Thinking About Upgrading Your iPhone? What You Want to Know Before You Do…

New Features Are Great—But They Might Not Change Your Life

Unless you are someone who always has to have the latest and greatest of everything, you would probably like to stretch your iPhone model for as long as you can.

These ­tiny computers are not exactly cheap, so buying a new model every year seems like an exhausting proposal. While the minor upgrades that Apple makes every year are pretty negligible from one model to the next, you will feel like you are dealing with an entirely new manufacturer if you are leapfrogging multiple models.

If you are thinking about upgrading your iPhone to a newer model and are worried or not sure if it is worth it, consider these common upgrades and the changes you will see with them.

Upgrading from a iPhone 6s to an iPhone 11

Battery

All batteries lose capacity over time, so, likely, your 6s doesn’t hold a charge like it used to. Having a new and upgraded battery that is meant to handle all the improvements of the 11 will mean that your battery will last longer.

Camera

The camera is arguably the most significant upgrade of any phone model, and you will notice a considerable difference in quality from the 6s to the 11. The most significant difference here is the iPhone 11’s two rear-facing cameras with wide and ultra-wide lenses for more definition and better zoom.

Processor

An upgraded processor is par for the course with any computer upgrade, and you will notice that your new phone is faster and more powerful than the 6s.

Color Options

The iPhone 11 has six colors to choose from, whereas the 6s only had four, and two of those were variations of gold.

Sleeker Design

The bezel on the iPhone 11 is much more subtle, and the home button is gone, making the iPhone 11 a much sleeker design than the 6s.

Biometrics

The iPhone 11 ditches the home button and replaces it with new gestures to navigate between apps and screens. In addition, your biometrics are replaced with your facial recognition versus your fingerprint.

Upgrading from an iPhone 8 to a iPhone 12

Battery

Although the battery isn’t incredibly improved between the 8 and 12, you will notice a slightly longer battery life, especially since your iPhone 8 battery has probably been declining for a while.

Processor

The processor in the iPhone 12 is a step up from the 8, but you will likely not notice a significant difference in operation.

Camera

The camera has a noticeable upgrade as the iPhone 8 goes from a single rear camera to a dual camera in the 12. An increase in megapixels, the addition of the ultrawide lens, and extra features like portrait mode will make a massive difference with your upgrade.

Display

The most significant change you will see between these two models is the display. Not only will you ditch the home button, but you will leave behind the LCD screen for OLED, which has deeper blacks and better contrast for a crisper picture. It may not be something that you will notice while texting, but if you enjoy watching any media on your phone, it is like upgrading your TV from a 1080p to a 4K television.

5G Compatibility

5G has just rolled out nationwide, and people are enjoying the lightning-fast speeds. The iPhone 12 is equipped to receive 5G signals, while the 8 will still only get LTE at best.

Upgrading from an iPhone 11 to a iPhone 13

Battery

You will see slightly better function from an updated battery in a newer phone, but the difference is negligible because none of us are too far from a charger anymore. The iPhone 11 is also a great candidate for a battery replacement if you want to refresh your battery life without upgrading to a new device.

Processor

While the iPhone 11 is only a few years old and most likely running pretty smoothly, savvy phone users will notice faster refresh speeds.

Camera

The iPhone 13, like its predecessors, saw an upgrade in the camera. However, the iPhone 13s camera improvements come more in video form with cinematic mode and Dolby Vision HDR recording.

5G Compatibility

The iPhone 11 is missing the 5G compatibility that wasn’t important until the recent nationwide rollout of 5G.

The Breakdown

Apart from having 5G connectivity and a more impressive camera, iPhone 11 owners may not see a need to upgrade quite yet. The one argument against that is we live in a mobile world where everything is recorded, and picture quality matters more than ever whether you are an influencer or happen to catch a newsworthy story on your phone.

Like many people now, if you rely on your phone as your means of internet connectivity, then switching to a 5G phone is a good investment.

Moving from the 8 to the 12 will be a bit of a shock for those who are used to their home button. There have been several improvements with hardware and software over the four-year gap, and users will notice the difference. Upgrading from the 8 to the 12 gives you all the modern iPhone benefits but saves you some money by purchasing a slightly older model.

Upgrading from a 6s to an 11 is almost a necessity at this point. The 6s can’t run the newest iOS, and it is missing much of the hardware that makes newer iPhone models so great.

Additional Reading: Why It’s Important to Update Your iPhone Software

It will be a significant adjustment, but after the initial learning curve, you will love all of the features that new iPhones offer, and it is still a later model, so it will cost less than upgrading to the newest model available.

Why Does Apple Put Out a New Phone Every Year?

There are two answers to this question, one more cynical than the other:

1. To capitalize on the fear of missing out. They know that a particular group of people will always need the newest of everything, so pumping out a phone every year keeps their profits up.

2. Technological innovation is moving at a faster pace than it ever has before, so while some would argue that the upgrades aren’t too impressive for every new model, each phone is actually better than the last.

Is It Time?

If your phone seems to be running slower than it used to, or you notice that you don’t have as many cool features as your friend’s iPhones, it may be time to upgrade.

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of your mobile provider trying to change your plan or talk you into something you don’t need, come to Gophermods, where we have many generations of iPhones for sale at our Minneapolis stores. We also buyback iPhones and can be your one stop shop for all your iPhone support needs.

Our expert technicians will be able to answer any questions you have about your upgrade and give you peace of mind that you are making the right choice.