A few weeks ago, I had decided to stick with my iPhone 8 Plus and not upgrade until likely next year. Confession: I didn’t hold out that long. I’ve been wanting to upgrade my five year old iPhone and my son’s now unsupported iPhone 7. So when a nice deal appeared, I jumped on it, netting one new-ish smartphone for two phone upgrades.
I can be fickle, leaning hard into minimalism when I feel the need to counter my (and my culture’s) natural bent towards maximalism (hyper-consumerism). I'm also frugal and moderate. So instead of buying the latest and greatest iPhone 14 super-duper-mega-ultra or whatever, I opted for a refurbished iPhone 11. It’s still a great phone today, three years after its first release, and it’s a substantial upgrade from my iPhone 8 Plus.
The best part might be that for the single price of upgrading my phone, my 16-year old son is also getting a good upgrade — at no extra cost. He will once again have a supported phone, going from the 7 to the 8 Plus, which still has over 80% battery!
As always, I tried to weigh the balance between wants and needs, and I think I’ve struck it close to the center. Sure, I had to spend a bit more money than what might be ideal, but again, my family nets two iPhone upgrades from it. Plus I saved money by choosing a refurbished phone from Apple’s store. This also has the benefit of recycling a phone, getting more life from it, and conserving resources, though Apple’s refurbished iPhones include a new 100% battery — a big plus to me.
My most blogged about topic is Mobile Computing — be it smartphones, tablets, or laptops. The iPhone is one of my most important tools and, admittedly, one of my favorite tech toys too. Upgrading eventually becomes a necessity. And when I can afford them, I don’t mind a few niceties as well.
So I’m eager to switch from TouchID to FaceID, for example, gain Night Mode on the camera, and trade my telephoto lens for an ultra wide one. Speaking of ultra wide, how about the ultra wideband chip for precision AirTag tracking? Yes, please. And while it may be superficial, I'm keen to swap dull black for delightful yellow on the iPhone 11.
If only Apple made an Orange iPhone!
How often do you upgrade your smartphone? Would you rather use a feature-phone or “dumb” phone?
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Thank you for sharing.