6 Reasons Not to Buy the Latest iPhones

There’s no denying the fact that the iPhone is one of the most popular technology products on the market, and it’s certainly driving up profits for Apple. Last year, the company shipped 216 million smartphones, according the most recent estimates from Statista.

Although the iPhone retails for a hefty price tag, consumers are drawn to the handset because it offers a sophisticated yet easy-to-use operating system and the best possible hardware available on the market. And every year, the Cupertino-based firm increases its grip on the smartphone sector by announcing a new batch of iPhones.

Last year, the technology giant unveiled three new iPhones. The flagship is the “revolutionary” iPhone X, followed by cheaper iPhone 8 models. They’re all great handsets for different reasons, and if your contract is due for an upgrade or your current handset is beginning to age, you may well be thinking about upgrading to one of these handsets.

While the iPhone X and iPhone 8 are popular among the masses, there are plenty of reasons why you should hold off purchasing one of them. From ways to beef up your current iPhone’s performance to rumours claiming that Apple already has new phones in the pipeline, here are a few things that will make you think twice about switching to the X or 8. Use the Right Arrow to Browse 6 Reasons Not to Buy the Latest iPhones.

6 Innovation Might Be Dead

When Apple announced its latest batch of smartphones last September, it pitched the iPhone 8 as a more affordable alternative to the iPhone X. The handset certainly isn’t a huge disappointment, as it still comes some new capabilities and design tweaks.

For instance, it sports Apple’s new A11 Bionic processor, improved battery life, wireless charging support and, of course, an all-glass design. But apart from that, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus certainly aren’t as revolutionary when they’re compared to the X. In many ways, the handsets are just a refresh of the 7.

In fact, the American tech giant has used the same design DNA for its iPhones since 2014, when it unveiled the 6. At the time, the handset was a big step up from previous iPhone models. However, in 2018, it’s hard not to see the phone as a bit outdated. You’re simply buying an older phone but with new internals. The lack of innovation, then, is one reason why you may want to wait till September.

5 Price Increases

Apple is no stranger to criticism when it comes to the high prices of its products. The Cupertino-based company, though, just argues that its technologies are aimed at the upper market. That’s fair enough, but when it unveiled the iPhone X last year, people were shocked to learn that the handset would retail for $1,000.

Yes, the phone comes with a truckload of sophisticated hardware advancements and new features. But encouraging consumers to pay such a huge sum of cash for a phone is never going to be easy. Companies such as Samsung and LG offer similar handsets at lower prices, and Apple has certainly been hit with this challenge. There have been countless reports claiming that sales of the handset haven’t been impressive as first thought, so the firm may amend the price come September.

4 New iPhones Are Just Around the Corner

Another reason why you may want to hold off buying an iPhone 8 or iPhone X is the fact that Apple is already said to be working on a string of successors. Just like last year, it’s rumoured that the firm will show off several new iPhones at its Special Event in autumn.

In fact, it’ll launch three new iPhones, and the first of them will be a larger iPhone X Plus.

If the reports are correct, then it’ll feature 6.5-inch display, which is much larger than the current X’s 5.8-inch display. Apple may also unveil an updated version of the X, sporting the same screen size as the original. Last but not least, a cheaper 6.1-inch LCD iPhone may also be on the cards. Either way, consumers should gain a lot of additional choices later this year.

3 You Can Revive Your Current iPhone

At the end of 2017, it emerged that Apple slows down the batteries of older iPhones. The company was slammed by governments, regulators and consumer rights bodies right around the world over this revelation. Some people claim that the company has been doing this to get consumers to upgrade to newer handsets, but of course, Apple has denied these allegations.

Apple has since apologised for using battery throttling, but at the same time, it’s lowered the price of battery replacements for older iPhones. Currently, you can replace the battery in your aging phone for $29. That’s not a bad price, considering you’d normally be charged $79 for this service. You do have to pass a pre-diagnostic test first, although it’s a good option if you’re happy with your current handset and don’t want to upgrade to a newer model. In one way, you’re just giving your iPhone a new lease of life. And what’s not to like about that?

2 iOS Bug Woes

When Apple’s programmers come across security flaws, they respond by quickly looking into the underlying problems and issuing bug fixes. But according to reports, the company’s speedy security update development and release cycle could actually be doing more damage than good.

It is believed that because the programmers work so quickly to fix security problems, they end up missing other flaws in the code. This is clearly not a good thing for the company or, indeed, consumers. Sources familiar with the situation believe that the American tech giant could end up delaying major iOS updates until it amends this process.

The company has allegedly been working on a redesigned home screen for the iPhone and an updated photos app, but these could be shelved for the time being, according to Bloomberg. So, essentially, you could end up buying a phone that won’t see software overhauls for some months. That’s yet another reason why you want to consider other mobile phone brands or wait until the new iPhones come out.

1 Lots of Competition

Something else you may want to consider is that there are other potential candidates out there if you’re looking for a new smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has been a popular alternative to the iPhone 8, offering a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge display, a 12-megapixel camera, facial recognition and a fingerprint scanner. Currently, it costs around $700, so it’s a lot cheaper than the iPhone X. That’s impressive considering it offers similar features. Samsung is also due to announce the Galaxy S9.