Last year, I watched my first iPhone launch cycle on Engadget and the fanfare of it all got me hooked. It seemed like I couldn’t call myself a respected member of the tech world if I didn’t own some shiny new technology. So I went to the Apple Store on the iPhone 15’s opening weekend and put my name down to buy one.
As I waited for my turn, I played around with the display model. Holding it up against my iPhone 11, my excitement waned. A shiny grid of apps, softly rounded corners, a button on the right, two buttons, and a toggle on the left…these two phones were so similar. Sure, the pill-shaped thing on the screen was new, but, so what?
Rather than spend more money, I walked out of the store with my old phone. A year later, as the iPhone 16 event approached this week, the thought of upgrading my phone didn’t cross my mind. I was more concerned about the real-time transcription capabilities I’d need to help cover the event.
But then Apple announced a brand new feature for the iPhone 16. While rumors had suggested that the DSLR-like focus button (now known as Camera Control) would only be on the Pro models, every iPhone announced this year actually has this new thing.
And the 15 Pro’s action button will now be on the base model as well. Additionally, there’s a new “Fusion Camera” that combines a 48MP sensor with a 2x telephoto lens. I don’t know what that means exactly, but anything that can help me take better photos of cityscapes is a plus.
Of course, the new button was likely added because it will serve as the interface for October’s upcoming Visual Intelligence, Apple’s AI-fueled feature that interprets the real world through the lens of Apple intelligence. Given that shareholders insist that AI should be part of everything, it’s not surprising that Apple’s best-selling product will have all the necessary tools to fully embrace the technology. AI isn’t something I need, but two new buttons? And one that potentially sounds pretty cool? That’s enough to entice me to upgrade.
I don’t shop too much. I wear six-year-old T-shirts, I own seven pairs of shoes and I still have an iPhone 11. I’m not proud of these facts; the experience of buying a new thing often leaves me cold, especially when the stuff I already have still works just fine.
So far, every iPhone I’ve replaced has had a good reason: after three years, my iPhone 3GS’s battery stopped holding a charge. After the same amount of time, my iPhone 7 became so slow that I’d forget what I was trying to do before the app even opened.
Conspiracy theories once abounded that Apple deliberately built planned obsolescence into its handsets, but I think a more sensible reason was that battery and chip technology just weren’t at the level they are now. With the release of iOS 17, Apple discontinued feature update support for the iPhone 8, but a security update was released just last month. That’s about seven years of reasonable use (and I have family members who have iPhone 8s, who aren’t planning to upgrade anytime soon).
I got my iPhone 11 in early 2020 and four and a half years later, it’s still a perfectly functional device. I can play my everyday games, waste time on Reddit, keep in touch with my friends and family using their preferred methods and take photos of tall buildings and overhead wires that come out pretty good. The battery won’t last all day if I rely too much on navigation, though that’s not a big problem for me – I have plenty of power banks that will never cause the phone to die. But it won’t last forever.
The new iPhone 16 costs $799 — the same as the iPhone 15 — and comes in a new Ultramarine color. It’s the kind of purplish royal blue I’m very drawn to and it represents exactly the kind of unnecessary, consumerist frivolity that provokes post-purchase disappointment. But it’s pretty! Granted, I’ll never get to see that deep, blue-hour color again. As soon as I get this new phone, I’ll put it straight into a case, where it will stay until I next upgrade — probably around 2030.