With all the excitement over the top-selling iPhone 6, here are three big reasons avoiding Apple’s newest phone will be kinder to your wallet.
The iPhone 6 is a beautiful, powerful phone, and until now the biggest reason to avoid buying it was probably time. Apple fans who waited can now get a big price drop. Waiting soothes the budget because the iPhone 6’s price just dropped by 30% to 50% when the iPhone 6s came out on September 9th. However: if you think you might want to buy an iPhone 6s, then don’t buy an iPhone 6. Waiting was also the smart money choice because the iPhone 6 simply didn’t offer enough innovation and improvement over the iPhone 5S to make it worth its $649 price tag. Owners of phones from other makers may still have dollar reasons to avoid the iPhone 6, as many of the Apple phone’s enhancements have been around for years in phones from other manufacturers. Worse, many smartphone companies have moved on, innovating new technologies like wireless charging and water resistance that the iPhone 6 lacks. In other words, if you want the very latest tech, don’t buy an iPhone 6.
These and other reasons below mean the smart money is on resisting the impulse to buy the Apple iPhone 6.
1. Wait and Get the iPhone 6S, or the iPhone 6 a Lot Cheaper
The iPhone 6S released in September of 2015. Traditionally, when a new version of an old product hits the market, the prices for the old models drop. The iPhone is no exception, so if the goal is to get a great Apple phone for the best price, then “don’t buy the iPhone 6” was great advice for those who waited.
Here’s the proof that waiting saves money: The 16GB iPhone 4S originally cost $199 with a two year contract when it was first released in October of 2011. A year later when the iPhone 5 came out, that same iPhone 4S with the same contract cost just $99. That’s 50% less.
The iPhone 6 price drop was similar. On September 9th of 2015, the iPhone 6s came out. On the day that happened, it was temporarily impossible to buy an iPhone 6 on Apple’s site. When the “buy” option came back, the iPhone 6 price drop was $100.
iPhone 6 Price Drop
| iPhone 6 Price Drop (4.7 inch, 16GB) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 6 Price 9/8/2015 | iPhone 6 Price 9/9/2015 | iPhone 6 Price Drop | % Savings | |
| Under Contract | $199 | $99 | $100 | 50.25% |
| No Contract | $649 | $549 | $100 | 15.41% |
Want to save even more? While there’s no way to be 100% certain the iPhone 6 price will drop again in 2016, it’s a fairly safe bet. Don’t buy the iPhone 6 until the iPhone 7 comes out if you’d rather not pay more than you have to.
The iPhone 6’s Improvements Don’t Justify the Cost
Another money reason to hold off on buying an iPhone 6 is to get what you pay for. The iPhone 6 just doesn’t have enough improvements over old versions to make it worth the extra money. Don’t buy the iPhone 6 unless you want to shell out more for:
- The same 8 megapixel camera with 1.5µ pixels.
- The same battery life. At 4LTE speeds, the iPhone 6’s battery doesn’t last any longer than the iPhone 5S’s battery.
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What protruding camera? It looks just fine in the marketing images.
Uninspired design. Chief design complaints with the iPhone 6 are that the camera sticks out, making it snag on pockets and preventing the phone from laying flat. While some may call this nit-picking, reviewers have pointed out that Apple seems to hide the protruding camera in its marketing materials. Not much of an improvement over the iPhone 5S.
Those thinking about switching from other phone platforms could apply the same reasoning. Most of the new features of the iPhone 6 plus may be new to Apple, but not to devices from other phone makers. “New” features that previously existed in phones from other developers include:
- 750p resolution
- A 4.7 inch screen
- 3rd party keyboards
- NFC payments
- Battery statistics
The iPhone 6 looks a lot more like a Samsung phone than the iPhone 5 did.
Another thing that might make switching to iPhone a poor value is the design. The iPhone 6 looks a lot less unique and a lot more like a Samsung phone than its predecessors. If you’re looking for a phone that doesn’t look like all the others, don’t buy the iPhone 6. While some may say design is secondary and a phone is really about function, Apple has long prided itself on its unique designs.
Knowing all this, Apple also must know it has to come up with some solid innovations with the next version of the iPhone, the iPhone 6s, to get its loyal customers to part with another $650 or so out of contract. That’s yet another reason to hang onto your money for now.
