Right, I've got to do this. My iPhone 4S, which has mostly served me OK for three years really does struggle. It's slow; it crashes regularly; it doesn't roam; and worst of all, sometimes it takes too long to answer when it rings that the caller has disappeared. It's currently running iOS 7, and I see 9 has now been launched which surely won't help... and inevitably apps will cease to function on 7.
So, it's approaching time for something new, but what to replace it with?
The new iPhone 6S is the obvious thing... but £550? And I don't really want anything much larger than the current one. So, what to do?
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The answer partly depends on whether you want to stay with an iPhone. If Android phones are in scope, there's plenty around the size you're after.
If it has to be an iPhone, then maybe an iPhone 5S? It will be a bit bigger (but the 4.7" screen will be an improvement IMO) but should be a step up. The iPhone 6 is probably going to cost close to the 6S. I'd avoid anything with 16GB of storage.
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There's no point in buying a 5S. Or indeed a 6. These things have historically had a life of 3-4 years from issue. To buy a 5S means you're buying something that's more than half way through its useful life. I was amazed to see somebody on another thread had bought a 4S!
>> I'd avoid anything with 16GB of storage.
I've never got anywhere near filling it, so I don't care.
It doesn't have to be an iPhone. I fear that it might be a bit likely to be that 6S, but it's an enormous amount of dosh.
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I don't understand the problem with a previous-generation iPhone - at the right price, of course. I'm tapping this into a white 4S that I got 18 months ago and it does me fine - with one exception that I'll mention in a moment. It's running 7.1-something, and I've yet to find an app I wanted that it couldn't run. (Compare that with the 3G I had from 2009 to 2014, which was completely left behind by progress.) I think the new features introduced in more recent phones have got steadily less important, and few app designers have felt the need to write exclusively for them.
That limitation? Storage. This one is only 8GB, which prevents me loading it up with Deezer music and IPlayer Radio programmes as I'd like to. It also prevents me upgrading the iOS, as there isn't enough room without shuffling a lot of data off first. Everything else is just fine.
I'm expecting to be issued with a 6 to replace the black 4S I use for work. I may change my mind entirely once I get my hands on that, of course. We'll see.
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You have the interface and functionality you're used to with that price.
You'll get a cheaper Android probably closer to your size requirements and which will do much the same stuff but the interface will be different and it'll take a while to get used to.
It kind of depends on how much the price matters to you.
And don't forget, whilst an iPone5 might be half way through its life, second hand you can get it for half the price.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 16 Sep 15 at 16:10
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>> My iPhone 4S, which has mostly served me OK
>> for three years really does struggle. It's slow; it crashes regularly; it doesn't roam; and
>> worst of all, sometimes it takes too long to answer when it rings that the
>> caller has disappeared.
I've got the previous phone, the 4. Out of all the faults you list, only one applies to mine. It can be slow at times. It rarely crashes, in fact I can't remember the last time it did. No idea if it roams or not. Not needed it. If anyone calls me it rings straight away and answers as soon as I press the relevant button on the screen. Given that it's an older model than yours, and probably has a slower processor, there must be something seriously wrong with yours. I know people who have still got iPhone 3's that are perfectly functional.
>> It's currently running iOS 7, and I see 9 has now been launched which surely won't help... and inevitably apps will cease to function on 7.
As is mine (iOS 7.1.2). I've only found one App that won't work on it so far, that being the recent number plate tax and MOT status check one. But seeing as it can be done via the internet it doesn't bother me. In fact I'm using the same iOS version on my iPad Air with no problems.
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>> The new iPhone 6S is the obvious thing... but £550? And I don't really want
>> anything much larger than the current one. So, what to do?
So how much do you think you paid for your iPhone 4S?
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I've got an iPhone4-something or other running iOS8.4. It's white and works as a phone. It's a work phone.
My own phone is Android 4.2.2 running a custom ROM. I prefer Android.
I recommend you take a look at the OnePlus 2 if you're considering spending £400 or more.
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>> I recommend you take a look at the OnePlus 2 if you're considering spending £400 or more.
It will be a while before anyone is likely to get an invite for a OnePlus 2. But the OnePlus One is still available at a good price. BUT, compared to a 3.5 inch iPhone 4S, it is huge. But a 64GB OnePlus One is £219.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 16 Sep 15 at 19:30
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>> I've got an iPhone4-something or other running iOS8.4.
Must be a 4S as the 4 cannot be updated to iOS8.
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>> >> I've got an iPhone4-something or other running iOS8.4.
>>
>> Must be a 4S as the 4 cannot be updated to iOS8.
My iphone 5 is offering me iOS9. Should I accept?
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nah, its mostly features for the new phones, and you are on the cusp of being able to run it nimbly.
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>> nah, its mostly features for the new phones, and you are on the cusp of
>> being able to run it nimbly.
I have reluctantly upgraded my iphone 4s to ios9. I didn't feel I had much choice, as it appeared to have downloaded the update anyway and all but filled the memory so I couldn't even update apps. Prior to that it had 3.5GB spare. Since completing the installation it has about 2GB.
