Upgrading Decisions

[hexomega]

I am currently on an iPhone 4, which I got when the 4s came out.

My upgrade comes in about a week. My 4 is still going strong, though the power button is partially stuck and I have to press it 5+ times for it to register (don't judge me, my phone got stomped on by a horse and survived). Waiting until they announce the next iPhone and preordering that isn't really an option at this point. These are the options I have been considering.

1) Buy the iPhone 5, if in a year I really decide I want the next generation that badly I can pay full retail for it or just suck it up and wait. Two years from now I'll be making the same choice again. I am leaning most towards this option since my phone will stay relevant (enough power to handle the software updates) longer.
2) Buy the 4S and if I decide I want the next generation, pay full retail then. Saves a ton of money in the now because all my cables and cases will actually fit it (and I can resell if necessary).
3) Buy the 4S without a contract and save my upgrade so I have the freedom to use my upgrade however I want later on. This costs about as much as it would cost to buy the 5 with a contract and all the accessories for the 5 (charging cables, cases, docks...).

I have almost completely ruled #2 out. I'd almost definitely buy the next phone at full retail before my next upgrade is available so it'd just be a waste of money. I understand most people will raise their eyebrows at #3 and think I'm nuts; the reason it's an option is because I am not quite ready to stomach the cost of replacing the cases and the cables I use. Silly, yes. I'd rather do it on the better next iteration of the iPhone (5S) if I could wait.

Mostly here, I'm looking for that extra push towards #1. How do users feel about the iPhone 5 vs the 4s? Was adjusting to the size difficult? Is there any foreseeable reason to wait?

 

[lelisa13p]

Although you say that your upgrade becomes available in about a week, you can wait as long as you want before you actually use it. Given that you say your iP4 is still viable (Power button notwithstanding), it might make sense to wait until the Fall announcements before doing anything at all. My iP4 was in perfect condition when I passed it on to my son in November and it's stll great for him presently. We have alternating years on our upgrades and will also be waiting to see what the Fall holds. If upgrading is tasty, then I'll buy new and pass my iP5 along to him.

IME, the iP4 was a great little phone.

 

[ucfgrad93]

3) Buy the 4S without a contract and save my upgrade so I have the freedom to use my upgrade however I want later on. This costs about as much as it would cost to buy the 5 with a contract and all the accessories for the 5 (charging cables, cases, docks...).

Given the situation you describe, I'd go with option 3.

 

[dave420]

Have you tried using assistive touch on the iPhone 4 so you can turn the phone off without worrying about the messed up power button? The option is in the accessibility settings.
That setting may make using your current phone a little more pleasant and you can then upgrade when the next phone comes out.

 

[Bugeyeblue]

I am currently on an iPhone 4,

I have a way for you to get the 5 now (or as soon as your upgrade allows), and then the 5s(?) when it comes out for no extra cost.
Buy the galaxy s4 right when your upgrade is available. Trade it on Craigslist for an iPhone 5 plus cash, probably $150 or so. (You could also just buy and sell the galaxy right away, but with a lot of iPhone 5 owners out there looking for the latest and greatest, you might make a little more cash on a trade).
Then, when the iPhone 5s(?) comes out, buy it for full retail, and sell the iPhone 5. You should make around $450 on the iPhone 5, plus you'll have that extra $150 from the previous trade. You'll have $600 to buy the 5s(?). It may cost a little more than that with tax, but it'll be pretty close.

Or you could just wait a few more months and get the 5s(?) when it comes out. I just wouldn't mess with getting a 4s at this point. It's still a great phone, but with an available upgrade, I would at least get the 5.

 

[forcetactic]

Jailbreak your iphone 4 if possible, install activator, and assign swipe left from home screen edge to edge to turn off instead of clicking power button

 

[Am3r1ca16]

knowing that you are going to stay another 2 years with the same phone i would wait for the iPhone 5S/6. might as well have the newest phone for the coming year.

the wait is worth it. just be patient.

Why get the iPhone 5 now when in 4 months the new one is out.

 

[Mrbobb]

People buy non-contract phones with the singular purpose of using cheaper, no big3 services (ATT,VZ,Sprint). But if that's not your intention, buying non-contract is costly.

 

[Bear]

I am currently on an iPhone 4, which I got when the 4s came out.

