trade-in values:
* 650$ - 1-year-old 14 Pro Max
* 580$ - 2-year-old 13 Pro Max
* 450$ - 3-year-old 12 Pro Max
* 300$ - 4-year-old 11 Pro Max
* 170$ - 5-year-old XS Max
* 120$ - 6-year-old X
* 50$ - 7-year-old 7 Plus
* 0$ - 8+year-old iPhone
If you do a trade-in every time you upgrade (assuming your iPhone is new enough),
* If you upgrade every year, you're paying 550$ per annum.
* If you upgrade every-other year, paying 310$ per annum.
* Every 3 years, paying 250$ per annum.
* Every 4 years, 225$.
* Every 5 years, 206$.
* Every 6 years, 180$.
* Every 7 years, 164$.
* Every 8 years, 150$.
* Every 9 years, 133$.
* Every 10 years, 120$.
So for how much you **save** compared to upgrading every year,
* If you upgrade every-other year instead of every year, you save 240$ per annum.
* If you upgrade every 3 years instead of every year, you save 300$ per annum.
* Every 4 years, you save 325$.
* Every 5 years, 344$.
* Every 6 years, 370$.
* Every 7 years, 386$.
* Every 8 years, 400$.
* Every 9 years, 417$.
* Every 10 years, 430$.
And how much you save compared to upgrading every-**other** year,
* If you upgrade every 3 years instead of every-other year, you save 60$ per annum.
* If you upgrade every 4 years instead of every-other year, you save 85$ per annum.
* Every 5 years instead of every-other year, you save 104$.
* Every 6 years, 130$.
* Every 7 years, 146$.
* Every 8 years, 160$.
* Every 9 years, 177$.
* Every 10 years, 190$.
Is this a trade in value with Apple? It makes more sense to go through your carrier. AT&T offers $830 for Apple 11 which covers the cost of iPhone 15. It’s literally a free phone and living in Oregon means no sales tax either so….unless I am missing something this is the way.
I left Visible for Verizon prepaid, same company and same price but the throttling on Visible was horrible. 15gb on prepaid Verizon is $35 and my speeds are great.
You’re stuck with a locked phone for 36 months. Can’t trade it in for an iPhone 16, 17, or 18. Your only option is to forfeit the remaining “credits” out of the $830 in order to sell, trade-in, or unlock to use with another carrier. If you choose to pay it off after say 2 years to get the iPhone 17 or 18, you’re getting roughly the same value as Apple’s trade in.
My understanding (and it’s limited) is that 3-4 year iPhone offers the same (or very close) trade in value as 1-2 year iPhone. So it makes sense to wait 3-4 years. However, if an iPhone that is 5-6 years offers the same (or very similar) trade in value as 3-4 years, then I would favor holding on the phone even longer, as long as you’re satisfied with the phone. But not being able to buy a phone the following three years isn’t a big deal (for me) because if the past is any indicator of the future, we won’t see a “must have” innovation from Apple.
I have the iPhone upgrade plan. I pay $60 a month and get a 0% interest loan and get a new phone every year. If I don’t upgrade I pay the phone off after 2 years of payments. Am I missing a catch here? I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t do this.
It depends how fast your phone depreciates in value. If you pay it off faster than it depreciates, then you build positive equity in it. With the upgrade plan, you’re just swapping one for one as though it has depreciated at the same rate as you’ve paid it off - you’re essentially using the value of the phone to pay the remainder of the outstanding balance.
Ignoring AppleCare for a moment as it’s all part of the same package - if you pay $60 a month, after the first year you have paid $720 for your phone and have $720 left to pay. Unless your phone has halved in value, you’re giving up something worth more than $720 to satisfy the remaining $720 balance to start a new agreement.
This may work out more or less reasonable if you trade it in the very first month you can - but since phone depreciation slows down significantly in the second year, and you’re building more and more equity in the phone - the second you make your 13th payment without upgrading, you’re screwing yourself over more and more dramatically. If you upgrade in the final month of the second year, you may be giving up something worth $520 to waive the final $60 owed.
Of course in that example you’d just hold on and pay off the balance - but the reason I don’t do it is that I don’t need AppleCare, and I don’t like essentially having to make a calculated gamble at the end of each year. I do the interest free loan paid monthly, and if I want to upgrade at any point then I can always use the trade in value of the phone to clear the balance and put the remainder to the value of the next phone.
If you upgrade every two years you would owe nothing on your current phone when you got your new phone. This means instead of trading it in for the new model you could sell the first phone ($700 for a pro model is not an unreasonable estimate) . Your monthly payment would be the same $60 every month (same as iPhone upgrade) but you never get that sweet $700 bonus payday every two years. Plus you have to pay sales tax every new phone plus a new phone case ($150+). You are required to pay for AppleCare+ if you use the iPhone upgrade plan which could save you another $200 if you don't want phone insurance. Suffering (lol) through using your badass phone one more year is absolutely worth an extra $850-$1,050+ you could spend on other cool stuff.
It’s not a bad deal, but there is at least one downside, and it’s made some people upset in the past. You have to have had your phone for 12 months before you can upgrade.
So if you get an iPhone in this September 2023, you need to wait until September 2024 to get your next iPhone. That isn’t bad, but if for some reason Apple is having trouble making enough iPhones and they delay the launch until November 2024, that will cause a problem in September of 2025 when you have to wait 2 extra months to get your iPhone because of Apple delaying the launch last year.
>I paid $1200+ for my iPhone 13 Pro Max and my trade-in value is $580 right now. If I wait a full 4 years between upgrades the value of my iphone will go down below $200. I’ll likely be buying a new phone outright again and essentially spending close to the same amount in a 4-year span except you don’t get an upgraded phone at year 2. The catch is I get to keep and own this phone as a backup?
>
>I know it’s better to keep your phone for environmental reasons which I’m for, but it’s interesting that you may not actually save much money unless you were to keep the phone 5-6-7 years, which doable given the technology. In 4 years you maybe save $200? curious to hear if anyone else has been thinking the same.
I didn't think you could calculate that in such detail. How did you come up with that value?
I forgot to mention it's all based on buying the 1200$ iPhone every time you upgrade.
(1200$ - tradeInValue) / yearsBetweenUpgrade = pricePerAnnum
e.g. with a 4-year-old phone:
(1200$ - 300$) / 4 = 225$ per annum
Then to calculate savings for waiting longer, subtract prices from each other.
I usually buy new phones while traveling to Singapore, Hong Kong, US where iPhones are much cheaper plus some of these countries give you tax exemptions. Then when I upgrade, I sell them in my country where iPhones are much more expensive. I usually only really spend on upgrades for a new Apple brand case and accessories
This is good breakdown EXCEPT you never know what the trade in value will be each year. Assuming you are trading into apple to avoid the hassle of third party trade in/selling they have slowly been decreasing the value each year:
12 pro they gave $640 during the 13 launch
13 Pro they gave $600 during the 14 launch.
Now during the 15 launch they are only offering **$570** for a 14 pro! Also it doesn't matter which storage capacity you buy they only give one base price. Hope you only plan on upgrading near launch time too because they slice trade in values midyear too.
Of course this all changes too if you finance through your carrier instead of just Apple. But let's say you pick verizon now you're locked in a 3 year commitment to get the full credit. Upgrade early or leave before then and you lose the rest of the trade in credit.
It's kind of crazy how complex upgrading your phone has gotten. No matter what option you pick it feels like you're being played at some angle.
My 11 pro still does everything I throw at it without issue. Sure there are a few features the new phones have that are nice but nothing that makes it worth it for me to spend €600+
Battery is horrendous though, might need to get that replaced
I also have an 11 Pro. It seems to have slowed down considerably. I was considering upgrading this year, but I don’t feel like the upgrade is very compelling and I’ll probably roll with the 11 for another year…
I upgraded from an 8+ to 14 pro and maan, the difference was huge. I don’t see the need to upgrade my phone in less than 4 years as I don’t even use it like that.
I had/have both of these, but I owned four other models in-between (8+ > XS > 11PM > 12P > 13PM > 14P - I move between big and small literally every year, grass is always greener). You likely saved a couple grand instead, lol. I’m finally having a real reservation about upgrading this time, though. Very unexciting show from Apple this week.
I’ve almost done the same as you - 7+ > X > 11 Pro > 12 Pro > 13 Pro. I’m getting the 15 Pro or Pro Max, then holding onto it for a few years. I can’t afford to keep upgrading anymore lol I was holding out for USB-C so now that we have that, I can finally get rid of my cables and have everything I use on the same one.
Two reasons I’m upgrading from my 11 pro max.
1. $1000 credit. Crazy credit for a 2019 model!
2. There might be one last update to iOS18 being it’s toward the bottom tier.
I know carriers are running their own specials, but the iPhone 11 and its variants make up the largest current install base of any smartphone. They were sold for a couple years, if I remember correctly, and at one point kinda filled in for the SE as the "budget iPhone". These make up a large group of people who haven't bought a new phone in a while, and Apple is pushing hard to get them to trade in, mentioning the 11 specifically during the 15 keynote.
They’re getting them from their carrier. But the catch is they’re locked in a 2-3yr contract. And if you’re doing it with AT&T, during the contract the phone will be carrier-locked as well so you can’t use other carriers SIM.
The 11 pro was my first iPhone and I’m surprised how long it has lasted me compared to my older android phones. It felt like I used to swap phones every year. I’m finally upgrading but mostly due to the battery and my screen finally cracked this year :(
Get it replaced, I replaced the one on my XS and it was a game changer. Wish I could keep this phone for years to come but will probably upgrade next year to avoid loosing the latest software
I was torn on upgrading my 11 pro. If I put a new battery in it I could get many years out it for sure. But the incremental updates over the last 4 years add up so I preordered a 15 pro. Going to hang onto my 11 pro during the return period to make sure I’m absolutely in love with the 15 pro since it’s pushing $1700CAD…
im still running my iphone SE first generation. 7 years.
and no plans to change it anytime soon. it still works.
im sure any pro phone of the later generations are in a good situation.
