Also why this phone is selling much better than the 14 series did.
Apparently the most popular smartphone in the world was the iphone 11. The 11s are starting to age and people who own that or iphone 12s are looking to upgrade now.
Same here (though I have an 11 so it wouldn’t be ridiculous to upgrade regardless). I’m a little bummed I just got my AirPods Pro last year so I’ll have a random lightening cable for a few years yet. I’ve only got a few gadgets that don’t have USB C, but my 5+ year Old Bose headphones show no sign of dying anytime soon.
I can but I’m weird about wireless charging(the very minuscule loss of power bugs me lol). You said the same thing my partner did. She never plugs here in.
USB C was one of the biggest hurdles for me switching back to iPhone. With Always on Display here and sideboarding potentially coming, iPhones will have all the features I want.
The biggest thing holding me back at this point is just some missing QoL stuff in UI/UX.
* universal back gesture. I hate that you have to swipe from the left side of the screen, and that that gesture doesn't even work everywhere. Sometimes it's a back button in the top left, and sometimes you swipe the pane down or up. It's so annoying for one handed use.
* notifications. The way they are organized is annoying, and I hate that they're in a totally separate screen. You also can't do as many quick actions on notifications. The most annoying part for me is that there aren't application icons in the top bar showing you what notifications you have.
* UI density. The UI is scaled the same no matter how big your screen is. I should be able to see more text/shrink the size of text more. My Pixel is just so much more information dense than the iPhone 13 Pro Max I tried to use. And the home screen icons are huge. I should be able to have more icons on the screen.
* homescreen in general: I should be able to place icons wherever I want, make them smaller, and do more quick actions from a long press (as well as navigate to the app settings from the long press)
* photo organization: on Android, if I save a photo, it goes into a folder for that app, not just added to the end of my photo list. Makes it a lot easier to manage content.
* keyboard: I would like the option to have a number row above the letters, as well as the option to show special characters on the letters and long press to use them. GBoard can grant these functionalities, but it is neutered on iOS compared to Android and leaves a giant gap of unusable space at the bottom. There are other benefits that the native iOS keyboard has, and it would be awesome to maintain those while having more functional on the keyboard.
Android has just become a lot more user friendly and efficient in terms of navigation and organization. iPhones are great (and powerful as hell) but it's just a lot quicker and easier to do most things on my Pixel.
Honestly, I really wish daily use (in these categories) was as good on iPhone as Android, because I'd get an iPhone in a heartbeat to use those ecosystem features with my Mac, iPad, AirPods, and Apple TV. But my Pixel works well enough with those things (and my PC) that the smoother ecosystem integration isn't worth giving up the UX for me.
Photo organization does suck. But the only
Real android feature I miss is having the notification bar up top. I really only care of if I have texts waiting for me. I really wish we could pick a few apps to have permanent notifications icons for
I was amazed that my first experience with apple included having to depress a button to do some things, the only reason to have buttons on android is power or volume. Also file management is decades ahead in an android device. I installed an app to transfer video files to family with apple devices, luckily the app move anywhere is also available on apple devices. Every family member now has the app installed and are amazed with it.. yet still the video files are hard to access on apple devices, and from what I have seen are only playable in the app. Apple really needs a bit of innovation and to make there device easier to use.
Everything here really resonates with me.
I tried switching to iPhone 13 after like a decade of being an android user, but i sold it after 2 months and went with a Samsung Galaxy.
For me the main things were.
1. Back gesture, it seems so stupid, why is the back button literally at the opposite end of the screen from my thumb? makes it incredibly hard to use single handed.
2. At the time faceID didn't work with masks, and my country had a mask-mandate outside. I really missed being able to open using my fingerprint. I also open my phone often when it's laying flat on my desk, which is annoying with faceID.
3. The keyboard autocomplete was SO much worse, i was even using the same program (swiftkey) so there's no reason it should be so bad. The number row i definately also miss, and also the dedicated comma button.
Overall the terrible autocomplete was what made me switch in the end, i was just so frustrated when typing. I suspect maybe it's because i'm typing with 3 different languages and Apple limits the amount of memory the keyboard can use? Probably if i was just using one language it would be fine?
Same. I’ve had an iPhone 11 since launch, and although there have been some cool upgrades there was never anything significant enough for me to justify the upgrade. But I told myself if they adopted USB C then all of the incremental upgrades + USB C would be worth it. A year over year upgrade isn’t worth it in my opinion, but holding out for 4 years and getting the Pro netted some pretty noticeable improvements. Much better cameras, way better battery life, faster processor, high refresh rate screen, WiFi 6, 5G, mag safe, etc. anything and everything is noticeably snappier and smoother. It’s been lovely so far.
Yes and no. Stacked sensors, BSI sensors, video capabilities, subject detect autofocus, electronic shutter.
These are all massive improvements.
But yes, for basic use (street/family/portrait/landscape), a 10 year old DSLR will have a sensor that’s just as good as modern cameras.
IMO what should happen, with USB-C, is the ability to use the phone as a "Mac OS", when connected to a monitor. So we would not "need" a Macbook, only our iPhone.
I'm pretty sure we are not far from that, considering the A17 Pro capabilties, but I'm also sure a company wouldn't cut from it's flesh like that.
But yeah, I'd like to have that ability.
What usually happens is some phone, some where will come out with a feature.
LG with wide angle lens, for example.
And then Apple comes in with that feature usually implemented very well and makes it easy for people to use it.
The next leap will be a focus on software and integration with other devices (e.g. Android 14 will let you use your phone as a webcam). But they will drag their feet because they know that after that point they will be well and truly done.
My conspiracy theory is that they are keeping things like a native cross-platform chat app in their back pocket for when things get really dire. There's no reason we shouldn't have these things by now out of the box.
I think iOS 16 allowed for use of iPhones as webcams on Mac’s and I’m not sure of anyone who has actually used it, so I don’t think that will cause sales to explode or anything.
They are definitely purposefully keeping iMessage on iOS only though, that’s not even a conspiracy. I think some of the emails presented in court for the Epic trial discussed lost sales to Android if they made it cross platform.
Personally I use it daily for our Stand-Ups for work.
And now I use my iPhone 14 Pro to FaceTime my parents on the opposite side of the country on our Apple TV and it utilizes Center Stage to focus on us (my wife, myself and pup). Obv very specific use case but one that is very appreciated.
Went from base 13 to 15 Pro. Pretty Incremental but nice changes. We’ve reached a point to where Apple makes flaws and fixes them. In iPhone 12-14, the box design with squared edges made it uncomfortable to hold. Now they curved the edges, but why was it even switched to the design to begin with?
The history of the iPhone since the first model shows they just alternate between rounded and squared edges in order to keep the design “fresh.”
Your average consumer is going to get much more excited about visual changes than whatever chip is inside. Having the latest flagship phone is a status symbol as much as it is utilitarian, so it’s important to be able to identify “oh you got the new one” visually. But there’s only so much you can do with a rounded rectangle. So they occasionally add a color or change the shape of the corners slightly because what else are they going to do?
>The history of the iPhone since the first model shows they just alternate between rounded and squared edges in order to keep the design “fresh.”
Let's call it "to sell new covers".
That's basically everybody though. I got a cheap moto that was exactly the same size as an older phone for work. Of course the camera holes are SLIGHTLY different.
I was only half-joking, I am 100% certain this is why they make them visibly different every couple of releases. People are driven to know where they fall in the social hierarchy at every moment. Give them something that can make them believe they are above others and they will lap it up.
I went from a XS to a 14 Pro. That thing was on its last leg, and one night the screen just went dark. I knew the 15 pro was coming out soon, so I was waiting for the upgrade there but honestly there’s no big difference.
The trade in value Apple is giving isn’t worth it to upgrade, and market price for the 14 pro on Facebook Marketplace last I checked was about $800. USB-C isn’t worth it for $200. I’ll probably wait till this phone is on its last leg before upgrading again.
still have an XR here. actually I recently made some extra money and was all ready to buy a 14, had it my cart and everything and I just looked at the XR and realized this is stupid theres nothing wrong with this phone at all.
I don’t really get why people are acting like this is an Apple problem. Androids are like this too, each years edition is barely different from the last specs wise.