My upgrade comes in about a week. My 4 is still going strong, though the power button is partially stuck and I have to press it 5+ times for it to register (don't judge me, my phone got stomped on by a horse and survived). Waiting until they announce the next iPhone and preordering that isn't really an option at this point. These are the options I have been considering.
...

Have you thought about getting the iPhone serviced out of warranty? I think the Apple price for that is $149 for an iPhone 4.

You could then wait until the next iPhone is announced and use your upgrad e then. Then you could sell your iPhone 4.

This way your upgrades will be aligned with Apple's current announcement schedule for iPhones.

 

[lordofthereef]

Your 4 is still going strong...

Why is waiting for the next iPhone not an option then?

 

[Cody21]

Just keep your iPhone 4 and get the next iPhone. If you can't do that, just buy one out of contract and save your upgrade.

 

[ste1164]

I'd also do what others said just wait. Maybe see how much it would be for apple to fix the button. It may be worth doing that. Or not fixing it and just waiting until the next device.

 

[hexomega]

Have you thought about getting the iPhone serviced out of warranty? I think the Apple price for that is $149 for an iPhone 4.

You could then wait until the next iPhone is announced and use your upgrad e then. Then you could sell your iPhone 4.

This way your upgrades will be aligned with Apple's current announcement schedule for iPhones.

I wouldn't want to spend that much to save this phone. It's more than I spent when buying the phone itself. That would be the ideal situation, though. I could give asking them a try, maybe it's cheaper than that.

Your 4 is still going strong...

Why is waiting for the next iPhone not an option then?

My concern is that the power button could stop working completely at any moment and I'm not about to wait for that moment to come around. When I say going strong, I mean functioning as it's supposed to with no serious side effects (extreme slowness, crashing, needing to be reset all the time, not connecting to wifi or 3g). My 4 is slow, irritatingly so, but about as much as I'd expect from a phone this old running modern software. I would say it's held up very well... compared to my galaxy which was crippled by software updates over time. Crippled. It was so bad that during the last six months I had the phone I barely even used my cell phone anymore and often left it at home, only taking it if I would need it in an emergency.

I like things to be fast which is what is really pushing me towards an upgrade, even moreso than the power button.

knowing that you are going to stay another 2 years with the same phone i would wait for the iPhone 5S/6. might as well have the newest phone for the coming year.

the wait is worth it. just be patient.

Why get the iPhone 5 now when in 4 months the new one is out.

Several reasons:
1) I don't buy phones at launch. I hate waiting in line, I hate the hassle of it all, and I hate ordering and waiting for a phone to ship to me. By the time the next phone came out I'd be so desperate for a new phone I'd have chewed my fingers off.
2) There's always the possibility that I won't like the new iPhone, or that they won't announce one at all. I'd spend an entire summer with a phone I'm getting a little tired of (it's slow, but it works) only to find out it was for nothing.
3) Okay I'm just really bad at being patient. Unless there's a guarantee of reward it's difficult to make me wait for something when I can just get what I want (faster processor so I stop having lag when opening apps, better camera, etc) now.

Jailbreak your iphone 4 if possible, install activator, and assign swipe left from home screen edge to edge to turn off instead of clicking power button

Have you tried using assistive touch on the iPhone 4 so you can turn the phone off without worrying about the messed up power button? The option is in the accessibility settings.
That setting may make using your current phone a little more pleasant and you can then upgrade when the next phone comes out.

That doesn't solve the problem of turning a phone back on if the power button is busted.

I have a way for you to get the 5 now (or as soon as your upgrade allows), and then the 5s(?) when it comes out for no extra cost.
Buy the galaxy s4 right when your upgrade is available. Trade it on Craigslist for an iPhone 5 plus cash, probably $150 or so. (You could also just buy and sell the galaxy right away, but with a lot of iPhone 5 owners out there looking for the latest and greatest, you might make a little more cash on a trade).
Then, when the iPhone 5s(?) comes out, buy it for full retail, and sell the iPhone 5. You should make around $450 on the iPhone 5, plus you'll have that extra $150 from the previous trade. You'll have $600 to buy the 5s(?). It may cost a little more than that with tax, but it'll be pretty close.

Or you could just wait a few more months and get the 5s(?) when it comes out. I just wouldn't mess with getting a 4s at this point. It's still a great phone, but with an available upgrade, I would at least get the 5.

