Wow it’s amazing to know so many people have also had a new iPhone since 2007. The trade in values really help it’s almost like paying $600/yr for a new phone and as much as we use them now it’s absolutely worth it.
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Other Who else has had a new iPhone every year since 2007?
- Thread starter DiamondGCoupe
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It actually used to be better. Buy for $199 (on contract of course), sell for $350+. With family plans, you can leverage upgrades on multiple lines.
I had the OG as well but I didn’t buy in until they released the 16GB model. I probably still have that somewhere.
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Yep, I'm a member. 
Here is my journey, I have a tracker, I started it a lifetime ago and now my kids have a blast updating it every year. Prices are in Canadian, also why there is no 2008 OG, it was not available in Canada:
It used to be a no brainer to update every year in the "good ol' days" of Steve Jobs because you could effectively sell your phone online for about $100 less than you paid and then take that money to buy a new phone, basically a lease. You can really tell when the loonie just took a massive nosedive when the prices get crazy in the late 2010s. and as such, it got tougher to sell in 2017 and beyond because the phones became so expensive.
As I've gotten older, I just can't deal with "Kijiji people" - the people you need to deal with to sell via online classifieds. As such, I have been just using the iPhone trade in program for the past few years. Yeah, I know, leaving money on the table, but as I have gotten older, my time and mental health is worth more.
Top 3 Favourite iPhones:
- iPhone 4 - just a special time when Apple products and releases were so special. The leak and everything around it made this thing a huge deal.
- iPhone X - a cool new experience, OLED screen and special phone that took us in a new direction.
- iPhone 14 Pro Max - Really, this should be 12/13/14, because as the 4 is my favourite, the return to flat sides was a relief for me, made me realize how much I hated the rounded edges. For the 12, 5G was huge as was wireless charging, 13 brought in ProMotion screens, and 14 was cool for the Dynamic Island, the perfection of the previous few models.
Bottom 3 iPhones:
- iPhone 6/6S - Just hated this design and me going to gold was such a crowd following/pleasing decision, I really did not like these phones and that there was no black iPhone for the 6 series. I had a grey 6 for work, so did not make sense to buy one for personal use. It took awhile as well to get used to the bigger phone, which is funny looking back, they have only got bigger.
- iPhone 11 Pro Max - Just hated I went with the "flagship model in the pictures". What a mistake, hated the green. Also was too big for me, which annoyed me, downgraded in size but went big again with the 14 Pro Max.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max - went with gold, which it really wasn't, worst gold model maybe ever. Only phone I have broken as well, likely why it lives poorly in my mind, had Apple Care and needed a replacement, glad to put it behind me.
Here is my journey, I have a tracker, I started it a lifetime ago and now my kids have a blast updating it every year. Prices are in Canadian, also why there is no 2008 OG, it was not available in Canada:
It used to be a no brainer to update every year in the "good ol' days" of Steve Jobs because you could effectively sell your phone online for about $100 less than you paid and then take that money to buy a new phone, basically a lease. You can really tell when the loonie just took a massive nosedive when the prices get crazy in the late 2010s. and as such, it got tougher to sell in 2017 and beyond because the phones became so expensive.
As I've gotten older, I just can't deal with "Kijiji people" - the people you need to deal with to sell via online classifieds. As such, I have been just using the iPhone trade in program for the past few years. Yeah, I know, leaving money on the table, but as I have gotten older, my time and mental health is worth more.
Top 3 Favourite iPhones:
- iPhone 4 - just a special time when Apple products and releases were so special. The leak and everything around it made this thing a huge deal.
- iPhone X - a cool new experience, OLED screen and special phone that took us in a new direction.
- iPhone 14 Pro Max - Really, this should be 12/13/14, because as the 4 is my favourite, the return to flat sides was a relief for me, made me realize how much I hated the rounded edges. For the 12, 5G was huge as was wireless charging, 13 brought in ProMotion screens, and 14 was cool for the Dynamic Island, the perfection of the previous few models.
Bottom 3 iPhones:
- iPhone 6/6S - Just hated this design and me going to gold was such a crowd following/pleasing decision, I really did not like these phones and that there was no black iPhone for the 6 series. I had a grey 6 for work, so did not make sense to buy one for personal use. It took awhile as well to get used to the bigger phone, which is funny looking back, they have only got bigger.
- iPhone 11 Pro Max - Just hated I went with the "flagship model in the pictures". What a mistake, hated the green. Also was too big for me, which annoyed me, downgraded in size but went big again with the 14 Pro Max.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max - went with gold, which it really wasn't, worst gold model maybe ever. Only phone I have broken as well, likely why it lives poorly in my mind, had Apple Care and needed a replacement, glad to put it behind me.