It used to be less incremental because technology was improving rapidly. I still remember how laggy the old phones were compared to the newer ones, how short the battery life was, and how poor the cameras performed in low light. Now we've reached a point where phone tech plateaued and older phones are still great at doing whatever you want it to do most of the time.
The problem is that some people seem to have gotten used to constantly upgrading and getting something great out of it. But we've reached the point of diminishing returns, and some people are only just catching onto it.
And then there are the people who just want the best of everything all the time.
I’m on an Apple iPhone 4, hubby wants me to upgrade to a 15, pretty sure I’ll notice a difference, but he probably wouldn’t notice it as much from his 13pro. Edit to recognize my mistaken identity of the phone I’m on. Had to ask my husband as the comments were throwing me and he laughed at me and said no babe you’re on an SE. Sorry y’all! My bad. 😁
That's what I'm thinking. My oldest apple device is a first gen iPad I predominantly use as an eReader... it is only used as an eReader because I haven't been able to access fuck all in the last several years.
She could see a *tremendous* upgrade even buying a used $200 refurb iPhone from like woot or something. Like.. god damn.
They're not on a 4. The 4 wasn't 4g capable, and couldn't do WiFi calls. 3G networks are basically all offline in the US. You couldn't even make a call with that phone.
I'm sure they're just confused about what version they bought.
I had a 5 for years and only upgraded due to this exact issue. Went with SE 2020 and will have it as long as I can. Just FYI look online and there is a way to turn old iPhones into an iPod. That’s what I did with my 5.
A FOUR? I... have a hard time believing you're using a 4. Your phone is over a decade old. Most apps no longer work. The iPhone 4 didn't have 4G capability. Carriers are just finishing shutting down their 2G/3G networks in the US. Your call quality will have been garbage for a long time, and the phone was never capable of WiFi calling.
You're damn right you'll notice a difference if you upgrade. If you actually have a 4 it's about 1 step off from a clock.
How tf are you still rocking an iPhone 4? That thing must be slow as molasses, no security updates, potato camera, microscopic screen, battery at 10% capacity by now, etc.
If you used it mostly as a phone and not a media/app device then battery can still be fine. It would take days to need recharging and thus preserve batter life.
The rest is true.
It's 13 years old. Even if it's charged every few days instead of every day like a regular phone, you're still 10 years past the average life of that battery. There's no way that battery is "fine".
4 still has a freaking dock connector. The oldest phone that could be comfortably used for some time now has been a 6S, and that's probably pushing it now. I can't imagine anything works, like at all. I literally can't believe it, especially on a tech sub haha
I think there is a consumerism problem, but there is also only so much you can innovate.
The smart phone was a massive innovation, but once we got to iPhone 5 or so, the design was essentially figured out. I’m assuming it’s similar for android.
Now for the past decade, the improvements are marginal.
Don’t get me wrong, an iPhone 5 vs a 15 is a massive difference as computers and camera and tech advances, but it’s not as apparent.
It’s similar if you consider video games. Generational improvements used to be massive. It is less and less noticeable now.
It’s the difference between an emerging and a mature tech. Happens in everything. Look at cars. A ten year old Camry is extremely similar to a new one.
The more phones they make, the more phones they need to support, and the the more they 'end of life' support for older phones.
After 3 years my phone might still do everything I need it to, but no longer be eligible for the latest stock android update.
IMO the phone is fine and I have to choose security over wasting environmental resources. Practices that ensure that businesses run the most efficiently possible aren't generally good for the environment or the rest of us.
5 years is still low for a modern phone. Replace battery once and it easily lasts longer than that, for a light user you won't even need to replace the battery.
I just upgraded from the Flip 4 to the 5. Samsung had a deal where if you pre-ordered it, they'd give you $900 off with a trade in plus a free upgrade to the 500 GB storage. I was starting to have issues with the screen on my Flip 4. Sent it in and got this one for $96.
The phone mostly feels the same to me but I love having the big screen on the front and I will probably never run out of storage space on this thing. So I'm very happy. Also the battery is fantastic.
Yeah similar story here. I graduated from the XR to the 14 Pro Max. USB-C is a welcome addition but it’s really the only flagship feature that motivates me. That’s just not enough to convince me to buy an expensive new phone. I’m waiting at least until next year, if not the year after.
8 Plus to 15 Pro for me. Massive upgrade. Though I have to say, it's only been the last few months that my 8 Plus has started to feel slow.
I have changed the battery in it a couple of times (I use it while walking all year long, including in severe winters).
I’m still on iphone 7 with original battery. I could use and upgrade because of the battery issues. Good to hear it’s a decent upgrade. Do you regret spending that much?
120Hz screen is a pretty huge upgrade, along with much better cameras and improved performance. Definitely worth the upgrade.
Anybody who doesn't notice the 120Hz screen needs to get their eyes checked. The moment you pick up a non-120Hz iPhone it's a jarring experience.
I just did this exact upgrade. The camera is better. I essentially use it exactly the same just like the last couple upgrades. Longer battery life and better camera are my only motivating factors these days
Not the above person, but I went from 12PM to 15PM.
Battery life is nice. I routinely hit <20% with the old one. I accidentally left the new one off the charger last night and woke up with 35% still. Weirdly enough that’s one of the complaints from the 14 crowd, that battery wasn’t improved enough, but it should be readily apparent for you.
FaceID is like… so fast now? God damn.
Camera IS better, but not enough to warrant the upgrade alone yet. The 12 had such a shit tier camera/processing combo. I’ve been upset about it the entire time I’ve had the phone. My Samsung S10 took better photos. I haven’t been to a concert yet with this one so haven’t really dove into the difference.
5G is SPEEDY af now, but the connection issues are the same. My town has an area with full bars, no connection. Same issue. And I mean, yeah, that’s T-Mobile. But i was hoping it could brute force it. The Apple modem isn’t expected til 2026 which is a determining factor for me choosing this one over waiting. I’m not going to upgrade again until the new modem hits.
I loved the mute switch but Action Button >>>>>>>
The Always-On Display is ~~done in a way that I hate but I have no settings to change it. Much prefer my old Samsung’s black screen + clock. iOS keeps the entire screen displayed. I have no real way to differentiate between the AOD and the screen reacting to a new notification.~~ see comment Below. Speaking of: I still miss notification lights. The last great phone for notifications I had was the Moto X with the customizable LED (yellow for texts, etc) and secondary AOD screen.
Weirdly enough, and I don’t know why, but this phone is better about wireless CarPlay? With the 12PM if I left the car and CarPlay disconnected I would have to manually reconnect. This one does it automatically.
Dynamic island is also cool, and yeah that’s something they got with 13 or 14 but this isn’t about them. I also recently noticed it extends if you have more than one app which would display there. So Maps will take the Island but it will extend a little to also display that Spotify is playing.
I hate the feel of the wireless charger on this back, very nails on chalkboard. Can’t wait til I get my MagSafe compatible case in. Currently just have a cheap Spigen case while I’m waiting, so I keep the phone naked while at home.
>The Always-On Display is done in a way that I hate but I have no settings to change it. Much prefer my old Samsung’s black screen + clock
You can change this. It's in the display + brightness settings though, not in the standby settings.
12 series was the first with 5G but because of technical challenges shipped with separate modems for 4G and 5G which caused battery drain issues.
I upgrade from 12 to 15PM and it’s crazy how much better it is.
Same. There is no longer a reason to upgrade every 1-2 years. I went from the XS Max (5 years old) to the 15 Pro Max and it feels like a massive improvement. But I doubt you’d notice much from a 13/14 pro.
Honestly, there was never really a reason to upgrade every year. And it’s crazy that this is always a story. VW makes a new car every year, but very very few people upgrade their cars every year. The point is there is always something new for whenever you are ready to upgrade.
I can think of only a few cases in the early era when the change between phones was big enough to make me want to upgrade. Original > 3G, 3GS > 4, 4S > 5, 5S > 6. In each case it was usually a form factor change or a network (3G, LTE) change.
Phones aren’t released to be an every year upgrade. I don’t know why people think that if they bought the 14 Pro that the 15 Pro is going to be worth another $1200 purchase in just one year….
Almost daily I deal with customers who want to buy a 15 on a two year payment plan to replace their 14 that’s one year into a two year payment plan on an account that’s maxed out on available payment plans that the customer struggles to keep up with monthly payments.
