Other What will make you upgrade to a newer phone?

[Cognizant.]

I think Apple can figure that all out… 😉

And by Apple figuring that out, I would need to bring it to an Apple store instead of being able to do it myself, which is an immense waste of time. There's a lot of things Apple has done that nobody can quite figure out why they did them, including Apple.

 

[Cognizant.]

You probable meant DFU restore, which still requires a wired connection to a computer (so much for post PC era...). This is imo the last issue for iOS to get portless. iOS needs its own recovery mode like macOS/Android.

Or, Apple would add some sort of data connectivity to magsafe 2.0. I've always wondered why there is that elongated bar at the bottom the circular magnets of magsafe. Seems like a placeholder for something.

No, not just DFU mode. Just general Restore as well. Taking this away so that only Apple can do it would be ridiculous. Also, being able to use the phone while charging. That's extremely important as well.

 

[ian87w]

No, not just DFU mode. Just general Restore as well. Taking this away so that only Apple can do it would be ridiculous. Also, being able to use the phone while charging. That's extremely important as well.

Ah yes, restoring the firmware does require wired connection to PC as well (not simple regular reset).

In the end, iOS does need its own recovery mode. It’s ironic a company that keeps talking about post PC era doesn’t even have their most popular devices capable to be truly PC free.

 

[Andeddu]

I used to arbitrarily upgrade my phone every other year. I don’t do that anymore as it is no longer justified in my view. I have currently downgraded to the original SE which I am very happy with. I will continue using it until a month after iOS 16 is released before going back or my trusty 12 Mini. I plan on using the Mini for at least a further 2 years before upgrading or reassessing my situation in late 2024.

 

[Guacamole]

Touch ID and more natural looking photos, not the over processed on the 13

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Battery is my main reason this time as my iPhone 12 has appalling battery life. If it wasn’t for that I’d probably consider keeping it longer as there’s very little significant difference to the iPhone 13 and the 14 doesn’t seem much better from the rumours.

My plan is to get a 13 Pro when the 14 comes out so I at least feel like I’ve upgraded a bit. If the costs are still stupid then I might just get an iPhone 13. Jury’s out at the moment.

 

[compwiz1202]

And when you need to restore your iPhone because of an error, a portless iPhone would be very nonsensical. Not to mention you can't use the phone if it's charging wirelessly.

First I agree along with CarPlay until they get a reliable dongle. Second one you can use the magsafe power banks or the magsafe wired and still use the phone.

 

[compwiz1202]

And by Apple figuring that out, I would need to bring it to an Apple store instead of being able to do it myself, which is an immense waste of time. There's a lot of things Apple has done that nobody can quite figure out why they did them, including Apple.

Exactly, same reason I will never Beta WatchOS until you can rollback yourself.

 

[DavidChoux]

Waiting patiently for the following before I switch back to iOS.

1. Apps can be easily side loaded like APKs on Android

2. USB-C

3. Better multitasking, like floating apps in MIUI

Happy with Mac's, there are now restrictions there compared to a PC, but unfortunately iPhones are not the same.

 

[Momof2.1107]

Battery is my main reason this time as my iPhone 12 has appalling battery life. If it wasn’t for that I’d probably consider keeping it longer as there’s very little significant difference to the iPhone 13 and the 14 doesn’t seem much better from the rumours.

My plan is to get a 13 Pro when the 14 comes out so I at least feel like I’ve upgraded a bit. If the costs are still stupid then I might just get an iPhone 13. Jury’s out at the moment.

The battery life on my 12 Pro Max is the biggest reason why I’m upgrading this year. Granted today, I’ve been on my phone more than usual and have had to charge my phone twice since 9am.

 

[ian87w]

The battery life on my 12 Pro Max is the biggest reason why I’m upgrading this year. Granted today, I’ve been on my phone more than usual and have had to charge my phone twice since 9am.

Wow, the 12 series really got the short end of the stick in battery life.

 

[K4VKS]

I miss my old Motorola Razr. Apple brings a Razr-esque iPhone, I’m all in! 😁

 

[Andeddu]

New battery tech would make me upgrade. My 12 Mini’s battery life is honking but I can deal with it when using the MagSafe battery pack. The additional charge allows me to use the phone heavily without having to worry about charge.

 

[ian87w]

Current tally is:
1. OS support
2. Performance
3. Tied: new design and broken phone

Very interesting. New OS has become a selling point in the Android world, where OEMs are selling pretty much the same phone but with updated OS as a new phone. Hopefully Apple doesn't degrade into shorter OS support (eg. dropping off 4 models 6s, 6s+, 7, and 7+ form iOS16).

