Should you upgrade to the new iPhone 16 or repair your old one?

Buy the new iPhone 16, or fix your old one?

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Apple’s newest phone, the iPhone 16, is finally on sale. Over the next few weeks, millions of people will be upgrading for its improved camera and upcoming AI capabilities. But do you really need to upgrade, or could a $75 fix keep your old phone working fine for another two years?

Customer Montalee Berry says she gets a new phone whenever her battery won’t hold a charge. “Typically you want a better quality camera,” Berry says. “So I just end up getting a new phone.” Trevor Booth has a similar opinion. “I’d probably buy a whole new phone honestly,” Booth says.

If the phone is in good shape however, a simple battery swap for around $75 could save you hundreds of dollars. A simple repair might give it another year of life, as John Vallandingham learned. Vallandingham almost bought a new phone when his old one couldn’t be charged anymore.

“It wouldn’t charge. It wouldn’t hold the plug to charge anymore, it would just slip out and fall to the floor,” he says. Vallandingham went to his provider, where his salesman suggested he buy a new $800 phone. But before he did that, he decided to visit a local phone repair shop, where he was stunned to find out his charging port just needed a cleaning.

“They took the phone apart and cleaned this port out with a brush and a file,” he said. “Charged me $35.” He had no need for phone after all.

So, which phones can still be updated? Bashar Alvustani, owner of a cell phone repair shop says a simple cleaning, screen replacement or a $75 battery replacement can add at least another year to almost any phone.

“You can change the battery and you’ll be okay with that,” he says. One exception is any phone older than a 12. These models run slow and will soon lose Apple support.

“When you compare between an 11 and 12, you can tell the difference,” Alvustani says, explaining that most iPhone X’s or 11′s will no longer run at good speeds for most people.

If you have an iPhone 12 or newer, a simple cleanup at a local shop may mean you don’t have to upgrade to a 16 just yet, so don’t waste your money.