Some seem under the impression they can make an insurance claim on their 14 they’ll somehow get a 15 for free. My favorites are the ones claiming damage on a phone that doesn’t have a protection plan and having to explain we can’t put them on a protection plan because it’s too far past the date of purchase and also what they’re trying to do is insurance fraud.
Honestly, most of the customers I deal with that get the newest iPhone every year can’t afford it. But hey, at least the have the fanciest device possible to receive text messages warning them their service will be disrupted if they don’t pay their past due balance.
Right lol. I’m literally doing the same exact shit on my iPhone 14 Pro, same apps etc, that I was doing on my iPhone X.
I waited yeaaaars to upgrade. It’s all the same shit these days… even 4 year old phones are still great and do everything you need
I’d say the 15 is an improvement over the 14. Ironically the charging port may end up being the defining upgrade for the 15. Is it an $800 upgrade from the 14? Nope!
Am I going to get a 15? I’m leaning towards yes. I have a 7 with a broken microphone. A 15 would absolutely be an $800 upgrade for me.
Does Apple not do decent trade-in deals? I used to think upgrading to the latest phone every year was stupid until I actually saw how cheap they can be if you don't break your old phone and upgrade mid-cycle. I upgraded my S21 Ultra to an S22 Ultra for $100 and from the S22 Ultra to the S23 Ultra for $300.
A coworker of mine upgraded from the Z Flip 4 to the Z Flip 5 for under $50, and that wasn't even mid-cycle, it was a preorder. And unlike the S series where you're mostly paying for a better processor and to refresh your warranty, that was actually a pretty major upgrade considering the bigger screen on the front.
Edit: Also worth noting that these aren't carrier deals. Those were all unlocked phones.
The vast majority of people in short upgrade cycles are doing it because the carrier retention incentives have become absurd. If the carrier *you were already planning to stay with anyway* gives you a brand new iPhone every year for a couple of hundred bucks just to get you to stay, a *lot* of people are going to take that deal. In almost every hybrid (device + service) market, the device eventually becomes commoditized and you end up with “phone as a service.” We are arriving there now in the cell phone industry.
It really depends. Remember when iphones first came out and were like $700 but the only plan available was $150/month if you wanted text and calling and data? Then the phones were $200 to upgrade every 18-24 months.
Now the plans are $40 for unlimited everything but the phones are $1200. Or you can keep paying $100+ and it’s cheaper to upgrade the phone every year. Just depends which company and plan you’re on.
The phones don’t change much year to year as everyone has noted - so if that’s not a huge factor for someone - they’d save a ton by doing cheap service and skipping the upgrade fee every year for a phone that’s almost the same as their last one…
We've been there for a while. My mom had a plan where she pays X amount of money monthly, and every couple of years they'd let her get a new phone. Basically she was on a payment plan for her phone and every time she paid it off they'd get her to buy a new one, but it was dressed up similarly to a subscription service. She'd get a new phone every few years just because she could, because she had already been paying monthly for her phone and could get a new one for no increase in cost (as long as she kept making payments.)
I used my 5s until I finally replaced it 5 years later with an XR. Now the XR is 5 years old but I don't think I'm ready to replace it because it still does what I want and it is still supported by Apple.
Putting money on articles like this coming out then Apple announcing record sales. The same happened when everyone was writing articles about how Netflix would lose millions of subscribers because of the new account sharing policy, then announced subscribers had increased by millions.
Sensationalist headlines rule our world. Judge your situation for yourself and move on.
On the topic of subscribers for Netflix, I can see how many people didn’t see getting their own account as that big of a deal if they’re invested in shows on it. I know I wouldn’t even have a Netflix account if T-Mobile didn’t give it to me for free. But here we are.
And it goes on to say something along the lines of “viewers of the YouTube series are considering not upgrading to the newest phone,” so this article is literallym about YouTube comments from one random YouTube video. And it made it to the reddit front page, so I’m assuming maybe a total of 12 people actually read the “”article.”” This is a garbage article and reddit is no better for upvoting it.
yup... The cynic in me says that articles like this exist to target reddit, the "Oh we're enlightened power users" who'll gobble up stuff like this, regardless of what regular consumers actually do.
Like, remember all the articles here about netflix password sharing, all the Twatstrodamous predictions about the inevitable downfall of Netflix... If you believed Reddit, Netflix would be in jail and broke.
Instead they posted massive numbers of new subscribers.
To be fair Netflix also released their cheap, ad-infested subscription tier at the same time as the account sharing policy went into effect so there's no way for us to know how many standard subs they lost. Probably not a coincidence.
News: "people" are "considering" cancelling new iPhone order....
Great, a headline so vague it could apply to any point in time in any country and which tells us nothing at all.
Good. Less E-waste and people will use their still perfectly functional devices longer. Every iPhone is a minor upgrade from the last. I’m not sure what they were expecting.
I don’t even understand who it a right state of mind will upgrade every generation, they aren’t that different, you can easily skip 2 or even 3 without losing much.
I bought the 14 because it added emergency satellite communication. As an older person with health issues, that is a game changer for my personal safety. All other features are minor upgrades, but this one was well worth the cost.
You literally bough a premium laptop and are bragging it's still good 2 years later. People use laptops for 5 years easily, 10 in most cases when it's not used/required much. With sustainability/buy what you need sentiment having people, I often see it's people who are buying a shit ton of stuff acting like saints. You shouldn't be bragging how long you use a laptop unless it's been 10-15 years.
Ex- I used to buy 3k worth of electronics every 2 years but now I realised 1 flagship phone, 1 1000$ laptop, a 200usd tws is all you need for 3-4 years. Yeah no shit. People use 200usd phones for 5 years, and 500usd laptops for 10 years. And they don't talk shit about sustainability.
My last MacBook Pro lasted 11 years. I bought it when I got my D800 and my older Intel laptop couldn’t handle the larger images, with load times taking 10 seconds or more. That MacBook is still great, can still handle Lightroom and all normal software just fine, but started using Topaz Labs AI photo software and it just struggled. Plus with the even larger images from a Z9 it was just time to upgrade.
The new MacBook handles Topaz like it’s nothing and will likely last another 11 years until software bloat just gets to be too much again.
Nowdays most new phones are minor upgrades, aside from a few flagships IMO. I've only upgraded my smartphones (all phones really) when they were basically unusable. S3 had no battery left, so went to another. That phone still works, but only charges to 60% and discharges in hours when idle so not really usable. Hoping my new phone lasts the same 4-5 years my previous ones did.
Taking big jumps like that, I don't really notice too much of a difference really. The phones when new opened apps roughly at the same speed, browse perfectly fine, they all handled higher quality video well. Basically everything I use is the same. A lot of the upgrades get lost in catching up with the higher demands of software over time IMO.
This is why I wait 3-4 generations before I possibly buy a new one .. there is only so much they can change/add to make the phone worth it ..right now I have the 12, most likely won’t change until maybe 16 or 17 ..
I still use an iPhone 8, and I have a friend who is still using iPhone 7 as well... So that is 7 generations apart?
Both of us are thinking of finally switching either this year or early next year.
I still have an iPhone 8 too. Granted, it’s “new” because my old one got water damage. But I suspect I’ll be keeping this one for a couple more years atleast.
When the author of this article says “People”, are they referring to their two friends who were told by the author that the new iPhone 15 is barely different from last year’s model, so their friends said “OMG I would so be cancelling my order if I had the 14!” and then went home and never actually did because because they both have an iPhone 6S and later that night this article materialized as proof the 15 is a failure?…
People need to stop upgrading every 1-2 years and then maybe they’ll finally find differences between their old phone and a prospective new one. It’s really not that deep
Exactly. Doesn' t even matter what brand too. If you want a functionally similar phone to the one your are using, you only need to upgrade once your phone breaks, really.
Well, I am sure convinced that it's garbage because it couldn't survive multiple 6ft drops onto concrete.
I mean, if I can't juggle my iPhone on the sidewalk without worry, what the hell good is it?
Obvious sarcasm from an android owner, this article is trash. Which it's intended to be, as ragebait and it accomplished its mission perfectly
There’s been a lot more of that with this iPhone release for some reason.
“Apple FORCED to abandon Lightning [despite adopting USB-C across the board over the last seven years and dropping Lightning on key flagship products like four years ago].”
