Originally, I had every intention of waiting until the next iPhone before upgrading mine as I had the 4S (last years model) and the changes weren’t signifigant. I felt that the main feature of the iPhone 5 was the fact that it supported LTE networks and we didn’t have that service from AT&T in the Provo area at the time the iPhone 5 launched. Also, I couldn’t get an on contract upgrade price until next May, so I’d have to pay an almost double cost + 2 more years or get an off contract phone at full price which is fairly expensive.
A couple weeks ago though I found out that LTE was now available and somehow the Provo/Orem area was the first area in Utah to get this service. AT&T has said Salt Lake should have it by the end of the year, so anytime this month they should also be switched on. This certainly made the iPhone 5 a little more compelling upgrade as LTE speeds are actually faster than my home internet connection right now, so it is like having wifi anywhere I go.
Around the time that I found this out, I started keeping an eye on ebay to see if I could find a good price on a used one. Most of the time though they were selling for almost full price ,even if used, as some international buyers are picking them up if they aren’t available in their country yet and are willing to pay a premium. Late last week though, I found one for a very good price. I knew with selling my immaculate 4S, I’d only be paying a little over $100 for the upgrade in the end, so I went for it.
The phone arrived yesterday and it does show some wear that I knew about, but nothing major that I couldn’t live with and on the same day I sold my 4S for what I wanted out of it. I then went to an AT&T store to get a nano sim card which is new to this model. They were busy, so I had a bit of a wait, but had no issues getting the card activated. They didn’t charge me for it either and I’d read some had to pay $10 for the sim, so that was nice.
The first thing I did was a speed test on the LTE service and the results certainly speak for them self.
The little upgrades are certainly nice. I can tell the colors are more saturated on the new screen which makes them pop more than as compared to the 4S. You can tell it is slightly faster with the new processor especially when installing apps and launching them. I also like the new lightning connector where it is reversible and much smaller.
As far as a recommendation though, I’d say if you qualify for an upgrade which most likely means you have an iPhone 4 or lower, then go for it. If you have a 4S, the upgrades are nice, but really the only one worth upgrading for is the LTE service.