eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
BTW, the phone that took those picture is my Pixel 3a XL running Android 12. It was purchased in May 2020 and served as my primary phone for 9 months.
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
Candlelight
macrumors 6502a
I've been an iPhone user for 20 years. In that time I've only had three phones. My current 12 Mini is still doing the job but my failing eyesight is demanding a bigger screen soon.
My last multiple phones were replaced only because they fell off support and no longer got updates. All worked great otherwise.
Today's phone specs (cameras, processors, storage) have been well beyond anything I've needed for years. Kinda like buying a vehicle, "Biggest in class this! Best in class that! 0 to 60 in xxx!" when all I need is something to get around with.
Today's phone specs (cameras, processors, storage) have been well beyond anything I've needed for years. Kinda like buying a vehicle, "Biggest in class this! Best in class that! 0 to 60 in xxx!" when all I need is something to get around with.
!!!
macrumors 65816
Who's "we"? I'm still running an iPhone 11, partly because I can't tolerate OLED/PWM screens. The only thing I'd really want from a new phone is more memory.
So many app developers and Apple themselves see the larger screen sizes and just decide to increase the text/UI size. Everyone who claims they're buying a larger phone for more screen space is lying to themselves, it's basically like running on a treadmill. Personally, I still find my "regularly" sized iPhone 11 to be a bit too big. But every year we read rumors that the next iPhone is going to be even larger.
apostolosdt
macrumors 6502
I keep my iPhone until no updates are possible. So I guess I'll buy a new 17e/16e next year to replace the current SE in good use (I don't like large screens).
GMShadow
macrumors 68030
I've usually wanted to change size or feature sets when I've upgraded phones. My 8+ was getting a bit up there when I got the 12, and my goal was a lighter phone. But I missed having the telephoto lens, so I moved to a 14 Pro...then got tired of needing a battery pack or the 5PM top off, so I moved to my current 16 PM.
We'll see what the pricing and availability look like this fall, but I may just hold onto this for a third year.
I usually hold onto everything else for longer (iPad tends to be 4 years, Watch 3-4, Macs 3-5) but I also use my phone the most.
We'll see what the pricing and availability look like this fall, but I may just hold onto this for a third year.
I usually hold onto everything else for longer (iPad tends to be 4 years, Watch 3-4, Macs 3-5) but I also use my phone the most.
I’ve genuinely never understood the obsession with getting rid of the notch and/or island.
You open the phone, it has no notch, you set it up and… And then what?
And then it’s just the same phone that you’ve always used since 2017 with A minuscule amount of extra pixels across the top of its very, very tall, very, very narrow screen.
And it’s not like Apple’s going to get rid of the functionality there, there are still gonna be live activities that live in that space, music controls, the new Siri, System alerts and animations.
Arguably, the curved edge iPhone with completely haptic buttons and a wide angle OLED is going to be a more dramatic difference than the millimeters of Space, you’ll get back from the notch being removed. At least the curved edges will be more comfortable in the hand and the haptic buttons will be fun to play with for 10 minutes, what does the removal of the notch bring?
Nothing!
ClaraStahlbaum
macrumors 6502a
The removal of the notch brings Iphone up to the same speed as other Android phones. More screen space. Less awkward experience, without there being an oddly shaped screen.
Parowdy
macrumors 68000
Been that way for years. Original SE owners should know best, especially those with enlarged text sizes.
Parowdy
macrumors 68000
Up to speed? For many years other vendors have tried very hard to come close to Apple and you say they have to play catch? I don’t see any other phone around with worthwhile face unlock and I sure am happy they ditched Touch ID for Face ID.
The screen is jog enough, the selfie camera very high quality, Face ID is straight up magic.
If you feel the shape of the whole is more important than its usability I do t understand why you have a notched phone and not one supporting the Dynamic Island.
Apparently Apple doesn’t play catch there as practically all Android vendors copied them…
Parowdy
macrumors 68000
Same here, although I will admit that I put way more wear on my batteries than I’d like to admit.
For me, it always comes down to a combination of factors, battery health of my current phone, and if the design is particularly new or inventive.
I absolutely loved the 12 mini, but after three years of having it the battery life was downright unusable and even the simple act of opening the weather app would cause it to start heating up.
