It’s the age-old question we’ve all had to consider from time to time: when is the right time to ditch my old phone and get a brand spanking new one? As iPhones have only become more similar between generations (I’m looking at you iPhone 7 & 8), I’m not sure there is much of a difference at this point. And if you’re not fancy enough to have a cellular agreement that upgrades your phone whenever a new one drops, you too have to decide when to upgrade, if it’s worth it, or if you’re going to use that iPhone 4S until it literally dies forever.
When the iPhone X came out, I was excited. You see, I have an iPhone 6, one that I managed to pre-order during the mad craziness of a midnight Apple launch. At 12 am, my husband and I sat at our laptops on our coffee table, reloading the crashed Apple homepage in order to be one of the first to snag the newest phone at the time. Since then, the phone has held up just fine. I always skip generations, but this time it’s different – I’ve skipped nearly three years of releases in the hope of waiting for just the right improvements. And I was pretty sure this last phone release was it!
One of the things I care about in a phone is comfort. Though I’m not a particularly clumsy person, the massive “Plus” sizes of iPhones appealed to me for readability (I’m blind), but my big, female hands could barely get a comfortable grasp around that magazine sized thing. So when the X was announced, it looked like the best of both worlds: a screen that goes to the edge, but also a slightly bigger phone. I could get the benefits of being able to read better on a screen that was still comfortable to hold. Yay!
Next, I want a better camera. Though the X is only marginally better than the 6 (believe me, I looked at comparison shots), I was excited for portrait mode, with the delicious bokeh that is usually only possible through proper camera lenses. And while my love of Instagram has perished quite a bit (read this post for more on that), I still like to share Stories, and would love to be able to use the occasional iPhone photo on this blog (the X can shoot in RAW too!).
But then there is the cost. At $1,000.00, I feel put off. For a phone that doesn’t offer that many changes than my old phone (I don’t care about face recognition, wireless charging, or water resistance), it’s a lot to spend on a device that, in order to maintain sanity, I’m actually trying to use less and less.
Last week over brunch, I thought I made my decision. “I’m going to get the new iPhone,” I proclaimed to Jon. “It’s expensive, but I really want the upgraded camera.” He nodded, then said, “it’s not selling well, so Apple is likely coming out with something different in the fall.” Apparently, people agree with me on the price, they miss the home button, and hate the black notch where the camera blocks the screen. Crestfallen, I keep thinking there’ll always be a new one, while at the same time reminding myself that seven months isn’t long to wait, and save, for a new phone.
So I’m sitting here, pondering this question, hemming, and hawing about whether it’s worth it or not for me. The truth is, I still don’t know. My battery is shot, so this week I’m getting the unusually generous batter repair from Apple for $29. And I guess I’ll just have to go from there.
Have you upgraded your phone recently? What do you look for when buying a new iPhone? Do you have an iPhone X and love it? Share with me in the comments below! And if you want to read more about the X, check out this article from Apple Insider.
Image via Screen Goddess.