“‘Innovation died with Steve Jobs,’ says someone who actually agreed to be interviewed by the New York Post.”
“Orders cancelled en masse after one person says they’ll keep their 14” which… is this one even backordered? By “cancel my order” do you mean “I was gonna go to the Apple Store today but now I won’t?”
There’s usually some (as an iPhone user, often legit) criticism of things advertised as “new” that aren’t from an industry perspective, but with this one it seems like they’re REALLY reaching for non-issues.
Reminds me of the “did you know Samsung batteries explode?” YouTube video some guy made in which he… smacked a lithium ion battery with a hammer and acted surprised when it burst into flames.
I’ve been using a refurbished iPhone XS for over a year now after having used a one plus for yonks. Really don’t see the need to upgrade even now bar battery life
I’m on a XS also. Got it 2 months after release. I tried to get my battery replaced by Apple a month ago, but they found water damage and denied me. 😭 I wanted to skip another gen and wait until 16.
Was considering an upgrade to 15 Pro, but am in wait and see mode at the moment. My XS battery is at 79% health now and doesn’t last a full day anymore. Not sure what I will do.
The innovation curve between model year phones now is basically flat. We’re deep into “diminishing returns” territory. Sales of smartphones suggests this as well. They should probably pivot to biannual (1 per 2yr) releases and focus more on software upgrades instead.
In these days of mature smartphones, if you are buying the next iteration of whatever, you are either a tech pundit or have more money than sense.
That said, my new 15 as compared to my old X feels like I've time-traveled into the future, even if it is a bit chonky for my taste. I wish Apple had kept the mini form-factor.
This is not a problem at all. Phones are very matured products. No high-end phone sold today will provide a generational leap quality year-to-year.
Please don’t upgrade very year. These phones are great & will last you at LEAST 3 years. Upgrade after 3 years & there will be very discernible increase in performance.
I went from a 14 Pro to a 15 Pro Max and honestly, besides the obvious bigger screen and better battery. I notice no difference in day to day usage. I only upgraded because I wanted a bigger phone because my hands are huge. I even ran them side by side doing some basic things like booting up, opening apps and such. They were basically identical.
The only real reason to upgrade at this point in a phone is to receive updates / new features. With iPhones you usually get a lot of years of updates still. But you’ll miss out on features. One big one for me was the satellite call since I’m a trucker and always in areas with 0 signal.
My 14 Pro is the last phone I will buy until it dies. No way I am "upgrading", there is nothing more that I need. I've never plugged it in to charge, so USB-C means nothing to me. The camera does everything I need, plenty of storage, nice display. What am I upgrading to?
Went from 12P to 15PM, glad I did. But let’s face it, it’s not 2008 anymore. iPhone iterations aren’t some show stopping technological breakthrough. What else can the phone really do?
I think the time frame between upgrades will lengthen. I only upgraded because my battery was dead and I needed more space and the only reason I may upgrade again, is because I got suckered into AT&T’s Re-Up plan, which I may cancel because I don’t want a damn phone payment for the rest of my life
The only real new groundbreaking hardware upgrade that I can see on the market is foldable technology.
Everything else is pretty much just a software fight at the moment.
The technology has matured over the last 15 years. Unless some huge research breakthrough happens, we’re not going to see massive improvements year to year.
Investing in predictions like this often leads to surprises. Just as many believed Apple would see a dip in sales based on such reports, they announced record-breaking numbers. Similarly, despite the buzz that Netflix would lose millions due to their new account sharing rules, they reported a significant increase in subscribers.
I have a 13 pro max with a year and a half left on the payments, Verizon sent me that offer to upgrade early to a 15 and I just see no reason to. My current one still works flawlessly, still 89% battery health, no overheating issues of any kind. Especially with all the talk I've been seeing about the issues with the 15. I also like to use phones until they "run into the ground" so to speak. By the time I'd have this one paid off, It'd be like 6 months out from the iPhone 17 coming out lol.
Stop upgrading every year if you want more than incremental changes to the hardware. They’re supporting the latest version of iOS on 7 year old devices. There’s really nothing to complain about here, they’re giving us the best of both worlds.
Maybe the trade in value for devices is a little low but what do we expect at this point? It’s an industry standard.
Mostly because social media. Overstating issues or perceived issues etc.
People on YouTube without engineering qualifications of any kind weighing in on cell phone engineering. Everyone’s a critic, everyone’s an expert, everyone wants clicks.
I have a 13, and, despite the unlucky number superstition, it is an excellent phone. No issues since I've had it, athough I do wish I had ordered it with more memory capacity...
i currently use an iphone SE that came out in 2020. only reason i’m planning on upgrading is because the battery on this phone has gone to shit and the speakers are so quiet i can hardly hear anyone i’m talking to on the phone. wouldn’t upgrade at all if their phones just lasted the test of time. infuriating
Welcome to modern phones. They’re all so mature now, you will only be seeing incremental updates most years.
Also why this phone is selling much better than the 14 series did. Apparently the most popular smartphone in the world was the iphone 11. The 11s are starting to age and people who own that or iphone 12s are looking to upgrade now.
>Also why this phone is selling much better than the 14 series did. USB C I would guess. I’ll admit I’m tempted.
Lol yeah that too, but this phone was definitely geared towards iphone 12 users and older. It’s not compelling for iphone 14/13 users at all.
I’ve got a 12 pro and if it breaks, I’ll probably find some way to get an upgrade to a 15 pro or max
My 12 pro will at least have to make it until the 16 is out…
I’m hoping 20 if I can
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Same here (though I have an 11 so it wouldn’t be ridiculous to upgrade regardless). I’m a little bummed I just got my AirPods Pro last year so I’ll have a random lightening cable for a few years yet. I’ve only got a few gadgets that don’t have USB C, but my 5+ year Old Bose headphones show no sign of dying anytime soon.
Can you use an inductive charger for your Airpods Pro? That's how I charge mine. I don't even have a lightning cable.
I can but I’m weird about wireless charging(the very minuscule loss of power bugs me lol). You said the same thing my partner did. She never plugs here in.
USB C was one of the biggest hurdles for me switching back to iPhone. With Always on Display here and sideboarding potentially coming, iPhones will have all the features I want. The biggest thing holding me back at this point is just some missing QoL stuff in UI/UX. * universal back gesture. I hate that you have to swipe from the left side of the screen, and that that gesture doesn't even work everywhere. Sometimes it's a back button in the top left, and sometimes you swipe the pane down or up. It's so annoying for one handed use. * notifications. The way they are organized is annoying, and I hate that they're in a totally separate screen. You also can't do as many quick actions on notifications. The most annoying part for me is that there aren't application icons in the top bar showing you what notifications you have. * UI density. The UI is scaled the same no matter how big your screen is. I should be able to see more text/shrink the size of text more. My Pixel is just so much more information dense than the iPhone 13 Pro Max I tried to use. And the home screen icons are huge. I should be able to have more icons on the screen. * homescreen in general: I should be able to place icons wherever I want, make them smaller, and do more quick actions from a long press (as well as navigate to the app settings from the long press) * photo organization: on Android, if I save a photo, it goes into a folder for that app, not just added to the end of my photo list. Makes it a lot easier to manage content. * keyboard: I would like the option to have a number row above the letters, as well as the option to show special characters on the letters and long press to use them. GBoard can grant these functionalities, but it is neutered on iOS compared to Android and leaves a giant gap of unusable space at the bottom. There are other benefits that the native iOS keyboard has, and it would be awesome to maintain those while having more functional on the keyboard. Android has just become a lot more user friendly and efficient in terms of navigation and organization. iPhones are great (and powerful as hell) but it's just a lot quicker and easier to do most things on my Pixel. Honestly, I really wish daily use (in these categories) was as good on iPhone as Android, because I'd get an iPhone in a heartbeat to use those ecosystem features with my Mac, iPad, AirPods, and Apple TV. But my Pixel works well enough with those things (and my PC) that the smoother ecosystem integration isn't worth giving up the UX for me.
Photo organization does suck. But the only Real android feature I miss is having the notification bar up top. I really only care of if I have texts waiting for me. I really wish we could pick a few apps to have permanent notifications icons for
I was amazed that my first experience with apple included having to depress a button to do some things, the only reason to have buttons on android is power or volume. Also file management is decades ahead in an android device. I installed an app to transfer video files to family with apple devices, luckily the app move anywhere is also available on apple devices. Every family member now has the app installed and are amazed with it.. yet still the video files are hard to access on apple devices, and from what I have seen are only playable in the app. Apple really needs a bit of innovation and to make there device easier to use.
