Apples iPhone 6 is by far the most popular smartphone on the planet, and studies have shown that Apple consumers are more loyal than those who buy any other brand of consumer product. It is this loyalty that Apple can count on which has helped elevate it to the biggest company on the planet, recently becoming the first corporation to achieve a $700 billion market capitalization.
It is natural in many ways for owners of the 2013 edition of the iPhone, the iPhone 5s, to upgrade to the iPhone 6. Indeed, many of the tens of millions of consumers who have already purchased an iPhone 6 will have upgraded from this previous iPhone variant, and many more are expected to upgrade in the coming months, as the iPhone 6 achieves what analysts believe will ultimately be sales of around 71.5 million units.
Upgrading to the iPhone 6 it seems like a no-brainer in many ways, yet there are in fact arguments against it. With Apple certain to release an iPhone 7 sequel to the existing smartphone at some point during 2015, it could be prudent for existing iPhone 5s owners to wait for the release of the next flagship Apple handset before parting with their hard earned cash. Here are some of the reasons why iPhone 5s owners might be advised to wait before upgrading.
Compactness
Many users opted for the iPhone 5s ahead of competing handsets due to its compact nature. It could be argued that the iPhone 5s actually looks a little dated in appearance, considering the trend for ever larger smartphones. Indeed, the last few years has seen the phablet become a mainstream technology, as Samsung in particular has concentrated on producing mobile devices with large screens suitable for consuming entertainment.
However, these don’t appeal to everyone. The iPhone 5s is an ideal device for people that wish to operate their smartphone with one hand, and if Apple buyers wanted a smartphone with a large screen, then they may not have opted for the many rivals to the iPhone in the first place. Although the iPhone 6 is technically superior in some regards, it may actually not do what many iPhone 5s owners actually require from a smartphone.
Screen resolution
Although the iPhone 6 delivers a superior screen resolution to the iPhone 5s, given the smaller screen in the earlier device, this doesn’t necessarily translate to a superior display. Of course, some consumers favor the 4.7-inch screen in the iPhone 6, given that it is approximately 20 percent larger than that of the iPhone 5s. But the pixel density achieved by both devices is actually identical, with both displays producing 326ppi.
In technical terms, the iPhone 6 has the superior display of the two, but this could be pretty meaningless in practical terms, and if the larger size of the iPhone 6 is a problem for existing iPhone 5s users, then a marginally better screen is highly unlikely to compensate.
Performance
The iPhone 6 does feature an updated chipset, which includes a 25 percent more powerful central processing unit, and 50 percent faster graphics than the older Apple A7 processor which is equipped on the iPhone 5s. This increase in processing power can be an argument in favor of utilizing the iPhone 6 for graphical-intensive applications in particular.
However, one of the bugbears of the Apple iPhone series has been its sub-par battery life, and in this regard the iPhone 5s is actually better placed. Although the older device comes with a smaller 1,560mAh battery, the smaller screen size and slightly less detailed graphics ensure that the iPhone 5s actually lasts longer per charge than its supposedly superior cousin.
iPhone 6s
Aside from the previous issues, it is also worth bearing in mind that many Apple analysts believe that the corporation will release a so-called iPhone 6s around the time that the Apple Watch hits the stores. This device is rumored to have a 4-inch screen size, and will be very much viewed as a sequel to the iPhone 5s. The more mobile nature of this smartphone may particularly suit consumers who were attracted to the iPhone 5s in the first place.
It remains to be seen whether this is the case, and there has been no word from Apple on the subject, but people who prefer the more compact size of the iPhone 5s might wish to wait and see whether this rumor comes to fruition.
Conclusion
With a more powerful iPhone 7 to come later in 2015, with Apple likely to iron out many of the flaws with the previous iteration of the series, it could be wise for iPhone 5s consumers to wait until the likely September release of this handset before upgrading their existing iPhone. This is particularly true given that the rumored iPhone 6s may suit existing iPhone 5s customers as well.
