Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Other Why Aren't we Keeping our iPhones for Years?
- Thread starter ElPaso
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I still have my iPhone 12 Pro running iOS 27 beta 2 as my daily driver. It looks and works as new and does everything I need day to day.
Tsepz
macrumors 603
I’ve not used one phone consistently for more than 2 years, this is going back to when I was in highschool, back then my parents had me on a 2 year plan, so I got used to that and when I started working I got on my own plan.
I currently have 2 lines and I typically keep my phones for 1-2years depending on if I feel the need the latest iPhone is worth it.
I’m quite happy with my 17 PM and depending on how I feel about 18 PM, I will see if I jump to it or skip it, instead I may just get my fiancée an 18Pro as her 13 PM is now showing its age, she also wants a smaller Pro and keep going with my 17 PM until the 20th anniversary iPhones land.
I kept my iPhone 6s six years, which was too long. I've had my iPhone 13 Pro for five years, which is also too long. Push notifications (Ring doorbell, Authenticator, etc.) no longer display promptly and Chrome doesn't seem to have access to any cookies until several seconds after it's launched. I don't plan to keep the 18 Pro that will replace it more than four years unless I am absolutely convinced that every single function is still performing extremely well at that point.
Excellent, thought-provoking thread! 😎👌 I've considered this a bit over the years, though not in very much depth, so this will be fun to think through.
As I've gotten older & my income has thankfully increased, I've begun upgrading my phone more often. At least every 2 years, for some periods, I did it every year.
For me, it comes down to several very practical reasons why I choose to upgrade so frequently:
a) Battery.
Rechargeable batteries simply wear out over time. Fact.
Let's start a separate thread about who the actual HELL decided to start making all devices so ultra-thin and light that the batteries barely last a few hours; that NOTHING is user-serviceable nor replaceable because everything is literally glued shut and glued together..... 🤬🤬 Again that's a whole other thread. 🤬🤬😒🙄
Like honestly; this is a significant portion of why I feel compelled to upgrade so frequently. I'd absolutely MUCH rather have a thicker, bulkier iPhone with a larger, longer-lasting and USER-REPLACEABLE BATTERY, vs. the iPhone Air that nobody asked for. 🙄
b) Camera.
I've got kids and wife & I absolutely use our iPhones as our primary camera, which we have for over a decade or so, if memory serves. OK; our ONLY camera. We have some old (at this point, VERY old LOL) point & shoots, but the iPhone has pretty much always outperformed those, at least our specific models.
It seems to me that smartphone camera upgrades are generally pretty substantial year to year, thus being a very compelling upgrade for me and others. At this specific point in time right now; mid-2026; I'm not sure how true that is any longer.... But for the last ten years or so it seems that - most years, not every year,- it has generally been worth it to upgrade just for the camera and best / sharpest memories of & for my kids / family.
c) Speed & performance.
For me personally I have moderate ADHD and I'm not joking. Every fraction of a second, god forbid full seconds, that goes by when I'm waiting for my technology to do something, my brain immediately leaps to the next thing. For me it's worth it to have the latest most cutting-edge performance.
d) Primary communication device.
For me & many others over the past ~20+ years or so, My mobile phone has been my ONLY phone.
I literally run my entire life and business off of it and I think I work hard enough that I deserve to have a nice, shiny, fast new phone with a sharp camera that doesn't keep me waiting while it performs tasks at least ideally. 🙄 (until iOS 26 came along & burned verything to the ground.... 🤬)
Finally, if most people are honest; simple consumerism / marketing pressure / "brainwashing" for lack of a better term, to always have the new shiny. I'm guilty myself, trust me. 🙃 🤣 I I do not think any honest person can fully discount basic marketing, social engineering, social pressures, etc.
But look at the bright side; look how many jobs Apple has created / supported both directly & indirectly.
It completely CREATED the tablet space; there was NO mass-market tablet in existence before the iPad.
The iPhone is obviously the most wildly popular smartphone in existence. I'd argue that it is probably one of the most popular pieces of technology ever. Think of all of the case and accessory manufacturers, cables, mounts, clips, screen protectors, independent repair shops, and so on and so forth.
I'll bet you that Apple, through the iPhone and iPad alone, has easily supported several trillion dollars in job and wealth creation for most of the planet.
