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New iPhone - which one?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by ETC(SS), Oct 1, 2019.

  1. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Due to my failings as a parent, and GOD's sense of humor when I use the word "never" I'm contemplating the purchase of a new(*) iPhone....and, unusually, I'm kinda stuck trying to decide which one to get.

    When I decided to put my beloved LG Stylo into semi-retirement, I selected a $150-ish 6S-126GB from Backmarket.com---a vendor I most heartily recommend.
    I locked myself and this phone into Apple's walled garden for a few months and have determined I can, with effort, live in this gated community.
    My intentions are to keep this phone as a hot spare until the mother ship stops supporting it.
    The 6S is a great phone for a 5-year-old device, and my refurbished one looks almost brand-spanking-new, still has a good battery, and the camera is usable if not great.
    The thing is that the 4.7" screen is on the small side, and even though I have a good battery, it's only as good as batteries were in 2015. I'd also like a better camera.
    I DO LOVE the overall size though!
    So.....
    As it turns out, Apple certified pre-owned phones are indistinguishable from new.
    They have new, REAL APPLE screens, batteries, and cases which means that the phones are for all purposes...new.
    Same white box.
    Same outdated accessories.
    Same warranty and Apple Care eligibility.
    I know this because all of my work phones have been CPO.

    Apple ALSO, curiously, has a pretty decent military discount.

    The real purpose of this thread is that I'm still trying to work all this out in my head, but I always value comments from PC-ers.


    My Choices:

    (Clearance Store - new)
    iPhone 7 128GB - $404 ... Not that big an improvement over my 6+ - NOT wired headphone capable.
    iPhone Plus 7 128GB - $494 ....Ginormous phone for a 5.5" screen. Pretty decent dual cameras.

    (New Store)
    iPhone 8 128GB - $449 ...Small screen. Bluetooth 5.0. Qi charging.
    iPhone 8 Plus 128GB - $539...Probably best Apple bang for buck, but a little bulky.
    I can get an 8 and 8+ with 64GB for $404/494 but chose not to consider those as a viable option.

    (Apple CPO)
    Xr 128GB - $584....Good screen size although as big as an 8+. Single camera. No fingerprint reader
    X 64GB - $611... Perfect screen size for me. Thimble-sized non expandable memory. Too expensive.
    X 256GB - $728....Holy CRAP! No wonder they stopped selling them!

    (New Store)
    iPhone 11 64GB - $629...Great phone. Great big price. Itty-bitty memory.
    iPhone 11 128GB - $674 Great phone. Great big price.

    iPhone 11 Pro 64GB - $899 Fidget-spinner camera. GTFO price. Only Apple could get away with a selling a flagship phone with multiple cameras capable of 4K-60fps recording and on-the-fly editing with a non-expandable 64GB memory.
    Really?!?!
    They also FORCE you to use wireless headphones but do not give you the ability to charge the headphones (or your watch) with the phone, and they're still filling landfills with the same 5w chargers that they shipped with the iPhone 4.

    OK...rant over.
    :mad:

    I'm also considering waiting for the CPO store to stock more iPhone 8s - IF they do so.
    An 8+ for less than $500 with 128GB of memory is about my sweet spot for capability - price but it still galls me that I'm contemplating spending $500 for a year-before-last phone.

    It galls me even more that I'm actually contemplating $674 for the 11.
    Interestingly enough - the prices for the same phones (8+, Xr) are often as high or even higher for grey-box refurbished phones even though the 8 is still available as a NIB phone from the Apple store.
     
    #1 ETC(SS), Oct 1, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2019
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i need hearing aids, so an iPhone is in my future. i thought they were @$1,000. new. where can i find all of the above deals?

    i would like the biggest screen possible, but don't really need any of the other features. i would like to feel the weight though, and see how it fits in my pocket.

    what is the size of the X for $611. that you like, compared to the 5.5" you mention?

    as an aside, the $5,600. hearing aids make iPhones look cheap.:p
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I like the compact size of my 5, well past five years now, silent running...

    Do they still make anything in that size, or might they, down the road?
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you can get a lot of old models in the remanufactured. my wife has one, like brand new for cheap money. much batter than a prius battery :cool:
     
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  5. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    The X is going to be a little smaller than the 11, which is the size of the Xr.
    There are sites that give specific dimensions but for me the X (5.8" screen) was that "juuuust riiiight" size and even with the stupid notch It's as close to being an edge-to-edge device as Apple has gotten so far.
    The only problem with the X is that it's VERY expensive - even for Apple owing to it's OLED display, which DOES look a little better than the LCD displays of Apple's "cheaper" offerings - but not THAT much better.

