Need iPhone buying advice

[Mych]

I've never had an iPhone, so I need some advice/guidance.

 

My daughters and wife all have birthdays in the next few months (daughters turning 13 in April & 15 in May, wife's b-day in July). My daughters currently have value-model Android phones and my wife has an iPhone 6S that she has been holding on to for a few years now (wasn't ready to give up the headphone jack).

Now that the wife's 6S is close to getting dropped from Apple's iOS software upgrade roadmap, I've been looking at the option of getting them all phones for their birthdays.

My kids are on prepaid plans and one of them is pretty clumsy, so I refuse to spend $800 each on their phones (and my wife would likely kill me if I did) so the budget is really about $1k for all three, but I could stretch it (see option 3 below).

Option 1: refurb iPhone 7's for the kids ($175 ea), iPhone 8 ($300) or iPhone X ($600) for the wife

Option 2: refurb iPhone 8's for all 3 ($300 each)

Option 3: Rumor has it that there's an iPhone 9 coming in the next couple weeks (new iPhone SE... basically iphone 8 body with iphone 11 guts and priced around $399 new)

 

I was leaning toward option 1, since the iPhone 7 should hold up for at least 2 years for the kids. They'll likely break it way faster than that anyway. But the idea of the iPhone 9 being new with warranty, not having to worry about refurbs, lost/stolen/abused used phones, hardware/software obsolescence (or teenagers whining about having a used or "old" phone) makes the 9 an enticing option.

 

Can one of you iPhone folks steer me in the right direction. (and no, I will not be trading my Note for an i-anything, so don't try to convert me to your cult )

 

[cdnglf]

If you can, wait for the 9. It will run the latest iOS through 2024 at least. The iPhone 7 is 3 generations older, and support for it will probably be dropped in 2021 or 2022.

[PappyVanWinkle53]

If you purchase thru Verizon, you can purchase insurance for the phone....yes, that's an additional cost to an already super expensive phone.....but it does cover for loss/theft/breaking. You'll have a deductible, but it sure beats another $800 cash outlay for a replacement. Just a thought.

[hammy83]

The best one you can afford for your wife and the cheapest for the kids. Chances are the kids phones will be broke before 2 years due to battery issues if they don't break them first.

[Texas1]

IPhone 9 for the kids when it comes out. Unless they want bigger phones then the iPhone 7 Plus was a great phone

 

for the wife I’d get the X, unbelievable upgrade over the 8, worlds apart

 

i have the 11pro the kids have the X and the wife has the iPhone 7

 

[Mych]

Deleted

[cdnglf]

New iPhone SE announced today.

[Mych]

Yup, decided to pre-order 3 of them tomorrow morning.

Now just deciding whether to get 64gb ($399) or 128gb ($449) and Applecare+ with theft/loss ($149) or without ($79). After that and tax, my budget is creeping up from the original $1k closer to $2k, but hopefully it saves me more expensive headaches down the road.

[cdnglf]

 

I think 64 is enough for most users, especially if they mostly using streaming services like Spotify and enable offloading unused apps. Maybe check their current phones to see how much they’re currently using.

I never buy AppleCare. IMO it is really, really expensive insurance. Buy a good case instead. Also check your credit card terms... some double the warranty of items purchased with them.

[Texas1]

I bought the kids latest Apple watches as Christmas and again I never buy AppleCare

 

Boxing Day my boy had a strop when I asked for his phone as he was being an arse, loosened his watch waved his arms around like teenagers do and it fell on the tiled floor

 

oops, completely goosed. He had to pay for a new one as I wasn’t replacing it. Tough lesson

[bigred90gt]

I’m not sure if I just ended up with a dud, but I could not disagree more with your assessment of the X being better than the 8. I have an 8 plus, and when my daughter got her 11, I took over her X. It is so much slower in every way, to the point that even browsing the internet is cumbersome on data (I have Verizon, so it’s not a network issue). It was so bad that after a month or so, I pulled the sim and went back to my 8 plus.

[Texas1]

Must be you. It’s a better phone in every way possible

super fast, so much more processing power.

kids going from 7/8 to X was a huge upgrade

[cdnglf]

 

X and 8 mostly have the same internals, including the same A11 chip. X has more RAM; a better screen and camera; and of course FaceID

[bigred90gt]

like I said, maybe I just got a dud. It is entirely possible. I’m not sold on faceID being a great thing. It’s inconvenient to have to pick the phone up to unlock it. I never realized how much so until I had to, vs fingerprint on the 8. I found it quite annoying at times. Better screen and camera I’ll give you.

[cdnglf]

 

I agree that FaceID and TouchID each has its set of tradeoffs. On the whole I prefer FaceID, but if we all end up wearing masks that will change quickly. A phone with both would be nice.

[mjbfyb]

Apple has a out-of-warranty service fee that is usually cheaper than buying a new one.

[Hawkeye77]

Dumping my XR for SE. Loved the original SE because of size. Sadly the new one is basically the size of the 6s but XR too big, although battery life is amazing.

[mgolf]

I would go with the new lower price model just announced from Apple

[bigred90gt]

A phone with both would be great. I open my phone a lot while it is sitting on the table/desk. That is basically impossible with faceID, so the option for fingerprint would be nice.

[mosesgolf]

Go with the best phone you can get used.

Pay a little more now and save the buyers remorse of should’ve gotten the better one

later. You will soon forget the extra money you spent on the best one. Plus your wife will appeeeciate it more.

[GooseHook]

I recently switched back to iPhone after ~3 years with a S8. The iPhone 11 is a little chonky compared to the Galaxy but the battery life is amazing. I love both operating systems but being able to delete bloatware and not have a Bixby button is soooo nice.

Still loving the Galaxy Buds + though.

[Texas1]

Only thing with Face ID is that the wife can use it when you’ve been on a bender and a spark out ????