You don’t need a new phone

Buying a new phone frequently just doesn’t make sense anymore, but people keep doing it anyway. That needs to stop for lots of reasons.

Well, Apple finally did it. They released a phone that costs $1,999.

Now, Apple has always offered their products for a premium price. Whether you think that price is justified or not is another story.

But a $2,000 price point for a phone seems like it must be some kind of milestone, a mass-market phone that costs more than many laptops do. Adjusting for inflation, that’s about what I paid for my first car.

I’m not going to tell you not to buy this phone. I will tell you not to lease it, but if you want to pay $83.29 for 24 months, that’s fine, as long as you can afford that.

Regardless, we need to talk about the new phone hype cycle. Because, when it comes down to it, whatever you phone you have, you probably do not need a new phone.

I’m not one to talk (maybe)

I will admit that I’m probably not the best spokesperson for this train of thought, as I don’t use a smartphone and never have.

So it’s kind of easy for me to talk about how you don’t need a new phone.

But hear me out, because I can put myself in lots of different people’s positions, even if I don’t share their exact stance. I can understand the desire for smartphones, and getting the best ones, even if I don’t have one. After all, I love tech, and certainly used to feel the same way about computers and peripherals. I still kind of do.

So I think I understand. I still think you don’t need a new phone.

Your existing phone is good enough

What I mean is that your current phone is probably still good enough.

Back when the iPhone first came out, about 20 years ago, each new version was a massive leap forward in technology, user experience, and functionality. Did you know that when the iPhone launched, there was no App Store? It hadn’t been created yet. That’s just one example of how far we’ve come.

Look at the specs of the first Generation iPhone. It’s crazy the differences when compared to today.

Now, fast forward to today. Can you tell me what the big difference is between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17? Maybe if you’re an Apple superfan you could, but I bet most of you couldn’t.

And the reason why is because the new features on phones today really aren’t that exciting, and certainly aren’t radical. A larger camera, better battery life, a slightly redesigned interface: that’s about it.

The same thing happened with computers years ago. The difference between a home computer in 1988, with its PC speaker and no multimedia options, was like a dinosaur compared to a computer a few years later with a CD-ROM drive, sound card, and VGA graphics.

Now, tell me: what’s the difference between the computer you have now and the computer you had before it? Probably nothing much, other than the fact that it’s newer.

Phones, like computers, have become consumables. So when you’re upgrading, a lot of what you’re upgrading is just the model number.

Paying for a phone forever

Cars are really expensive, but some people pay off a car loan and then immediately get another car. Or worse, lease a car, and when the lease is up, lease another car.

In both cases, they have car payments more or less forever.

This is a massive drain on your ability to build wealth. I still believe that holding on to my first car for 10 years was one of the biggest factors that allowed me to buy a home.

Now, a phone isn’t as expensive as a new car today, but you can easily spend $500-$1000 each year on just the hardware, not even the phone plan, if you’re not careful about it.

If the new phones were so much better, that could be defensible, but they’re not.

Fixing up your existing phone

Your phone has no battery life left. I get it.

Your phone has a cracked screen. I get it.

Your phone is slow. I get it.

But all of these things are fixable, and for not a lot of money.

You can get a new battery in your existing phone for much less than the cost of a new phone. If you have a cracked screen, you can get it repaired.

And if your phone is slow, then most of the time, it can be fixed by uninstalling apps you don’t use and deleting files.

Some phones may be too old to continue to work. And Apple is notorious for arbitrarily bricking old hardware to get people to upgrade. (You can probably imagine how I feel about that.)

But if you have an iPhone from a few years ago right now, you can most likely fix it and keep it going. You don’t need to upgrade. And then you won’t have any migration headaches.

And while I’m focusing on iPhones here, the same thing goes for Android phones or any other kind.

But this one folds

Sometimes, a phone comes out that does something interesting and different.

While Android phones have had folding options for years, Apple finally got on the bandwagon and released their own. And great for them.

If a phone that folds is fun, interesting, and exciting to you, and you’re not turned off by the $2,000 price tag, then go for it. But if you buy it, for heaven’s sake, hold on to it for a while. The next folding iPhone isn’t going to be that much better. Get something for your $2,000.

Keeping up with the Jobs-es

I know that people can judge you by the phone you use, just like people judge you by the car you drive. I wish it weren’t the case, but it is.

But you can get a lot of mileage out of saying that the newest phones just aren’t worth it to you. You’re not judging other people, you’re just saying it doesn’t matter that much. It’s hard to argue with that.

Apple will continue to release a new iPhone every year for the rest of eternity, at least until something comes along and replaces it with something else. Maybe the Metaverse? Haha, sorry, I joke.

But just because Apple, Samsung, and the rest of them release new phones, doesn’t mean you need to buy them, any more than you need to buy a new car just because it’s the new model year.

Not just about saving money

Here’s the thing: obviously you can save tons of money by not buying a new phone every two years, or not renting one for eternity.

But saving money isn’t always the point. The bigger point is about spending money on what’s important to you.

If you love tech, savor the release of the newest things, and it brings you joy, then I can’t really see anything wrong with buying a new phone all the time. I know someone who buys the newest iPhone every single time one comes out. He loves it, and he has the money to do so. Good on him.

But I think for most people, we can easily get stuck in a rut of consumerism, buying it because that’s what “they say” you should do. And for a long time, it made sense to upgrade, so it’s easy to forget that that’s no longer the case.

You can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by keeping your phone for years instead of replacing it after two. But now, you have the ability to spend that money on something that truly matters to you. That seems even more worthwhile to me.