    The Xr (a "budget" X) and the 11 both have old-school LCD screens....and really, if you need reading glasses the difference is going to be lost on you.
    It's one of life's delicious ironies, since the kids CAN see the difference but sometimes are not able to write a check with a comma in it for a phone.
    Adults usually KNOW better than to do so.

    One of my work phones is a 7-plus, and it feels like I'm dragging around a laptop, but without reading glasses the 4.7" screens of the non-plus phones are on the marginal side for me, which is why I have BOTH an 8 and a 7+ for work phones.
    Both have pretty decent cameras, but dual-camera phones (the 11, X, and the 7&8 PLUS) have really good software for things like portrait modes, and of course, the 11 has their much ballyhooed Night mode and ultra-wide lenses.

    Since my 7+ and 8 ARE work phones Bluetooth is pretty important for me, and one of the features that the 8 introduced is Bluetooth 5.0 which you will notice if you live in a big house and have an iWatch. All models after 8 also have Qi (wireless) charging, although Apple steadfastly refuses to adopt USB-C charging and has so far neglecting 'buddy charging' for their buds and watches.

    REALLY Apple?
    You guys used to be out on the sharp end of the stick!


    I'm going to be in the market for hearing aids myself sooner rather than later - although as a veteran I'm going to wait until the VA will buy them for me.

    The prices mentioned above are from the Apple store web front.
    If you scroll to the bottom they have a Veterans/Military section, and they use the ID.me system to validate you.
    The iPhone 11 is $699 and up (mostly up!) and $629 with the discount.
    The 11-pro is $999 and up but $899 with the discount.

    As much as I love to hate on Apple for their antics, I unreservedly COMMEND THEM for offering a generous military and government discount!
    I do not really need it but there are loads and loads of 18-19 year kids all over the world Face-timing with their loved ones with these devices from far-far away.
     
    #5 ETC(SS), Oct 1, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2019
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thanks!
    how long do you have to wait for va benefits? i read a lot of reviews from veterans saying they get free aids every few years.
     
  7. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Love that size myself.
    Somewhere in my past postings I mentioned using one as a lifeboat - and I still have it.

    @Mendel Leisk YOU may need to investigate the SE.
    iPhone SE - Wikipedia

    I'm thinking that the SE shares the same form factor as the 5s, and they manufactured them up until a few years ago with some upgraded hardware (A9 processor, 12mp camera) and up to 128GB of on-board memory.
    It's a FANTASTIC purse/concert phone.

    Apple HATES this phone, but, quietly, sold them until as recently as early 2019 in their bargain basement store....AND...also quietly allowed them to be upgraded to iOS 13.....er....if you think that this is an "Upgrade" that is.
    My company will not allow me to upgrade any of THEIR devices yet.
    ALLL to soon.
    My ears are like my eyes.
    Sub optimal but still functional.

    I can still read a newspaper without glasses (kids, ask your parents what a newspaper is) and still hear well enough to not to need hearing aids - which means that my dear wife is not yet INSISTING that I get them.
     
    #7 ETC(SS), Oct 1, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2019
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  8. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    We are running mostly iPhone 7's...and one iPhone 6s. And yes, all of them work great on ios13. We used iPhone SE's for a long time too..especially for the kids. The SE seems to be the most durable.

    I do things a little differently though...I buy unlocked phones used and do a 'bring your own phone' family plan thru Cricket wireless. $20 per line with 5 gig per month per line is a pretty good deal in my book.

    I've had pretty good luck with Swappa...and Gazelle ( keep on the lookout for 'excellent condition' phones ). As an example, I snagged a 256GB red iPhone 7 recently for $220.
     
    #8 farmecologist, Oct 1, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2019
  9. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    I work for Big Phone, and I have a basic understanding of 8th grade math - so I only buy unlocked phones.

    Since the 11 came out the 7's have been dropping off RAPIDLY in price.
    I used Backmarket.com to buy a "shiny" iPhone 7 with 128GB for something like $250.
    It looked absolutely NEW but there was a hardware problem with the phone and I had to return it....which they did without batting an eye, giving me a full refund and paying the postage.
    I then ordered my refurbished 6s-128.

    I lucked out.
    My battery still charges to 100% and the phone is issue-free...but if I were going to buy an 8 or newer there's no reason not to get a CPO from Apple because they're nearly as cheap or cheaper depending on how new a phone you want.
     
    #9 ETC(SS), Oct 1, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2019
  10. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Who is this directed at? I only buy unlocked as well...
     
  11. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Well....

    I ordered an Xr yesterday evening.