Interesting also to see performance. I'm curious what kind of performance people would feel they need from their phone. For me personally, I feel my 7+ is alright. My S21 is perfectly fine with everything I throw at it. Thus baseline performance for a phone (basic functions, task switching, starting apps, etc) are arguably at its peak with performance cores and fast storage (nvme/UFS). When I was playing with new iPhones at a store, I don't feel the iPhone 11 to be any "slower" than the 13.

 

[supremedesigner]

You're missing one more option "Other". "Promotion from carrier or gift from other family member".

I had no need to upgrade. When I see a great promotion from ATT I go for it.

 

[nburwell]

I typically upgrade each year as I'm on IUP. Though depending on prices this year, I may opt to keep my 13 for another year.

 

[clevins]

Two reasons - when i notice lag in everyday things and when I'm close to losing ios support on my device. For example, my XS Max is likely a year away (maybe 2) from being unsupported. It's 4 years old and ios 15 is showing some tiny lag here and there. The battery is at 82% so it's OK but I can notice it not holding a charge quite as long.

I could use it for another year, MAYBE two, but it's missing a few nice features (Night Mode in photos, etc) and it's been 4 years so I don't feel bad about upgrading at all.

 

[chrisdazzo]

I used to upgrade my iPhone annually after buying it at retail price, selling it on eBay around August, and using a much older iPhone for a couple weeks prior to launch. While that was of course super enjoyable, with Apple's iPhone Upgrade program it's worth it (and I can afford) to just let Apple take care of the swap, coverage, etc. while I pay a small premium for the privilege. 🤷‍♂️

 

[icanhazmac]

Wow, phones really have nothing left to offer based on the number of members who will upgrade based solely on the charging port. Broken USB-C ports FTW!

 

[phrehdd]

I'll be keeping my iPhone 13 Pro Max for at least 3 years. I would only get another phone if this one broke beyond repair. (The iPhone is to be paid off over time.)

 

[jclardy]

USB-C. Simple as that.

This is basically all that would get me on a 14 from my 13 Pro. Always on display doesn't really interest me on a phone, it is either in my pocket or face down on the table, I don't need to always see the weather or my next calendar event.

But USB-C would mean I can finally carry around just one charger for iPhone/iPad/Mac. Only problem would be airpods, but those I only charge around once a week so not a huge deal.

 

[TechLord]

iPhone 12 here. I’d like more base storage, a telephoto, and better battery life. At the same time I’m not interested in paying the extreme prices for the pro model. So it may be the case that I wait till 2023 and hope a telephoto trickles down to the regular iPhone 15!

 

[Momof2.1107]

Wow, the 12 series really got the short end of the stick in battery life.

Yes the battery life sucks on the 12 series. Other than the phone is perfect and does everything I want. I’m just ready for an upgrade and 2 years feel like a substantial upgrade for me. I’m also still on iOS 14.1 (my iPhone is jailbroken and I don’t see the need to upgrade my iOS until the 14 launches), and the battery still sucks. I’m also upgrading my S4, which is on 6.2.8, so this year’s upgrade for watch and phone will be substantial for me as I’ve missed out on all of the features for phone, iOS and watch OS for the last 2 years, which is something I’ve never missed out on. I always was quick to upgrade the OS whenever an update came out.

 

[ian87w]

Yes the battery life sucks on the 12 series. Other than the phone is perfect and does everything I want. I’m just ready for an upgrade and 2 years feel like a substantial upgrade for me. I’m also still on iOS 14.1 (my iPhone is jailbroken and I don’t see the need to upgrade my iOS until the 14 launches), and the battery still sucks. I’m also upgrading my S4, which is on 6.2.8, so this year’s upgrade for watch and phone will be substantial for me as I’ve missed out on all of the features for phone, iOS and watch OS for the last 2 years, which is something I’ve never missed out on. I always was quick to upgrade the OS whenever an update came out.

It was wise staying on iOS 14 in the early days of buggy iOS 15. But 15.5 is quite good now. Not sure about jailbreak status though.

 

[Momof2.1107]

It was wise staying on iOS 14 in the early days of buggy iOS 15. But 15.5 is quite good now. Not sure about jailbreak status though.

I only jailbreak to customize my iPhone. I’ve had the jailbreak for almost 2 years, so it’ll be an adjustment come September to use vanilla iOS until a jailbreak for iOS 16 is released.