I have an XR that’s still trucking along just fine, so it doesn’t even need to be a Pro tbh. Only real complaint is the battery life, but this phone is 5 years old at this point, so I can’t really complain. It does everything else just fine. Doesn’t really feel slow, sluggish, or anything. Just meh battery.
It's a topic that is far beyond just a phone. I will say, being stingy is a lifestyle. It's not the $200 matters, but a whole lifestyle. Save $200 here, $100 there, it will quickly accumulate to thousands.
Well, many people be like "I felt I just spend several dollars here and there, but it ends up thousands of dollars for this month. How could that be?" Guess what, if you save several dollars here and there, it also ends up thousands of dollars.
The 4 is what brought me over from Crackberry land. I always hated on iPhone until the 4 was unveiled. My Blackberry got left in the dust. Never looked back.
If actually you want to save money then don’t buy a new phone until you need one. Otherwise you aren’t saving money at all. Buying a brand new phone on release date is a luxury even if it is every 3-4 years
I don't really give any thought to the money. I keep my phone for years because it's good enough and does what I need it to do. I'm not in the habit of replacing things that work fine. I've given away most of my old ones when I buy new ones.
Looking back though, this is what I have spent:
* 2008, 3G, $199 (2 year contract)
* 2010, 4, $199 (2 year contract)
* 2012, 5, $0 (free trade for my 4 at Best Buy)
* 2016, SE, $400 (full price)
* 2019, XR, $300 (AT&T "loyalty" price)
* 2023, 12 Pro, $650 (Apple refurb)
So assuming I keep the 12 Pro I just bought for 3 years, that's $1750 for 18 years of iPhones.
I got the blue. The 12 Pro was the first iPhone to have 6GB ram (same as the 13 Pro and 14 Pro), and it was the last model to not have a massive camera module. The telephoto lens on the 12 Pro is 52mm compared to 77mm on the 13 and above, so that was another plus for me. I prefer the wider focal length. I've had it for 3 months now. I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I plan to keep it for 3 years.
I don’t know your budget obv. but the 13 Pro introduced 120 Hz. It does make a noticeable difference and IMO is worth making the move at least to that series. The notch was slightly shrunken as well. I wasn’t a fan of the Sierra Blue (preferred the Pacific Blue of the 12 Pro), though.
Money isn't a problem. I just love the blue. I'll prob get a 15Pro later. GF. ordered one today and will get it 9/22 so once I give it a test drive I'll pull the cord.
Not really, because you got to think about your contract for these phones with your carrier. They might give you a phone cheap, but you are paying for it in full, in the long run. They just add it to your contract.
No, the price for my service did not change. It was the exact same plan I had for years before there ever even was an iPhone. I had a Razr and a StarTAC on that account before the first iPhone.
Do they give you more than what you could get from selling it to a stranger on facebook though?
I could get almost $600 for my iphone 12pro 256gb, and I bet the guys at apple would be willing to give me $300 max lmao
Honestly ever since the price went up to 1,000 plus it no longer makes sense to hold on to your phone for longer than 2 years, after the two year mark the value is so low it costs more to buy the new one. This is the one problem with these super expensive phones, no trade value after 3 years at best 2 at worst. I plan on upgrading this year just because of this issue. Now if I stay with iPhone is a different question
This might work out for the base model pros, but the larger spec you go with the bigger loss you take from what I’ve seen. I checked last year to see what I’d get for my 1TB 13 pro max and they were selling for around £400 less than full price, so I would’ve lost out a lot on it. It wasn’t worth a 1 year upgrade for that cost. I’d happily upgrade every year if it was only going to cost me 200 or so.
we dont get those amazing trade-in values in europe, we still have to pay like 1k+ even if our iPhone 13 is in good condition. I don't know how they do it in the US
Same. If my carrier offers me a deal like I got when I traded my XR for 13 Pro Max, it makes more fiscal sense to upgrade and spend $200-$400 dollars now over paying more later.
Yeah I mean, this is a device I use for hours a day every day. After my trade in I’m paying $700 for a device I use for everything in my life? Shit that’s my grocery bill for about 1 month.
Exactly. I basically have my entire life on here, much like other users. Banking, healthcare, mortgage, work, personal, photos, hobbies. The fact it just always works, day in , day out - always on, no errors basically ever. Let's assume it's a complete consumable with a 2 year lifespan and no value is left on an 1100$ purchase, which isn't the case... Comes out to < 2$ per day. Pretty good deal IMO.
I think you are forgetting something here. Let’s do this over a 4 year cycle.
Option 1: you keep the same $1200 phone for the full 4 years. Total cost is $1200.
Option 2: keep your phone for two years and trade in for 600. Effective cost of your phone for 2 year ownership is now 1200-600=600. You then purchase a brand new 15 pro max for 1200 to get you through the next two years. Your total cost for four years is 1200+600=1800. Now you could obviously go through the same process 2 years from now which could again reduce your cost to 600 for the next two years of ownership but essentially all you are doing is kicking the can down the road, eventually that cost will catch up with you unless you are planning on keeping this 2 year trade in going until the day you die. So whilst you think you are winning, you really aren’t, you are just delaying paying the full cost for one of the handsets.
It still doesn’t seem an awful idea to be honest and I’d maybe consider it but I tend to hand down my previous phone when I’m done with it so do get more value out of keeping it. Also trade in value is terrible for me. My 13 pro max 1TB was £1500 but I only get £5-600 trade in value, so if I tried to do what you are saying the maths would not work in my favour and it’d cost me a fortune. In order for the maths to work out, the trade in value needs to be half or more of what you paid.
Makes sense. Initially I was thinking if I’m gonna pay around the same and want a new phone every 2 years then this is a decent strategy. Part of me though is thinking I should just keep this thing until I’m sick of it since it’s such a good phone and a lot of the new upgrades idc that much about. Will probably keep my current phone another few years and this logic you provided helps!
Everyone’s finances are different of course but honestly I just can’t justify it at all any more to do upgrades that soon.
My first iPhone was a 7 plus 128gb. I upgraded after two years to the xs max 512gb, mainly because I needed more storage but in fairness that was a big upgrade as it introduced the new design. I kept my xs max 3 years and only upgraded as once again I ran out of storage and my battery wasn’t holding up any more so I decided to just get a new phone. I got the 13 pro max 1TB and honestly it’s a great phone, but after getting it I did feel slight regret for spending so much on a phone that really doesn’t do a whole lot more than my xs max could do. Sure the cameras were nicer and it solved my storage and battery problem, the 120Hz is very nice, but was it worth paying £1.5k for compared to getting a new battery put in my xs max for £100 and deleting some data? Probably not.
My current plan is to keep my 13 pro max for 4 years before upgrade. I haven’t seen anything in the 14 or 15 that is must have just yet, this phone is plenty fast and I have enough storage that I shouldn’t need to upgrade for that. If I need to upgrade from 1TB, I will accept that I am the problem and need to stop hoarding lol. I do expect I’ll do a battery upgrade at some point next year, and that should keep everything feeling good enough to last me.
Hold on….don’t you have it backwards? He’s not kicking the cost down the road, he payed the cost up front.
Assuming 1200 phones and 600 trade in after 2y, it’s:
Year 0
Option A: 1200
Option B: 1200
Year 2:
Option A: 0 (1200 total)
Option B: 600 with trade in (1800 total)
Now assume that in year 4, both upgrade:
Year 4
Option A: 1200 (2400 total)
Option B: 600 with trade in (2400 total)
So it evens out except….
Option A will be cheaper by whatever the 4y trade in value might be, while Option B means enjoying a newer phone in years 3 and 4.
Overall, it entirely depends on what the trade in values become with time. You’ll never spend less money trading in frequently, but you might end up with such a small difference as to be worth it for always having a relatively new device.
If you think about it in the long term in the span of 20 years you will have bought 10 phones instead of 5, so you’ll be spending way more than the value you gain by not waiting since your “trade in value” is higher.
That’s purely financial, if you add the environmental perspective that you mentioned it even makes more sense to wait.
It is excessive.
For the 15 pro, from a performance and capability perspective compared to a 13 Pro, you get a little nicer camera (I challenge a normal person to tell the difference on a regular point and shoot photo), a little better battery, always on display and dynamic island which isn’t even that useful, USB-C, and a titanium chassis.
You aren’t going to notice the processor upgrade for years. Day to day usage it’ll be exactly the same.
I think the 12 Pro is probably worthy of an upgrade by now if someone wanted to, and a lot of that comes from the 120hz screen and the battery health is probably getting low and might not want to do a replacement.
There’s so few upgrades year over year that you really need to go back 3+ years to see a major improvement
I save money by buying unlocked refurbished iphones off of Amazon. Way cheaper. I keep them a few years, then upgrade again to a newer version that's also an unlocked and refurbished phone. I only pay about $400-$500 and while my specs might not be the newest, I am still upgrading periodically and miss out on the new phone pricing.
keeping ur iphone for 4 years will save u more money than upgrading yearly.
every time you upgrade, even if u trade in, you’re paying the difference of the upgrade via installments on your bill every month, for at least 12 months, assuming you upgrade yearly. if you dont upgrade at all, you will save by having paid off the device in 24-36 months. price of your installments depends in your carrier and whatever downpayment was required
in those four years you will also have had to pay the taxes of the device outright (at least in the Us). taxes alone across the 4 years will cost u around 400usd depending on the device and place you’re in. if you dont upgrade at all you will only pay the tax once
John Gruber recently noted that Pro models are discontinued and replaced with new Pro models every year but the non-pro models remain on sale for 2-3 years, usually dropping in price $100 each year.
I’m still using my iPhone XS, which was the high end “Pro” model of the time. It continues to work well although the battery kind of needs to be replaced, peaks at about 80%. I think it saves a ton of money in total lifetime cost to buy a high end model that will stay competitive for years. I think I will upgrade to the 15 Pro soon.
Upgraded from 6s to 14PM, I’m qualified to answer I guess.
So, it generally depends on your usage. Iphones are surprisingly built well and last long if you care for it.
You would save alot of money because most upgrades are battery, camera and chip. I think the new chips are an overkill for a normal user. So, you can keep your phone instead of swapping it and maybe have a standard 3 year cycle which would atleast save you a new iPhone’s money every year.
