How much longer do y'all plan on keeping the iPhone 5?

[JulesJam]

How much longer do y'all plan on keeping the iPhone 5

iPhones have high resale value so you shouldn't keep one more than 2 years. Once you have finished your contract on ATT, they will SIM unlock your iPhone. Your now SIM unlocked iPhone can be sold for about what it would cost you to upgrade even after all fees associated with the sale of the device are factored in if it is in mint condition. The only caveat to that is for states like CA which charge sales tax on the full retail value of the subsidized phone; you may or may not be able to recoup that.

Verizon iPhones come GSM SIM unlocked out of the box so no need to wait until the end of the contract to sell them.

Here is an example using real data from swappa:

Mint SIM unlocked 16GB iPhone 5 will sell for min $325 on swappa right now if you aren't in a hurry. After swappa/paypal/shipping fees, you would net $295. A new 16GB iPhone 6 4.7" should be $200 + upgrade fee + tax, which would be about $245-$295 depending on how your state does the sales tax.

If your phone is not in mint condition, you will still recover much of the cost of an upgrade if you sell it.

So selling a 2 year old iPhone and upgrading makes fiscal sense as long as the iPhone is SIM unlocked at the end of your 2 year contract or in the case Verizon phones, out of the box.

 

[JulesJam]

How much longer do y'all plan on keeping the iPhone 5

I answered this thread but it got lost in cyberspace so I will answer it again.

You should sell your iPhone at the end of your 2 year contract if you are on ATT. ATT will SIM unlock your iPhone at the end of your 2 year contract. You should be able to sell a mint SIM unlocked iPhone 5 for about $325 and after swappa/paypal/shipping fees, you will net $295. $295 will cover the cost of an upgrade to the iPhone 6 including tax and upgrade fees.

If your iPhone 5 is not in mint condition, you will get less, but still upgrading every 2 years on ATT and selling your used iPhone is the most cost effective way to go.


Same for Verizon, but those are GSM SIM unlocked out of the box so you don't need to wait the full 2 years.

 

[ritesh]

I got mine in Jan 13. I got a replacement in Feb 14 under Apple Extended Warranty. I plan to keep mine for another 2 years ( iphone 7) or till it goes bust.

 

[sting7k]

Re: How much longerHow much longer do y'all plan on keeping the iPhone 5?

I'll probably keep mine for many more years, maybe even beyond when Apple stops supporting it. I'll be sporting a newer iPhone by that time but my 5 has worked so good, i can't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon. I'll upgrade the wife's 4S or pass it down to my daughter as a wifi-only device.

This 1000%!!! I "retired" my iPhone 5 on Monday. But I haven't put it up on ebay or anything yet because of these feelings exactly. My iPhone 5 has been without a doubt the most reliable electronic device I have ever owned. Every iPhone before it I had replaced at least once and some of them multiple times with multiple issues. This is my original iPhone 5 that I bought unlocked direct from Apple in January 2013. It has had zero issues. On top of that I don't feel as though it's performance has degraded at all. At this point in their life my iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 were both very much showing their age. The iPhone 3G was getting practically unusable. Not my iPhone 5. It's just as fast as the day I got it. The battery seems just as strong as day 1 and iOS 7 on it is rock solid stable.

I'm not sure if I will actually be able to part with it. I might sell my Moto X and keep the iPhone 5 as my back up/media player.

 

[RescueEMT911]

I plan on keeping my iPhone 5 for AS LONG as it lasts.. I was 100% ready to go and spend the money on the iPhone 6 as soon as I could but then I started thinking to myself..WHY!? I LOVE technology and LOVE the latest and greatest smartphones, but how much do I really need it.. To check Facebook, to read the news?? I am not really sure anymore if I would die not having one.. But the main reason is.. I bought my iPhone 5 in November 2012, Applecare sent a NEW replacement phone January 2013, and this month I paid the $79 and had a new battery put in.. I also have hundred of dollars worth of phone cases, The phone is really nice and fast, it is going to get IOS 8, so no compatibility issues, and I am not having any problems with it. Keeping the iPhone 5 also means that I get to hold on to Verizons Unlimited Data (granted I never use a lot, but it is nice to not have to check or "watch" my data)! I really would like a larger screen, but really I can just use my tablet or notebook if I am doing something that requires/needs a bigger screen. So for me I thought I could have the latest and the greatest phone with a larger screen, but have to start watching my data, or KEEP my iPhone 5 which works GREAT, and I never have to worry how much data I am using or how much is left.

It is going to HURT on Sept.9 watching everyone ordering the new iPhone 6, but I think for what I use my phone for, I will have no problem just holding on to my iPhone 5, One thing I have found for the most part, unless you are really into technology, no one really cares at all what phone you are using or if you have the "newest" iPhone..


RescueEMT911

 

[applejosh]

Well, looks like I'll be upgrading to the next new iteration as soon as I can. Wife's phone (4S) started having wifi/bluetooth/cellular issues this weekend, so I'll upgrade and give her my 5. At least now I have an excuse to get the 6 (or whatever it is called) as soon as it drops.

 

[HankAZ]

How much longer do y'all plan on keeping the iPhone 5

I’ve already moved on. Bought the 5S and handed the 5 down to a family member. Will do the same within the next week or so. I’ll get the iPhone 6 and pass the 5S along to another family member.

 

[Ledsteplin]

My 5 is just 1 year old. I'll keep it for a back up.


Sent from my ancient but trustworthy iPhone 5

 

[trtmazda3]

I'm keeping mine until my 6 Plus gets delivered, which Verizon says should be on or before October 28th (long time to wait, I know). Then, I'll be selling it to help recoup part of the cost of the new phone. My 5 still runs great but has battery life hiccups. It dies at 30% sometimes and other times goes down 10-20% at once. It's been very reliable other than that, though.

 

[Ih8reno]

Being in Canada the carriers have effectively doubled the prices to their plans now that we have 2 year plans, meaning to keep my old inexpensive plan I'd need to buy a new phone outright. $749 and tax currently is out of the question. Going to keep my 5 for at least another year and if I can save up some spending money maybe get a 6s or wait even longer for a 7.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sandy the game]

i brought my iPhone 5 on mar 2013, so will use it for 2 yr for sure but after completing 2 yr will update to 6 plus

 

[gordol]

I just realized that I'm probably going to be hanging onto my 16GB iPhone 5 longer than anticipated. My contract is up for it's two-year renewal in February, IIRC, but I don't think I'll be able to afford the upgrade. Almost certainly not the one I want, the 32GB iPhone 6.

For what I want to put on the phone, I need at least 32GB and I don't want to be locked into another two years of insufficient space.

 

[rdubmu]

There is no 32 gig iPhone 6

 

[jorbjorb]

my iphone 5 is super fast and runs amazing.
gonna keep this for 2 more years

 

[mnicole03]

My iphone 5 is a piece of garbage so once my 6 plus arrives I'll be getting rid of it for sure

 

[MrMars]

My i5 is in pristine condition and running great on iOS 8 but, I am looking forward to receiving my space grey i6 in a couple weeks. Hoping to make a few bucks selling my i5 at that point.

 

[HankAZ]

That ship sailed a year ago.

 

[jason_mabry]

If my battery life stays the way it is because of IOS 8, then my upgrade might come sooner than I thought.

 

[kdeckels]

Just got the battery & power button replaced in my 32g & I'm off contract. Would like the bigger screen, but wouldn't like the off contract price.

 

[baseballbert]

It will become the "uh oh" just in case backup to the 6 once I pick one up.

I still have a 2nd gen iPod Touch for the gym and 4th and 5th gen Nanos that I still use too!