5 Reasons You Don't Need a New iPhone (or Any Other Smartphone)
Since the shiny, new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S plus just went on sale, you might be tempted to go for an upgrade. Before you rush into a potentially unnecessary purchase, take the time to ask yourself some questions.
Here are 5 questions you should ask yourself before you go and ditch your old iPhone in favor of a new one. These are questions that any smartphone user should ask himself before deciding to get a newer phone.
1. How old is your phone?
When your phone is 4 or 5-years-old, it makes sense to upgrade. A lot can change in 4 or 5 years. If you have last year’s model, it doesn’t make sense to upgrade, especially when you take into consideration that the phone can comfortably run the latest OS release, which is iOS 9 in this case.
If your phone is relatively new, if it can run the latest OS release, if it’s just slightly less powerful than the new model, then you can skip the upgrade.
2. Is there anything wrong with your current phone?
Your current phone runs smoothly and doesn’t freeze or crash. It can handle any app in the app store, it lets you play any game you want. Apart from a few scratches here and there, there’s really nothing wrong with it. So why would you want to go and purchase a new phone when you current phone works just fine.
You say your phone’s screen is cracked and that's why you need to upgrade? You do know that you can fix the screen, right? And getting the screen fixed is a lot cheaper than purchasing a new phone. Here’s one other thing: you current phone’s screen is cracked because you dropped it; what makes you think you won’t do the same with your new phone.
3. Do you really need a faster phone?
Manufacturers like to brag about how each new model is faster and more powerful than its predecessor. Take a good look at what you do with your phone and ask yourself if you really need more power. Core functions like calling and texting are not affected by how powerful your phone is. Checking Facebook and posting photos on Instagram doesn't require lots of power. And do you think loading Sky Punks half a second faster matters that much?
I have to come back to the “how old if you phone" question. If your phone is quite old and takes a lot of time loading the apps that you frequently use, go ahead and get a new one. If your phone can’t properly run apps that you need because it is too old, go for the upgrade.
4. Can you afford a new smartphone?
You have money in your pocket and you’re eager to go spend it all on a new smartphone. Perhaps you got a big bonus at work, perhaps a relative passed away and left you some money. It doesn’t really matter how you got the money, what matters is can you afford to spend it on a new smartphone?
Smartphones are pretty expensive, we all know that. If your current phone works just fine, you’re just throwing money out the window. If you’re so eager to spend money, perhaps it would be a better idea to spend it on something else. Instead of spending it on a new phone, you could try spending it on...you fill in the blanks.
5. What are you going to do with your old phone?
Did you think what will happen to your old phone once you purchase a new one? You could try to sell it or you could try to give it to someone, like you mom for example. Give it to your mom and, if she’s not that good with technology, she will constantly pester you with questions on how to do this and that. I’m sure you don’t want that.
No matter what you do with your phone, sell it or give it away, make sure you don’t leave any personal (or potentially embarrassing) information on it. Perform a factory reset to erase all personal content and revert your phone to the condition it was in when you first got it. Instructions on how to reset your iPhone are available here.
Here’s the bottom line
Don’t get a new phone if you have a relatively new device that runs everything smoothly and there isn’t much a performance gap between your model and the new model. If there’s something wrong with your phone, it may be best to have it repaired than to buy a new phone.
Do get a new phone if you have an old model that doesn’t work smoothly, it’s broken beyond repair, and there is a big performance gap between your model and the new model. Don’t forget to remove personal information from your old phone before you get rid of it.
Apple’s app for those who want to switch from Android to iOS
Perhaps you’re thinking about purchasing a new phone because you want to switch from Google’s Android to Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. You want a mobile OS that’s extremely easy to use, you want a mobile OS that’s the same on every device (manufacturers customize the Android version they put on their phones), you don’t want to wait to get your hands on new apps (developers release their app for iOS first and for Android later).
Take Fallout Shelter for example; the iOS version was released in June while the Android version was released in August, about 2 months later.
If you’re thinking about switching from Android to iOS, then you need to know that Apple has an app that will help you make the transition. It’s called Move to iOS, it is available for free on Google Play, it can transfer multiple types of content, including contacts, photos, and calendars.
Read more about Move to iOS, Apple’s very first app for Android, in this article.
Just in: Record iPhone 6S and 6S Plus sales in the first 3 days
The new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus went on sale on September 25, 2015. Three days later, on September 28, Apple announced that it sold a record number of devices.
More than 13 million new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models were sold in the first 3 days.
“Sales for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Customers’ feedback is incredible and they are loving 3D Touch and Live Photos, and we can’t wait to bring iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to customers in even more countries on October 9.”
iFixit got its hands on one of the millions of iPhones that Apple sold, and it tore it down to see what's inside. Here's the video.
