I was recently asked the best place to buy a new iPhone, and my immediate response was, “Nowhere. Don’t buy an iPhone.” Before anyone accuses me of being an Android fanboy, please remember that I do not hate the iPhone. What I do hate is seeing people waste money. Simply put, right now, the iPhone is a terrible purchase.
Somewhere beneath their piles of money, Apple says “Say WHAT?”
Not everyone is going to agree with this, popular tech website The Verge being one stand-out example. Today, the iPhone showed up on the publication’s Best Smartphones: What to Buy on Every Network as a good purchase on not just one, but three out of four major networks. I suspect that’s only because you can’t buy an iPhone on T-Mobile. What’s good about the iPhone hasn’t changed. Apple has created a great design, with a stunning Retina display, slick user interface, and a robust ecosystem other handset providers can only dream of. What hasn’t changed is the iPhone’s connectivity options. All three iPhone sporting networks have rolled out or are about to roll out high-speed 4G networks based on LTE technology. PC Magazine did a great breakdown of who is fastest in multiple markets. Clearly, speed is trending.
Pop quiz, hotshot!
When you buy a phone on contract, you’re locked in to your network for two years and presumably to that phone. Committing yourself to a 3G iPhone right now is simply unwise. You can get a quality 4G phone on all three networks for the same price or less. The Verge has the iPhone 4 as a budget pick for Verizon and Sprint at $99; however, Amazon has the Galaxy Nexus — the very phone that The Verge picked as a close second to the Samsung Galaxy S III — for a penny. As for Sprint, there’s the LG Viper that we reviewed. While the Viper isn’t awesome, it’s certainly a better value than the iPhone if your concern is budget. As for the iPhone 4S being a best buy on AT&T, I find that almost laughable on a network that has the HTC One X, the Samsung Galaxy S III, and the Galaxy Note.
If you simply must have an iPhone, do yourself a favor and wait. We’re likely only months away from the unveiling of an iPhone LTE. How badly would you regret being tied to a slow, older iPhone when that happens? Remember, a cellphone is a commitment. Think before you say iDo.
That’s OK, i’ll just steal my wife’s upgrade in November, and she can have my iPhone 4s…