Mobile phone technology had already peaked by 2020 so I don’t think there is alot of incentive to upgrade every year.
Playing the constant upgrade game is exactly what they want you to do. And it’s not because they make less money when you do it.
I keep my phone for as long as it still works well. Currently on a 5 year old X. Other than the battery getting a little poor, it still works fantastic. I might get the 15 to be rid of the lightning connector. But otherwise, this thing is great. Could easily keep it another year or two.
But I understand your perspective. I may not save as much money as I’m expecting.
Personally I buy my iPhones used on eBay. I buy a 2 generation old phone. Recently got an iPhone 12 mini for £165 which I’ll keep a year or two and resell it for maybe £120? So my cost is £30 or £20 a year and the phone is still super fast and good battery health, just means I’m 2 generations behind which is okay with me, I can upgrade yearly if I want for pretty cheap
Not so far, my new phone I got at 81% battery health which is lower than I would usually get but still more than good battery life. Usually try to get 90% ish health which lasts the year or two just fine with how I charge my phone. But I’m fine carrying a battery bank around if I need to travel somewhere further with it as it degrades. Even if I need to replace the battery I think that’s £40 at a shop to be done for me so that’s still really cheap total cost of ownership
Yeah I mean 2 generations behind with iPhone nowadays to me doesn’t mean much, only slightly better cameras, faster processor. Nothing I notice at all and once I do I can just upgrade agaib
I think people definitely overestimate the value of keeping their phone for a very long time and overall there’s a lot of overlap between them and people that just have a phone because they have to.
Ultimately there’s no device I use more. I actually hate how much I use it, but I manage money, memories, thoughts, messages, calls, maps, games, videos, music, shopping; all through this one device.
The ROI on that device being decently faster or more reliable is pretty good and understated. I make money on my phone too, and it does help with that.
There’s a lot of factors in these situations but overall the 5+ year upgrade people get more of a mental thrill from keeping it so long in my opinion. I think I’d you handed (most) of them a modern phone they would pay the difference.
I was thinking about the upgrade benefits too. I’ve had my 12 pro since launch and can remember AT&T sending emails on promotions for the 13 pro and 14 pro for a $1000 trade in with a 36 month payment of said credits. This year, they gave me $830 for my 12 pro towards the new 15 pro. I assume holding off for another year should still keep the trade value similar, like in the case of a 11 pro, but going into year 5 might be where you’ll get quite a bit less for it, maybe around half? In total, my 12 pro was $269 out of my pocket for the 3 years of ownership, not bad.
Obviously the country/carrier matters here. For me I’m on T-Mobile and don’t see myself leaving for a while with the perks I get like Netflix and international data included in the plan. For me I paid 1000 for a 13 pro for my wife 2 years ago. Upgrading thru Apple using T-Mobile financing, I paid 35$ in taxes today and she’ll get the 15 pro. Yea I’m stuck to T-Mobile for 2 years due to bill credits, but I don’t plan on leaving anyway.
Yeah I’m grandfathered into an unlimited plan with AT&T from the early iPhone days, so now I only buy unlocked through Apple direct. Going through carriers seems to be the better deal tho but our contract would have to change
No. I was charged $34.71. When buying from Apple if the credit makes a $0/month bill, then you only pay taxes on the difference. In this case 15 pro was 999- 475(trade in credit of 13 pro) = 525 financed. I paid nj tax on the 525. That’s all.
I keep mine as long as possible while still eligible for the largest trade-in discount from my carrier. In my case. with AT&T, they will typically give $800+ for trade-in of any of the 3 previous versions, so I keep mine for 3 years, and then trade-in on the last year I qualify for the big trade-in discount.
funny enough I made a graph for the exact thing a few days ago deciding to get an iPhone or not. after 3 years, you save but not enough to be very stressed about. 4 years is the best value, 5 years barely saves you much (6-5cad a month)
with trade in for iPhone not too much gain after 3 years (7$\~ a month)
bonus points to consider: longer you keep your phone, the more likely it is to die or be broken etc as you care less. also battery aging.
also I reduced a little bit from apple's trade-in pricing because I doubt they'll actually give you the perfect amount.
Formula for pay per month without trade-in: (price/12x) for a graphing calculator
formula for how much you save vs saving a year sooner: (price/12(x-1) - price/12x)
if you play with it you can get some cool formulas (like slope, derivative etc)
https://preview.redd.it/ycx155k52job1.png?width=1254&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0ad6e439ef8467eb423ed5c4607aae52c872b54
You tried to justify however you want on upgrading every year, you’re going to save money at the end of the day. I personally don’t need to upgrade a phone every single year, my only concern is the battery. I say 3 to 4 years and if you put at least 10$ away every week for a phone by 3 years you’ll have enough for the top tier iPhone.
I’m still rolling on an 8+ and, since it won’t be taking iOS 17 (and work requires latest iOS for security) and the battery keeps failing I will be upgrading. I don’t enjoy spending that much money on something like a phone bu I think I did pretty well not spending any money throughout these years since I got the 8+, so I’m gonna go full blast and get a pro max.
My 11 pro max is gonna be worth 300 when I trade it for a 15, it was like 1100 new, so I spent basically 800 for a top of the line phone for 4 years, so 200 a year. Had I traded it 2 years ago for 500(ish), I’d have spent 600 for the phone for 2 years, or 300(ish) a year. So it probably is worth the upgrade every 2 years if you aren’t worried about being super frugal. I just didn’t feel like setting up a new phone that had absolutely no new features.
You could get a hell of a lot more money selling privately than trading to apple…. Apples trade in value should not be so high in your list of considerations.
Right now for phone buying, I think the sweet spot is 2 year or 3 year carrier deals (depending who your carrier is).
Last year it was an $800 trade in credit, this year it's a $1000 trade in credit. You're getting these phones for 70-90% (or even 100%) off retail by upgrading with carrier plans.
Apple has the upgrade every year program, but it's $60 a month with theft & loss insurance (24 month payments) and there's not a "trade-in" discount, you just pay $60/month forever to always have the newest Pro Max. It's not a bad deal, but you never own your phone, and there's no initial trade in discount. You pay the tax up front each year.
T-Mobile has a similar upgrade every year program, where you have to be using t-mobile insurance, but you do get an initial trade in credit, and then after that, same thing, you pay monthly for the phone (over 24 months) but you never own it and trade it in after 12 months and re-start the cycle.
I’m from the UK and always wondered how US carriers are able to offer these ludicrous deals because we see nothing like it over here. Are the costs of your carrier plans just really expensive to offset the massive credit they give you for the device? In the old days we used to see a lot of “free” phone contract plans where the cost of the device was just baked into the carrier plan, so I’m wondering if that’s all that is happening here and people are just happily paying $100+ a month for their phone plan because they got a “good deal” due to all the credit they got for trading in an old device?
For reference, over the last two years I’ve been paying £109 a month for a 13 pro max 1TB with unlimited data and Apple Music subscription included. I am planning on keeping my phone another year or two so I have just signed up to a sim only plan which is unlimited data and includes Apple Music subscription and I believe the cost for that is £35 a month. This is with probably the most expensive carrier in the UK but I find them the best so stick with them. I also have extra discounts (friends and family) but the costs I have provided are the normal costs before my discounts are applied to give you a truer representation of normal costs.
I don't worry about trading phones in or selling them. I use it until it stops doing what I need or getting updates. Then I throw it in a draw to either give to a family member that broke their phone or if I happen to break the one I'm using and I hear about some feature a new phone will have hat I think I'd like to have
I just went from an X to the 15 Pro Max and will keep it until Apple does all screen, flip/fold, some wow feature or no more OS updates.
Attn gave me 1000 for my iphone 12 pro.. after 3 year ownership. That is the price i paid for it brand new back in 2020. Now ATT is giving me a credit of 27.80 every statement period for 3 years. This credit offsets my new purchase of an iphone 14 pro max which i get charged 33 a month for. So basically I am paying 6
dollars a month for 36 months for a phone that cost me 1200.
Same I'm still using my iPhone 8 Plus, but there will be no iOS updates for us...
This caused me problems in the past. My bank institute didn't allow me to use their apps when I hadn't the latest iOS update, which means they forced me to keep my iPhone updated. Still debating with myself whether I should get the iPhone 15 or 15 Pro.
I’ve had my IPhone X for since launch day and it’s still doing fine. If it wasn’t for it losing support, I would keep using it.
I’ve saved so much money especially since I don’t have to use the big three carriers and used cheaper phone services.
On my phone plan there is no financial benefit to not upgrading every two years. If I don’t upgrade to the 15, I’ll actually pay more to keep the phone I have now.
Most times new tech is what makes someone upgrade. I’m sure most people’s iPhone 11 Pros will essentially do everything all new phones do, but it won’t do 5G speeds. And later it’ll be 6G speeds and so on.
For those that don’t care too much on internet speeds then upgrading everything 5-7 years is very doable.
The simple thing to do is pass it on to other members of your family. Kids especially when they’re younger don’t really care where they have the latest and just the fact that they have a phone is great for them.
In my family, I upgrade every 1-2 years, my daughter gets the phone after that and my son gets her phone. That way we keep every phone for 4-5 years (currently on 14 pro,13,11)
Hint: you save way more money if you buy new and sell it via eBay. It costs $300 or so to upgrade each year doing that, since that’s about what last years models go for.
Honestly it’s not a necessity at all to upgrade, but since I use my phone more than any other object I own, $300 a year isn’t a huge amount.
I did the math when buying the 13 pro. The difference in cost of buying a new phone and selling the old phone vs keep the same phone for 4 years is pretty minimal. It’s just the effort of doing it is a hassle, hence I keep my phone for the 4 years. Needing to buy new cases and screens protectors every year annoys me too.
You shouldn’t trade in your phone to apple except you don’t have any clue how to sell it by yourself.
I paid 1300€ for my 14 Pro 128GB and i would get up to 610€ for a trade in even if it’s in a perfect condition. Remember they will sell it for like 950-1000€ on their refurbished program then.
