Maybe you shouldn't buy a 2nd hand iPhone and wish it last ...

 

I must say I'm no expert on this topic, I just have been an iOS user for years now. I've also used Android for a year or so. So I kinda have experience with both side.

I am still using my iPhone 7 Plus from 4,5 years ago. Well, before you start raving about how lasting an iPhone is, I will tell you, I'm still using it but as a spare phone. 

The phone is working all fine when it connected to Wi-fi but once you're out and switched to cellular (I'm on 4G btw), it will have problem. It'll keep showing "No connection/No internet" randomly. So, I've a phone which cannot use cellular at all ... or whenever it doesn't feels like connecting.

The only solution is, well, reset your phone or use hotspot from someone else. (of course if you can get free wi-fi that will work too!) And this particular reset might last you a few days or a few hours. It's hard to tell. 

I thought I'm the only victim until my father's and sister's iPhone 6 and 6S plus starts to fall victim to this problem too. It gets frustrating when you're in a hurry to contact someone and it goes "No internet connection" or when your YouTube videos paused with a circle turning and turning.

And no, I'm not writing this to compare iOS and Android nor am I saying which one is better. What I am saying is, I've heard from many people who thinks it's cheaper to get a 2nd hand iPhone which you can use for another 5-8 years than a mid-range Android phone.

Obviously, newer phones have newer technology which you can tap on, mid-range phone may not have regular firmware/security updates but they can definitely run more apps and programs. While Apple keeps releasing updates to try and keep up, there is a limit to what your older device can run. Another thing to note is that even if your older phone can run a newer version of an app, it'll struggle more than a newer phone with better specs (and technology). It might end up being laggy or draining much more battery!

And obviously, your hardware may not be able to last as long as you wished it to be. I've changed my iPhone's battery for at least 4-5 times during this 5 years of usage. It started as $60-70 to now, about $30-40 per battery (plus workmanship). That's easily another few hundred dollars!

But imagine if I was to repair the phone to solve the connection issue? I think it'll cost about half the price of a mid-range phone, possibly more. And that mid-range phone will come with a year worth of warranty while for the old phone, I have to pay for every single repair.

Finally, I wish to say, getting a 2nd hand phone and hoping it will last another 5 years is kinda... hmm ... it depends a lot on your luck.