So I got the 15 Pro Max, significantly better battery, and I actually had a lot of uses for the action button. Double the RAM of my Mini and triple the storage didn’t hurt either.
Two years later, that battery had diminished to a not particularly impressive but also fine enough for me level, but the iPhone Air I upgraded to because it combined the weightlessness in the hand and impressively small package of the 12 Mini with even elements of the excellent iPad Pro thrown in, and similar battery life and screen size to the 15 Pro Max it was replacing, with, again, another extra glob of RAM not hurting at all. It also was the first time that Apple designed a new phone that truly felt like it was designed for people by people since the iPhone X. Not that the previous 15 pro was bad, it wasn’t bad at all. It just felt like something that was designed for a spec and not to be an object anyone really thought about holding. It was thick, bulky, boxy and very top heavy, something that the iPhone Air isn’t.
Not sure where I go from here, maybe a fold, maybe nothing at all.
But yearly upgrades every single year are very much a thing of the past for most people.
ClaraStahlbaum
macrumors 6502a
I am not talking about the functionality, I am merely speaking about how it looks. For the 16e and 17e I wish they went with this type of design.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Yep. I’m in the original SE club also.
Man, I would love to have a modern iphone that is even close to that size.
skodises
Contributor
My 15 Pro is my last iPhone. Everything new now appears to be optimized as a disease vector for the AI contagion, and I’m completely uninterested in participating in that abysmal boondoggle. My next phone, if there even is one, will be a dumb phone- one that just places, and perhaps even receives, (wait for it) telephone calls. I do not need texts, apps, blinkylights, or flashycolors: it is a goddamned telephone. I miss my old Nokia.
I absolutely regret the 15 being involuntarily updated to 26 dot whatever, due to my inaction. I didn’t see it coming, and when I realized what had happened, it was already too late to downgrade. If the damned thing updates itself again to something even worse, I’ll just let the battery run down to zero, and then back over it a couple of times with my car. I do not want what is now being sold as The Wave Of The Future, and I do not consent to having it done to me.
I realize that puts me in the minority. So be it. Your mileage may vary- no doubt lots of people actually want that dreck. However, and speaking strictly for myself: time has stopped for my Macs at Sequoia, and there will be no further updating of anything Apple. For me, the current fetishization of AI by Apple stops right here, and right now.
I absolutely regret the 15 being involuntarily updated to 26 dot whatever, due to my inaction. I didn’t see it coming, and when I realized what had happened, it was already too late to downgrade. If the damned thing updates itself again to something even worse, I’ll just let the battery run down to zero, and then back over it a couple of times with my car. I do not want what is now being sold as The Wave Of The Future, and I do not consent to having it done to me.
I realize that puts me in the minority. So be it. Your mileage may vary- no doubt lots of people actually want that dreck. However, and speaking strictly for myself: time has stopped for my Macs at Sequoia, and there will be no further updating of anything Apple. For me, the current fetishization of AI by Apple stops right here, and right now.
As far as I can tell, most competitors still have some sort of cut out, rather it be a punch hole or otherwise.
What they don’t have is true Face ID. They might have some imitation that can be fooled by a photograph or other similar security issues, but they don’t have FaceID.
I would upgrade my phone every two years when I had Android phones. They all seemed to start crashing right at the two year mark.
I usually upgrade my iPhones on a four year schedule. Part of this is because it seems like IOS upgrades start slowing phones down at the four year mark. I know that happened with my iPhone 6 and iPhone 10. I upgraded from the iPhone 14 to the iPhone 17 at three years as the 14 was starting to have issues where it was running slow and the battery would not make it through the day without the battery getting to 20% or less.
I blame myself on the iPhone 14 battery issues as I let the phone sit in the direct sun coming through my windshield and it got hot enough to shut down. Otherwise I would have waited to upgrade until the 18 comes out.
I usually upgrade my iPhones on a four year schedule. Part of this is because it seems like IOS upgrades start slowing phones down at the four year mark. I know that happened with my iPhone 6 and iPhone 10. I upgraded from the iPhone 14 to the iPhone 17 at three years as the 14 was starting to have issues where it was running slow and the battery would not make it through the day without the battery getting to 20% or less.