It is now a real clunker. In practical terms, the 4s is about finished I think.
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My 4S was great on iOS 7.1 - ran as well as I could wish for. I installed 8.something in the hope of remedying a trifling problem (which it didn't, and it turned out I could have fixed it myself) and it's now so slow it's barely usable. Wish I could go back.
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I skipped 8, so can't say whether 9 is better or worse than that. But it is certainly slower than the 7.x that was on it.
It seems slightly better since completing the app updates that I had not been able to do because of the memory taken up by the update download.
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>> My 4S was great on iOS 7.1 -
My iPhone 4 is still on IOS 7.1.2. No more updates available. Can be slow at times, but on the whole it still works fine.
Coming up to 5 years old the end of this month. I must get around to upgrading it at some point, but don't fancy going back on a 24 month contract at something like £40 (or more) a month.
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>> but don't fancy going back on a 24 month contract at something like £40 (or more) a month.
So buy a replacement phone and remain on a SIM only deal. That's what I would do. £40pm for two years is close to £1000 and I bet that deal is limited on data usage etc.
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>> So buy a replacement phone and remain on a SIM only deal.
That's one of my options. When I bought my I4 I paid a certain amount of money up front so as to then put it on a 12 month contract instead of 24. At the time Tesco were about the only provider offering 12 month contracts on iPhones.
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www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/iphone-6s-deals-1304297
£35 averaged over two years, phone included. 64GB 6S. What's not to like? £819 over two years. The phone itself is £619, making your calls, texts and internet a cool £8.33 per month.
I found my 4S was much improved with iOS9 (had to upgrade it to get the info off it onto the new phone) compared with the iOS7 I had previously. Provided you turn off the pretty things, like predictive text and dynamic home screens etc etc. The predictive text causes it to run to a standstill.
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>> £35 averaged over two years, phone included. 64GB 6S. What's not to like?
Vodafone for starters, if I'm looking at the same deal as you are?
Apart from the Vodafone signal being crap at both my home and work address, they cut off a PAYG phone I used to have and also pocketed the credit that was left on it (£30). Reason they gave was "lack of use". Wouldn't touch them with someone else's bargepole.
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EE deal tool, new customers only. I've just taken an almost identical deal with O2 (doesn't seem to be running this week; but it will).
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It's got to really be O2. Used to be with them before going with a lesser & cheaper frills package with Tesco (which use O2's network).
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I replaced my trusty 64GB 4S this year as the battery life was becoming too poor to live with any longer. I'd alway thought I didn't need a larger phone, and that I liked the size and 'feel' of the 4S...
But, I replaced it with an iPhone 6 earlier this year. I got used to the size of it pretty quickly, though it doesn't fit in jeans pockets quite as well, and riding a bike with it in the pocket is not really sensible as it feels like it will bend. But for using the web and apps it's far better.
The whole thing feels like a quality bit of kit, but less substantial that's the 4S. It's also incredibly slippery - I dropped and broke it after a week! £79 and an Apple Genius later and all was good, though the case is dented which, after 3 years, I never managed on the 4S.
I think it (a 32 GB version) ended up costing just over £500, but it's an unlocked stand alone phone, separate to the line/call/data package. It seems pricey, but (a) they are effectively mini computers nowadays and (b) they hold their value. My 4S went for £167 on eBay when I'd finished with it. I think it costs a similar amount, so net cost around a tenner a month plus line rental...
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>> it feels like it will bend.
It will. Quite easily.
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I agree. The 4S is a solid piece of kit. The temptation for another iPhone is the expectation that a new one is as solidly built. Sounds as though it isn't...
>> It seems pricey, but (a) they are effectively mini computers nowadays
Yes. And I've just bought myself a new mini actual computer for £110 (am I allowed to say that I rather like Windows 8?) which has a keyboard and *everything*. In answer to how much my 4S cost, it was about £300 (on a contract after stripping out the value of the plan and accounting for the cashback) and that felt like a large amount...
And I would add that I have a Chinese-branded android pad that is £100 that has everything an iPad has at £lots more. So really, £550 for a telephone seems quite silly - particularly as they're quite vulnerable to damage in a way that a tablet/computer isn't. That said one gets a heck of a lot more use out of a phone than anything else.
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Thu 17 Sep 15 at 11:58
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Sim only on giffgaff. Can't go wrong.
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I can't be bothered with a lot of "what's the best phone" worry. Phone folks, a few texts, a few mails and a reasonable camera and that's it.
Lost my previous Windows phone off the roof of the car the other month and used an old temp one until I'd decided.
I'm on contract with Tesco mobile who've been faultless in the years I've been with them. So didn't bother to look at other providers and was pleased to see they had the 5S at £20/mth... that's about half the monthly rate of a 6S so makes the 5S near on £500 less over the two years.
Bargain to me so I got one.
Didn't really consider any other makes as the 5S is about the only useful size phone apart from some of the noddy types at the bottom of the market. I really can't do with these newer phablet sized things which seems to be the trend.
To me the 5S operation is swift and seamless... once I'd got over the lack of a back button.