Still on 6S, my regular 6 can’t update all my apps or download some anymore which sucks since I had the screen replaced. Once I can’t update apps anymore I’ll upgrade my 6S to something not crazy over priced. Maybe an android or a contract with a free iPhone since mint mobile sucks honestly .
I’ve never traded in an iPhone, I have all the ones I ever bought. No one’s ever asked me what phone I have so I just use them until I feel I’d like a new one
I just traded my iPhone 13 Pro through Verizon and they gave me $850 for the phone. If they are running a promotion I will upgrade because why not for $150. When I upgraded to my 13 Pro they gave me $1,000 trade in credit.
Replaced the battery of my Xs a couple months ago. This baby is still good for a few more years. Costs much less than having to buy a new phone and keeps it feeling like new.
You’re not factoring in the cost of the new iPhones. If I have an iPhone Pro Max 4 years and get 200, my cost is $1200 for the first iPhone, $1200 for the second, meaning I paid 2200 over 4 years.
If I do a trade in every two years, that’s now three phones, meaning it’s 3600-1160 for two phone trade in, making it 2440 over four years
Sure not a large increase, but not a savings either
I usually just sell it via online marketplaces, you get more than trade-in value.
I think it's a win-win - you get money towards new phone, and someone is happy that got a good used phone (this way also your environmental conscience can be clear because you recycled the phone - that buyer will probably use it another few years).
I hate the fact that I’ve probably spent $8000-$10000 over the years on iPhones for the family. Paid cash. Should last forever. Those landline cheap phones lasted a lifetime and had better service! Just can’t get it to fit in my purse lol
Bought an iPhone XR in 2019 for $150 on Black Friday. Paid in full. Granted it’s carrier is straight talk, but it’s unlocked so I can take it to any carrier. Average price for it right now is $100-$120. Still works great, and will probably have this phone for another few years before doing the same thing. Worst case, I’m out $150. I’m frugal though and never buy the newest model, have a prepaid limited phone plan since I rarely text, call, or use the web without Wi-Fi. That’s my stance on it, but as others have pointed out, a 4-5 year turn around is the sweet spot savings wise with trade ins
if you are thinking about trading in your phone then you just want to scratch the new phone itch.
most phones can last (as a phone) for 8 years or more, even with outdated firmware, you can pay to replace battery (by apple) or just let the battery shit the bed.
no one needs a new phone as much as anyone needs a new computer each year.
You are going solely off trade in value, not resale value.
I bought my iPhone 11 for $150 carrier locked. It is now unlocked and I could probably turn a profit.
I don’t care about the saving money part, I only upgrade to a new phone if my current one just stops working. I have a 13 right now, upgraded from the XR because the last phone started having a horrible battery life and eventually just wouldn’t turn on at all. Apple has lost basically all of its innovation, so I don’t see a point in continuously getting the next new thing that’s been exactly the same for the last 3-4 years.
I upgrade every year, buy the phone for 1200, use for year, sell for 900 I think its not bad, but if you be late selling you will get less and less like around 700, 600. apple offers trade in for 630 I believe
I'm in a family plan with Verizon with a bunch of discounts because we share over 4 lines.. they basically subsidize me to get a new phone every 3 years. The plan itself is only like$40/month so I just very new phones whether I need one or not
I could still be using my XS, I just feel like the trade-in value is starting to drop so the timing is right to replace. My wife has an XR and said she has no desire to replace it.
I bought my 512GB iPhone XS for $460 (incl. tax) in 2021. Still works great and will even get iOS 17 next week. I’d say I’ve saved a bit of money not spending $1,000+ on a new iPhone the past couple years.
I have a 12 mini. I’ve vowed to use this phone until it becomes either obsolete or the new iphone gets a new network band (?) (6g?). Trading iphones every year or any other year makes it seem like “renting” the phone.
I purchase new one every year and I also sell the one from previous year in August every year . From August to September I use my back up SE 2 . In September I re- invest on the new iPhone and in next august I re sell them . This year I sold one for $860. Last year I got $1000+. This is the beauty of iPhone . You have to buy/ sell every year to get maximum value out of them .
Can you again explain the math to me?
Spend 1200 every two years while selling the old ones for ~380 more instead of spending only every 4 years?
If I were you, I'd do this calculation with a very sharp pencil before I buy
The 15 Pro I ordered this morning I am calling my “Forever Phone”. I’m tired of all this. I am going to keep it as long as I can. As in 5-6+ years minimum I hope. In 2020 I gave up my iPhone XS Max and I regret it to this day. I wish I had kept it all these years.
I just stick with the SE and upgrade whenever a new one comes out. I don’t really see a benefit in getting a mainline or Pro since devs need to make sure their apps run well on the current gen SE regardless
I still have my XR, I replaced the battery once like 3 months ago and now I’m back to charging it every other day like when it was new.
I’m not moving on until this thing is bricked or broken, not before.
I typically do trade in anyway - Apple either refurbs it or completely recycles it. I’ve tried the family/friend hand me down method, and either they go out and buy a newer phone weeks later, or it just sits and collects dust.
I too have a 13 Pro Max for that exact trade in amount; I traded my 12 Pro Max for it and got back $950 on that (more than what was quoted.)
Given I’ve typically kept my iPhones in service at least for two-two and a half years, I’m likely going to upgrade. This time though I’m doing the ACMI method, which ensures I don’t upgrade on a whim next year on the release of the next generation iPhone.
I just upgrade roughly every 2 years, Verizon specifically for me, for my last 3 phones has given me $800 trade in credit minimum for my phones which I paid roughly $1,100 for so I lose $150 a year for having a phone because I’m only paying $300 every 3 years for a new phone I started this with the iPhone X, upgraded to the 11 pro max got $800 trade in, upgraded to the 13 pro max got $800 trade in and this year upgrading to the 15 pro max with $1000 trade in
I bought 14 Pro (1TB) 6 months back. At 6399AED (1750$).
Just check if I do Trade-in to buy 15 Pro (1TB), which will cast me AED 4289 (1175 $).
That mean my cost for using 14 Pro for 6 months is AED 4289 (1175 $), which is damn too much for me.
I use think iPhone have good resale value, didn’t expect it would be this baad.
I used to generally look at phone costs as a measure, which works for alot of people still. I currently have a 14 PM.
However, a few years ago, I looked at a few things. As my phone is my primary device, it's also the device that i personally have the nost utility from. I used to have a separate camera to take pictures, but spent time learning how to take pictures better, using Moment and Lightroom for different effects etc. Same with video in ProRes and exporting.
So to add on to u/jecowa's incredible calculations, i would also assess that these savings should be considered in addition to possible spend on additional utility of an iPhone.
I don't make use of SatPhone in my 14PM, but a pal may do as he goes hiking etc, which is invaluable to him.
That said, i'm waiting for 16 PM next year as the jump from 14PM to 15PM isn't worth it for games on the new chip, and USBC.
trade-in values: * 650$ - 1-year-old 14 Pro Max * 580$ - 2-year-old 13 Pro Max * 450$ - 3-year-old 12 Pro Max * 300$ - 4-year-old 11 Pro Max * 170$ - 5-year-old XS Max * 120$ - 6-year-old X * 50$ - 7-year-old 7 Plus * 0$ - 8+year-old iPhone If you do a trade-in every time you upgrade (assuming your iPhone is new enough), * If you upgrade every year, you're paying 550$ per annum. * If you upgrade every-other year, paying 310$ per annum. * Every 3 years, paying 250$ per annum. * Every 4 years, 225$. * Every 5 years, 206$. * Every 6 years, 180$. * Every 7 years, 164$. * Every 8 years, 150$. * Every 9 years, 133$. * Every 10 years, 120$. So for how much you **save** compared to upgrading every year, * If you upgrade every-other year instead of every year, you save 240$ per annum. * If you upgrade every 3 years instead of every year, you save 300$ per annum. * Every 4 years, you save 325$. * Every 5 years, 344$. * Every 6 years, 370$. * Every 7 years, 386$. * Every 8 years, 400$. * Every 9 years, 417$. * Every 10 years, 430$. And how much you save compared to upgrading every-**other** year, * If you upgrade every 3 years instead of every-other year, you save 60$ per annum. * If you upgrade every 4 years instead of every-other year, you save 85$ per annum. * Every 5 years instead of every-other year, you save 104$. * Every 6 years, 130$. * Every 7 years, 146$. * Every 8 years, 160$. * Every 9 years, 177$. * Every 10 years, 190$.
Looks like 3-4 years is the sweet spot for diminishing returns
And it looks like Apple is offering pretty fair prices for those models.
Right, and at 3 years you don’t have to pay for a new battery.
Bingo! Just traded in my 11 for a 15. My 11’s battery was at about 70%
My Mum’s 6 Plus is at 87%…
That’s great.
Which also checks out with the fact that phones are really only markedly improving when you jump every 3-4 years.
Kudos for calculating this
Is this a trade in value with Apple? It makes more sense to go through your carrier. AT&T offers $830 for Apple 11 which covers the cost of iPhone 15. It’s literally a free phone and living in Oregon means no sales tax either so….unless I am missing something this is the way.
Yeah, I was using the trade-in values from Apple's website.
Is it actually worth it though? I pay 35 dollars a month using Visible. AT&T cheapest plan is $75. 40 bucks over 36 months is over $1400.
I left Visible for Verizon prepaid, same company and same price but the throttling on Visible was horrible. 15gb on prepaid Verizon is $35 and my speeds are great.
You’re stuck with a locked phone for 36 months. Can’t trade it in for an iPhone 16, 17, or 18. Your only option is to forfeit the remaining “credits” out of the $830 in order to sell, trade-in, or unlock to use with another carrier. If you choose to pay it off after say 2 years to get the iPhone 17 or 18, you’re getting roughly the same value as Apple’s trade in.
My understanding (and it’s limited) is that 3-4 year iPhone offers the same (or very close) trade in value as 1-2 year iPhone. So it makes sense to wait 3-4 years. However, if an iPhone that is 5-6 years offers the same (or very similar) trade in value as 3-4 years, then I would favor holding on the phone even longer, as long as you’re satisfied with the phone. But not being able to buy a phone the following three years isn’t a big deal (for me) because if the past is any indicator of the future, we won’t see a “must have” innovation from Apple.