I blame myself on the iPhone 14 battery issues as I let the phone sit in the direct sun coming through my windshield and it got hot enough to shut down. Otherwise I would have waited to upgrade until the 18 comes out.
conmee
macrumors 6502a
My first iPhone was the 3GS mainly because I didn't want to give up the physical keyboard or I would have joined the iPhone family from the beginning (yeah, I know). But when I finally made the jump to iPhone I bought every iPhone from 3GS to 6S Plus (3GS, 4, 4S, 5, 5S, skipped 5C, 6, 6S Plus). But that was right around the time I got a bit burned out chasing new specs each year. Since the 6S Plus, I've skipped a lot of iPhones and only upgraded sporadically - 8 Plus, XS, 12 Pro, 14 Pro, and now 17 Pro. I went from yearly upgrades, to 2-3 year upgrades. I'd usually sell or trade-in old iPhones. The only old iPhone I still have is a 6S.
P.S. I ran with an original SE as well and I miss the flush camera on the back. I would give up battery life and even go back to 12MP lenses to get a flat back iPhone again. Did a 6 month tour with 13 mini which would be perfect if they came out with an 18 mini with no feature compromises (other than battery due to size).
P.S. I ran with an original SE as well and I miss the flush camera on the back. I would give up battery life and even go back to 12MP lenses to get a flat back iPhone again. Did a 6 month tour with 13 mini which would be perfect if they came out with an 18 mini with no feature compromises (other than battery due to size).
conmee
macrumors 6502a
I went to the 17 Pro from a 14 Pro. Mainly for USB-C with faster data transfer and the cameras felt like a substantial update (love the 4X and 8X). Features aside, my 14 Pro still ran well (I didn't update it to iOS 26) but the battery life on the 17 Pro felt like double the 14 Pro (not really, but it was immediately noticeable the first week of use that it was holding charge much longer than the 14 Pro). Just battery life alone made the jump to 17 Pro worth it for me even though I really dislike the 17 Pro design, the camera plateau, aluminum vs stainless steel.
The way I look at it that I'll be upgrading at some point. To make it less of an expense, I reason that I should do it every year as that is when you get the most for your trade-in. I know it might be a poor excuse but the longer you keep you device, the less you get for it as a trade-in. Of course, there is a point where it just makes sense to keep it. If you are at the 3+ year mark then a trade might not be worth it as you have lost the most. I haven't done the math, but this is at least what I keep telling myself.
bbednarz
macrumors 65816
Because everyone on this website is a tech enthusiast in one way or another. the average person doesnt care about yearly releases and just upgrades when their battery starts to go bad. one of my friends has a 13 pro and loves it still, but the battery is starting to go so hes going to get a new one this fall. 5 years out of a phone is great imo given how much use they get. id venture to guess the average person goes 3-5 years between upgrades. people that are on macrumors typically like the latest and greatest and are willing to pay for it every year or 2 even though we all know the differences are minimal year over year.
racerhomie
macrumors 6502a
I recently got the battery on my iPhone 12 replaced. It feels like a new iPhone. Here’s to 4 more years!
unkl bob
macrumors member
Started with a Kyocera Phantom in about 2004. (no further comment.) Got a iPhone 5 for cheap. (Gift certificate.) got the 7 for free. (three year contract; AT&T) Crashed that and got another 7. Next, an SE2 which was extremely easy to work with one hand, and to carry. Went to a lot of places in a fanny pack. Still have that. Still works. Then up to the 12PM which I really liked. Good looks, very competent build. (and, for the time, a great camera.) Then came iPhones with the 'C' port. Skipped the 15 (bad press re overheating) Lots of new features came with that port. Bought the 16PM in natural Titanium and still have that too. Prolly keep it for a while. A MUCH better camera might get my attention. For now, I'm good, and it suits my needs well. THX for asking.
LionTeeth
macrumors 6502
Same, we're heading to almost three years with it, and for me at least it still feels like my "new phone". I had one before that for 5 years and only upgraded cause I had 64gb of memory and the comms sucked (Xs Max).
I got 500gb of storage when I upgraded to the 15 pro. I'm hoping for a decade with this one. The Air looks cool but just as a passing fancy. I have zero and I mean zero interest in a new phone.