    It was only slightly more expensive than an 8+ ($584 versus $539 for the 128GB version) and I couldn't justify lugging around a phone as big as the 8+ for the 5.5" screen, and the grey-market refurbished 7s and 8s are nearly as expensive.
    I wanted to repeatedly dope-slap myself for spending $600 for last year's phone but it is what it is.

    For a while, I entertained the idea of getting an 11 but it was $90 more than the Xr and didn't add $90 worth of extra swag, and if you fall into Apple's "it's just a little more.." phone pricing schemes the next thing you know, you're walking away with a $1200 phone.
     
  12. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    Costco is the USA's second-largest hearing-aid provider (after the VA). Check them out: they sell several different major brands at significant discounts, in addition to their own store-branded ones (actual manufacturer varies from time to time).

    And you don't have to have an iPhone to work with hearing aids: I've been using Android phones with my Costco-store-brand aids for years.
     
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i've read good and bad about costco. but after all the bad audiologist experiences I've had, i should look into them, thanks!
     
  14. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Not an iPhone or Apple user, but just bought a brand new iPhone XR 128gb for my wife a few month ago on no interest 24 month installment. I think the price tag was close to $800.

    If you can get iPhone 11 128GB - $674, that's a great price.
     
  15. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    iPhone XR 128GB Black - Apple
    $700 and change sounds a little steep for the Xr.
    The street price for the 128GB unit, unlocked and sans SIM card is $649.
    If you're a dot.gov or a dot.mil type then you can knock 10% off of that which puts the price in the 580s.
    Obscenely expensive for a phone with an LCD screen, last year's processor and last decade's 'lightning connector' but it does have a decent, single lens camera, and it runs IOS, which means that it plays nicely with nearly everything else that runs IOS.

    As it turns out, one of the cheaper places to buy a new iPhone is at the Apple store - especially if you shop in the CPO part of the store.

    The street price for an 11 with 128GB is $749.
    Knock 10% off of that (if you're eligible) and that's $674.
    iPhone 11 128GB Black - Apple
    Of course...you still have to pay for tax.....which in some of the more......ah......"liberated" parts of the nation might put 10% back onto the tab.
    Interestingly enough, it's like buying a car with these guys.
    $674 is the price.....whether you pop into an Apple store and pick it up, get it mailed out for one day delivery or have it couriered to you in 2 hours if you live in one of America's alabaster deserts.
     
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  16. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yap, I just checked my bill. The Apple iPhone XR 128gb PRODUCT RED I bought for my wife in July was indeed $799.99 full price. Which I think was the retail price at the Apple shop then. And at that time, even buying at Ebay, an unlocked used one was ~$650 IIRC. Now three month later, indeed from the same carrier site, the same exact phone is now priced at $649 which is the current retail price of the unit at apple store. This is the reason, I hate buying a brand new top of the line model phone knowing it is going to be obsolete as a flagship phone very quickly and price will fall rapidly after that. I could have purchased used and/or older model iPhone off eBay cheap, but my wife wanted a NEW and only in Product RED. And I did not want to mess with setting up the phone myself, so I had to go with what carrier offered on the phone at the time.

    For myself, I never buy Apple products. I have been very happy with used Pixel (Gen1) purchased off Ebay about a year ago for ~$30. I use it for more as a handheld computer and as a camera since I have very limited data and phone connectivity with my current $3/mo prepaid SIM. Heck, for phone use only, I also have and use an old Lumina Windows 8 Phone with prepaid SIM card in it. That's over 5 years old purchased at Walmart on sale for less than $100, and it still works perfectly as a telephone and simple infotainment unit, including light web browsing, retrieving my e-mails, playing audio books, listening to music, etc. Good thing is that it is small enough to fit in my pocket comfortably and a full charge last 3-4 days, unlike newer power hungry phones.
     
    #16 Salamander_King, Oct 10, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2019
  17. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Is that phone the Windows mobile Nokia that advertised the 40 megapixel camera?
    if yes - how do you like that?
     
  18. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    #18 Salamander_King, Oct 10, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2019
  19. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    My iPhone 11 came with lightning connected earpods that are useless to this guy wearing hearing aids.
     
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  20. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    When nokia switched from their own OS to windows mobile that first Lumina was advertised as having a 40 MP camera. Another of Microsofts attempts at pegging the bs meter with a software enhanced camera spec.
    Nokia is now trying to sell that 41 MP Windows Mobile 8 camera phone again. Lumina 1020
    Nokia Lumia 1020 vs Huawei P20 Pro: 40-megapixel faceoff - Neowin

    I wish them and huawei all the best LOL