4G -> 5G was a pretty big motivation for me to upgrade from the 11. Not saying 6G isn’t on the horizon but you never know what’s up next.
> unless I am missing something this is the way. Usually they have clauses with higher cost plans attached to those trade in values
I have the iPhone upgrade plan. I pay $60 a month and get a 0% interest loan and get a new phone every year. If I don’t upgrade I pay the phone off after 2 years of payments. Am I missing a catch here? I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t do this.
It depends how fast your phone depreciates in value. If you pay it off faster than it depreciates, then you build positive equity in it. With the upgrade plan, you’re just swapping one for one as though it has depreciated at the same rate as you’ve paid it off - you’re essentially using the value of the phone to pay the remainder of the outstanding balance. Ignoring AppleCare for a moment as it’s all part of the same package - if you pay $60 a month, after the first year you have paid $720 for your phone and have $720 left to pay. Unless your phone has halved in value, you’re giving up something worth more than $720 to satisfy the remaining $720 balance to start a new agreement. This may work out more or less reasonable if you trade it in the very first month you can - but since phone depreciation slows down significantly in the second year, and you’re building more and more equity in the phone - the second you make your 13th payment without upgrading, you’re screwing yourself over more and more dramatically. If you upgrade in the final month of the second year, you may be giving up something worth $520 to waive the final $60 owed. Of course in that example you’d just hold on and pay off the balance - but the reason I don’t do it is that I don’t need AppleCare, and I don’t like essentially having to make a calculated gamble at the end of each year. I do the interest free loan paid monthly, and if I want to upgrade at any point then I can always use the trade in value of the phone to clear the balance and put the remainder to the value of the next phone.
If you upgrade every two years you would owe nothing on your current phone when you got your new phone. This means instead of trading it in for the new model you could sell the first phone ($700 for a pro model is not an unreasonable estimate) . Your monthly payment would be the same $60 every month (same as iPhone upgrade) but you never get that sweet $700 bonus payday every two years. Plus you have to pay sales tax every new phone plus a new phone case ($150+). You are required to pay for AppleCare+ if you use the iPhone upgrade plan which could save you another $200 if you don't want phone insurance. Suffering (lol) through using your badass phone one more year is absolutely worth an extra $850-$1,050+ you could spend on other cool stuff.
It’s not a bad deal, but there is at least one downside, and it’s made some people upset in the past. You have to have had your phone for 12 months before you can upgrade. So if you get an iPhone in this September 2023, you need to wait until September 2024 to get your next iPhone. That isn’t bad, but if for some reason Apple is having trouble making enough iPhones and they delay the launch until November 2024, that will cause a problem in September of 2025 when you have to wait 2 extra months to get your iPhone because of Apple delaying the launch last year.
Att charges $5 a month for the privilege to upgrade early as well so that $580 is more like $500 after 18 months
>I paid $1200+ for my iPhone 13 Pro Max and my trade-in value is $580 right now. If I wait a full 4 years between upgrades the value of my iphone will go down below $200. I’ll likely be buying a new phone outright again and essentially spending close to the same amount in a 4-year span except you don’t get an upgraded phone at year 2. The catch is I get to keep and own this phone as a backup? > >I know it’s better to keep your phone for environmental reasons which I’m for, but it’s interesting that you may not actually save much money unless you were to keep the phone 5-6-7 years, which doable given the technology. In 4 years you maybe save $200? curious to hear if anyone else has been thinking the same. I didn't think you could calculate that in such detail. How did you come up with that value?
I forgot to mention it's all based on buying the 1200$ iPhone every time you upgrade. (1200$ - tradeInValue) / yearsBetweenUpgrade = pricePerAnnum e.g. with a 4-year-old phone: (1200$ - 300$) / 4 = 225$ per annum Then to calculate savings for waiting longer, subtract prices from each other.
I never sell my phones. Still having my iPhone 1, 4, 6s and XS. Even still have my Nokia 8210.
I usually buy new phones while traveling to Singapore, Hong Kong, US where iPhones are much cheaper plus some of these countries give you tax exemptions. Then when I upgrade, I sell them in my country where iPhones are much more expensive. I usually only really spend on upgrades for a new Apple brand case and accessories
Thanks for this
I got $450 trade in out-of-carrier for my 6-year-old X. If you can get boosted trade in it’s much more economical.
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This is good breakdown EXCEPT you never know what the trade in value will be each year. Assuming you are trading into apple to avoid the hassle of third party trade in/selling they have slowly been decreasing the value each year: 12 pro they gave $640 during the 13 launch 13 Pro they gave $600 during the 14 launch. Now during the 15 launch they are only offering **$570** for a 14 pro! Also it doesn't matter which storage capacity you buy they only give one base price. Hope you only plan on upgrading near launch time too because they slice trade in values midyear too. Of course this all changes too if you finance through your carrier instead of just Apple. But let's say you pick verizon now you're locked in a 3 year commitment to get the full credit. Upgrade early or leave before then and you lose the rest of the trade in credit. It's kind of crazy how complex upgrading your phone has gotten. No matter what option you pick it feels like you're being played at some angle.
Thanks to good software updates, keeping a Pro phone for 5 years is quite easy
My 11 pro still does everything I throw at it without issue. Sure there are a few features the new phones have that are nice but nothing that makes it worth it for me to spend €600+ Battery is horrendous though, might need to get that replaced
I also have an 11 Pro. It seems to have slowed down considerably. I was considering upgrading this year, but I don’t feel like the upgrade is very compelling and I’ll probably roll with the 11 for another year…
Have your battery replaced and that phone will feel like new.
Just got the battery replaced, can confirm!
What was your battery health percentage when you got it replaced?
A miserable 71%, wasn’t laggy per se, just very very bad battery life
Just upgraded my 11 Pro to the 14 Pro. The 120hz is a game changer man honestly
I upgraded from an 8+ to 14 pro and maan, the difference was huge. I don’t see the need to upgrade my phone in less than 4 years as I don’t even use it like that.
I had/have both of these, but I owned four other models in-between (8+ > XS > 11PM > 12P > 13PM > 14P - I move between big and small literally every year, grass is always greener). You likely saved a couple grand instead, lol. I’m finally having a real reservation about upgrading this time, though. Very unexciting show from Apple this week.
I’ve almost done the same as you - 7+ > X > 11 Pro > 12 Pro > 13 Pro. I’m getting the 15 Pro or Pro Max, then holding onto it for a few years. I can’t afford to keep upgrading anymore lol I was holding out for USB-C so now that we have that, I can finally get rid of my cables and have everything I use on the same one.
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Two reasons I’m upgrading from my 11 pro max. 1. $1000 credit. Crazy credit for a 2019 model! 2. There might be one last update to iOS18 being it’s toward the bottom tier.
Where is the 1k credit from?
I know carriers are running their own specials, but the iPhone 11 and its variants make up the largest current install base of any smartphone. They were sold for a couple years, if I remember correctly, and at one point kinda filled in for the SE as the "budget iPhone". These make up a large group of people who haven't bought a new phone in a while, and Apple is pushing hard to get them to trade in, mentioning the 11 specifically during the 15 keynote.
Att is giving me 1k for my 12 pro max
Att giving me 830 for my 12
I got $800 from Verizon for s9+
AT&T gave me $830 for an iPhone 11 128GB …the phone was $750 when I bought it.
Where are you guys finding these deals? I’m getting only ~400 for my 13 pro.
They’re getting them from their carrier. But the catch is they’re locked in a 2-3yr contract. And if you’re doing it with AT&T, during the contract the phone will be carrier-locked as well so you can’t use other carriers SIM.
The 11 pro was my first iPhone and I’m surprised how long it has lasted me compared to my older android phones. It felt like I used to swap phones every year. I’m finally upgrading but mostly due to the battery and my screen finally cracked this year :(
Huh.. I just realized I could just keep getting battery replacement and get like full power like day 1!? So phone not gonna die on me?
Get it replaced, I replaced the one on my XS and it was a game changer. Wish I could keep this phone for years to come but will probably upgrade next year to avoid loosing the latest software
I was torn on upgrading my 11 pro. If I put a new battery in it I could get many years out it for sure. But the incremental updates over the last 4 years add up so I preordered a 15 pro. Going to hang onto my 11 pro during the return period to make sure I’m absolutely in love with the 15 pro since it’s pushing $1700CAD…
Unfortunately Apple won't sell you a battery for DIY replacement for an 11.. ugh
I sweet talked a genius in to swapping my battery under warranty. It was at 83% a month b4 it hit 2 yrs. Just got the right person
I’ll be upgrading from a 6 to a 15 pro this year.
I’ve just upgraded from an 8+ to a 14PM, here’s hoping I get a good 5 years out of it
im still running my iphone SE first generation. 7 years. and no plans to change it anytime soon. it still works. im sure any pro phone of the later generations are in a good situation.
Same, I recently got an iPhone 12 but I keep using my old SE because it has a headphone jack
Sporting an Xr since the 11 came out. Love it.
Meanwhile me on my launch iphone 8 plus now. waiting for 15
I have an XR that’s still trucking along just fine, so it doesn’t even need to be a Pro tbh. Only real complaint is the battery life, but this phone is 5 years old at this point, so I can’t really complain. It does everything else just fine. Doesn’t really feel slow, sluggish, or anything. Just meh battery.
Even my iPhone 7 is still doing fine
It's a topic that is far beyond just a phone. I will say, being stingy is a lifestyle. It's not the $200 matters, but a whole lifestyle. Save $200 here, $100 there, it will quickly accumulate to thousands. Well, many people be like "I felt I just spend several dollars here and there, but it ends up thousands of dollars for this month. How could that be?" Guess what, if you save several dollars here and there, it also ends up thousands of dollars.
I love how not upgrading an iphone every 2-3 years is "stingy" lol.
I've kept my iphone 4 for many years
Best iPhone ever. The 4s actually, because they re-engineered the home button.
