iPhone 7 buy?

iPhone 7 buy? a reader asks…

I have an iPhone 5s, and an iPad 2 mini and a Macbook Air, so I’m pretty much a Mac girl. My iPhone battery no longer lasts me too long, and I’m constantly looking for a place to charge up. So I guess it’s time to get a new iPhone. Can you give me some advice on what to get? I’m on a fairly tight budget, and the thought of spending over $500 on a new iPhone 7 seems like a lot.

Now that the iPhone 7 has been announced, that means that soon you’d be able to order one. You have two choices there, pay full price ($649 and up), or lease your phone either from your carrier (such as the AT&T Next program) or from Apple (by joining the Apple Upgrade Program). Carrier upgrade plans generally let you upgrade to a new smartphone every 2 years, while the Apple upgrade program gets you the latest iPhone every year. The Apple upgrade program can be used on any carrier (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile etc.), and includes AppleCare+ which extends the warranty (from 1 to 3 years). AppleCare+ gives you a lower-cost solution to up to two incidents of damage (screen breakage, etc.). If you’ve ever accidentally broken your smartphone you know that it can be horribly expensive to fix. I should say that carrier upgrade pricing is dependent on your carrier and what plan you’re currently on.

I’m guessing though, since you still have a 5s you aren’t all that interested in always having the latest model in your hands, so another option might be worth looking at. With the iPhone 7’s release, previous models are being heavily discounted. For instance, you can get an iPhone 6s for $200 or less at Best Buy, and save a lot of money (depending on your current carrier plan). Sure you don’t get the waterproofing and other enhancements of the newest iPhone, but you do get a much more capable device than your older 5s. I’d suggest you move fairly quickly though, once the existing stock of older iPhones is exhausted, your only choice will be the current lineup of iPhones that Apple is making (the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and se). And you should avoid the 16gb version of the iPhone 6 or 6s, these simply don’t have enough storage memory for normal use. Unless you don’t take photos with your iPhone, or want to listen to music offline, and are happy with having to connect to a computer to get the iOS upgrades. Personally for me, it’s not worth the hassle.

I’m assuming that you’re ok with the larger screen size of the iPhone 6 or 6s (4.7″ compared to your 5s’s 4″). I’ll tell you when I went from my iPhone 5 to a then-new iPhone 6, it only took a few minutes to get used to the larger size, and then I was hooked. The larger screen made everything easier to see. I’m even considering for my next phone to be the Plus size (5.5″), I held a friend’s recently and it fit in my pocket just as easily as my 6, and the bigger screen was even easier on my eyes. But that’s all a matter of personal preference. You might want to spend a half-hour or so in an Apple Store, or checking out your friends’ phones to see if the larger size is ok for your hands. You do have the option of getting an iPhone se, which has the same internals as an iPhone 6 but in the same screen size as your current iPhone. Apple currently sells a new iPhone se for $400 outright – carrier financing plans are available.

You can save even more money by buying a phone from the used/refurbished market, but you take your chances when you’re dealing with strangers. What you can do is ask your friends if anyone who owns an iPhone (not leased), and is going to be upgrading soon. If they don’t have to trade in their old iPhone, you could buy it from them and save some money. Their other option is to sell their old iPhone to one of many services such as gazelle. They even have their own trade-in program so you could sell your iPhone 5s and get a newer model (although it will be used). Gazelle does offer a 30 day money-back guarantee, but be sure to read the terms and conditions before you buy from any reseller service provider.
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