2. Other Phones Have Better Features for the Same Price or Less
Don’t buy the iPhone 6 if you’re looking for features other phones have, including:
- The iPhone 6 isn’t water resistant
- The iPhone 6 has no memory card slot
- The 750p screen resolution on the iPhone 6 is surpassed by many other devices
- Some smartphones have better camera resolution than the iPhone 6
- The iPhone 6 has no wireless charging option
- Battery life on the iPhone 6 is lower than some other smartphones
Water Resistance
While the iPhone 6 isn’t water resistant, several other phones are, including the Samsung Galaxy S5, one of the best waterproof smartphones of 2014. The S5 costs $579.99 without a contract, $70 less than the iPhone 6. If water resistance is a must, then don’t buy the iPhone 6.
Memory Card Slot
The iPhone’s lack of a memory card slot deprives users of the ability to increase the phone’s memory. SanDisk offers a 200GB MicroSD card that will let users of phones like the new HTC One M9 store an incredible 20 hours of full HD video. Other phones that can accommodate the card and other similar cards include the Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 4 and the LG G3. The iPhone 6’s memory capacity meanwhile maxes out at a good but not expandable 128GB. T-Mobile sells the LG G3 for $449.76 without a contract. That’s $200 less than the iPhone 6. If a missing memory card slot is a deal breaker, don’t buy the iPhone 6.
The iPhone 6’s screen resolution is nice, but several other phones have better resolution for cheaper.
Screen Resolution
The LG G3 boasts incredibly sharp 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution for 30% less money. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 1,080p display and costs 10% less. Both smartphones outdo the iPhone 6’s screen resolution with room to spare. Looking for the best screen resolution? Then don’t buy the iPhone 6.
Camera Resolution
The Samsung Galaxy S5’s 16 megapixel camera easily outguns the iPhone 6 camera’s pixel rating of 8 megapixels. While pixel size isn’t everything, the Galaxy S6 camera’s image quality, also at 16 megapixels, outdoes the iPhone 6 camera in side by side tests. The S5 is $70 cheaper than the iPhone 6. While the S6 can cost $30 more depending on the vendor, the 5% price boost may be worth it to some buyers. Need the best phone camera on the market? Don’t buy the iPhone 6.
Battery Life
Do a search for “smartphones longest battery life” and you’ll turn up several side-by-side tests where the iPhone 6 doesn’t even make the top ten. Phones rated higher in terms of battery life include the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Sony Xperia M2, Nokia Lumia 635, LG G Vista and several more. The Nokia Lumia 635 retails for $49 without a contract. That’s $600 less than the iPhone 6. While nobody buys phones based on battery life alone and while the iPhone beats the 635 in several other categories, the takeaway here is that the iPhone 6 lags plenty of other smartphones where battery life is concerned. If you need all the battery life you can get, don’t buy the iPhone 6.
The LG G3 has wireless charging. An added feature for $200 less than the iPhone 6.
Wireless Charging
There’s no doubt cables are a hassle, and ever since Nikola Tesla bragged that he could split the Earth the dream of drawing electricity from the air has given us goosebumps. While some smartphones have brought this dream closer to reality, the iPhone 6 can’t charge without plugging in. HTC, LG, Google, Motorola, Samsung and Sony all offer phones that can recharge wirelessly. The Google Nexus 6 matches the iPhone 6’s $649 price. Don’t buy the iPhone 6 if you want wireless charging.
3. A Smaller iPhone 6 Might Be Coming
Rumors are pointing to the possibility of a comeback for the 4 inch iPhone screen, either for the new iPhone 6s or the iPhone 7. Those who want the new features of the iPhone 6 without the increased size can save money by waiting for the smaller model. While bigger smartphone screens have found popularity in the market, some customers do prefer smaller phone sizes. Don’t buy an iPhone 6 if you think giant phones are goofy. Some complaints about bigger phones claim anything larger than a thumb-reach goes against common sense, including this promo for the iPhone 5:
While the iPhone 6 does have Apple’s Reachability feature that improves one-handed operation, some have complained the feature has to be re-activated multiple times during use, making it inconvenient. If you’re hoping to avoid this frustration, don’t buy an iPhone 6.
Still want to buy the iPhone 6? We don’t blame you. It’s a beautiful device, quite powerful and it gets high user reviews. To help you afford it, here’s an article on seven excellent iPhone budgeting apps.