That's complicated!

Your opinion has been noted on the 4s.

Given the situation you describe, I'd go with option 3.

Just keep your iPhone 4 and get the next iPhone. If you can't do that, just buy one out of contract and save your upgrade.

You two are the first people who thought my idea of buying out of contract was actually sane. Feeling a little less weird now. The biggest appeal of it is that I'm then in no hurry and can upgrade whenever I want. If I want to in the fall, I can. If I don't, then I made the right choice. It's the least risky in terms of satisfaction, albeit not the most fiscally responsible.

The main thing to note is that I may decide I don't want the 5s. However, I could just get the 5 now and if I really really must have the 5s, I can sell my 5 and buy the 5s at full retail. Technically, this makes the most sense. If I played the waiting game, I'd just get the 4s and keep my 4 as a backup phone.

Many people lean towards just getting the 5. Some people like my 4s idea. I think I will go to the store, play with the phones and ruminate on this today. I have a whole week to decide.

 

[dave420]

That doesn't solve the problem of turning a phone back on if the power button is busted.

If you charge the phone then it will power on.

You might not be able to get it into DFU mode with a broken power button. That doesn't really come up much, but it might depending on what you do with it.

 

[lordofthereef]

If your only concern is the power button, there are a few solutions. First, pushing home will wake the phone. Inconvenient, but still workable. If your phone dies, just plug it into a poet source. That will automatically power on the phone without having to use the power button at all.

Not trying to push you in one direction or the other. But you seem on with your iPhone 4 and curious about what the next iPhone might bring and you talk about possibly buying it outright when the time comes. Just making some suggestions. Hope they help.

 

[Cody21]

I wouldn't want to spend that much to save this phone. It's more than I spent when buying the phone itself. That would be the ideal situation, though. I could give asking them a try, maybe it's cheaper than that.



My concern is that the power button could stop working completely at any moment and I'm not about to wait for that moment to come around. When I say going strong, I mean functioning as it's supposed to with no serious side effects (extreme slowness, crashing, needing to be reset all the time, not connecting to wifi or 3g). My 4 is slow, irritatingly so, but about as much as I'd expect from a phone this old running modern software. I would say it's held up very well... compared to my galaxy which was crippled by software updates over time. Crippled. It was so bad that during the last six months I had the phone I barely even used my cell phone anymore and often left it at home, only taking it if I would need it in an emergency.

I like things to be fast which is what is really pushing me towards an upgrade, even moreso than the power button.



Several reasons:
1) I don't buy phones at launch. I hate waiting in line, I hate the hassle of it all, and I hate ordering and waiting for a phone to ship to me. By the time the next phone came out I'd be so desperate for a new phone I'd have chewed my fingers off.
2) There's always the possibility that I won't like the new iPhone, or that they won't announce one at all. I'd spend an entire summer with a phone I'm getting a little tired of (it's slow, but it works) only to find out it was for nothing.
3) Okay I'm just really bad at being patient. Unless there's a guarantee of reward it's difficult to make me wait for something when I can just get what I want (faster processor so I stop having lag when opening apps, better camera, etc) now.




That doesn't solve the problem of turning a phone back on if the power button is busted.



That's complicated!

Your opinion has been noted on the 4s.





You two are the first people who thought my idea of buying out of contract was actually sane. Feeling a little less weird now. The biggest appeal of it is that I'm then in no hurry and can upgrade whenever I want. If I want to in the fall, I can. If I don't, then I made the right choice. It's the least risky in terms of satisfaction, albeit not the most fiscally responsible.

The main thing to note is that I may decide I don't want the 5s. However, I could just get the 5 now and if I really really must have the 5s, I can sell my 5 and buy the 5s at full retail. Technically, this makes the most sense. If I played the waiting game, I'd just get the 4s and keep my 4 as a backup phone.

Many people lean towards just getting the 5. Some people like my 4s idea. I think I will go to the store, play with the phones and ruminate on this today. I have a whole week to decide.

I've bought a couple of phones out of contract, so I can't judge. Anyways, you made some valid points. And I do agree with pulling the trigger on the iPhone 5 if you don't want to wait; it's a good phone.

 

[braddick]

In the meantime there is a (google) fix for your sticky home button.