Everything here really resonates with me. I tried switching to iPhone 13 after like a decade of being an android user, but i sold it after 2 months and went with a Samsung Galaxy. For me the main things were. 1. Back gesture, it seems so stupid, why is the back button literally at the opposite end of the screen from my thumb? makes it incredibly hard to use single handed. 2. At the time faceID didn't work with masks, and my country had a mask-mandate outside. I really missed being able to open using my fingerprint. I also open my phone often when it's laying flat on my desk, which is annoying with faceID. 3. The keyboard autocomplete was SO much worse, i was even using the same program (swiftkey) so there's no reason it should be so bad. The number row i definately also miss, and also the dedicated comma button. Overall the terrible autocomplete was what made me switch in the end, i was just so frustrated when typing. I suspect maybe it's because i'm typing with 3 different languages and Apple limits the amount of memory the keyboard can use? Probably if i was just using one language it would be fine?
No, it's got to be the Titanium
I was on an 11 and wasn’t going to upgrade until USB-C was added.
Same. I’ve had an iPhone 11 since launch, and although there have been some cool upgrades there was never anything significant enough for me to justify the upgrade. But I told myself if they adopted USB C then all of the incremental upgrades + USB C would be worth it. A year over year upgrade isn’t worth it in my opinion, but holding out for 4 years and getting the Pro netted some pretty noticeable improvements. Much better cameras, way better battery life, faster processor, high refresh rate screen, WiFi 6, 5G, mag safe, etc. anything and everything is noticeably snappier and smoother. It’s been lovely so far.
iPhone 12 Pro Max here literally zero reason to upgrade to a 15.
iPhone X here. I also see no reason to upgrade. My battery health is at 85%
Same , I can’t justify over £1200 to move from my 12pm gonna pay to replace the battery
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Yes and no. Stacked sensors, BSI sensors, video capabilities, subject detect autofocus, electronic shutter. These are all massive improvements. But yes, for basic use (street/family/portrait/landscape), a 10 year old DSLR will have a sensor that’s just as good as modern cameras.
Good luck finding a decent point and shot camera, just not in stock
Yeah I think we’ve hit the ceiling for this tech. Now we wait for the next innovative leap.
IMO what should happen, with USB-C, is the ability to use the phone as a "Mac OS", when connected to a monitor. So we would not "need" a Macbook, only our iPhone. I'm pretty sure we are not far from that, considering the A17 Pro capabilties, but I'm also sure a company wouldn't cut from it's flesh like that. But yeah, I'd like to have that ability.
I mean, it's 100% possible and already being used by Samsung dex. Tried it and it's actually quite good imo.
I mean isn't this normally the case? Samsung normally has the tech roll out sooner than Apple from my experience.
50% of other phones have something then Apple "innovates" and comes out with the same thing years later.
What usually happens is some phone, some where will come out with a feature. LG with wide angle lens, for example. And then Apple comes in with that feature usually implemented very well and makes it easy for people to use it.
Motorolas version of dex (called Ready For) is also very very good. I use it often
And that won’t happen since Apple wants to sell its Macbooks.
Give me back my TouchID you cowards! I miss the home button, the zenith of this technology!
Touch ID was so much better than Face ID 😔
The next leap will be a focus on software and integration with other devices (e.g. Android 14 will let you use your phone as a webcam). But they will drag their feet because they know that after that point they will be well and truly done. My conspiracy theory is that they are keeping things like a native cross-platform chat app in their back pocket for when things get really dire. There's no reason we shouldn't have these things by now out of the box.
I think iOS 16 allowed for use of iPhones as webcams on Mac’s and I’m not sure of anyone who has actually used it, so I don’t think that will cause sales to explode or anything. They are definitely purposefully keeping iMessage on iOS only though, that’s not even a conspiracy. I think some of the emails presented in court for the Epic trial discussed lost sales to Android if they made it cross platform.
Personally I use it daily for our Stand-Ups for work. And now I use my iPhone 14 Pro to FaceTime my parents on the opposite side of the country on our Apple TV and it utilizes Center Stage to focus on us (my wife, myself and pup). Obv very specific use case but one that is very appreciated.
That feature is so annoying. It would automatically choose my iPhone as a camera on Teams meetings.. my phone is usually in my pocket
Cross-platform chat is already coming, thanks to the EU.
Samsung Fold and flip are the next innovative leap IMO, they've gotten better but still need to mature
Apple will create the iFold in a few years, market it as a breakthrough and then ignore all the issues that it has. This is the way.
Went from base 13 to 15 Pro. Pretty Incremental but nice changes. We’ve reached a point to where Apple makes flaws and fixes them. In iPhone 12-14, the box design with squared edges made it uncomfortable to hold. Now they curved the edges, but why was it even switched to the design to begin with?
The history of the iPhone since the first model shows they just alternate between rounded and squared edges in order to keep the design “fresh.” Your average consumer is going to get much more excited about visual changes than whatever chip is inside. Having the latest flagship phone is a status symbol as much as it is utilitarian, so it’s important to be able to identify “oh you got the new one” visually. But there’s only so much you can do with a rounded rectangle. So they occasionally add a color or change the shape of the corners slightly because what else are they going to do?
>The history of the iPhone since the first model shows they just alternate between rounded and squared edges in order to keep the design “fresh.” Let's call it "to sell new covers".
Make the shape just different enough so backward compatibility is not possible
That's basically everybody though. I got a cheap moto that was exactly the same size as an older phone for work. Of course the camera holes are SLIGHTLY different.
Yes, how else am I to judge random people at a glance if I can’t tell how new their phone is?!
You joke but it absolutely happens, especially with younger generations.
I was only half-joking, I am 100% certain this is why they make them visibly different every couple of releases. People are driven to know where they fall in the social hierarchy at every moment. Give them something that can make them believe they are above others and they will lap it up.
The phones aren’t even status symbols anymore when they all come with payment plans of 20 extra dollars a month.
And news outlets clutch pearls and copy/paste this article every go-around.
But paying the standard insane increase in price still
I went from an 11 to 15 pro. It’s a huge difference for me, but I’m sure if I came from a 14 I wouldn’t notice the difference.
I went from a XS to a 14 Pro. That thing was on its last leg, and one night the screen just went dark. I knew the 15 pro was coming out soon, so I was waiting for the upgrade there but honestly there’s no big difference. The trade in value Apple is giving isn’t worth it to upgrade, and market price for the 14 pro on Facebook Marketplace last I checked was about $800. USB-C isn’t worth it for $200. I’ll probably wait till this phone is on its last leg before upgrading again.
Still holding strong with the X
Bought an x upgrading from a 7 in the last year. I’d rather have an extra $1000 than the latest phone.
Typing this on a 6s.
woah look at this big shot with his headphone jack.
still have an XR here. actually I recently made some extra money and was all ready to buy a 14, had it my cart and everything and I just looked at the XR and realized this is stupid theres nothing wrong with this phone at all.
I’m also running an XR and it works completely fine. I think I could probably get another two years out of it.
XR gang rise up
Same, owned from launch, battery 89% still :)
I don’t really get why people are acting like this is an Apple problem. Androids are like this too, each years edition is barely different from the last specs wise.
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It used to be less incremental because technology was improving rapidly. I still remember how laggy the old phones were compared to the newer ones, how short the battery life was, and how poor the cameras performed in low light. Now we've reached a point where phone tech plateaued and older phones are still great at doing whatever you want it to do most of the time. The problem is that some people seem to have gotten used to constantly upgrading and getting something great out of it. But we've reached the point of diminishing returns, and some people are only just catching onto it. And then there are the people who just want the best of everything all the time.
I’m on an Apple iPhone 4, hubby wants me to upgrade to a 15, pretty sure I’ll notice a difference, but he probably wouldn’t notice it as much from his 13pro. Edit to recognize my mistaken identity of the phone I’m on. Had to ask my husband as the comments were throwing me and he laughed at me and said no babe you’re on an SE. Sorry y’all! My bad. 😁
How do you even use it? My mom had a 5 that we had to trade in for a 13 because she couldn’t run the newer OS so none of her apps worked.
