If Apple had its way, iPhones would be a strictly annual purchase: September is coming, new models fall, everyone comes out of their wallet. Instead, most customers upgrade their handsets every two or three years, and masses hang in longer than that. But in the end, whether your handset starts showing its age, or the new models just get too tempting, you start thinking about ditching the old phone and buying a new one.
Is it really the right decision? Here are three key factors to consider before spraying the cash on a new iPhone.
1. It is (probably) the wrong time to buy
At the time of writing, it’s the beginning of June. The iPhone 17 is launched in three and a half months at which time the rest of the series gets a price cut. Whichever model you are looking at right now will probably be about $ 100 cheaper in September and you have a brand new set of phones to choose from upstairs.
So you had to wait, right? Probably. But the question is more complicated than that. When new phones come out, demand is popping up, which often means that it is difficult to even find a supplier with stock. It is also very unlikely that you will find a good deal within a month of launch; Valuable discounts begin to appear later in the cycle.
That’s before we get into customs and the possibility of Apple raising prices at some point. Panic purchases are unbutoed for different reasons, but if you wanted to buy soon, it’s worth keeping all potential factors in mind.
You can see that it is a difficult business, so we have an in -depth article discussing the thorny question of when is the best time to buy an iPhone. But the short answer is that now is probably not the best timing.
2. Do you think you have chosen the right model? Think again
Open the iPhone comparison page on the Apple website and the table is standard for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, 16 and 16E, all released within the last 12 months. These are the phones that Apple wants you to buy. But you often find better values ​​from older generations.
For example, the iPhone 15 Pro from 2023 comes with a super -fast A17 Pro Chip, supports Apple Intelligence and has very few functional differences from the iPhone 16 Pro. Still, if you assume you can find stock at this point, it costs you much less. And iPhone 15, starting from a very reasonable $ 699 and is still available from Apple’s store and elsewhere, is an excellent all -rounder.
The key is to take the plug out of the part of your brain that craves the new one and focuses on what you need and what you can do without. If you are determined to have Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 15 won’t do it, but if you can take it or leave it, buying the iPhone 16E would be a lot of sacrifice to be AI clear. Determine your priorities: battery life, treatment force, camera, design, dimensions? Then focus your expenses for these areas and look for savings elsewhere. Our iPhone buying guide has in-depth advice.
And in the end, don’t ignore the significant savings that can be made by buying renovated or used.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
3. Your iPhone is not aging, it just needs something TLC
Frustrated that your iPhone isn’t the smooth speedster you remember from the day of launch? Smartphones are slowing down as they get older, but you may be surprised at how long they can last without this becoming a problem. Try these tricks to rejuvenate your iPhone before sending it to the landfill.
Check (and replace potentially) the battery: One of the most obvious signs of smartphone age is reduced the battery performance, but this can be an illusion caused by changes in use: Charging less often than you used to run more demanding apps, spend more time on the screen every day. Check your iPhone’s battery health for a scientific judgment; If that’s the problem, you can replace the battery for much smaller than the entire phone.
Update iOS regularly: Bugs and behavioral peculiarities are ironed out in smaller iOS updates, while several larger can contain optimizations to make your handset run more smooth. If you haven’t updated your iPhone in a while, do it now and see if it helps. Also update your apps regularly.
Free storage space: iPhones can slow down if they run out of available storage; If your device is almost drunk it is worth having a clear. You can manage this in Settings> General > iPhone -storage.
Monitor the temperature: This may sound weird, but iPhones run slower when they are too hot or too cold. The weather may be the problem not your phone’s age.
Turn off low power mode: This state is great for stretching the life of the battery, but it does this by getting some features to run slower (or not at all). If iPhone seems slow and this is enabled, try turning it off.
Check if iPhone is really the problem: Performance not only depends on your iPhone hardware, and if the bottleneck is elsewhere, upgrading a waste of money would be a waste of money. If internet performance is slow, check your Wi-Fi. If an app seems particularly slow, try running it on a friend’s device to see if the problem remains. You need to be absolutely sure the iPhone is the problem.
Don’t make an expensive error
IPhones are seriously expensive and it is important to make sure you get full value for your money. Need a new iPhone or do you just want one? Your wallet (and the environment) will not forgive you for upgrade until it is really needed.
However, if you are sure, the only question is left where you can get the lowest price. And for that we would recommend a visit to our best iPhone deals. Happy shopping!