No matter where in Ireland you find yourself, a new generation of iPhones always makes the headlines. This year, it’s the 17 series making the rounds, but the same ideas behind upgrading and advancements remain regardless of the era. An upgrade means more power, it means more features, and it means a big dent in your wallet. So, whether you’re looking to upgrade to the 17 model or you’re reading this years down the track when the same concepts apply, how do you know if an upgrade is worth the cost?
Let’s Be Honest
The truth of smart updates is that the time of major and appreciable year-on-year advancements in mobile phones is a thing of the past. While leaps in the first few generations were revolutionary, this is largely because these early steps forward were towards achieving a kind of base functionality. In the early days, the tech was catching up to the promise of what smartphones could be, but with modern advances, this is no longer the case.
Today, smartphones like iPhones aren’t playing catch-up; they’re well ahead of the curve of what most users need. Consider the popular uses today and the demands they place on a system. Gaming is a good example here, which historically has favoured titles that were graphically and mechanically simpler as these were more able to run smoothly on smaller devices. Today, online casinos are a good example of this, other than video games themselves, with games like live bingo often able to be played on platforms six or seven generations old. Even the most modern events and games like Magic Number and Moneycomb Bingo run without issue on these older systems, because they’re so well optimised. This is the case with many uses, like social media, where each technical step forward to improve the performance of something that already performs flawlessly may go largely unnoticed.
A Real Reason to Upgrade
With all that said, there are some reasons why an upgrade might really be worth a look. The first is if you own a phone without 5G support, which on iPhone generally includes all generations before the 12th. Dublin now enjoys near total 5G coverage, so if you’re still experiencing connection speed issues outdoors, then a new device could be just what the doctor ordered.
The same is true if you own a device that’s starting to act in unpredictable ways. Maybe you dropped it in Phoenix Park, or you gave it to your child to play games, and when they handed it back, it just wasn’t quite right. While it is possible to get iPhones fixed, the associated cost is often not worth it compared to the cost of just upgrading to a newer, more robust model.
Upgrading before a malfunctioning phone stops working entirely also means you don’t have to worry about any stored data going missing. This is especially the case if you don’t use cloud storage, since anything locked to your phone will be stuck there if it does kick the bucket early.
The right phone can last you at least five years into the future, so choosing the best fit for you is a must. If you find yourself in a position where you need an upgrade, balance your choices carefully, and don’t rush into any deal that seems too good to be true. Remember, the best phone is the one which reliably suits your needs, even if this means changing to another developer and learning a new operating system along the way.