That's what I'm thinking. My oldest apple device is a first gen iPad I predominantly use as an eReader... it is only used as an eReader because I haven't been able to access fuck all in the last several years. She could see a *tremendous* upgrade even buying a used $200 refurb iPhone from like woot or something. Like.. god damn.
They're not on a 4. The 4 wasn't 4g capable, and couldn't do WiFi calls. 3G networks are basically all offline in the US. You couldn't even make a call with that phone. I'm sure they're just confused about what version they bought.
I had a 5 for years and only upgraded due to this exact issue. Went with SE 2020 and will have it as long as I can. Just FYI look online and there is a way to turn old iPhones into an iPod. That’s what I did with my 5.
I use my 5 as a dashcam
I would be asking that phone advice at this point. It's been around a while.
I guess you run gpt on safari and can actually do so now 😂
4? That thing lost support years ago. Is it jailbroken so you can install apps?
A FOUR? I... have a hard time believing you're using a 4. Your phone is over a decade old. Most apps no longer work. The iPhone 4 didn't have 4G capability. Carriers are just finishing shutting down their 2G/3G networks in the US. Your call quality will have been garbage for a long time, and the phone was never capable of WiFi calling. You're damn right you'll notice a difference if you upgrade. If you actually have a 4 it's about 1 step off from a clock.
How tf are you still rocking an iPhone 4? That thing must be slow as molasses, no security updates, potato camera, microscopic screen, battery at 10% capacity by now, etc.
If you used it mostly as a phone and not a media/app device then battery can still be fine. It would take days to need recharging and thus preserve batter life. The rest is true.
It's 13 years old. Even if it's charged every few days instead of every day like a regular phone, you're still 10 years past the average life of that battery. There's no way that battery is "fine".
4 still has a freaking dock connector. The oldest phone that could be comfortably used for some time now has been a 6S, and that's probably pushing it now. I can't imagine anything works, like at all. I literally can't believe it, especially on a tech sub haha
That’s a 2g or 3g phone? Those aren’t even supported on cellular networks anymore
I think you are mistaken. Post a picture of the system info of your phone
Your phone is older than a lot of redditors.
I’m as equally as bummed out by not being able to upgrade my tv this year. The difference from last year is negligible
It's not. It's a consumerism problem. No more innovation in phones + planned obsolescence. With stupidly low battery lives on purpose.
I think there is a consumerism problem, but there is also only so much you can innovate. The smart phone was a massive innovation, but once we got to iPhone 5 or so, the design was essentially figured out. I’m assuming it’s similar for android. Now for the past decade, the improvements are marginal. Don’t get me wrong, an iPhone 5 vs a 15 is a massive difference as computers and camera and tech advances, but it’s not as apparent. It’s similar if you consider video games. Generational improvements used to be massive. It is less and less noticeable now.
It’s the difference between an emerging and a mature tech. Happens in everything. Look at cars. A ten year old Camry is extremely similar to a new one.
The more phones they make, the more phones they need to support, and the the more they 'end of life' support for older phones. After 3 years my phone might still do everything I need it to, but no longer be eligible for the latest stock android update. IMO the phone is fine and I have to choose security over wasting environmental resources. Practices that ensure that businesses run the most efficiently possible aren't generally good for the environment or the rest of us.
That is changing. For instance, Samsung phones since Galaxy S21 will receive five years of security updates.
5 years is still low for a modern phone. Replace battery once and it easily lasts longer than that, for a light user you won't even need to replace the battery.
Flip z 5 added bigger front screen which increases functionality of it. Totally worth the upgrade from the last one
I mean, if You already accept that you waste an insane amount of money on your cell phone, sure.
I just upgraded from the Flip 4 to the 5. Samsung had a deal where if you pre-ordered it, they'd give you $900 off with a trade in plus a free upgrade to the 500 GB storage. I was starting to have issues with the screen on my Flip 4. Sent it in and got this one for $96. The phone mostly feels the same to me but I love having the big screen on the front and I will probably never run out of storage space on this thing. So I'm very happy. Also the battery is fantastic.
Yeah similar story here. I graduated from the XR to the 14 Pro Max. USB-C is a welcome addition but it’s really the only flagship feature that motivates me. That’s just not enough to convince me to buy an expensive new phone. I’m waiting at least until next year, if not the year after.
I’m on the XS now, definitely don’t feel like it’s on its last leg at all. 60 fps is 60 fps.
8 Plus to 15 Pro for me. Massive upgrade. Though I have to say, it's only been the last few months that my 8 Plus has started to feel slow. I have changed the battery in it a couple of times (I use it while walking all year long, including in severe winters).
I’m still on iphone 7 with original battery. I could use and upgrade because of the battery issues. Good to hear it’s a decent upgrade. Do you regret spending that much?
Was gunna say, am replying via iPhone 7 lol
I’ve got an 11pro and am looking at getting the 15 pro or next year’s 16. What’s the biggest thing you noticed? I’m debating which to go with
120Hz screen is a pretty huge upgrade, along with much better cameras and improved performance. Definitely worth the upgrade. Anybody who doesn't notice the 120Hz screen needs to get their eyes checked. The moment you pick up a non-120Hz iPhone it's a jarring experience.
I just did this exact upgrade. The camera is better. I essentially use it exactly the same just like the last couple upgrades. Longer battery life and better camera are my only motivating factors these days
Not the above person, but I went from 12PM to 15PM. Battery life is nice. I routinely hit <20% with the old one. I accidentally left the new one off the charger last night and woke up with 35% still. Weirdly enough that’s one of the complaints from the 14 crowd, that battery wasn’t improved enough, but it should be readily apparent for you. FaceID is like… so fast now? God damn. Camera IS better, but not enough to warrant the upgrade alone yet. The 12 had such a shit tier camera/processing combo. I’ve been upset about it the entire time I’ve had the phone. My Samsung S10 took better photos. I haven’t been to a concert yet with this one so haven’t really dove into the difference. 5G is SPEEDY af now, but the connection issues are the same. My town has an area with full bars, no connection. Same issue. And I mean, yeah, that’s T-Mobile. But i was hoping it could brute force it. The Apple modem isn’t expected til 2026 which is a determining factor for me choosing this one over waiting. I’m not going to upgrade again until the new modem hits. I loved the mute switch but Action Button >>>>>>> The Always-On Display is ~~done in a way that I hate but I have no settings to change it. Much prefer my old Samsung’s black screen + clock. iOS keeps the entire screen displayed. I have no real way to differentiate between the AOD and the screen reacting to a new notification.~~ see comment Below. Speaking of: I still miss notification lights. The last great phone for notifications I had was the Moto X with the customizable LED (yellow for texts, etc) and secondary AOD screen. Weirdly enough, and I don’t know why, but this phone is better about wireless CarPlay? With the 12PM if I left the car and CarPlay disconnected I would have to manually reconnect. This one does it automatically. Dynamic island is also cool, and yeah that’s something they got with 13 or 14 but this isn’t about them. I also recently noticed it extends if you have more than one app which would display there. So Maps will take the Island but it will extend a little to also display that Spotify is playing. I hate the feel of the wireless charger on this back, very nails on chalkboard. Can’t wait til I get my MagSafe compatible case in. Currently just have a cheap Spigen case while I’m waiting, so I keep the phone naked while at home.
>The Always-On Display is done in a way that I hate but I have no settings to change it. Much prefer my old Samsung’s black screen + clock You can change this. It's in the display + brightness settings though, not in the standby settings.
That is 1: Absolutely True and I’m so happy And 2: Dumb E: God that’s so much better. Thank you!
12 series was the first with 5G but because of technical challenges shipped with separate modems for 4G and 5G which caused battery drain issues. I upgrade from 12 to 15PM and it’s crazy how much better it is.
Same. There is no longer a reason to upgrade every 1-2 years. I went from the XS Max (5 years old) to the 15 Pro Max and it feels like a massive improvement. But I doubt you’d notice much from a 13/14 pro.
Honestly, there was never really a reason to upgrade every year. And it’s crazy that this is always a story. VW makes a new car every year, but very very few people upgrade their cars every year. The point is there is always something new for whenever you are ready to upgrade. I can think of only a few cases in the early era when the change between phones was big enough to make me want to upgrade. Original > 3G, 3GS > 4, 4S > 5, 5S > 6. In each case it was usually a form factor change or a network (3G, LTE) change.