JMO. Cool thread.
🙂
ftaok
macrumors 604
Dammit. The typo got me. It was 2005 and I remember it like it was yesterday.
ftaok
macrumors 604
Well, it was a joke. I was playing off of your overly nitpicky post with what was considered Apple’s first mobile phone, of sorts. The ROKR was what pundits imagined an Apple phone would be; an iPod that could make calls.
Black_Mage
macrumors 6502a
I call out someone for being inaccurate, and I'm the problem? He was off by over a year. That's not nitpicky. It's a flat-out lie.
Two main reasons:
- battery. Not all of us have access to service center that can replace the battery
- system slowness, driven by security concerns and more features resulting more complex, bloated iOS and apps.
I’m on a six-year cycle. My current phone is an iPhone12 Pro from 2020. I do plan to replace it this year with either an 18 Pro or an Ultra, depending on what the Ultra turns out to be. I’ve replaced the battery twice, and the second one is now down to 84%. The storage needs to be updated, and while it’s acceptable for now, it’s just not as zippy as it used to be. It doesn’t seem likely to make another three years, so I’d say that now (2026) is the time. The previous phone was an iPhone 7, so also not a quick upgrade.
I generally have a long-run policy. My desktop is a 2025 Studio, but the previous one was a 2014 Skylake iMac. I’m mid-cycle on my MacBook Pro: it’s an M1 Max, a 2021 model. I presume I’ll upgrade it sometime in late 2027 or early 2028 with M7 generation equipment.
My wife is on an iPhone 11, doesn’t particularly plan to update it although I will get her to do it once software updates (security at least) stop.
I generally have a long-run policy. My desktop is a 2025 Studio, but the previous one was a 2014 Skylake iMac. I’m mid-cycle on my MacBook Pro: it’s an M1 Max, a 2021 model. I presume I’ll upgrade it sometime in late 2027 or early 2028 with M7 generation equipment.
My wife is on an iPhone 11, doesn’t particularly plan to update it although I will get her to do it once software updates (security at least) stop.
Last edited:
martin2345uk
macrumors 68000
I have never kept my iPhones for that long, 3 years I think is my record, but before this one I have always gone for a "base" model.. now I have the 17PM I feel like I really should keep it for longer to get my money's worth as it's by far the most expensive phone I have ever bought 😵
Mr_Ed
macrumors 65816
I used to upgrade every year or two starting with the original iPhone. Over time I realized I tended to use the phone more for ‘phone’ tasks than anything else, especially after the iPad came along. I don’t consume much media at all on the phone because I just don’t like the experience. That means the battery lasting all day until I throw it on a charger at night has never been a problem. With that in mind, there is never any compelling reason for me to upgrade until the phone battery no longer lasts all day (which has yet to happen to me, BTW).
I kept the iPhone 6 until I replaced it with an 11 PM mostly because I wanted a new gadget at that time. Kept that until I replaced it with a 15 PM and I only did that because my young one was getting to a point where he could use a phone, so he got the 11 PM. No need or plans to replace this one.
I kept the iPhone 6 until I replaced it with an 11 PM mostly because I wanted a new gadget at that time. Kept that until I replaced it with a 15 PM and I only did that because my young one was getting to a point where he could use a phone, so he got the 11 PM. No need or plans to replace this one.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Just how I feel about my iPhones.
I do the bare minimum on them.
Phone/texts/music/podcasts/CarPlay/ApplePay/snapping random pics/essential on the go App usage (food order, EV charging, bank stuff, etc).
It's why I'm so incensed they refuse to make a "normal" sized one.
I don't need one updated more than about every 3-4 years.
I've been on the iPhone bandwagon since the day after the original was released. I used to upgrade every year via the Apple Upgrade Program when the 0% interest loans were introduced, figuring this: If I'm going to be making payments for at least another year, why not make them on the new one? Upgrading every two years was costing, on a monthly basis, the same (although thinking about it more, there still was some trade-in value on a two-year-old model). In any event, I was in a position where I could do that so I treated myself (tend to be a little more thrifty in other areas).
