Albany Times Union

Is $1,100 too much for an iphone? Just buy an older one for a lot less

Quality camera, resolution available in previous models for about half the cost of XS

- By Anick Jesdanun

The $1,100 price tag on Apple’s latest iphone turned heads when the company announced it last week. But for less than half as much, you can still get a good camera, a decent-sized screen and other popular features.

Just buy a two-year-old iphone 7. That phone was Apple’s first to come with water resistance and its first to lose the standard headphone jack. Its 4.7-inch screen is adequate and on par with other smartphone­s, even though its resolution falls short of high definition. And the phone still has a fingerprin­t sensor and a home button, both of which have vanished in the latest iphones.

Or, if you want to pay more for wireless charging, there’s the iphone 8. An edge-to-edge screen? You’ll need the upcoming budget iphone XR or one of its more expensive siblings. And if you want a supersized display, that’s where the $1,100 iphone XS Max comes in. That model and a smaller version start selling in the U.S.

and several other countries on Friday.

If you’re shopping for a new phone, it pays to think hard about what you really want and what you’re willing to pay for it. Improvemen­ts over the previous generation tend to be incrementa­l, but can add up over time — and so do the sums you’ll pay for them.

Here’s what to consider if you’re thinking of bargainhun­ting in the iphone history bin.

 ?? Julio Cortez / Associated Press ?? Customers wait in line outside of the Apple Store at the Garden State Plaza on the day the new iphone XS and iphone XS Max were released Friday in Paramus, N.J. Apple still sells new versions of older models that are more affordable.
Julio Cortez / Associated Press Customers wait in line outside of the Apple Store at the Garden State Plaza on the day the new iphone XS and iphone XS Max were released Friday in Paramus, N.J. Apple still sells new versions of older models that are more affordable.
 ?? Richard Vogel / Associated Press archive ?? An Apple iphone 7 is displayed in September 2016 at the Apple Store at the Grove in Los Angeles. The phone is water-resistant and its screen is on par with other smartphone­s.
Richard Vogel / Associated Press archive An Apple iphone 7 is displayed in September 2016 at the Apple Store at the Grove in Los Angeles. The phone is water-resistant and its screen is on par with other smartphone­s.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States