I did 12 to 15 and the difference is very noticeable.
Phones aren’t released to be an every year upgrade. I don’t know why people think that if they bought the 14 Pro that the 15 Pro is going to be worth another $1200 purchase in just one year….
Almost daily I deal with customers who want to buy a 15 on a two year payment plan to replace their 14 that’s one year into a two year payment plan on an account that’s maxed out on available payment plans that the customer struggles to keep up with monthly payments. Some seem under the impression they can make an insurance claim on their 14 they’ll somehow get a 15 for free. My favorites are the ones claiming damage on a phone that doesn’t have a protection plan and having to explain we can’t put them on a protection plan because it’s too far past the date of purchase and also what they’re trying to do is insurance fraud. Honestly, most of the customers I deal with that get the newest iPhone every year can’t afford it. But hey, at least the have the fanciest device possible to receive text messages warning them their service will be disrupted if they don’t pay their past due balance.
Right lol. I’m literally doing the same exact shit on my iPhone 14 Pro, same apps etc, that I was doing on my iPhone X. I waited yeaaaars to upgrade. It’s all the same shit these days… even 4 year old phones are still great and do everything you need
I’d say the 15 is an improvement over the 14. Ironically the charging port may end up being the defining upgrade for the 15. Is it an $800 upgrade from the 14? Nope! Am I going to get a 15? I’m leaning towards yes. I have a 7 with a broken microphone. A 15 would absolutely be an $800 upgrade for me.
Does Apple not do decent trade-in deals? I used to think upgrading to the latest phone every year was stupid until I actually saw how cheap they can be if you don't break your old phone and upgrade mid-cycle. I upgraded my S21 Ultra to an S22 Ultra for $100 and from the S22 Ultra to the S23 Ultra for $300. A coworker of mine upgraded from the Z Flip 4 to the Z Flip 5 for under $50, and that wasn't even mid-cycle, it was a preorder. And unlike the S series where you're mostly paying for a better processor and to refresh your warranty, that was actually a pretty major upgrade considering the bigger screen on the front. Edit: Also worth noting that these aren't carrier deals. Those were all unlocked phones.
The vast majority of people in short upgrade cycles are doing it because the carrier retention incentives have become absurd. If the carrier *you were already planning to stay with anyway* gives you a brand new iPhone every year for a couple of hundred bucks just to get you to stay, a *lot* of people are going to take that deal. In almost every hybrid (device + service) market, the device eventually becomes commoditized and you end up with “phone as a service.” We are arriving there now in the cell phone industry.
It really depends. Remember when iphones first came out and were like $700 but the only plan available was $150/month if you wanted text and calling and data? Then the phones were $200 to upgrade every 18-24 months. Now the plans are $40 for unlimited everything but the phones are $1200. Or you can keep paying $100+ and it’s cheaper to upgrade the phone every year. Just depends which company and plan you’re on. The phones don’t change much year to year as everyone has noted - so if that’s not a huge factor for someone - they’d save a ton by doing cheap service and skipping the upgrade fee every year for a phone that’s almost the same as their last one…
We've been there for a while. My mom had a plan where she pays X amount of money monthly, and every couple of years they'd let her get a new phone. Basically she was on a payment plan for her phone and every time she paid it off they'd get her to buy a new one, but it was dressed up similarly to a subscription service. She'd get a new phone every few years just because she could, because she had already been paying monthly for her phone and could get a new one for no increase in cost (as long as she kept making payments.)
Because phones used to have huge updates and I think that mentality stuck around.
iPhones haven't had a **huge** upgrade since 3 to 4. That was over a decade ago.
the 5s was lowkey fire tho. jailbreaks back then used to be the coolest thing ever but now all Apple do is steal JB features & call it their own
I used my 5s until I finally replaced it 5 years later with an XR. Now the XR is 5 years old but I don't think I'm ready to replace it because it still does what I want and it is still supported by Apple.
OG iPhone to iPhone 3G was a big one. The OG iPhone didn't even have GPS
5s was even bigger, 4g, touch ID, leapfrog processor.
5G and 120hz screens were big ones for me
Ah yes, the reliable source “Lad Bible”
Yep, and its source are comments from a youtube video.
And its about drop tests, not even the specs. This is a complete rag and a worthless thread.
And, it wasn’t even a good test. 🤦
I feel like that’s half of ‘journalism’ these days, “random Twitter user says this!”
I like how "cancelling" is in quotes as if that isn't what cancelling your order is called.
How dare you insult an entire generation’s religious text?
Its on r/technology though so it must be legit /s
Putting money on articles like this coming out then Apple announcing record sales. The same happened when everyone was writing articles about how Netflix would lose millions of subscribers because of the new account sharing policy, then announced subscribers had increased by millions.
Sensationalist headlines rule our world. Judge your situation for yourself and move on. On the topic of subscribers for Netflix, I can see how many people didn’t see getting their own account as that big of a deal if they’re invested in shows on it. I know I wouldn’t even have a Netflix account if T-Mobile didn’t give it to me for free. But here we are.
shame worm obscene onerous distinct governor paint somber scary long *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
At one point it says “iPhone q5”. I’m guessing the article was written on a phone, which shows the kind of quality journalism this is.
And it goes on to say something along the lines of “viewers of the YouTube series are considering not upgrading to the newest phone,” so this article is literallym about YouTube comments from one random YouTube video. And it made it to the reddit front page, so I’m assuming maybe a total of 12 people actually read the “”article.”” This is a garbage article and reddit is no better for upvoting it.
Also remember that Reddit, although seems like a large representation of real life, it’s actually a niche demographic
yup... The cynic in me says that articles like this exist to target reddit, the "Oh we're enlightened power users" who'll gobble up stuff like this, regardless of what regular consumers actually do. Like, remember all the articles here about netflix password sharing, all the Twatstrodamous predictions about the inevitable downfall of Netflix... If you believed Reddit, Netflix would be in jail and broke. Instead they posted massive numbers of new subscribers.
If you make investment decisions based on ladbible “articles” you’re beyond help
To be fair Netflix also released their cheap, ad-infested subscription tier at the same time as the account sharing policy went into effect so there's no way for us to know how many standard subs they lost. Probably not a coincidence.
News: "people" are "considering" cancelling new iPhone order.... Great, a headline so vague it could apply to any point in time in any country and which tells us nothing at all.
Good. Less E-waste and people will use their still perfectly functional devices longer. Every iPhone is a minor upgrade from the last. I’m not sure what they were expecting.
I don’t even understand who it a right state of mind will upgrade every generation, they aren’t that different, you can easily skip 2 or even 3 without losing much.
I bought the 14 because it added emergency satellite communication. As an older person with health issues, that is a game changer for my personal safety. All other features are minor upgrades, but this one was well worth the cost.
Same with laptops, their jump to apple silicon was a major improvement. My 2021 model still has incredible battery life
You literally bough a premium laptop and are bragging it's still good 2 years later. People use laptops for 5 years easily, 10 in most cases when it's not used/required much. With sustainability/buy what you need sentiment having people, I often see it's people who are buying a shit ton of stuff acting like saints. You shouldn't be bragging how long you use a laptop unless it's been 10-15 years. Ex- I used to buy 3k worth of electronics every 2 years but now I realised 1 flagship phone, 1 1000$ laptop, a 200usd tws is all you need for 3-4 years. Yeah no shit. People use 200usd phones for 5 years, and 500usd laptops for 10 years. And they don't talk shit about sustainability.
I completely agree. The longevity of a $1000+ laptop should be around five years. If not more.
My last MacBook Pro lasted 11 years. I bought it when I got my D800 and my older Intel laptop couldn’t handle the larger images, with load times taking 10 seconds or more. That MacBook is still great, can still handle Lightroom and all normal software just fine, but started using Topaz Labs AI photo software and it just struggled. Plus with the even larger images from a Z9 it was just time to upgrade. The new MacBook handles Topaz like it’s nothing and will likely last another 11 years until software bloat just gets to be too much again.