I got off the AUP a couple years ago when the upgrade from the 15 pro to 16 pro wasn't intriguing enough. I actually pre-ordered the 16 pro and instead of picking it up, I cancelled the order and kept the 15 for another year until the Air came out. Unless there is some superwhamodyne reason to upgrade to the 18 series (and so far I'm not seeing one) I'll likely skip this cycle too, maybe hold out for the 20th anniversary model.
I got off the AUP a couple years ago when the upgrade from the 15 pro to 16 pro wasn't intriguing enough. I actually pre-ordered the 16 pro and instead of picking it up, I cancelled the order and kept the 15 for another year until the Air came out. Unless there is some superwhamodyne reason to upgrade to the 18 series (and so far I'm not seeing one) I'll likely skip this cycle too, maybe hold out for the 20th anniversary model.
This sounds so sensible lol -- I think the rest of us, or many of the rest of us, aren't this sensible. One thing I'm noticing in the responses to my op in this thread is that there are varying degrees in how people look at or regard their phones - some (like me) take them really seriously, and they become the center of our lives. Others (like @Mr_Ed ) learn balance and realize that phones are just tools. I'm 73 and still have a lot to learn about life (grin)
Same here, per your info with a powerful light I looked at the bottom of the port of my iPhone7 which was full of gunk, I used a needle and compressed air and now it looks like the first day I bought it. Since charging it was difficult I was planning to buy a new one this year but now I will probably wait for next year's 20th anniversary model.
Last edited:
6s, 11pm, 13pro and now 15 plus
No,plans on upgrading anytime soon
Also have the same iPad Pro since 2018
No,plans on upgrading anytime soon
Also have the same iPad Pro since 2018
ThailandToo
macrumors 65816
I think replacing the battery is the best way to prolong an iPhone’s life. I get annoyed by a single scratch or dent. I really like titanium iPhones much better than aluminum. One drop with aluminum and it’s basically ruined. If not at least badly dented with a cracked display. Don’t like cases either. I refuse to put a case on my personal iPhone. I do have a case on my work 17 Pro Max. It’s the Apple tech woven case, and it’s okay. I wouldn’t want to walk around taking photos with it without a case. Imagine handing it to a stranger for a photo and they drop it? But with titanium it just doesn’t matter. Can basically try to destroy it and nothing happens. The one thing my 15 Pro Max had that I hated was the micro screen scratches. Really annoying. Both my Air and 17 PM have zero of those screen scratches. Apple must have hardened the glass back again. It’s like I would rather it crack when I drop it than have scratches. At least I can get it repaired. This is the problem with Gorilla Glass on older iPhones.
conmee
macrumors 6502a
I think JerryRigEverything mentioned during his various teardowns that Apple flip-flops between crack resistance and scratch resistance every iPhone launch. Sounds like Corning (or physics) don’t allow for both super strong crack resistance and scratch resistance with the same material. So if the display is crack resistant it is more prone to micro scratches and if it is scratch resistant it is more prone to cracking when dropped. I’m with you, I’ll take scratch resistance every time over crack/drop resistance. It’s easier to get an AppleCare replacement of a cracked screen than a micro scratched screen.
IvyKing
macrumors 6502a
Materials science, not physics. Scratch resistance means a very hard material, which generally implies a brittle material. Crack resistance requires a material that can undergo plastic deformation (i.e. takes a permanent set) and thus would be softer and easier to scratch.
MPclk2006
macrumors 6502a
I used to upgrade almost every iPhone then they started doing the "s" every other year so I upgraded every other year...now Im still on iPhone 14 Pro Max and still works just fine. I've thought about maybe switching to Samsung phone like the S26 Ultra because even the 18 coming out doesn't seem like a good upgrade and the fold will be too expensive for a phone. I rather upgrade my OLED TV in the near future than my phone.
MPclk2006
macrumors 6502a
We are. After a battery replacement this SE bought at launch can last another 6 years as my daily driver.
Serious question: what do you do with all of those pictures? 1000/week is 142/day. Over ten hours, that is one every four minutes, on average. I'm guessing that you aren't a professional photographer, since you are using a telephone to take them.
How many of these get printed and put on your wall or in albums? Of the rest, how often do you even look at them?
I'm just struggling to figure out why anyone would non-professionaly take so many pictures. (I am not judging; I am genuinely curious.)