Here are 5 questions you should ask yourself before you go and ditch your old iPhone in favor of a new one. These are questions that any smartphone user should ask himself before deciding to get a newer phone.
1. How old is your phone?
When your phone is 4 or 5-years-old, it makes sense to upgrade. A lot can change in 4 or 5 years. If you have last year’s model, it doesn’t make sense to upgrade, especially when you take into consideration that the phone can comfortably run the latest OS release, which is iOS 9 in this case.
If your phone is relatively new, if it can run the latest OS release, if it’s just slightly less powerful than the new model, then you can skip the upgrade.
2. Is there anything wrong with your current phone?
Your current phone runs smoothly and doesn’t freeze or crash. It can handle any app in the app store, it lets you play any game you want. Apart from a few scratches here and there, there’s really nothing wrong with it. So why would you want to go and purchase a new phone when you current phone works just fine.
You say your phone’s screen is cracked and that's why you need to upgrade? You do know that you can fix the screen, right? And getting the screen fixed is a lot cheaper than purchasing a new phone. Here’s one other thing: you current phone’s screen is cracked because you dropped it; what makes you think you won’t do the same with your new phone.
3. Do you really need a faster phone?
Manufacturers like to brag about how each new model is faster and more powerful than its predecessor. Take a good look at what you do with your phone and ask yourself if you really need more power. Core functions like calling and texting are not affected by how powerful your phone is. Checking Facebook and posting photos on Instagram doesn't require lots of power. And do you think loading Sky Punks half a second faster matters that much?
I have to come back to the “how old if you phone" question. If your phone is quite old and takes a lot of time loading the apps that you frequently use, go ahead and get a new one. If your phone can’t properly run apps that you need because it is too old, go for the upgrade.
4. Can you afford a new smartphone?
You have money in your pocket and you’re eager to go spend it all on a new smartphone. Perhaps you got a big bonus at work, perhaps a relative passed away and left you some money. It doesn’t really matter how you got the money, what matters is can you afford to spend it on a new smartphone?
Smartphones are pretty expensive, we all know that. If your current phone works just fine, you’re just throwing money out the window. If you’re so eager to spend money, perhaps it would be a better idea to spend it on something else. Instead of spending it on a new phone, you could try spending it on...you fill in the blanks.
5. What are you going to do with your old phone?
Did you think what will happen to your old phone once you purchase a new one? You could try to sell it or you could try to give it to someone, like you mom for example. Give it to your mom and, if she’s not that good with technology, she will constantly pester you with questions on how to do this and that. I’m sure you don’t want that.
No matter what you do with your phone, sell it or give it away, make sure you don’t leave any personal (or potentially embarrassing) information on it. Perform a factory reset to erase all personal content and revert your phone to the condition it was in when you first got it. Instructions on how to reset your iPhone are available here.
Here’s the bottom line
Don’t get a new phone if you have a relatively new device that runs everything smoothly and there isn’t much a performance gap between your model and the new model. If there’s something wrong with your phone, it may be best to have it repaired than to buy a new phone.
Do get a new phone if you have an old model that doesn’t work smoothly, it’s broken beyond repair, and there is a big performance gap between your model and the new model. Don’t forget to remove personal information from your old phone before you get rid of it.
Apple’s app for those who want to switch from Android to iOS
Perhaps you’re thinking about purchasing a new phone because you want to switch from Google’s Android to Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. You want a mobile OS that’s extremely easy to use, you want a mobile OS that’s the same on every device (manufacturers customize the Android version they put on their phones), you don’t want to wait to get your hands on new apps (developers release their app for iOS first and for Android later).
Take Fallout Shelter for example; the iOS version was released in June while the Android version was released in August, about 2 months later.
If you’re thinking about switching from Android to iOS, then you need to know that Apple has an app that will help you make the transition. It’s called Move to iOS, it is available for free on Google Play, it can transfer multiple types of content, including contacts, photos, and calendars.
Read more about Move to iOS, Apple’s very first app for Android, in this article.
Just in: Record iPhone 6S and 6S Plus sales in the first 3 days
The new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus went on sale on September 25, 2015. Three days later, on September 28, Apple announced that it sold a record number of devices.
More than 13 million new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models were sold in the first 3 days.
“Sales for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Customers’ feedback is incredible and they are loving 3D Touch and Live Photos, and we can’t wait to bring iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to customers in even more countries on October 9.”
iFixit got its hands on one of the millions of iPhones that Apple sold, and it tore it down to see what's inside. Here's the video.
