Earlier this week, Apple confirmed the widely speculated reports about their new phone lineup, offering two new more traditional phone called the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8+, and the next-generation iPhone X. All of the new models boast great new technology, and it’s made many of our customers already green with envy for those new models. However, before biting the bullet and springing for one of the new phones, here’s a few things you should consider first:
- Consider Last Year’s Model: A lot of the press has been around the new iPhone X which boasts the $1,000 price tag, and makes it out of most people’s budgets. However, you don’t necessarily need the latest & greatest phone in any brand to get a good upgrade. With the addition of these new phones released this week, Apple actually offers 5 different models of the popular iPhone. If you have a dying iPhone 4 or iPhone 5, you’re probably going to be just as happy with an iPhone 6 or iPhone 7, and can pocket the money savings!
- Don’t Skimp On Storage! If you take pictures with your phone, chances are that space on your phone is a premium. If your current device has 16GB or 32GB of storage space, it’s on the small size, and will quickly become out of space with a lot of media or pictures. Our advice: buy the biggest amount of storage space you can afford. You can’t add more later, so the best thing to do is make sure it’s big enough for your needs from the beginning.
- Backup Your Phone & Pictures: Hopefully you’re already doing this, but if not, please make sure you have either a backup in the cloud or a local backup on your machine of all of your data, contacts, pictures, media, etc. In most cases, once you have that data, you can simply restore it all to the new phone, making your transition to the new device much easier. Before you get rid of the old one, back it up!
- Sell Your Old Device: These smartphones are expensive….too expensive to leave sitting in a drawer once you’re done with it. Once you’ve gotten your data off, consider selling it. Sites like Craigslist, Ebay, and even Facebook Swap Sites are hotbeds for old phones, and usually give a good payout, if you’re familiar with online selling. If not, consider selling your phone back to Apple, or Amazon– both of which pay top dollar for these older used devices with minimal disruption on your end. There are also many 3rd party sites, like Gazelle, which are also worth checking to see who will pay you the most for your old phone. Whatever you do….make sure your data is off the machine….and Canyonero can help with that.
- Check Your Cell Phone Plan: It goes without saying, but make sure you’ve done your homework before you get too excited about upgrading. Contact your current carrier and make sure you have an available upgrade, and make sure that by getting your new phone you’re not unwillingly increasing your contract, or making some other costly change. Check to see if your eligible for any plan changes- like moving to a family plan- or if your employer offers a discount. If you have them on the phone, it never hurts to ask if they can make the bill cheaper by moving you to another plan. Lastly, consider switching carriers to get a bigger savings. Many carriers will offer to help pay the early-termination fee if you switch to their company, making it a good way to save money if you’re willing to switch.
