Should you upgrade to the new iPhone or keep your old one?

It’s that time of year again, when Apple gives birth to a new addition to the iPhone family. You’ve seen the adverts, you’ve heard the hype, but do you actually need it or should you hang onto your old one?

See what people are saying about the new iPhone online

The internet loves to mock Apple’s iPhone releases, however the jokes can reveal some helpful information that might influence your decision about buying new phone.

With the new release of the iPhone 11, you will see a steady stream of quick witted bloggers, twitterers and social media publishers pushing content out across the internet. Their content will breakdown every last detail about the new iPhone, giving you insight into the product before purchasing.

It is especially helpful to note the variety of memes about the new phone. They are fun to flick through and highlight all the aesthetic mishaps and malfunctions. Do you want a phone that everyone’s laughing at because it looks like a mens shaver?

Most memes relating to the new iPhone 11 are focused on the three-lens rear camera design.

The iPhone 11 New Stove Feature – Cook while you’re on the go!

The image in this tweet didn’t require much work to get the desired effect. They literally inserted a cooking pan and instantly transformed the new iPhone 11 into a standard cook-top stove.

Look at Apple CEO Tim Cook shoving that cookware in our faces. Poor guy, who would have thought a cooking pan could so easily deface your multi million dollar product.

When you add another camera but nobody buys your phones!

The famous shocked Pikachu meme with the iPhone 11 rear camera photoshopped over its eyes and mouth is made to imply that Apple is surprised to find that consumers are no longer fooled by another “camera upgrade.”  It is going to take more than that to convince iPhone users to ditch their functioning older models for the higher price tag.

It does look like a shaver!

I have to agree, it does remind me of a men’s electric shaver. For the price, it’s disappointing that that it doesn’t actually cut hair too! Ok maybe we don’t need our phone’s to shave, but we need some sort of evidence outside of random statistics and specifications that no one understands or cares about.

Consumers want to know what it actually does better and whether that will create any drastic improvements on the end user experience.

Why do you want to upgrade your iPhone in the first place?

Some of us just like to have the latest technology regardless of the need while others change due to functionality issues with their existing device. The most common features of new models are better cameras, longer lasting batteries and faster operation speeds.

If your existing phone’s performs well and you’re happy with the camera quality, why not hang on to your phone for the time being? At least give those new models enough time on the market to find out if they have any major manufacture issues or software faults; let someone else be the test subject this time.

Three good reasons to upgrade:

1. Hand the old iPhone down to a family member

The youngest in the family usually has the least valuable phone in case it gets broken. So not only will they be super happy, you’re increasing the iPhones lifespan, in turn increasing its overall value and helping reduce environmental waste. Reusing, repairing and recycling working electronics is always good way to go.

2. Your existing iPhone is almost dead or just way too old

If the iPhone you’re using is too old or severely damaged or beyond the point of repair, upgrading to the next model up may suffice. All consumer electronics have a lifespan, we always recommend to stay within 5 models of the latest release, anything below this and the device tends to operate slow and intermittent for the remainder of its life.

3. Your existing iPhone is Water Damaged

As water damage is extremely problematic, replacing the device is often recommended instead repair, with exceptions when there is data on the damaged phone that you want recovered. If your iPhone is toast but you need the information inside, you should make that the priority and think about getting a new one when the data has been recovered.

Can you really afford it?

With new iPhones now costing over $2000, It’s always a good idea to check the piggy bank before splashing out. Many people who don’t have that kind of money upfront, dive into a two year contract without even reading the small print. Others will hand their existing iPhone back to the provider to take advantage of the “end of plan” swap/exchange programmes, believing they are getting an upgrade for free, however end up paying more in the long run.

In addition, there are other expenses to take into consideration like insurance, repair costs and protective accessories, all adding to the price.

The upside is, second-hand iPhones in good working condition can hold their value well. After your new one is set up, you can sell the old one on platforms like Gumtree and Facebook Groups, this will help you to offset some of the cost.

To get an indication of how much you could expect to get, check how much other sellers are listing the same model for.

What new technology that justifies the upgrade and cost?

Technology advances fast. When it does, we sometimes see those changes in our consumer electronics. Touch screens, face ID, voice recognition and all the rest of it. Unfortunately, this technological change does not seem to move fast enough to keep up with Apple’s annual iPhone releases.

Did face ID and wireless charging really change your life in any significant way? Many users report that the face ID does not always work and there’s that problem of forgetting your actual passcode if you only use the Face ID feature to unlock the device.

Most “upgrades” used to advertise and sell the new smartphones often become unused or annoying after the initial novelty has worn off. Your iPhone ends up doing for you exactly the same as your old one did, only slightly faster with, you guessed it, a “better camera.” The routine annual updates to the cameras seems to be the big selling point for most phone manufacturers, but with reports of the picture quality already being so good, the HD clarity is actually making people look bad in photos.

Will a better camera really be enough to enticement consumers to buy a $2000 iPhone in 2019?

5 things you could buy or do for the price of the new iPhone 11 series

1. Go on holiday!

How long has it been since you got away from it all? One week after buying your new iPhone with your old one still sitting in the drawer. If I offered to exchange it right then and there for a luxury holiday, would you take it?

2. Home/Garden Improvement

You could add a serious addition to your kitchen or even get a new luxury bed. Basically with the same money you could make some major improvements to your quality of life at home.

3. Invest it or Pay off debt

With so many applications available to us, investing money has never been so easy so there’s nothing stopping you from getting started. You could even use the money to start an small online business or reinvest it into your existing work.

Alternatively, if you’re in any kind of debt, paying that off should be priority number one! Paying off debt and reducing interest payments until the balance is zero outweighs everything else by far.

4. Donate it to a good cause

If you have it to spare, why not contribute to your favourite charity? Select a charity that you believe in and put your money to good use helping others. Yes, you wont get a new shiny iPhone, but you do get the joy and satisfaction of contributing in a positive way to the world around you.

5. Hire a boat and set sail

Grab your fishing tackle, food, sun cream and sunnies and take yourself out on the open water. Nothing feels better than being the skipper of your own boat for a day. Stop off at secluded beaches, swim in the deep blue ocean and relax while the cool sea breeze in your hair. There are many companies that offer boat hire in Sydney, and the price of a new iPhone would be more than enough to get you something nice.

Conclusion

If your existing iPhone does the job, why upgrade? I personally think the iPhone 11 is still the best of the bunch. It does everything you need, it’s simple, cheap to repair, it’s a good size and you look 10 years younger on photos with the selfie cam.

In any case, if you’re dead set on getting the new release I would strongly advise to hold back a few weeks/months, until it’s been in circulation for a while, see if there are any underlying issues reported by users. Apple would love to convince you that upgrading your perfectly working iPhone every year is the way to go but with no significant advances in technology, the future’s looking grim for the iPhone. Maybe they should hold off on any more new releases until there is actually something new to offer. Until that day comes, it is best to stick with what you have.

 

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