I've been upgrading every single year since the 3GS and always to the best model and storwge capacity that Apple had at the time, never started with the original because while it had a nice UI, there was no way in hell I was dropping from 3G or even HSDPA around that time with my Windows Mobile 5 and 6 PDA hybrid-type phone to a crappy 2G connection. The 3G iPhone wasn't much of an improvement either, really.
It's only once the 3GS came out that Apple finally had a very good iPhone, and I've stuck with them ever since. I always sell my previous one so it makes upgrading each year less painful. 17 PM 2TB on the way next, hopefully on launch day
I do the yearly upgrades with the Apple Watch as well, started with the very first one, with an Ultra 3 hopefully for launch day as well.
It's only once the 3GS came out that Apple finally had a very good iPhone, and I've stuck with them ever since. I always sell my previous one so it makes upgrading each year less painful. 17 PM 2TB on the way next, hopefully on launch day
I do the yearly upgrades with the Apple Watch as well, started with the very first one, with an Ultra 3 hopefully for launch day as well.
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iPhone SE was my first iPhone. Then XS Max and have upgraded every year since then for Max series.
I upgrade every year as well. I get a receipt that states I've paid in full for my CPA and I've always sold the previous device on the open market and recouped a grip leaving little out of pocket. Financially advantageous for me but not everyone is in my shoes so do as you seem fit.
Yep, except I think I skipped the 4S for some reason.
I used to get genuine excitement, especially for the display tech and camera upgrades. But even an iPhone 13/14 Pro is a solid device in 2025 with a camera that will do just fine for the casual photos I take.
Yet somehow that ~$50/month 'perpetual lease' via iPhone Upgrade Program is just too frictionless and cheap to pass up. The real waste are all the cases I accumulate that can't be repurposed if you upgrade your phone every year!
I used to get genuine excitement, especially for the display tech and camera upgrades. But even an iPhone 13/14 Pro is a solid device in 2025 with a camera that will do just fine for the casual photos I take.
Yet somehow that ~$50/month 'perpetual lease' via iPhone Upgrade Program is just too frictionless and cheap to pass up. The real waste are all the cases I accumulate that can't be repurposed if you upgrade your phone every year!
Hello everyone. I am also an iPhone addict and have upgraded every single year. It was fun af lining up in those early days. There were some years where it was a complete lottery if you’d get a screen that was piss yellow…good times.
Would it have been better to put that money into a basic investment account with compound interest? Yea but o well lol.
Would it have been better to put that money into a basic investment account with compound interest? Yea but o well lol.
I’ve had every model since the 3G. I don’t buy the original because I didn’t think I’d want a device where the screen would be covered with gross fingerprint smudges all the time 😂.
I was in line for 3 hours in the July Texas heat waiting to get the 3G at the Apple Store. The AT&T activations were going so slowly.
Oddly, the next year i walked in to an AT&T store on launch day for the 3GS, and there was no line, and I got a new phone in a few minutes. I went back two hours later to exchange the new phone because it had an issue, and the exchange was done with no waiting. 🤷♂️
Now, I’m on the iup, and I preorder and get the device on launch day.
I was in line for 3 hours in the July Texas heat waiting to get the 3G at the Apple Store. The AT&T activations were going so slowly.
Oddly, the next year i walked in to an AT&T store on launch day for the 3GS, and there was no line, and I got a new phone in a few minutes. I went back two hours later to exchange the new phone because it had an issue, and the exchange was done with no waiting. 🤷♂️
Now, I’m on the iup, and I preorder and get the device on launch day.
Yes, this exactly! All the others on our family plan don’t care about a new phone every year so I always used to upgrade each year using whatever line was eligible at the time and then just sell off the prior year’s phone. It was much nicer when the phones were subsidized and some years basically got the new phone for close to free…although no longer being tied into a contract on a line is nice too nowadays.
I’ve been upgrading since 2007 every single year. Can’t seem to break the curse. lol
My first one was the iPhone 3G in 2008. Since then I’ve gotten a new one each generation except (3GS, 12, and 14). Still debating on upgrading to the 17 Pro.
The 3G was my first smartphone and it's been a love affair since. Back then, obviously annual upgrades offered a lot more than today and phone contracts/subsidized pricing made it easier on the wallet too. I upgraded annually from the 3G - the 8 Plus and stopped because of PWM and my inability to tolerate a modern phone until 15 PM.