I'm in the market for a new phone. I'm looking to stay with my current provider, and purchase a phone in full. My current phone I've had for five years. The phone I had before that, I had for five years, as well. Coincidentally, five years seems to be a good product lifecycle for me.

Specifically, I'm looking for iPhone recommendations, and generations since the iPhone X. Which generation would you recommend? In your opinion, which generation since the iPhone X had the most impact and essential features? If the current or next generation is worth it, I'm also open to that, and willing to splurge. Also, with this phone also being used for mystery shopping, what features would be beneficial for mystery shopping?

Some additional commentary below ...

While I did the phone recommendation shops, I asked various stores to quote me a trade-in price for my current phone, just to gauge the value. It wasn't bad, but I may just keep my current phone as an additional device and replace the battery. Really, it's only the battery and storage that are the main issues.

As a result of the shops, I know a lot about more about the Samsung Galaxy phones. I agree the phone itself is more innovative and modern. However, I'm going to stick with Apple. I'm also considering a consultation with a ... Genius? Or is it Expert? Who knows? ... at the store. However, I need to get on that before the next product is set to be released. (I guess I could also consult with the associates during the phone recommendation shops, after I'm finished with the portion needed to complete my shop.)

In all likelihood, I'm looking for a previous generation. However, newer than the iPhone X. Mainly, I'm looking for value. Where a specific generation introduced the most impactful and essential features.

Some of my non-negotiables and personal preferences are below:

Big screen! Biggest screen possible! Yes, my hands and fingers can handle it! I was one of the first to get the iPhone with the big screen, and personally get headaches when I ever encounter someone's small phone in my hands. So, I would most likely select the most expensive version of a generation.

Regarding storage, I'm willing to splurge on that.

Camera, photo and video quality, and all that jazz ... not relevant to me. It all looks good to me.

Battery life, charging cables - not that big of a deal to me.

As I'm writing this, maybe I'm already making the choice for myself. Stick with my current phone and replace the battery.

@johnb974 I welcome your input and insight. Not picking on you, but I thought of you when formulating this thread.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2024 02:41AM by Okie.

Okie,

I'm not Apple people, I don't and won't own any Apple products. But when the newest model comes out, the previous model drops drastically in price. So if you want to upgrade, but don't want to pay for the newest version, you should probably wait until the next model comes out and then get whatever the current model is at a reduced price. It's also perfectly ok to purchase a phone during a shop, the MSC would encourage that.

There used to be purchase shops for each of the providers that paid rather well, they gave the option of returning the device you purchased, but it wasn't required. I did one, and I returned the phone, cancelled the service, but the provider, even though I provided the return receipt for the phone, said that I didn't return it and sent it to collections because someone at the "approved retailer" store didn't do the paperwork right (or at least that's the excuse I got after months and months of fighting it). And the MSC refused to help.

What I should have done is gone to a corporate store, with my current provider, and bought the phone that I wanted to buy to begin with. And opted not to return it, which would not have changed the pay at all.

Good point, I waited this long and would be better off waiting some more months. The way I think, I may just delay my gratification until Black Friday rolls around.

Sorry to hear about your experience with that shop. I don't know where I got it from, but when I did have to return expensive equipment like my laptop when job hopping during COVID, I would take a picture of the laptop in possession of the person I returned it with and the tag number. Different set of circumstances, but the person didn't mind at all.

What are you using the phone for? You say the camera and video quality, features, etc. are not important. Do you use it mostly for surfing the web? Playing games? Business purposes? What it is it about the Apple phone that makes you want to stick with it? Is it familiarity or is there a feature that Apple has you really like? Storage is important to you. What are you storing?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2024 05:46AM by ServiceAward.

ServiceAward, thanks for your questions. Here are my answers. It better framed what I'm looking for.

What are you using the phone for? -- 75% personal, 20% mystery shopping, 5% work

You say the camera and video quality, features, etc. are not important. -- To clarify, camera, photo, and video quality are not important in the sense that my standards of quality are for casual enjoyment. To frame it, I don't have the high expectations of a media professional or enthusiast. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in quality, unless I knew what to seek.

Do you use it mostly for surfing the web? Playing games? -- Not too much web surfing. Unless I was in a waiting room. No games. YouTube, Spotify, fitness tracking, stocks, sports, very rarely - social media. I'm a hermit.

Also, phone calls for emergencies. One reason I want to stay with my current provider is that it's very reliable with phone calls, and that I'm still grandfathered with an old plan. The only bad thing is the low monthly data allowance, but I'm usually able to connect to Wi-Fi, and don't require too much data. Maybe the occasional road trip, and I'll budget for paying for an overage that month.

Business purposes? -- For work, the extent of it is mainly if I'm away from my laptop, to still be able to be contacted. Going back to the employee life, but not client-facing, nor requires much travel.

What it is it about the Apple phone that makes you want to stick with it? -- Easy, user-friendly, reliable, quality, low-maintenance. First phone was an iPhone, always had an iPhone.

Is it familiarity or is there a feature that Apple has you really like? -- Familiarity. In all honesty, the best feature has been yelling, "FIND MY IPHONE!" into my watch. Mainly the ecosystem. Seamless with Watch, AirPods, personal computer.

Storage is important to you. What are you storing? -- Primarily pictures and videos. Over the course of owning the phone, I haven't done good upkeep. It's all accumulated and still there. I'm not diligent about transferring, backing-up, and deleting.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, 5G and wireless charging not high on my list either.

"We come on the Sloop John B..."

Hi @Okie thanks for your response.