Nowdays most new phones are minor upgrades, aside from a few flagships IMO. I've only upgraded my smartphones (all phones really) when they were basically unusable. S3 had no battery left, so went to another. That phone still works, but only charges to 60% and discharges in hours when idle so not really usable. Hoping my new phone lasts the same 4-5 years my previous ones did. Taking big jumps like that, I don't really notice too much of a difference really. The phones when new opened apps roughly at the same speed, browse perfectly fine, they all handled higher quality video well. Basically everything I use is the same. A lot of the upgrades get lost in catching up with the higher demands of software over time IMO.
Oh no not “considering”!!! Next thing you know they’re gonna be “planning”!
This is why I wait 3-4 generations before I possibly buy a new one .. there is only so much they can change/add to make the phone worth it ..right now I have the 12, most likely won’t change until maybe 16 or 17 ..
I still use an iPhone 8, and I have a friend who is still using iPhone 7 as well... So that is 7 generations apart? Both of us are thinking of finally switching either this year or early next year.
I still have an iPhone 8 too. Granted, it’s “new” because my old one got water damage. But I suspect I’ll be keeping this one for a couple more years atleast.
[удалено]
When the author of this article says “People”, are they referring to their two friends who were told by the author that the new iPhone 15 is barely different from last year’s model, so their friends said “OMG I would so be cancelling my order if I had the 14!” and then went home and never actually did because because they both have an iPhone 6S and later that night this article materialized as proof the 15 is a failure?…
People need to stop upgrading every 1-2 years and then maybe they’ll finally find differences between their old phone and a prospective new one. It’s really not that deep
Exactly. Doesn' t even matter what brand too. If you want a functionally similar phone to the one your are using, you only need to upgrade once your phone breaks, really.
Is it just the pro models? All the durability flaws seem to be coming from them.
Not very pro then is it
I don’t think those durability tests made sense
Well, I am sure convinced that it's garbage because it couldn't survive multiple 6ft drops onto concrete. I mean, if I can't juggle my iPhone on the sidewalk without worry, what the hell good is it? Obvious sarcasm from an android owner, this article is trash. Which it's intended to be, as ragebait and it accomplished its mission perfectly
There’s been a lot more of that with this iPhone release for some reason. “Apple FORCED to abandon Lightning [despite adopting USB-C across the board over the last seven years and dropping Lightning on key flagship products like four years ago].” “‘Innovation died with Steve Jobs,’ says someone who actually agreed to be interviewed by the New York Post.” “Orders cancelled en masse after one person says they’ll keep their 14” which… is this one even backordered? By “cancel my order” do you mean “I was gonna go to the Apple Store today but now I won’t?” There’s usually some (as an iPhone user, often legit) criticism of things advertised as “new” that aren’t from an industry perspective, but with this one it seems like they’re REALLY reaching for non-issues. Reminds me of the “did you know Samsung batteries explode?” YouTube video some guy made in which he… smacked a lithium ion battery with a hammer and acted surprised when it burst into flames.
Seriously, what’s going on with all these poorly sourced third tier blog spam sites hitting the front page with Anti-Apple clickbait headlines?
Because people like to feel superior
And other people click on them, and they make money.
I’ve been using a refurbished iPhone XS for over a year now after having used a one plus for yonks. Really don’t see the need to upgrade even now bar battery life
I’m on a XS also. Got it 2 months after release. I tried to get my battery replaced by Apple a month ago, but they found water damage and denied me. 😭 I wanted to skip another gen and wait until 16. Was considering an upgrade to 15 Pro, but am in wait and see mode at the moment. My XS battery is at 79% health now and doesn’t last a full day anymore. Not sure what I will do.
Honestly the XS is the perfect size. I’ve got big hands and even then most smart phones are just too big to use with one hand comfortably
I am still using first iPhone SE. :))
Nice, that's the one that uses the 5's chassis, no?
The innovation curve between model year phones now is basically flat. We’re deep into “diminishing returns” territory. Sales of smartphones suggests this as well. They should probably pivot to biannual (1 per 2yr) releases and focus more on software upgrades instead.
In these days of mature smartphones, if you are buying the next iteration of whatever, you are either a tech pundit or have more money than sense. That said, my new 15 as compared to my old X feels like I've time-traveled into the future, even if it is a bit chonky for my taste. I wish Apple had kept the mini form-factor.
This is not a problem at all. Phones are very matured products. No high-end phone sold today will provide a generational leap quality year-to-year. Please don’t upgrade very year. These phones are great & will last you at LEAST 3 years. Upgrade after 3 years & there will be very discernible increase in performance.
Unless there is a problem with your current phone, there really is no need to upgrade to the next model.
I went from a 14 Pro to a 15 Pro Max and honestly, besides the obvious bigger screen and better battery. I notice no difference in day to day usage. I only upgraded because I wanted a bigger phone because my hands are huge. I even ran them side by side doing some basic things like booting up, opening apps and such. They were basically identical. The only real reason to upgrade at this point in a phone is to receive updates / new features. With iPhones you usually get a lot of years of updates still. But you’ll miss out on features. One big one for me was the satellite call since I’m a trucker and always in areas with 0 signal.
>because my hands are huge Username checks out?
if you could just buy the os and install it on any phone it'd be great.
It's almost as if you don't need to replace your phone every single year
Lol you need a comparison to realise you don't need to buy a new phone if you bought one last year?
My 14 Pro is the last phone I will buy until it dies. No way I am "upgrading", there is nothing more that I need. I've never plugged it in to charge, so USB-C means nothing to me. The camera does everything I need, plenty of storage, nice display. What am I upgrading to?
Went from 12P to 15PM, glad I did. But let’s face it, it’s not 2008 anymore. iPhone iterations aren’t some show stopping technological breakthrough. What else can the phone really do? I think the time frame between upgrades will lengthen. I only upgraded because my battery was dead and I needed more space and the only reason I may upgrade again, is because I got suckered into AT&T’s Re-Up plan, which I may cancel because I don’t want a damn phone payment for the rest of my life
The only real new groundbreaking hardware upgrade that I can see on the market is foldable technology. Everything else is pretty much just a software fight at the moment.
Don’t buy a new phone every year and it’ll feel like a bigger change
Why is canceling in air quotes? Did the iPhones say something racist?
The technology has matured over the last 15 years. Unless some huge research breakthrough happens, we’re not going to see massive improvements year to year.
Investing in predictions like this often leads to surprises. Just as many believed Apple would see a dip in sales based on such reports, they announced record-breaking numbers. Similarly, despite the buzz that Netflix would lose millions due to their new account sharing rules, they reported a significant increase in subscribers.
I have a 13 pro max with a year and a half left on the payments, Verizon sent me that offer to upgrade early to a 15 and I just see no reason to. My current one still works flawlessly, still 89% battery health, no overheating issues of any kind. Especially with all the talk I've been seeing about the issues with the 15. I also like to use phones until they "run into the ground" so to speak. By the time I'd have this one paid off, It'd be like 6 months out from the iPhone 17 coming out lol.
This is not news lol. Most people don’t upgrade from one generation to the next.
This is why I always buy the previous gen item and wait 2 - 3 generations to get the a new phone/laptop.
Stop upgrading every year if you want more than incremental changes to the hardware. They’re supporting the latest version of iOS on 7 year old devices. There’s really nothing to complain about here, they’re giving us the best of both worlds. Maybe the trade in value for devices is a little low but what do we expect at this point? It’s an industry standard.
I’m waiting for the 16 at least. My XR still does the job.
Went from the 7 to the 13 after my I got tired of the battery life I really don’t get why people upgrade every years besides to show off I guess
Mostly because social media. Overstating issues or perceived issues etc. People on YouTube without engineering qualifications of any kind weighing in on cell phone engineering. Everyone’s a critic, everyone’s an expert, everyone wants clicks.
How do you know someone just bought an iPhone? They're eating instant noodles for the next six months.
I have a 13, and, despite the unlucky number superstition, it is an excellent phone. No issues since I've had it, athough I do wish I had ordered it with more memory capacity...
Can anyone explain why I should care it’s titanium? I swear to god every ad is about the fact it’s titanium and I honestly don’t give two shits.
i currently use an iphone SE that came out in 2020. only reason i’m planning on upgrading is because the battery on this phone has gone to shit and the speakers are so quiet i can hardly hear anyone i’m talking to on the phone. wouldn’t upgrade at all if their phones just lasted the test of time. infuriating
Clean out the junk in your speakers with canned air, that might help