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You can buy outright a new iPhone 5S for under £250 now. Even brand new from O2 direct.
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My Moto 4G will have cost me 48 quid over two years.
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>>> outright a new iPhone 5S for under £250 now
With the billing split Tesco do between network and handset they are charging £264 for the 5S which is good value "financed"over 24mths with no deposit needed.
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Another vote for the 5s from here. Had mine, actually I can't remember how long, more or less since they came out anyway. Brilliant thing and as mentioned above, still fits in most pockets. Never thought I'd be an iPhone fan having had 3 very satisfactory BlackBerry phones previously. It was only because the letter "T" key stopped working on my old BB that I changed at all. I was quie difficul wihou i.
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>> My Moto 4G will have cost me 48 quid over two years.
>>
About the same. Great phone (my first smart phone) No problems at all and does everything I want (I think) . Camera could be a bit better I suppose.
I am intrigued by what exactly I would get for my money if say I paid £600 for an iphone or other top priced phone as against the £135 I paid for the Moto G.
Apart from the camera being better what would it do that my existing phone can't ? Where would I notice the differences?
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>> >> My Moto 4G will have cost me 48 quid over two years.
>> >>
>>
>> About the same. Great phone (my first smart phone) No problems at all and does
>> everything I want (I think) . Camera could be a bit better I suppose.
The Camera is, quite frankly Crap.
>> I am intrigued by what exactly I would get for my money if say I
>> paid £600 for an iphone or other top priced phone as against the £135 I
>> paid for the Moto G.
A much much better camera
>> Apart from the camera being better what would it do that my existing phone
>> can't ? Where would I notice the differences?
Look and feel. Apart from that, Nowt.
Which is why I dropped out the iPhone race at 4
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Difficult to justify the extra £370 then.
I see the latest version of the Moto G has a much better camera.
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>> Difficult to justify the extra £370 then.
>>
>> I see the latest version of the Moto G has a much better camera.
Yer,
Tesco have offered me a mid contract upgrade to new Moto G for a 40 quid fee.
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>>>I see the latest version of the Moto G has a much better camera.
Mrs F has the original Moto G just about to come to contract end. She's got on well with it but after using our daughter's and various friend's iPhones she going to get a 5S or 6S in a month or so.
I did consider the latest Moto G myself but as with the Apple software bloat Zero mentions the Moto G... like most others... has bloated in its dimensions and fails my pocket test.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 8 Feb 16 at 22:43
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>> Look and feel. Apart from that, Nowt.
>>
>> Which is why I dropped out the iPhone race at 4
Wifey likes iPhone - its a girl thing, so she sensibly stays just behind the lead "s" A much cheaper option she is on a new 5S
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>> You can buy outright a new iPhone 5S for under £250 now. Even brand new
>> from O2 direct.
You're buying technology that is two and a half years old. If it's anything like previous iPhones, you'll only have another 18 months' use, and the last 6 months will be painful.
It's not the phone's fault, it's the bloatware.
The camera on the 6S is *spectacular*. It's way, way better than the one on my HX5V - as recommended by Fenlander. Flash isn't as good, but the photos are so much better.
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Mon 8 Feb 16 at 17:47
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Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't see why "good" photos is a reason to choose a phone. In my old way I reckon a phone is for communication (voice, text, mobile internet) and simple snaps when you haven't got a camera handy - but you use a proper camera for proper photos.
Last edited by: Dulwich Estate II on Mon 8 Feb 16 at 18:52
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>> Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't see why "good" photos is a reason
>> to choose a phone. In my old way I reckon a phone is for communication
>> (voice, text, mobile internet) and simple snaps when you haven't got a camera handy -
>> but you use a proper camera for proper photos.
Its quite simple really. The best camera is the one you have with you, think we all agree with that, so there is no reason why the phone camera you have with you most of the time shouldn't be a pretty good one.
I do however have a deep hatred of people who take slabs out with them to take photos.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 8 Feb 16 at 19:20
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>> I do however have a deep hatred of people who take slabs out with them
>> to take photos.
>>
I do know what you mean having stood behind a bus load of Chinese tourist so equipped in Dubrovnik last summer but having said that it is a real joy composing a photo on a large screen, especially portraits. It's a bit like an old plate camera I guess.
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Bought SWMBO a Microsoft 640 does the job, robust feel & £80.
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>> You're buying technology that is two and a half years old. If it's anything like
>> previous iPhones, you'll only have another 18 months' use, and the last 6 months will
>> be painful.
Not if you know where to stop the endless update cycle.
>> It's not the phone's fault, it's the bloatware.
Its part of Apples marketing strategy
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>>Not if you know where to stop the endless update cycle.
I did, at iOS 7. Didn't stop the thing running to a standstill; it's not just the OS, it's the apps.
As mentioned, had to upgrade to iOS9 to get the info off the phone. Once I'd killed the predicitive text, the phone was much better than it had been on iOS7.
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My 4S seems to have settled a bit; but it still lags even when entering the numbers to unlock the screen.
Disabling predictive text didn't make any noticeable difference to mine, but it's better than it was to start with after the update.
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New phone - Duncan
