Glossy marketing, contract agreements, and societal pressures make it appealing to swap out your iPhone every few years, but typically you don't need to. This not only wastes your money but also harms the environment and can lead to regret once you realize the new model isn't all that different.

If you're pondering whether to upgrade your iPhone, there are generally only four solid reasons to do so.

1 It's Irreparable

This might seem straightforward, yet there are some subtleties to think about. That's because quite often, it's smarter to fix your iPhone rather than replace it.

Should you have a shattered screen, an aged battery, a problematic charging port, or even a faulty camera, you should definitely explore getting your iPhone repaired prior to opting for an upgrade. Depending on the issue, it might cost a few hundred dollars, but that could extend the life of your iPhone significantly and save you spending five times that on a new model.

Specifically concerning battery replacements, you might be astonished at how much of a difference it can make. Not only will it keep your phone powered for longer, but a fresh battery can also speed up your iPhone.

You can even cut costs by attempting most repairs yourself with a kit from a place like iFixit or by utilizing Apple's Self Repair Program.

Related ##### How to Repair Your Own iPhone

Repair your own iPhone using Apple's Self Repair Program or iFixit's library of guides and store full of parts.

PostsEven if your iPhone fails to turn on entirely, you should let a technician inspect it.

When I worked at an Apple Store, I frequently encountered customers who believed their dead iPhone had become nothing more than a paperweight due to pocket lint clogging their charging port. After we safely cleared the port for them, the iPhone charged up and functioned perfectly. It didn't cost them anything, and it prevented them from purchasing a brand new phone.

That said, there are instances where a phone has so many issues—or repairing a problem costs so much—that you're clearly better off with a new device. This often happens with water damage, which affects so many hardware components that Apple doesn't even attempt repairs (instead offering replacement handsets at a high fee).

If your iPhone is genuinely beyond repair—and you're certain it can't be fixed affordably—then that's certainly a valid reason to upgrade to a new one.

2 It's Excessively Slow

An aging iPhone can be a real hassle to use if it's running too slowly. Launching apps takes ages, let alone switching between them, opening the camera, or performing any moderately complex task.

As the processor within your phone ages, and Apple continues to release more demanding software updates, all iPhones will eventually reach the point where they're painfully slow to operate. That's a legitimate reason to upgrade your phone, but only if you've taken some reasonable steps to try speeding it up first.

Related ##### How to Speed Up a Slow iPhone

Whether your iPhone is old or new, there may be something you can do to enhance its performance.

PostsMany software issues that slow down your iPhone are easy to resolve yourself, free of charge.

The first step is to ensure you haven't run out of storage. You can check this by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Ideally, you'll always have at least 10% of the space free on your phone, otherwise it'll slow down drastically. If you don't have that much free, clear some stuff out to test it.

Normally, closing background apps and processes doesn't affect how your phone runs (or how much battery it uses). However, if your iPhone is unbearably slow, something might have malfunctioned in the background causing this issue. Try closing every app, then restarting your iPhone to see if it helps.

Also, be mindful of mistaking slow internet speeds for a slow iPhone. Unless an upgrade will allow you to switch from 3G to 4G (or even all the way to 5G), then a new device won't solve this. While we're discussing slow internet browsing, close any additional open tabs you have as well.

It's also worth noting that a degraded battery can make your iPhone sluggish too. Check it by going to Settings > Battery. You might be able to address the speed issues—and improve your battery life—by replacing the battery rather than the entire phone.

Lastly, check if there are new software updates available. It's possible that a software bug has slowed down your iPhone and the next update will fix it. This is a bit of a double-edged sword because major new iOS updates can often cause older iPhones to slow down, but I always recommend updating for the security patches, so it's worth the risk.

3 You Require More Storage

Apple has sold many iPhones with minimal storage options, likely hoping the low price point would attract people before they pay more for extra space. Until recently, you could still purchase a new iPhone with just 64GB of internal storage; this despite needing around 10GB for the operating system and keeping another 10% free to maintain smooth phone operation.

With the growing size of apps and media, it's surprising how quickly you can fill up an iPhone's storage. Your photo library grows larger each year, and many popular apps take up half a gigabyte or more.

If you've reached the point where every time you need to record a video or download an app, you first have to dive into your settings to clear some space, it's time to make a change. You could try the standard space-saving tips, like trimming your photo library, offloading apps, and deleting media, but these methods will only take you so far.

You can't add an SD card to your iPhone for more storage, but you can expand it with cloud storage. I'm a strong supporter of iCloud—I've subscribed to the 2TB tier for years—as it allows me to keep my extensive photo library in the cloud, freeing up space on my iPhone without losing access to it.

Cloud storage isn't suitable for everyone, though. If you need more space, but you don't trust the cloud or want another subscription, then upgrading your iPhone is your only option.

Related ##### I’ve Paid for iCloud Storage for Years, Here’s Why I Don’t Regret It

Forget Netflix and Game Pass, this is my most valuable subscription.

Posts 1 4 You Can't Update Anymore ----------------------------

Holding an iPhone as it updates The most frequent reason people feel compelled to upgrade their iPhone is when it no longer receives software updates. Now, I'm not referring to the large, flashy iOS releases we get annually—it's perfectly fine to miss out on those—but the smaller security updates that continue to roll out for years following each release.

It can be frustrating to miss out on big new features from a new version of iOS, placing apps anywhere in iOS 18, but most of these only marginally enhance the iPhone experience these days, and none of them are essential. Even the key features of a new version of iOS aren't always worth using at all, which is why I quickly disabled Apple Intelligence.

However, when your iPhone stops receiving security updates, it becomes risky. You could get hacked, hit by malware, or encounter phone-breaking bugs. At this point, you'll also find that many third-party apps no longer work on your phone, which is a reason to upgrade in itself.

Related ##### How to Make Your iPhone as Secure as Possible

Lock down your iPhone with these settings.

Posts 2 To check if your iPhone can still receive security updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update. If there are any available updates, make sure you install them. Then go to the Wikipedia page for that version of iOS and check the support status in the sidebar.

You might hesitate to install the next big version of iOS for fear of it slowing down your iPhone. That's a valid concern and a real risk, but the problem is that Apple stops providing software updates to phones that choose to remain on an older version, so you don't have a choice. Even if older models are still getting security updates on iOS 16, you won't receive any of them if you have the option to update to iOS 17 or 18.

At the time of writing, any iPhone running iOS 14 or older no longer receives security updates. If that's the latest update your phone can handle, then it's

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