Five Reasons Why the Newest iPhone is Entirely Unnecessary

New looks, updated cameras, more storage—so what! The newest iPhone talks a big game, but it’s nothing you can’t live without—especially if you’re already using an older model.

How do you use your smartphone? You might routinely check your Facebook app, send texts or calls, take pictures of your family members and friends, or set an alarm for the morning. The iPhone 12 has all of these features, but so does the iPhone 6, 7, and 8. Will the iPhone 12 make your pictures look better and help you hit snooze less just because it’s newer? We doubt it.

At the end of the day, an iPhone is an iPhone, and spending $1,000 on the newest model isn’t going to change that. Save your money for a vacation and let us convince you that the new iPhone just isn’t worth it.

Rejecting functional equipment is not normal

Imagine a world where, every year or so, a company designs a new microwave model, with new settings and a glossier handle. With the release of each new microwave, they go to great lengths to advertise just how magnificent their new model will be. They promise that settings like “warm up my tea” and “defrost a single veggie burger” will change the way you heat up food. And so, each year, tempted by the latest in kitchen appliances, people everywhere throw their old, perfectly functional machines in the garbage.

It just doesn’t make sense, does it? And yet, that’s exactly what we’re encouraged to do with our smartphones. New models come out touting bigger and better designs, convincing us that our current phones aren’t good enough any more.

But the truth is, there’s not much a brand new iPhone can give us that we can’t get from a phone we already have, or from a gently used older model. How does saving $750+ sound? Then keep your current phone or shop sustainably by choosing a used model.

You’re not a photographer

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but unless you’re a photographer, it’s probably not worth a thousand dollars. One of the main selling points for newer iPhone models is the upgraded camera. Rumor has it that the new iPhone 12 Pro — which starts at $999 — will have a LiDAR camera that can sense light for better photos.

Well that’s just great — if you’re a professional photographer or a wannabe Instagram influencer. For the rest of us, a ridiculously fancy camera doesn’t seem like a big enough incentive to fork up the money for an upgrade — especially when models like the iPhone 6 are still out there taking perfectly good pictures.

Low batteries and storage aren’t the end of the world

A lot of people think they need to retire their current phone in favor of a brand-new model because of low storage space or a weak battery when, in fact, neither of these things signal the end of a phone’s life.

If your smartphone has been losing its battery charge more quickly, consider planning ahead a little better instead of rushing to buy a new model. Phones can be cased in battery pack cases for an extra power boost. Alternatively, you can keep a portable charger in your bag for when you’re on the go. It’s also possible to have the battery in your phone replaced for significantly less than the cost of the new iPhone. Besides, the iPhone 12 is reported to have a reduced battery capacity, so what good will that do you?

If storage space is your concern, there are similar practical solutions to take. For one thing, you can regularly dump photos and videos from your iPhone onto a computer and back them up there in order to keep the phone free of clutter. You might also be housing more apps than you need. Check your phone’s current storage use by going to Settings, then General, then Storage. There, you’ll see a list of recommendations to free up storage on your phone. Trust us, this method is much simpler and less costly than replacing your phone with the unnecessary iPhone 12.

It’s just another gadget

The media likes to treat iPhones like they’re less of a technology and more of a cult that we need to follow. It’s as though iPhones are leading us into a better future, and the only way to keep up is by buying the latest development.

In reality, an iPhone is just a smartphone, which is just a tiny computer, which is just a gadget like any other. Set the phone out of your mind and consider other gadgets in your house. For instance, you probably have a calculator in the kitchen or office drawer, one that you might use to convert recipes into larger portions, or to balance your checkbook. Do you buy a new calculator every year just because someone designs a new one with a few extra buttons you’ll never use? No! You replace the batteries when needed and keep on keeping on with that same little math machine.

Chances are, the calculator you use has been in the family longer than you can remember. Why should it be different with an iPhone? Like any other device, this little tool is a machine that can last a long time if it’s cared for properly. If it ain’t broke, don’t replace it with an expensive new model for no reason.

There are hundreds of perfectly good iPhone 6s on sale for less

Sometimes things do break, and that’s just a fact of life. But many breaks are fixable. That’s where Sage comes in. We hate to see waste, especially when it’s perfectly good iPhones getting tossed in the garbage like they have nothing left to offer. Instead of throwing out usable iPhones, we take them to get professionally refurbished, unlocked, and cleared of data. Then we clean them, sanitize them, package them up neatly, and sell these like-new phones for a small fraction of the price of the new iPhone.

It’s better for the environment, better for your wallet, and makes more sense all around than waiting in line for the new iPhone with fancy new features that — let’s face it — you probably won’t even notice.

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