You may want to look into the iPhone SE (3rd generation). It came out a couple of years ago, but it was the one that I almost went with last year when I bought my new phone. I used to use only iPhones because I had a terrible experience with my first smartphone, which was an Android many years ago. Ultimately, because I did need a phone with a high quality camera, I went with the Samsung 23 Ultra, which came out about the same time that I was shopping around. I really liked the iPhone SE, but the camera just wasn't what I needed. As that is not a deciding factor for you, it wouldn't be an issue. The bonus is that since it is a couple of years old it will be more affordable. You can also get expanded storage up to 256GB (which was important to me.)

The screen size may be too small for you on the SE, so my second iPhone recommendation goes to the iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Plus, which has a 6.7" screen! You can also have expanded memory up to 512 GB, I think for both of them. They are also 2-year-old phones, so you'll save some money there.

Thanks ServiceAward! Good call on the SE, that option didn't even enter my mind and would make sense. But the screen size is a big thing for me. I'll check out the 14 lineup. It looks like a good budget option and meets all of my needs.

Congratulations, you pass the phone recommendation mystery shop! Unfortunately, no certificate for you though.

@Okie wrote:

Congratulations, you pass the phone recommendation mystery shop! Unfortunately, no certificate for you though.

Split the shop fee with me?

Let me refer you to my "accounting" department ...

Something I debated on this forum in the past was why anyone would need a 50 megapixal camera on their phone.

The correct response I got was you could take pictures from a long way out, crop them, and show only what was was necessary without distortion

@wrosie wrote:

Something I debated on this forum in the past was why anyone would need a 50 megapixal camera on their phone.

The correct response I got was you could take pictures from a long way out, crop them, and show only what was was necessary without distortion

Well that, and I can't see @drdoggie00 from here. I'm kidding!! I'd need a 1000MP camera for that. LOL

@ServiceAward wrote:

Well that, and I can't see @drdoggie00 from here. I'm kidding!! I'd need a 1000MP camera for that. LOL

-pokes you in the eye- Behave.

@ServiceAward wrote:

Ultimately, because I did need a phone with a high quality camera, I went with the Samsung 23 Ultra, which came out about the same time that I was shopping around. I really liked the iPhone SE, but the camera just wasn't what I needed.

It all makes sense now “night mode” j/k

I'm going to piggyback onto this thread to ask if anyone knows of a reputable website/seller where I can get an unlocked phone or a refurbished unlocked phone?

@shopnyc wrote:

I'm going to piggyback onto this thread to ask if anyone knows of a reputable website/seller where I can get an unlocked phone or a refurbished unlocked phone?

I'm going to tread careful because I can't promote anything owned by me, but what are you looking for?

@shopnyc wrote:

I'm going to piggyback onto this thread to ask if anyone knows of a reputable website/seller where I can get an unlocked phone or a refurbished unlocked phone?

There was a thread not too long ago where this was discussed, but I can't find it for the life of me. The place I recall being recommended was BackMarket. [www.backmarket.com] I've never shopped there (or for an unlocked/refurbished phone anywhere), but perhaps the folks who talked about it before will chime in here.

If anybody knows the thread I'm talking about, please post it here for shopnyc.

@shopnyc wrote:

I'm going to piggyback onto this thread to ask if anyone knows of a reputable website/seller where I can get an unlocked phone or a refurbished unlocked phone?

I had the same thoughts about the next course of action. Employer offers a free phone, but the catch is it monitors everything. I'm going to purchase my own, but can hold off until Nov/Dec.

I was the person who recommended Back Market. I did several mystery shops of that company and was very impressed with the quality of the phones, the accurate descriptions, and the prices. I had to return my purchases as part of the shop, which was also easy.

@drdoggie00 wrote:

@shopnyc wrote:

I'm going to piggyback onto this thread to ask if anyone knows of a reputable website/seller where I can get an unlocked phone or a refurbished unlocked phone?

There was a thread not too long ago where this was discussed, but I can't find it for the life of me. The place I recall being recommended was BackMarket. [www.backmarket.com] I've never shopped there (or for an unlocked/refurbished phone anywhere), but perhaps the folks who talked about it before will chime in here.

If anybody knows the thread I'm talking about, please post it here for shopnyc.

Thanks, folks. I will look into Back Market. It sounds good. Years ago, I bought at Mobile Karma but they've been out of business a long time. I've hesitated to trust any others. My current phone was bought at Target in 2019. I know I should upgrade soon, but both banks I use no longer allow me to use their apps because they've upgraded their software, so they're basically forcing me to look for a new phone now (which really pisses me off).

@ServiceAward wrote:

I'm going to tread careful because I can't promote anything owned by me, but what are you looking for?

I am looking for an Android that is unlocked because I use a prepaid MVNO for service (they offer all networks but I use Verizon as it's the best for where I live). But I try to be as frugal as I can, so I don't mind a refurbished phone if it's a good phone for a good price and from a good reputable refurbisher.

.

Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2024 11:13PM by shopnyc.

@ServiceAward You're up! A second shopper (Android scenario) has arrived.

Oh yeah, and put AI away, no cheating!

@shopnyc while you are checking Back Market, I am going to check with some people I know to see what they may have. Is it okay if it is a little older? No promises. I don't know what they have right now.

Sorry, disregard. (Had the famous person name game open in another tab)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2024 01:31PM by Okie.

@ServiceAward wrote:

@shopnyc while you are checking Back Market, I am going to check with some people I know to see what they may have. Is it okay if it is a little older? No promises. I don't know what they have right now.

I personally don't mind an older phone and wish I could keep the one I have a little longer, but my Android version is only 9. The most important thing is a phone that is compatible with banking apps, which get updated regularly. So I probably need a phone from at least 2022, I'm guessing. I just hope my Voice Recorder and Call Recorder apps will work with newer models. So, I'm torn. Thank you for looking into it for me.

.