Reply To: Apple iphones are overpriced aluminum.
I was very lucky with the iPhones, never paid full price for them (I love a good bargain!), and never had major issues:
- iPhone 4 16gb, cost me EUR 200 (~USD 275) in 2011, used it until the end of 2014, then gave it to my Mum who used it for another couple of years. The home button broke after I gave it to her, but it was still usable with the on-screen one. It’s now in a box somewhere, but still works. The most beautiful iPhone ever made.
- iPhone 5c 16gb, cost me EUR 180 (~USD 230) in 2014, used it for 1 year, my Dad is still using it today.
- iPhone 6 64gb, got it from my Mum in 2016, not sure how much she paid for it, but it wasn’t expensive. Used it for 1 year, then gave it back to her, and she used it until last year. The battery died, but it cost only EUR 50 to replace. Sold it. Least favourite.
- iPhone 7 32gb, cost me EUR 370 (~USD 415) in 2017, used it for 2 years. My Mum has it now.
- iPhone XR 128gb, paid EUR 380 (~USD 420) for it in Dec. 2018, and I’m still using it. iOS 13 is a bit buggy. I found that I prefer this size, I must have dropped the 6 and 7 at least 1000 times, their design was quite ‘slippery’. The XR is much better.
I got them all new from the phone carrier, and pretty much kept the same monthly plan for all this time (that I needed anyway, so I didn’t sign a more expensive contract just to pay less for the phone). They are less and less subsidised now though, so I will probably pay more when I upgrade.
I agree with @bzerk86, if you can afford them and like them/need them, then they are worth it. From my experience, you pretty much know what to expect in terms of durability and usability when you get an iPhone. Apple does screw up from time to time, but in my case it was never bad enough for me to even consider leaving the ecosystem. So far at least.