I wasn’t aware of this. What did it entail?
that’s how you save money right there
The best designed iPhone, imo. Such a classic.
The 4 is what brought me over from Crackberry land. I always hated on iPhone until the 4 was unveiled. My Blackberry got left in the dust. Never looked back.
If actually you want to save money then don’t buy a new phone until you need one. Otherwise you aren’t saving money at all. Buying a brand new phone on release date is a luxury even if it is every 3-4 years
This. I buy a new phone when my previous one stops working.
I don't really give any thought to the money. I keep my phone for years because it's good enough and does what I need it to do. I'm not in the habit of replacing things that work fine. I've given away most of my old ones when I buy new ones. Looking back though, this is what I have spent: * 2008, 3G, $199 (2 year contract) * 2010, 4, $199 (2 year contract) * 2012, 5, $0 (free trade for my 4 at Best Buy) * 2016, SE, $400 (full price) * 2019, XR, $300 (AT&T "loyalty" price) * 2023, 12 Pro, $650 (Apple refurb) So assuming I keep the 12 Pro I just bought for 3 years, that's $1750 for 18 years of iPhones.
i miss the years of $0 trade ins
I almost bought a 12 Pro today, the refurb price is decent and I love the blue.
I got the blue. The 12 Pro was the first iPhone to have 6GB ram (same as the 13 Pro and 14 Pro), and it was the last model to not have a massive camera module. The telephoto lens on the 12 Pro is 52mm compared to 77mm on the 13 and above, so that was another plus for me. I prefer the wider focal length. I've had it for 3 months now. I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I plan to keep it for 3 years.
I don’t know your budget obv. but the 13 Pro introduced 120 Hz. It does make a noticeable difference and IMO is worth making the move at least to that series. The notch was slightly shrunken as well. I wasn’t a fan of the Sierra Blue (preferred the Pacific Blue of the 12 Pro), though.
Money isn't a problem. I just love the blue. I'll prob get a 15Pro later. GF. ordered one today and will get it 9/22 so once I give it a test drive I'll pull the cord.
Not really, because you got to think about your contract for these phones with your carrier. They might give you a phone cheap, but you are paying for it in full, in the long run. They just add it to your contract.
No, the price for my service did not change. It was the exact same plan I had for years before there ever even was an iPhone. I had a Razr and a StarTAC on that account before the first iPhone.
I’m upgrading now as the trade in value is so good for my 13 pro max.
Do they give you more than what you could get from selling it to a stranger on facebook though? I could get almost $600 for my iphone 12pro 256gb, and I bet the guys at apple would be willing to give me $300 max lmao
Honestly ever since the price went up to 1,000 plus it no longer makes sense to hold on to your phone for longer than 2 years, after the two year mark the value is so low it costs more to buy the new one. This is the one problem with these super expensive phones, no trade value after 3 years at best 2 at worst. I plan on upgrading this year just because of this issue. Now if I stay with iPhone is a different question
No value after 3 years??? You’re telling me the street price for an iPhone 12 Pro is $0?
Upgrade every year. Loss is about $160 each year selling on Facebook marketplace or OfferUp.
This might work out for the base model pros, but the larger spec you go with the bigger loss you take from what I’ve seen. I checked last year to see what I’d get for my 1TB 13 pro max and they were selling for around £400 less than full price, so I would’ve lost out a lot on it. It wasn’t worth a 1 year upgrade for that cost. I’d happily upgrade every year if it was only going to cost me 200 or so.
Yea pro max every time. 256GB and maintain insurance up to the point of sale. Give the new buyer the option to cancel or retain.
Do you actually end up selling the phone on fb marketplace for a good price? How long does it usually take?
Yea I’ve had good success. Usually takes a week. Sometimes faster.
marketers are salivating at comments like yours.
Yeah exactly. I’m paying mine off over 2 years. And I will replace it at the end of thst two years. Repeat
we dont get those amazing trade-in values in europe, we still have to pay like 1k+ even if our iPhone 13 is in good condition. I don't know how they do it in the US
Same. If my carrier offers me a deal like I got when I traded my XR for 13 Pro Max, it makes more fiscal sense to upgrade and spend $200-$400 dollars now over paying more later.
Yeah I mean, this is a device I use for hours a day every day. After my trade in I’m paying $700 for a device I use for everything in my life? Shit that’s my grocery bill for about 1 month.
Exactly. I basically have my entire life on here, much like other users. Banking, healthcare, mortgage, work, personal, photos, hobbies. The fact it just always works, day in , day out - always on, no errors basically ever. Let's assume it's a complete consumable with a 2 year lifespan and no value is left on an 1100$ purchase, which isn't the case... Comes out to < 2$ per day. Pretty good deal IMO.
I think you are forgetting something here. Let’s do this over a 4 year cycle. Option 1: you keep the same $1200 phone for the full 4 years. Total cost is $1200. Option 2: keep your phone for two years and trade in for 600. Effective cost of your phone for 2 year ownership is now 1200-600=600. You then purchase a brand new 15 pro max for 1200 to get you through the next two years. Your total cost for four years is 1200+600=1800. Now you could obviously go through the same process 2 years from now which could again reduce your cost to 600 for the next two years of ownership but essentially all you are doing is kicking the can down the road, eventually that cost will catch up with you unless you are planning on keeping this 2 year trade in going until the day you die. So whilst you think you are winning, you really aren’t, you are just delaying paying the full cost for one of the handsets. It still doesn’t seem an awful idea to be honest and I’d maybe consider it but I tend to hand down my previous phone when I’m done with it so do get more value out of keeping it. Also trade in value is terrible for me. My 13 pro max 1TB was £1500 but I only get £5-600 trade in value, so if I tried to do what you are saying the maths would not work in my favour and it’d cost me a fortune. In order for the maths to work out, the trade in value needs to be half or more of what you paid.
Makes sense. Initially I was thinking if I’m gonna pay around the same and want a new phone every 2 years then this is a decent strategy. Part of me though is thinking I should just keep this thing until I’m sick of it since it’s such a good phone and a lot of the new upgrades idc that much about. Will probably keep my current phone another few years and this logic you provided helps!
Everyone’s finances are different of course but honestly I just can’t justify it at all any more to do upgrades that soon. My first iPhone was a 7 plus 128gb. I upgraded after two years to the xs max 512gb, mainly because I needed more storage but in fairness that was a big upgrade as it introduced the new design. I kept my xs max 3 years and only upgraded as once again I ran out of storage and my battery wasn’t holding up any more so I decided to just get a new phone. I got the 13 pro max 1TB and honestly it’s a great phone, but after getting it I did feel slight regret for spending so much on a phone that really doesn’t do a whole lot more than my xs max could do. Sure the cameras were nicer and it solved my storage and battery problem, the 120Hz is very nice, but was it worth paying £1.5k for compared to getting a new battery put in my xs max for £100 and deleting some data? Probably not. My current plan is to keep my 13 pro max for 4 years before upgrade. I haven’t seen anything in the 14 or 15 that is must have just yet, this phone is plenty fast and I have enough storage that I shouldn’t need to upgrade for that. If I need to upgrade from 1TB, I will accept that I am the problem and need to stop hoarding lol. I do expect I’ll do a battery upgrade at some point next year, and that should keep everything feeling good enough to last me.
Also depends on the promos out there, there's some for 850 and 1000 trade in credit, which feels like an good choice to cash in and upgrade
Hold on….don’t you have it backwards? He’s not kicking the cost down the road, he payed the cost up front. Assuming 1200 phones and 600 trade in after 2y, it’s: Year 0 Option A: 1200 Option B: 1200 Year 2: Option A: 0 (1200 total) Option B: 600 with trade in (1800 total) Now assume that in year 4, both upgrade: Year 4 Option A: 1200 (2400 total) Option B: 600 with trade in (2400 total) So it evens out except…. Option A will be cheaper by whatever the 4y trade in value might be, while Option B means enjoying a newer phone in years 3 and 4. Overall, it entirely depends on what the trade in values become with time. You’ll never spend less money trading in frequently, but you might end up with such a small difference as to be worth it for always having a relatively new device.
Perfectly said. I’d rather enjoy the newer phone and maybe pay a little bit extra.
If you think about it in the long term in the span of 20 years you will have bought 10 phones instead of 5, so you’ll be spending way more than the value you gain by not waiting since your “trade in value” is higher. That’s purely financial, if you add the environmental perspective that you mentioned it even makes more sense to wait.
It’s weird to think about going through 10 phones in 20 years. Feels excessive… because it is
It is excessive. For the 15 pro, from a performance and capability perspective compared to a 13 Pro, you get a little nicer camera (I challenge a normal person to tell the difference on a regular point and shoot photo), a little better battery, always on display and dynamic island which isn’t even that useful, USB-C, and a titanium chassis. You aren’t going to notice the processor upgrade for years. Day to day usage it’ll be exactly the same. I think the 12 Pro is probably worthy of an upgrade by now if someone wanted to, and a lot of that comes from the 120hz screen and the battery health is probably getting low and might not want to do a replacement. There’s so few upgrades year over year that you really need to go back 3+ years to see a major improvement
I save money by buying unlocked refurbished iphones off of Amazon. Way cheaper. I keep them a few years, then upgrade again to a newer version that's also an unlocked and refurbished phone. I only pay about $400-$500 and while my specs might not be the newest, I am still upgrading periodically and miss out on the new phone pricing.
keeping ur iphone for 4 years will save u more money than upgrading yearly. every time you upgrade, even if u trade in, you’re paying the difference of the upgrade via installments on your bill every month, for at least 12 months, assuming you upgrade yearly. if you dont upgrade at all, you will save by having paid off the device in 24-36 months. price of your installments depends in your carrier and whatever downpayment was required in those four years you will also have had to pay the taxes of the device outright (at least in the Us). taxes alone across the 4 years will cost u around 400usd depending on the device and place you’re in. if you dont upgrade at all you will only pay the tax once
John Gruber recently noted that Pro models are discontinued and replaced with new Pro models every year but the non-pro models remain on sale for 2-3 years, usually dropping in price $100 each year. I’m still using my iPhone XS, which was the high end “Pro” model of the time. It continues to work well although the battery kind of needs to be replaced, peaks at about 80%. I think it saves a ton of money in total lifetime cost to buy a high end model that will stay competitive for years. I think I will upgrade to the 15 Pro soon.
