Verizon iPhone 4 now or wait for iPhone 5?

[badlydrawnboy]

I've had the iPhone 4 with AT&T since it came out and I'm one of those unlucky Bay Area residents that has a fancy phone that doesn't work. I had almost no signal at my old house. Recently moved to a new house, same story. Got a MicroCell and now have five bars - but calls still drop.

I ordered a Verizon iPhone just to see if it works better. Sure enough, it does. Not a single dropped call and good reception at home. Internet speeds are comparable to AT&T - probably because the connection is stronger.

So now my question is: do I keep the Verizon iPhone? Or should I stick it out a few months more with AT&T until the iPhone 5 comes out on Verizon? If I switch to Verizon now, I won't be able to upgrade for at least a year. I guess the other advantage to waiting is that the ETF from AT&T would be lower, because it's pro-rated.

Thoughts? (BTW, what are the rumored improvements with the iPhone 5 anyway?)

 

[wordoflife]

I personally believe that the iPhone 5 will be coming out in Summer and that Apple is just trying to keep it low or possibly trying to spread false rumors so the current iPhone sales don't dip like they did last year when the iPhone 4 was leaked.

If you can live with dropping calls for two more months, then you should probably wait IMO. If you can't, then just go Verizon.

 

[na1577]

I would say go for the Verizon iPhone 4. The iPhone 5 is still (probably) another five months away, and that's a lot of time to spend with poor service. The only reason why I'd suggest staying with the AT&T iPhone 4 is if you are definitely planning on upgrading.

As for the rumored upgrades: NFC, larger screen, A5 processor, improved GPU, similar design to iPhone 4. But the larger screen rumor is unlikely in my opinion, and NFC has been rumored to have been put off until 2012.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I personally believe that the iPhone 5 will be coming out in Summer and that Apple is just trying to keep it low or possibly trying to spread false rumors so the current iPhone sales don't dip like they did last year when the iPhone 4 was leaked.

If you can live with dropping calls for two more months, then you should probably wait IMO. If you can't, then just go Verizon.

I agree. Wait if you can.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

Thanks for your advice. What is "NFC"?

From what you've listed in terms of upgrades, there isn't a hugely compelling reason for me to upgrade. The iPhone 4 from iPhone 3 was a no-brainer, but I don't even know if I want a larger screen, the current chip is plenty fast for me, and as far as I know the GPU is too.

I don't play games on it or do any graphics intensive stuff. Just email, web browsing, social media, and some basic apps.

And yeah, it would be nice to make a phone call with the friggin' thing every now and then.

 

[ucfgrad93]

What is "NFC"?

NFC = Near Field Communications. You could use your iPhone to pay for things by bringing it close to a terminal. Credit cards are beginning to use this. I went to a store to buy something and instead of swiping my credit card, I just tapped it on the terminal.

 

[Reach9]

I would say go for the Verizon iPhone 4. The iPhone 5 is still (probably) another five months away, and that's a lot of time to spend with poor service. The only reason why I'd suggest staying with the AT&T iPhone 4 is if you are definitely planning on upgrading.

As for the rumored upgrades: NFC, larger screen, A5 processor, improved GPU, similar design to iPhone 4. But the larger screen rumor is unlikely in my opinion, and NFC has been rumored to have been put off until 2012.

Yup. But i've been using my iPhone 3G since 2008, but since iOS 4, i've just been patient. Needless to say, it's affected my daily productivity.

Well majority of rumors are pointing to NFC, larger screen, A5 Dual Core CPU, enhanced GPU, similar form factor but maybe with aluminum, and a better camera.

I think these are reasonable. Apple has to add hardware and software upgrades to make even iPhone 4 owners to switch.

So my advice is to wait. I also agree with worldoflife.

 

[BlindMellon]

Yup. But i've been using my iPhone 3G since 2008, but since iOS 4, i've just been patient. Needless to say, it's affected my daily productivity.

