it's more expensive.

oh you are right I wasn't thinking it has only 8GB thats suck... unless his wife doesn't download that much apps. Sorry about that.