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Should You Buy An iPhone 11 In 2023? No, You Shouldn’t – Here’s Why…
The iPhone 11 is now very cheap in 2023 but that doesn’t mean you should buy one. Here’s what you should do instead (and why it is the better option in the short, medium, and long term)…
Key Takeaways:
The iPhone 11 is now pretty old. It still works fine. But it doesn’t have 5G and the camera is really starting to show its age. It also runs an older LCD display (not great).
For this reason you’re better off going with the iPhone 12 Pro or the iPhone 13. Why? You’ll get way more bang for your buck with these phones, longer support (with iOS updates), and better performance across the board.
Recommended Advice?
- If your budget is tight, go with the iPhone 12 – it is now incredibly cheap (compared to a new iPhone) and it is a solid performer.
- If your budget is a little more flexible, my advice to you would be to go with the iPhone 13. It is a modern iPhone, the camera is superb, and it packs in more performance than you’ll ever need.
- Additionally, if running your iPhone for as long as possible is important to you (and it really should be), the iPhone 13 will get iOS updates until well into the late-2020s.
The iPhone 11 was a massively popular release (it came out originally in 2019). Tens of millions of people bought one, myself included. But is it still worth a buy in 2023? This is a tricky one to answer…
On the one hand, the iPhone 11 is still a fairly capable phone (and it is now very inexpensive). For certain types of users, this is good news.
Conversely, the iPhone 11 does not support 5G and its camera tech, while perfectly adequate, is now really starting to show its age.
If you can live without these things, then, yes, an iPhone 11 is totally worth buying in 2021.
And right now, thanks to the heavy emphasis placed on the iPhone 15 range, the iPhone 11 can now be had for a lot less money.
iPhone 11 Price
| Model | Storage | Carrier | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 11 64GB (Unlocked) | 64GB | Unlocked | $219.99 |
| iPhone 11 128GB (Unlocked) | 128GB | Unlocked | $264.99 |
| iPhone 11 64GB (T-Mobile) | 64GB | T-Mobile | $219.99 |
| iPhone 11 256GB (Unlocked) | 256GB | Unlocked | $299.99 |
| iPhone 11 64GB (AT&T) | 64GB | AT&T | $219.99 |
| iPhone 11 128GB (AT&T) | 128GB | AT&T | $264.99 |
| iPhone 11 128GB (T-Mobile) | 128GB | T-Mobile | $264.99 |
| iPhone 11 256GB (AT&T) | 256GB | AT&T | $299.99 |
If all you want is a functional iPhone, and you want value for money, meaning an iPhone that doesn’t cost the earth, an iPhone 11 – the phone itself is now cheaper, thanks to the release of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 – does make quite a bit of sense.
When it comes to the iPhone 11’s price, you’re looking at some pretty big savings.
Even more, if you pick one up refurbished.
Savvy users know this, though; any time a new iPhone drops – in this case, the iPhone 12 – the price of the older model, the iPhone 11, is reduced. Apple does this to speed up adoption of its older model, while demand for its newer (and more expensive models) spools up.
The design of the iPhone 11 is much the same as the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, save for the side profile, and Apple’s A13 CPU is still one of the most potent mobile phone processors on the planet; it’s vastly more powerful than anything you’ll find inside an Android phone.
The camera, while not perfect, is decent-enough for the average user and iOS 15, Apple’s latest software, is now more useful than ever, thanks to the inclusion of widgets and a myriad of other tweaks and updates.
Add on to this the fact that Apple’s iPhone 11 will get iOS updates for at least another six years, and the case for buying an iPhone 11 in 2020 is very strong – if you’re the kind of user that places value for money higher than shiny new things.
Speaking personally, I never buy new iPhones. I always buy the previous year once the new iPhone has launched. The price comes down and phone networks and carriers cut their monthly fees, as they scramble to start shifting the newer models.
For the consumer, this is a good place to find yourself.
iPhone 11 PROS & CONS – A 2023 Perspective…
Apple’s iPhone 11 is a killer phone. It was the best-selling iPhone in 2019 and it will get iOS updates until well into the late-2020s. The only thing missing, really, is support for 5G.
