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Is an iPhone worth buying?

CookieMonster.x

I am thinking of buying an iPhone and was wondering whether its worth the money or not. I don't know much about phones and all the specifications so I was hoping someone could give me advice.
At the moment I have an 8gb iPod touch (2/3 years old). I hate having so little memory as I can't download any new apps and have to delete things all the time. I was going to buy a new iPod a while ago but then I thought that an iPhone might be better. I guess it would be handy for school/college and then I also like to go for runs and track them on my sister's phone with GPS. There are a few things on my mind though.
1. The battery. My sister has to charge her iPhone 4 every night as does my friend. My iPod's charge is very bad also and apps or using the Internet really drains it. I don't want to be charging it all the time.
2. What size would be best? I was thinking either the 34 gb or 64 gb but both are very expensive (€850 for the dearer one!). I would obviously have my messages and contacts and then apps and music as well.
3. Which is the best network for the best plan? My sister gets free texts and unlimited data for €20 a month. Is this a good deal or could you get better?
Sorry that this is really long, I hope someone can help! I've heard android is better but I don't really know anything about it, not sure I like the look of it!
Thank you!
(Tl;dr: should I buy and iPhone, which size and which price plan should I get)

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Armonline

Don't buy for next month as new iPhones will be released in early sept

GorillaRising

Well it sounds like you need a smartphone anyway!

The higher end Android phones have better hardware (quad core processors etc), whether they're better from a usage point of view depends on your needs.

I like what you can do with Android, customization wise and the way you can set default apps to open pictures, for example.

I use an iPhone because I much prefer iOS to Android. It's cleaner looking and simpler, which I like.

Also, icloud works brilliants between iOS devices.

I'd wouldn't pay 850e for any phone. With cloud storage 16GB does me fine - I use Google music for music - there are threads on it here you should check out.

The Galaxy phones (S3 and 4 for sure) have expandable memory so you could get a 16GB handset and put an extra 64GB (micro sd card) in the back of it.

With any smarthphone, you'll need to charge it each night if you're going to be out all the next day.

I've found the battery on the 4/4s to be brilliant (never owned an iPhone 5). Galaxy S3 has a great battery too, but to be sure, you still might want to charge them each night.

A few things to think about.

mathepac

... 1. The battery. ...

Battery life is a function of usage / type of usage. Heavy use = short life.

... 2. What size would be best? ...

I'd suggest that bigger is always better, but the downside to that is bigger means less time spent housekeeping so junk accumulates to fill available space. A suggestion is to download (free) PhoneClean and run it regularly on your iPhone/iPad/Pod touch to free up wasted space.

... 3. Which is the best network for the best plan? ...

I'd suggest TescoMobile. I get:

Unlimited free calls to Irish mobile & landline numbers (no premium numbers 1850/1890/ etc.)
Unlimited texts
1c / minute calls to 127 countries
15 GB / month data
Tethering allowed
All for €35 / month bill-pay, but no lengthy contract (30 days)

That might mean having to buy a SIM-free iPhone from Apple but I think there is great benefit in that.

HTH. Happy iPhoning

Sorry - my deal was SIM-only @ 35/month. The current offering is slightly different - see here.

TBi

If you buy any phone then buy it outright, if you get a contract then the cost of the phone will just be included in the contract. You'll be paying for it anyway, just over a longer time.

I'd wait a month until the new iPhones come out in Sept, that will drive the price of current models down.

Another option is Windows Phone 8. The samsung Ativ S is similar in shape to the Galaxy S3 but runs WP8 and can be got for about 250euro. It can take a 32GB memory card for extra storage. Nokia Phones are excellent too.

I stay away from Android, it gets better with every release but i'm not a fan of it.

Dudda

I'll just concentrate on the storage of the phone in this reply.
Do you buy your music or pirate it? That could determine how much space you need on your phone.

