No!
Okay, that’s not entirely accurate for everyone, but for most, it’s that simple. Keep your current iPhone or Android phone. However, if you fit one of the following situations, it might be worth an upgrade.
iPhone 14 Replacing a Broken Phone
My wife uses an iPhone 8 Plus, and she’s happy with it except for two problems. First, the fingerprint reader doesn’t seem to work consistently, and her battery only lasts about 8 hours before she must recharge it.
Because her phone doesn’t work great, she will get my iPhone 13 Pro Max, and I’ll get the iPhone 14 Pro Max. She’s happy with that, so don’t complain that I’m giving her the leftovers. We do technology-hand-me-down all the time because I love having the latest and greatest, and she loves having devices that work.
Subscribe to iPhone Upgrade Program
Some of us love owning the latest and greatest technology. Apple caters to us with what they call the iPhone Upgrade Program. I joined this upgrade program this year. Here’s what I’m getting…
- Get a new phone every year – 14 this year and the 15 next year and so on
- Apple Care+ is included
- Pay monthly with no interest and trade it in after 12 payments
- Use the phone with your carrier so long as it’s one of the big four (AT&T, Sprint/T-Mobile, T-Moble, and Verizon
You don’t have to upgrade if you entered the program last year or the previous year, but you might as well since you’re getting the new phone for the same basic monthly payment.
How much does the Apple iPhone Upgrade Program cost? Here’s the breakdown based on which model of iPhone 14 you buy.
- iPhone 14 – 128GB – $39.50, 256GB – $43.66, 512GB – $52.00
- iPhone 14 Plus – 128GB – $44.91, 256GB – $57.41, 512GB – $52.00
- iPhone 14 Pro – 128GB – $49.91, 256GB – $54.08, 512GB – $62.41, 1TB – $70.75
- iPhone 14 Pro Max – 128GB – $54.08, 256GB – $58.25, 512GB – $66.58, 1TB – $74.91
iPhone 14 Features Make Upgrading Worth It
The iPhone 14 doesn’t add many new features, but you will get a few. Here’s a list of what’s new. You might want to upgrade if one of these looks compelling enough.
- Dynamic Island – instead of a notch or a hole where the camera would go, Apple created a wide pill shaped black part that encapsulates the front camera and sensors, but also dynamically changes to show notifications. It looks cool and you have to see it to understand what it really is.
- Longer battery life – Apple promises a little bit longer battery life with iPhone 14.
- Emergency SOS using Satellite Tech – send a brief text message to emergency services when you’re out of coverage, and it will connect over Satellite. If you’re often outside a cellular coverage area, this might make an upgrade to the iPhone 14 worth it.
- Improved Camera Features – iPhone buyers count on camera improvements each year. You’ll get a number of improvements like better low-light images and more colorful pics. A 48-megapixel sensor potentially brings more detail and lets the camera stabilize shots better as it can zoom.
- The front selfie camera now has autofocus – people who take a lot of selfies or just use the front camera will love this.
- Faster processor – this matters most to gamers or people who edit photos and videos on the phone.
- Always on Display – the new iPhone 14 has a display that stays on but still doesn’t use up too much battery life since it lowers the refresh rate to almost nothing.
- Widgets on the Lock Screen – you can get widgets on your lock screen, most from built-in Apple apps like their Weather app or activity apps.
You’ll get a few more features, but we’ve touched on the highlights above. That’s not a lot, so most people shouldn’t bother with an upgrade. However, you might see something on the list that will improve your quality of life or work, making the upgrade worth the expense and effort.
You Give More than Ten Percent to Church and Charity
You won’t see church and charity listed on any other tech enthusiast site. However, we need to consider this as Christians or people of faith. If you are a follower of Jesus or even a member of another faith, then you likely have an expectation that you give to help those in need or support your church.
Too many people spend too much money on themselves before giving to others. Traditional Christian churches believe in what’s called tithing. I know not all believe this, but we should believe in being generous because of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8:
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8, NKJV
God Wants to Bless You
Give and God will bless you. We’re not saying he’ll make you rich like the prosperity Gospel crowd who lie to con you out of your money. We’re talking about God’s promise to help you take care of your needs, shower you with his blessing of pleasure in your good works, and storing up treasures in heaven where moths and rust won’t destroy.
I don’t know if moths can destroy an iPhone 14, but I do know falls from 6 feet or higher, extreme heat, and general wear and tear can destroy any of Apple’s products. Resist the temptation to upgrade if you’re not giving generously. Then only upgrade if one of the above reasons applies to you.
It would be interesting to see a study done to find out how many people upgrade every year do so out of any kind of need or just out of want.
