Would you consider a
secondhand phone? Depending on where you live, you can get a top-of-the-line phone for cheap! I would suggest this for basically anyone because you can get a perfectly functional phone and reduce waste.
Plus, since you don't need a new flagship, it'll be much easier to find something suitable.
Even better, Apple offers
refurbished phones! If, like most people, you are concerned about the trustworthiness of secondhand sellers, you can rest easy since Apple sells their own certified refurbs. Not only will these be 100% working & pristine, JUST like a brand new phone, but they will be
cheaper and still come with a
1-year warranty.
Since you are asking about iPhones, I'm assuming you solely want to stick to iOS. Please let me know if you're open to other phones because right now this list might seem a little obvious
Some models you might like to consider:
iPhone 7 or 7 Plus (128 GB) - You mentioned the latest models so why not get the previous gen., if those are too expensive for you? This is the best Apple has to offer for cheap right now ($499-$689) and they come in the typical array of pretty colours.
If you prefer the iPhone X, go for the7 Plus. With a 5.5" Retina HD widescreen, it is more similar to the iPhone 8 Plus (5.5") and iPhone X (5.8") than the iPhone 7. In general, it also has slightly higher build quality and longer battery life.
If you prefer the more compact size of the iPhone 8, go for the 7. It is a little cheaper and lighter. However, it has less RAM and is slightly less powerful than the 7 Plus.
For both, I would suggest getting the 128 GB versions. Since iPhones lack external storage, paying extra for larger internal storage is necessary if you are anything like me! However, this is more expensive and so, if you will not need the extra storage (Apple does offer a robust cloud experience if you don't mind being tied to their ecosystem), go for the cheaper 32 GB versions
iPhone 6S - Because Apple has started selling refurbished iPhone 7s, there's no doubt that older models will go down in price. Apple certified refurbs can be found on Amazon so you can retain peace of mind. Models can go for as low as $235!
You can rest easy knowing that these are fully functional iPhones and so will last as long as any normal new iPhone. They have also stood the test of time, though I might warn against jumping to the latest update ASAP. Plus, it may be argued that they are still competitive with the iPhone 7 Plus.
To be honest, I'm a little biased against Apple because I think their philosophy of
constant turnover makes their phones less future-proof and hence "performance problems" may show up earlier. This mindset is
common to all big phone manufacturers but it's more
well-documented for
Apple (though the
validity of these claims is dubious since they rely on anecdotes) ... So it's not surprising some people will find
any excuse to get the latest model!
Still, Apple is popular, uses quality materials and tends to have good customer support. As such, you
should be able to rely on your iPhone to function for a good 2-3 years, although it might slow down towards the end.
I hope this was useful. Please let me know if I can be of further help!