Well majority of rumors are pointing to NFC, larger screen, A5 Dual Core CPU, enhanced GPU, similar form factor but maybe with aluminum, and a better camera.

I think these are reasonable. Apple has to add hardware and software upgrades to make even iPhone 4 owners to switch.

So my advice is to wait. I also agree with worldoflife.

from past history, this year is a 'mid cycle' (2nd of two years) and i don't think we'll see the form-factor or screen change at all. only internals and OS, though they may tweak the antenna.

for apple to replace the back glass with anything else would be admitting they made a mistake the first time, so i don't think that will change either.

the iphone 4 took 18 months to develop. for it to be a new model this year would mean they had to start dev on the iphone 5 6 months before the iphone 4 was even out the door.

i tell ya though me and a lot of other people were sorely disappointed when the iphone 4 didn't have a larger screen. imagine the disappointment this year if apple still keeps the smallest screen of all the leading smartphones. lot of sad puppies.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

The choice got a lot clearer this morning. Noticed my download speeds had dropped from 20 Mbps to about 10 Mbps. After troubleshooting for a while, I figured out the MicroCell was interfering with my wireless router. Since the MicroCell was the only thing making my AT&T phone kind-of, almost work at home, I'm definitely switching to Verizon. Guess I'll have to wait to upgrade to the iPhone 5.

 

[Reach9]

from past history, this year is a 'mid cycle' (2nd of two years) and i don't think we'll see the form-factor or screen change at all. only internals and OS, though they may tweak the antenna.

for apple to replace the back glass with anything else would be admitting they made a mistake the first time, so i don't think that will change either.

the iphone 4 took 18 months to develop. for it to be a new model this year would mean they had to start dev on the iphone 5 6 months before the iphone 4 was even out the door.

I can see where you're coming from. But i don't think we can base this off history completely. Like you pointed out, the competition is fierce. When the iPhone 3GS was released Apple wasn't facing as much competition, and thought they could fight off Android.
I think after seeing the iPhone 5 we'll be able to conclude if there's a pattern, but for now i think we'll be seeing those updates.

Yeah, but i believe every strong company has to acknowledge mistakes they made. If the iPhone 4 took 18months to develop, they did a pretty poor job imo. I can see Steve Jobs or Tim Cook talking about the iPhone 5 and saying how they went wrong with the antenna on the iPhone 4, or the glass back, etc.
I don't think the iPhone 5 will be completely different. So we'll see.

i tell ya though me and a lot of other people were sorely disappointed when the iphone 4 didn't have a larger screen. imagine the disappointment this year if apple still keeps the smallest screen of all the leading smartphones. lot of sad puppies.

Completely agree with you. iOS 5 and iPhone 5 are the last straws for me, if they don't meet my standards then i'll be jumping ship.

 

[BlindMellon]

I can see where you're coming from. But i don't think we can base this off history completely. Like you pointed out, the competition is fierce. When the iPhone 3GS was released Apple wasn't facing as much competition, and thought they could fight off Android.
I think after seeing the iPhone 5 we'll be able to conclude if there's a pattern, but for now i think we'll be seeing those updates.

Yeah, but i believe every strong company has to acknowledge mistakes they made. If the iPhone 4 took 18months to develop, they did a pretty poor job imo. I can see Steve Jobs or Tim Cook talking about the iPhone 5 and saying how they went wrong with the antenna on the iPhone 4, or the glass back, etc.
I don't think the iPhone 5 will be completely different. So we'll see.



Completely agree with you. iOS 5 and iPhone 5 are the last straws for me, if they don't meet my standards then i'll be jumping ship.

the iphone 4 got a bad rap from the beginning because of the antenna design, glass back and retaining the small screen. these are the reasons i've held onto my 3gs. except for the retina display, the 4 doesn't do much for me (and it looks like a brick with a full body case). if the 5 is the same package as the 4 i may just hold onto the 3gs another year.