Summary
- Smartphone evolution has slowed down; minor innovations are not worth frequent updates.
- Transferring data between iPhones remains cumbersome.
- Prioritize practical reasons over marketing for new tech purchases.
When you’re in tech journalism, it’s taken for granted that you’ll update your smartphone pretty frequently, or at least more often than the average person. It’s one thing to hold onto an iPhone 12 when you’re a nurse or construction worker, but you can’t meaningfully talk about recent phones in articles when your own is four years old. Some of my peers would probably laugh if I showed up to a press event with an iPhone 8.
Journalists don’t necessarily update every year, though, and I think I’ll skip the iPhone 17 in 2025. Things could certainly change, but I think the odds are stacked against Apple getting my money next year.
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1 The iPhone 16 Pro is more than good enough
There’s no revolution on the horizon
The pace of smartphone evolution has slowed considerably. Companies like Apple and Samsung were making significant leaps in the early days, but that’s because they were tackling the basics, including sharp displays, snappy processors, and high-quality photos and videos. Most of those issues have been sorted for years now, and when they haven’t, it’s because of profit margins — there’s no technical obstacle blocking us from getting replaceable two- or three-day batteries.
There’s no sign the iPhone 17 Pro will offer anything that could make a difference in my day-to-day usage.
The iPhone 17 Pro will undoubtedly launch with faster chips and better cameras, but my iPhone 16 Pro can already handle any app with ease and takes remarkably great photos once I’ve got settings dialed in. I can even use it as a smart display. There’s no sign the iPhone 17 Pro will offer anything that could make a difference in my day-to-day usage, and I’m not about to buy an iPhone 17 Air just to own something slimmer.
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2 Transferring data between iPhones remains a hassle
My fingers are crossed for a miracle, someday
Somehow, despite gigabit internet, Wi-Fi 6, and state-of-the-art CPU designs, it’s still an ordeal to migrate to a new iPhone. I’m not faulting Apple here, since on the software end, there’s been a lot done over the years to simplify the process. You can even get a physical SIM card converted into an eSIM automatically.
When I got my iPhone 16 Pro in September, the most critical transfer steps were probably finished within an hour — but it took the rest of the day to make it feel like my new daily driver, including reinstalling apps. I’m not eager to repeat that for the sake of bragging rights or industry credibility. One day, maybe, we’ll get a miracle technology that lets us create a perfect clone of an iPhone in a few minutes.
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3 It’s healthier to deprioritize the latest and greatest
Don’t let ads tell you what to care about
Apple
I’ll admit it — when I was younger, I fully bought into the idea of getting the latest and greatest phone as soon as possible. I couldn’t afford to, but the desire was there. I’ve always wanted technology to progress further and faster.
It’s obvious that I was a sucker for marketing.
For a while, every new flagship device seemed to offer the promise of making life easier — or at least cooler. I was influenced by peer pressure, as well. No one wanted to be the guy with a flip phone when everyone else had an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy.
Now, though, it’s obvious that I was a sucker for marketing. While I regularly get access to cutting-edge products, the reality is that most of them fix minor inconveniences, if they change anything at all. I’m not fundamentally happier because I own an iPhone 16 Pro. When I put down money for a device, I’ve learned not to buy into image ads — I buy something for practical reasons, whether that’s my job or dealing with a degraded battery. At this moment, the only possible reason I might get a iPhone 17 Pro is to talk about it in my writing. I’d enjoy it, but my days of standing in line at an Apple Store are over.
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