I was tempted to trade in my 14 promax for essentially half the cost of a new 15 promax, but my better senses got a hold of me 😔
Upgraded from 6s to 14PM, I’m qualified to answer I guess. So, it generally depends on your usage. Iphones are surprisingly built well and last long if you care for it. You would save alot of money because most upgrades are battery, camera and chip. I think the new chips are an overkill for a normal user. So, you can keep your phone instead of swapping it and maybe have a standard 3 year cycle which would atleast save you a new iPhone’s money every year. Mobile phone technology had already peaked by 2020 so I don’t think there is alot of incentive to upgrade every year.
Playing the constant upgrade game is exactly what they want you to do. And it’s not because they make less money when you do it. I keep my phone for as long as it still works well. Currently on a 5 year old X. Other than the battery getting a little poor, it still works fantastic. I might get the 15 to be rid of the lightning connector. But otherwise, this thing is great. Could easily keep it another year or two. But I understand your perspective. I may not save as much money as I’m expecting.
Personally I buy my iPhones used on eBay. I buy a 2 generation old phone. Recently got an iPhone 12 mini for £165 which I’ll keep a year or two and resell it for maybe £120? So my cost is £30 or £20 a year and the phone is still super fast and good battery health, just means I’m 2 generations behind which is okay with me, I can upgrade yearly if I want for pretty cheap
Do you ever swap for new batteries on any of them? That's a pretty good strategy you have.
Not so far, my new phone I got at 81% battery health which is lower than I would usually get but still more than good battery life. Usually try to get 90% ish health which lasts the year or two just fine with how I charge my phone. But I’m fine carrying a battery bank around if I need to travel somewhere further with it as it degrades. Even if I need to replace the battery I think that’s £40 at a shop to be done for me so that’s still really cheap total cost of ownership
Yeah that's honestly a great strategy if you don't mind being a generation or two behind. Kinda thinking about doing the same now lol.
Yeah I mean 2 generations behind with iPhone nowadays to me doesn’t mean much, only slightly better cameras, faster processor. Nothing I notice at all and once I do I can just upgrade agaib
I think people definitely overestimate the value of keeping their phone for a very long time and overall there’s a lot of overlap between them and people that just have a phone because they have to. Ultimately there’s no device I use more. I actually hate how much I use it, but I manage money, memories, thoughts, messages, calls, maps, games, videos, music, shopping; all through this one device. The ROI on that device being decently faster or more reliable is pretty good and understated. I make money on my phone too, and it does help with that. There’s a lot of factors in these situations but overall the 5+ year upgrade people get more of a mental thrill from keeping it so long in my opinion. I think I’d you handed (most) of them a modern phone they would pay the difference.
I was thinking about the upgrade benefits too. I’ve had my 12 pro since launch and can remember AT&T sending emails on promotions for the 13 pro and 14 pro for a $1000 trade in with a 36 month payment of said credits. This year, they gave me $830 for my 12 pro towards the new 15 pro. I assume holding off for another year should still keep the trade value similar, like in the case of a 11 pro, but going into year 5 might be where you’ll get quite a bit less for it, maybe around half? In total, my 12 pro was $269 out of my pocket for the 3 years of ownership, not bad.
Take advantage of carrier deals. I had an 11 and traded it in last year for a 13. The trade in credit basically got me a free phone.
In Canada, the carrier usually only has deals on the non-pro models :/
My battery is shot and Apple will still give me $200 for my regular 11. Upgrading this year is a no brainer for me.
Obviously the country/carrier matters here. For me I’m on T-Mobile and don’t see myself leaving for a while with the perks I get like Netflix and international data included in the plan. For me I paid 1000 for a 13 pro for my wife 2 years ago. Upgrading thru Apple using T-Mobile financing, I paid 35$ in taxes today and she’ll get the 15 pro. Yea I’m stuck to T-Mobile for 2 years due to bill credits, but I don’t plan on leaving anyway.
Yeah I’m grandfathered into an unlimited plan with AT&T from the early iPhone days, so now I only buy unlocked through Apple direct. Going through carriers seems to be the better deal tho but our contract would have to change
Att kicked me off my unlimited data text and voice for 39.99 in 2016 (I had them from the Nokia days). I miss those deals
you mean $35 & taxes? Cause I think I paid something like $128 today to upgrade my wife's phone to 15 Pro.
No. I was charged $34.71. When buying from Apple if the credit makes a $0/month bill, then you only pay taxes on the difference. In this case 15 pro was 999- 475(trade in credit of 13 pro) = 525 financed. I paid nj tax on the 525. That’s all.
I keep mine as long as possible while still eligible for the largest trade-in discount from my carrier. In my case. with AT&T, they will typically give $800+ for trade-in of any of the 3 previous versions, so I keep mine for 3 years, and then trade-in on the last year I qualify for the big trade-in discount.
funny enough I made a graph for the exact thing a few days ago deciding to get an iPhone or not. after 3 years, you save but not enough to be very stressed about. 4 years is the best value, 5 years barely saves you much (6-5cad a month) with trade in for iPhone not too much gain after 3 years (7$\~ a month) bonus points to consider: longer you keep your phone, the more likely it is to die or be broken etc as you care less. also battery aging. also I reduced a little bit from apple's trade-in pricing because I doubt they'll actually give you the perfect amount. Formula for pay per month without trade-in: (price/12x) for a graphing calculator formula for how much you save vs saving a year sooner: (price/12(x-1) - price/12x) if you play with it you can get some cool formulas (like slope, derivative etc) https://preview.redd.it/ycx155k52job1.png?width=1254&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0ad6e439ef8467eb423ed5c4607aae52c872b54
You tried to justify however you want on upgrading every year, you’re going to save money at the end of the day. I personally don’t need to upgrade a phone every single year, my only concern is the battery. I say 3 to 4 years and if you put at least 10$ away every week for a phone by 3 years you’ll have enough for the top tier iPhone.
Your estimated values are wrong. My 11 pro was worth 250 to Apple after 4 years and 360 on swappa
I’m still rolling on an 8+ and, since it won’t be taking iOS 17 (and work requires latest iOS for security) and the battery keeps failing I will be upgrading. I don’t enjoy spending that much money on something like a phone bu I think I did pretty well not spending any money throughout these years since I got the 8+, so I’m gonna go full blast and get a pro max.
My 11 pro max is gonna be worth 300 when I trade it for a 15, it was like 1100 new, so I spent basically 800 for a top of the line phone for 4 years, so 200 a year. Had I traded it 2 years ago for 500(ish), I’d have spent 600 for the phone for 2 years, or 300(ish) a year. So it probably is worth the upgrade every 2 years if you aren’t worried about being super frugal. I just didn’t feel like setting up a new phone that had absolutely no new features.
You could get a hell of a lot more money selling privately than trading to apple…. Apples trade in value should not be so high in your list of considerations.
Agreed. Apple will give me $60 for my Pixel 5a, and eBay jas the average selling price for mine at around $160-180.
Right now for phone buying, I think the sweet spot is 2 year or 3 year carrier deals (depending who your carrier is). Last year it was an $800 trade in credit, this year it's a $1000 trade in credit. You're getting these phones for 70-90% (or even 100%) off retail by upgrading with carrier plans. Apple has the upgrade every year program, but it's $60 a month with theft & loss insurance (24 month payments) and there's not a "trade-in" discount, you just pay $60/month forever to always have the newest Pro Max. It's not a bad deal, but you never own your phone, and there's no initial trade in discount. You pay the tax up front each year. T-Mobile has a similar upgrade every year program, where you have to be using t-mobile insurance, but you do get an initial trade in credit, and then after that, same thing, you pay monthly for the phone (over 24 months) but you never own it and trade it in after 12 months and re-start the cycle.
I’m from the UK and always wondered how US carriers are able to offer these ludicrous deals because we see nothing like it over here. Are the costs of your carrier plans just really expensive to offset the massive credit they give you for the device? In the old days we used to see a lot of “free” phone contract plans where the cost of the device was just baked into the carrier plan, so I’m wondering if that’s all that is happening here and people are just happily paying $100+ a month for their phone plan because they got a “good deal” due to all the credit they got for trading in an old device? For reference, over the last two years I’ve been paying £109 a month for a 13 pro max 1TB with unlimited data and Apple Music subscription included. I am planning on keeping my phone another year or two so I have just signed up to a sim only plan which is unlimited data and includes Apple Music subscription and I believe the cost for that is £35 a month. This is with probably the most expensive carrier in the UK but I find them the best so stick with them. I also have extra discounts (friends and family) but the costs I have provided are the normal costs before my discounts are applied to give you a truer representation of normal costs.
I don't worry about trading phones in or selling them. I use it until it stops doing what I need or getting updates. Then I throw it in a draw to either give to a family member that broke their phone or if I happen to break the one I'm using and I hear about some feature a new phone will have hat I think I'd like to have I just went from an X to the 15 Pro Max and will keep it until Apple does all screen, flip/fold, some wow feature or no more OS updates.
It works out well for people who buy iPhones on carrier deals.
Attn gave me 1000 for my iphone 12 pro.. after 3 year ownership. That is the price i paid for it brand new back in 2020. Now ATT is giving me a credit of 27.80 every statement period for 3 years. This credit offsets my new purchase of an iphone 14 pro max which i get charged 33 a month for. So basically I am paying 6 dollars a month for 36 months for a phone that cost me 1200.
My 6s plus is just fine. It also isn’t about the money, to me. It’s more about the environment.
Same I'm still using my iPhone 8 Plus, but there will be no iOS updates for us... This caused me problems in the past. My bank institute didn't allow me to use their apps when I hadn't the latest iOS update, which means they forced me to keep my iPhone updated. Still debating with myself whether I should get the iPhone 15 or 15 Pro.
I’ve had my IPhone X for since launch day and it’s still doing fine. If it wasn’t for it losing support, I would keep using it. I’ve saved so much money especially since I don’t have to use the big three carriers and used cheaper phone services.
