Choosing to upgrade after a year of use can be rather costly. On the other hand, choosing to keep an older or current model may remind you of its technological inadequacy and just how important it is for you to keep up with the Jones’s each time a new iPhone has been introduced to the market.
Aside from having a cracked screen or a water damaged device, an early upgrade is simply a matter of choice. An annual upgrade can be a terrible financial burden for those under a traditional two-year contract, while buying the latest device can expose you to the full price that carriers often subsidize. In reality – they often hide the cost with their inflated monthly rates.
Even if you pay a whopping $650 rather than the advertised $200 price, you pay rates that assume you got that subsidized price.
T-Mobile is a carrier that separates the cost of service and hardware, you are free to buy a new phone every six months and your service cost will remain the same. Other options that carriers offer such as AT&T’s Next, Sprint’s Easy Pay and Verizon’s Edge offer partial discounts if you don’t have an on-contract phone.
The best option
In spite of how well a product is marketed, the overall improvement for smartphones has slowed down in recent years. The iPhone 3GS was greatly advanced compared to the original iPhone, but the 5s did not show significant improvement over the 5. For Android users, the Nexus 5 failed to boost sales over the Nexus 4 to persuade enough people to upgrade.
While buying every two years may get you a better return on your investment since they are expensive or you may be under contract – but older technology runs slower and may actually hold you back when it comes to web browsing or when accessing data while you’re on the go.
If you’re worried about keeping costs down, do the math, and you will realize that buying the smartphone outright and finding a cheap SIM-only tariff will save you hundreds of dollars overall. But in terms of battery life, improvement in speed, and less chance of degrading over time, a newer phone will not only last longer, they are more powerful and more able to handle the new versions of IOS – Apple’s operating system. In terms internet access, newer phones are much faster at loading web pages.
Upgrading is the best option for users who value improvements in battery life, mobile signal strength and WiFi performance. Fones Gone Wild offers new and used phones. Whether you want to upgrade, trade, or you’re in need of repair, we fully equipped to handle all of your cell phone issues.