If you can live with 5G on your iPhone, the iPhone is still a great buy in 2021, if you’re looking for great value for money.
Internally, you have all the specs and performance you’ll ever need.
Apple’s A13 CPU is a monster – even by 2021’s standards. And while it isn’t quite as potent as Apple’s newer A14 CPU, it will still very much take care of business. For the average user, the A13 is already WAY more than you need.
My only slight issue with the iPhone 11 is its camera; it is now really starting to show its age, especially when compared against newer models like the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 series.
On the subject of battery life, this is one area the iPhone 11 truly excels.
The iPhone 11 has a better battery than the iPhone 12 – by as much as four hours. And the reason for this is that it doesn’t run 5G. If you value battery life over faster mobile data, the iPhone 11 is vastly superior choice than the iPhone 12 at the moment.
These 5G battery issues have been fixed inside the iPhone 13, however, as Apple increased the size of their batteries by quite a bit.
Should You Buy A Refurbished iPhone 11?
So, that’s quite a saving already. Another good option, however, if you want to save even more money is to pick yourself up a
That’s still cheaper than buying an iPhone 11 via Apple, but not by much. For this reason, we’d advise that you go with a new iPhone 11 over a refurbished one right now – the savings just aren’t there yet.
By 2021, however, this will have changed. The price of a refurbished iPhone 11 will come down dramatically – by as much as $100 potentially. But this will not happen until the iPhone 12 starts shipping in volume. At present, there is still a high demand for the iPhone 11, so the price is still high.
The THING With 5G…
The main USP of Apple’s newer iPhones – besides their improved camera tech and performance – is that they have 5G. But here’s the thing: not all places have 5G yet.
If you’re in a rural area or outside a city or major conurbation, chances are you won’t have 5G coverage.
And you might not get 5G coverage until well into 2021, depending on where you are – the rollout of 5G varies as much as the phones that now use the standard.
For this reason, if you’re not 100% onboard with 5G and are happy enough with LTE connectivity when you’re out and about, why pay extra for an iPhone just to MAYBE get some 5G action? Why indeed…
The argument for getting a 5G iPhone is fairly simple: by doing so you will future-proof your phone, meaning you will be able to run it longer without having to upgrade. This is a valid point too, and it is one of the main reasons why I have been giving serious thought to getting an iPhone 12.
I’m not too fussed about 5G right now but in six to twelve months? Yeah, I might want myself some 5G connectivity. And if that is the case, and I got a 5G iPhone model, I’d be covered when 5G finally arrived in my local area.
5G is here to stay, that much is certain. But its rollout – like 4K TVs – will take awhile. Think back several years: no one had 4K TVs. Nowadays, most people have 4K TVs.
Things do change but the change, with respect to the adoption of 4K TVs, sometimes takes a few years.
I think it’ll be the same with 5G, though it’ll probably happen quicker than 4K did as there are WAY more phone shipments per year than HDTVs.
In this respect, it’s just a numbers game.
The more 5G phones you have, the more people there will be using 5G. Networks and carriers are now rolling out 5G everywhere, so it stands to reason by this time next year, a fairly large chunk of people will be using 5G pretty darn regularly.
Should You Buy iPhone 11 In 2023? Wrapping Up…
The iPhone 11 is now pretty old. It still works fine. But it doesn’t have 5G and the camera is really starting to show its age. It also runs an older LCD display (not great).
For this reason you’re better off going with the iPhone 12 Pro or the iPhone 13. Why? You’ll get way more bang for your buck with these phones, longer support (with iOS updates), and better performance across the board.
Recommended Advice?
- If your budget is tight, go with the iPhone 12 – it is now incredibly cheap (compared to a new iPhone) and it is a solid performer.
- If your budget is a little more flexible, my advice to you would be to go with the iPhone 13. It is a modern iPhone, the camera is superb, and it packs in more performance than you’ll ever need.
- Additionally, if running your iPhone for as long as possible is important to you (and it really should be), the iPhone 13 will get iOS updates until well into the late-2020s.
Need more advice? Check out the resources below:
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