Traveler Tech: $1000 iPhone 8 vs. $90 Battery for iPhone 6

My gear lust has slowed over time but it has not stopped. That’s why I glanced at the new iPhone 8 coming out next week and nearly lost it when I saw the intended price tag. I thought $600 was way too much to pay for an iPhone 6 almost three years ago and now they want $1000 for the BASE model. Whoa now.

But yeah, it has some new cool stuff! And the screen (that will likely crack at some point) and 4K video and the flash is now ABOVE the lens!!! (BTW: This is what ALL cameras did until they put phones in cameras, with maybe the exception of some 110 film cameras.) It will have improved Siri, they say, and wireless charging and face detection and and and….who gives a rip!

If you’re into traveling and thinking of buying a new iPhone, I’d suggest skipping this phone. It’s the semi-painful choice I made as I was facing an iPhone 6 that was not charging right and I knew the battery was almost toast (it would shut off at 26% battery for no reason). I use “things breaking” as a reason to upgrade often. Or, if a new device truly delivers superior performance to justify the cost, as in my upgrade to the Canon 7D Mark II, I will cry a little as my bank account dips (or my credit card balance goes up) and move on with my life.

But $1000 for the base model? Ouch! If your phone is toast, go for it. Or better yet, go over to Amazon and get an iPhone 6 for $300 (or even less if you hunt around on eBay) and use the $700 you saved to book a trip. You’ll get way more out of $700 travel than you would putting that money into technology.

Maybe in a year that used phone will need a new battery ($90 in just about any mall to have replaced, or do it yourself), but that’s about it. I’d caution about going any further back than the 6 as Apple has a way of making hardware obsolete with newer software.

This begs the question: If your phone is working just fine, but might not be as cool as someone else’s phone (case in point, my wife’s phone is cooler than mine), would you be willing to forego $700 worth of travel, or $900 worth of travel, just to get something cooler? How will it make your life better as travel does?

2 Replies to “Traveler Tech: $1000 iPhone 8 vs. $90 Battery for iPhone 6”

  1. Michael Russell

    I remain satisfied with my iPhone 4 I got used from a friend for free. I can understand (to a degree) paying that much for what people essentially use as a computer replacement, especially if they don’t have a laptop too.

    Reply

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