I'll presume you purchase some music.
Streaming music is becoming incredibly popular. Spotify, Google Music, Rdio, and even Apple has its own streaming music coming soon. Without going into too much detail or comparing them you pay a set monthly fee and can listen to millions of tracks. The problem is your streaming them and this can eat into your data. A lot of people have wifi at home and at work/college and others have unlimited data plans so streaming lots of music isn't an issue. Most of these music services allow you to store music for when you've no Internet connection. eg Google Music caches your favorite and most listened too tracks but as it's only a fraction of a huge music collection that's stored on your phone you don't use near as much storage. They also let you upload tracks to your account they may not have in their vast catalogue. At less than 10 euro a month it can work out great for people who purchase a lot of music.

The other thing a lot of smartphone users do is use online backup storage to iCloud, Dropbox, Google or even Facebook for photos and other data. This is excellent if you ever lose or change your phone as you don't lose your photos but it also clears up loads of space on your phone.

With your current iPod Touch I'd suggest you use the spotify (or another service) one month free trial and see how that works out for you while your deciding what phone to get. If you end up liking the streaming music service then you may not have to pay the extra premium on additional storage for your new phone.

Piliger

OP - As a serial iPhone owner and a present iPhone5 owner, I don't think an iPhone is the best buy for you at all. You should get a fairly cheap 32Gb android smart phone or one that will take an extra memory card.

You should also be on the 48 network. €10 or so for unlimited calls and texts.

Eire Go Brach

I love my iPhone. Is it worth buying? Yes. is it value for money? No

The new cheap iPhone might be a good purchase for you. So I would wait.

I have a 64gb phone I have over 35 gb of music. My next iPhone will be a 16 or 32gb. I just can't afford the bigger ones any more. With iTunes plus and the cloud you don't really need as much stoarage. I have wifi in work and home. So plan on just having a few albums on my phone at a time.

TBi

Eire Go Brach wrote: »

I love my iPhone. Is it worth buying? Yes. is it value for money? No

You are paying for the service that comes with it. If something happens your iPhone you'll get way better support than you would with other competing companies. Also competing high end phones are similar in price.

Joe10000

Like everything else it depends on whether it is a big or small purchase but with regards to battery I charge my iPhone 5 overnight and with heavyish use it's dead by lunchtime.

topcatcbr

If you like the apps on your touch and use many of them Theban iPhone is worth it.

The apps android phones have are getting better but they seem to work better on iOS. Some apps are iOS only.

Otherwise the only other reason for an iPhone over android or windows phones is the accessories available. Many more docking stations have connections for iPhone iPod etc than the rest

CookieMonster.x

Thanks for the replies! I like the look of iPhones and iOS (if that's correct) but I don't know if I love it enough to spend ~ €600 on one. I'd be tied to it for years although I generally keep my phone until it really dies. So now I'm between two minds! I was thinking that because I was going to buy a new, larger iPod a few months ago, buying an iPhone would be a better idea. Don't know if I can justify spending that much money though! I always said I would never buy an iPhone but now I'm actually thinking of it. I might look into Samsung phones too (can you still get google maps say for example and map where you are?).
How much do the phones generally come down when new releases come out? At the moment I'm looking at the 34gb phone which is over €700.. What would be the expected price after the new releases?
Thanks for all the help!

IrishHomer

I think you should get a 32gb iPod touch 5th gen. They are only €259 and it does everything an iPhone does except mobile calls. I use mine like a phone too as it runs Viber, Skype and texting apps. Much better value than €600 or 700 just to have the phone, you could just get a basic phone unlocked for under €25 so your saving €400! If you needed Internet on the go get yourself a mifi and carry that in your pocket and your iPod runs off it. Mifi is just €49

goz83

If I were you, the value would be in the convenience. You like the ipod it seems, but the convenience of having 2 products in 1 is the attraction. I would disagree with an above post that suggests it's better to buy an iPhone outright, because it is a BIG expense for most people. I think bill-pay is better, but that's just my opinion. It brings the phone cost right down.

I have an iPhone 5 and I also have an iPhone 4s for office use. Both are great phones and have really handy functions, especially because I also have an ipad mini. I like the connectivity, the reliability and the style of the iPhones. The price is high, but in my opinion, it's worth it, because if you have problem (especially in year 1) Apple will sort it.

You don't have to get the iPhone 5. You could get a 4s at lower cost. You could wait for the launch of the new iPhone and then get a 4s, or a 5 if you like. I have been an Apple man for over 2 years and I like the products, but they are not cheap. You pay for what you get.

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