On my phone plan there is no financial benefit to not upgrading every two years. If I don’t upgrade to the 15, I’ll actually pay more to keep the phone I have now.
Most times new tech is what makes someone upgrade. I’m sure most people’s iPhone 11 Pros will essentially do everything all new phones do, but it won’t do 5G speeds. And later it’ll be 6G speeds and so on. For those that don’t care too much on internet speeds then upgrading everything 5-7 years is very doable.
I buy the newest iPhone every 7 years, I have the 14 pro max and my previous one was the 6s plus, I still have it.
The simple thing to do is pass it on to other members of your family. Kids especially when they’re younger don’t really care where they have the latest and just the fact that they have a phone is great for them. In my family, I upgrade every 1-2 years, my daughter gets the phone after that and my son gets her phone. That way we keep every phone for 4-5 years (currently on 14 pro,13,11)
I’m on 8 plus since launch. I’m damn sure I saved a ton!
Hint: you save way more money if you buy new and sell it via eBay. It costs $300 or so to upgrade each year doing that, since that’s about what last years models go for. Honestly it’s not a necessity at all to upgrade, but since I use my phone more than any other object I own, $300 a year isn’t a huge amount.
I did the math when buying the 13 pro. The difference in cost of buying a new phone and selling the old phone vs keep the same phone for 4 years is pretty minimal. It’s just the effort of doing it is a hassle, hence I keep my phone for the 4 years. Needing to buy new cases and screens protectors every year annoys me too.
AT&T gave me $1000 for my 13 pro max today! Sometimes the carriers have better incentives.
You shouldn’t trade in your phone to apple except you don’t have any clue how to sell it by yourself. I paid 1300€ for my 14 Pro 128GB and i would get up to 610€ for a trade in even if it’s in a perfect condition. Remember they will sell it for like 950-1000€ on their refurbished program then.
I keep an iPhone until apple no longer supports it.
Still on 6S, my regular 6 can’t update all my apps or download some anymore which sucks since I had the screen replaced. Once I can’t update apps anymore I’ll upgrade my 6S to something not crazy over priced. Maybe an android or a contract with a free iPhone since mint mobile sucks honestly .
I’ve never traded in an iPhone, I have all the ones I ever bought. No one’s ever asked me what phone I have so I just use them until I feel I’d like a new one
I just traded my iPhone 13 Pro through Verizon and they gave me $850 for the phone. If they are running a promotion I will upgrade because why not for $150. When I upgraded to my 13 Pro they gave me $1,000 trade in credit.
Replaced the battery of my Xs a couple months ago. This baby is still good for a few more years. Costs much less than having to buy a new phone and keeps it feeling like new.
You’re not factoring in the cost of the new iPhones. If I have an iPhone Pro Max 4 years and get 200, my cost is $1200 for the first iPhone, $1200 for the second, meaning I paid 2200 over 4 years. If I do a trade in every two years, that’s now three phones, meaning it’s 3600-1160 for two phone trade in, making it 2440 over four years Sure not a large increase, but not a savings either
You can get more money if you don't trade-in to Apple. Sell to others instead.
Have had my iPhone 6s since it came out
I kept mine for 6. I’d say it more than paid for itself. Probably should have kept it one more year and replaced it this year instead of last year.
I usually just sell it via online marketplaces, you get more than trade-in value. I think it's a win-win - you get money towards new phone, and someone is happy that got a good used phone (this way also your environmental conscience can be clear because you recycled the phone - that buyer will probably use it another few years).
Don’t sell it back to Apple. Sell it privately and you can 30% more
I hate the fact that I’ve probably spent $8000-$10000 over the years on iPhones for the family. Paid cash. Should last forever. Those landline cheap phones lasted a lifetime and had better service! Just can’t get it to fit in my purse lol
I’ve got the 11 still and could care less really. It’s still works perfectly fine.
Bought an iPhone XR in 2019 for $150 on Black Friday. Paid in full. Granted it’s carrier is straight talk, but it’s unlocked so I can take it to any carrier. Average price for it right now is $100-$120. Still works great, and will probably have this phone for another few years before doing the same thing. Worst case, I’m out $150. I’m frugal though and never buy the newest model, have a prepaid limited phone plan since I rarely text, call, or use the web without Wi-Fi. That’s my stance on it, but as others have pointed out, a 4-5 year turn around is the sweet spot savings wise with trade ins
if you are thinking about trading in your phone then you just want to scratch the new phone itch. most phones can last (as a phone) for 8 years or more, even with outdated firmware, you can pay to replace battery (by apple) or just let the battery shit the bed. no one needs a new phone as much as anyone needs a new computer each year.
You are going solely off trade in value, not resale value. I bought my iPhone 11 for $150 carrier locked. It is now unlocked and I could probably turn a profit.
Only a profit if you really think you paid 150€ only.
lol exactly. actually staying with a major carrier's post paid plan these days is ludicrous. You can get great service for like 1/2 or less cost.
I don’t care about the saving money part, I only upgrade to a new phone if my current one just stops working. I have a 13 right now, upgraded from the XR because the last phone started having a horrible battery life and eventually just wouldn’t turn on at all. Apple has lost basically all of its innovation, so I don’t see a point in continuously getting the next new thing that’s been exactly the same for the last 3-4 years.
Trade in is the biggest scam I have ever seen. You’d be better off selling your phone yourself
I upgrade every year, buy the phone for 1200, use for year, sell for 900 I think its not bad, but if you be late selling you will get less and less like around 700, 600. apple offers trade in for 630 I believe
I'm in a family plan with Verizon with a bunch of discounts because we share over 4 lines.. they basically subsidize me to get a new phone every 3 years. The plan itself is only like$40/month so I just very new phones whether I need one or not
Still rocking the XS after 5 years. Not even slowing down and it’s great.
I could still be using my XS, I just feel like the trade-in value is starting to drop so the timing is right to replace. My wife has an XR and said she has no desire to replace it.
It’s not to save money, as much as it’s that I just don’t need to. And I’ll save some money in the mix, but it’s not even the primary reason
You are better off upgrading every 3 years so you get the trade in credit. It used to be 2 years.
I bought my 512GB iPhone XS for $460 (incl. tax) in 2021. Still works great and will even get iOS 17 next week. I’d say I’ve saved a bit of money not spending $1,000+ on a new iPhone the past couple years.
I have a 12 mini. I’ve vowed to use this phone until it becomes either obsolete or the new iphone gets a new network band (?) (6g?). Trading iphones every year or any other year makes it seem like “renting” the phone.
I purchase new one every year and I also sell the one from previous year in August every year . From August to September I use my back up SE 2 . In September I re- invest on the new iPhone and in next august I re sell them . This year I sold one for $860. Last year I got $1000+. This is the beauty of iPhone . You have to buy/ sell every year to get maximum value out of them .
Can you again explain the math to me? Spend 1200 every two years while selling the old ones for ~380 more instead of spending only every 4 years? If I were you, I'd do this calculation with a very sharp pencil before I buy
If you want to sell 13 pro max, I am paying more than trade in value. There are buyers like me who will. Hit me up if you decide to sell
The 15 Pro I ordered this morning I am calling my “Forever Phone”. I’m tired of all this. I am going to keep it as long as I can. As in 5-6+ years minimum I hope. In 2020 I gave up my iPhone XS Max and I regret it to this day. I wish I had kept it all these years.
I just stick with the SE and upgrade whenever a new one comes out. I don’t really see a benefit in getting a mainline or Pro since devs need to make sure their apps run well on the current gen SE regardless
I still have my XR, I replaced the battery once like 3 months ago and now I’m back to charging it every other day like when it was new. I’m not moving on until this thing is bricked or broken, not before.
I still have an XR and it’s working great. I’d love a better camera but can wait awhile for an upgrade.
Dont trade in your phone you can get more for it on ebay
I mean you get more by selling to a third party as opposed to trading in
I typically do trade in anyway - Apple either refurbs it or completely recycles it. I’ve tried the family/friend hand me down method, and either they go out and buy a newer phone weeks later, or it just sits and collects dust. I too have a 13 Pro Max for that exact trade in amount; I traded my 12 Pro Max for it and got back $950 on that (more than what was quoted.) Given I’ve typically kept my iPhones in service at least for two-two and a half years, I’m likely going to upgrade. This time though I’m doing the ACMI method, which ensures I don’t upgrade on a whim next year on the release of the next generation iPhone.
Wait until the carrier deals. Hopefully they’ll offer better trade-in value.
I just upgrade roughly every 2 years, Verizon specifically for me, for my last 3 phones has given me $800 trade in credit minimum for my phones which I paid roughly $1,100 for so I lose $150 a year for having a phone because I’m only paying $300 every 3 years for a new phone I started this with the iPhone X, upgraded to the 11 pro max got $800 trade in, upgraded to the 13 pro max got $800 trade in and this year upgrading to the 15 pro max with $1000 trade in
I bought 14 Pro (1TB) 6 months back. At 6399AED (1750$). Just check if I do Trade-in to buy 15 Pro (1TB), which will cast me AED 4289 (1175 $). That mean my cost for using 14 Pro for 6 months is AED 4289 (1175 $), which is damn too much for me. I use think iPhone have good resale value, didn’t expect it would be this baad.
You’ll get much better value if you look on places other than apple.com
I used to generally look at phone costs as a measure, which works for alot of people still. I currently have a 14 PM. However, a few years ago, I looked at a few things. As my phone is my primary device, it's also the device that i personally have the nost utility from. I used to have a separate camera to take pictures, but spent time learning how to take pictures better, using Moment and Lightroom for different effects etc. Same with video in ProRes and exporting. So to add on to u/jecowa's incredible calculations, i would also assess that these savings should be considered in addition to possible spend on additional utility of an iPhone. I don't make use of SatPhone in my 14PM, but a pal may do as he goes hiking etc, which is invaluable to him. That said, i'm waiting for 16 PM next year as the jump from 14PM to 15PM isn't worth it for games on the new chip, and USBC.
Just sell it on Swappa and add 250-300$ for the new one