Why You Shouldn’t Buy the iPhone 5s Right Now

Apple’s iPhone 5s is one of the best smartphones on the planet and a device that we’ve recommended for most of the year. That said, it’s a device that we think consumers need to think twice about purchasing in the next forty days. Here’s why you shouldn’t buy the iPhone 5s right now.

Last year, in the buildup to the fall, we heard a ton about Apple’s plans for the iPhone. Rumors suggested that the company would introduce two brand new iPhones, an iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, with the iPhone 5s being the successor to the iPhone 5. As it turned out, many of those iPhone rumors were spot on.

Apple announced two brand new iPhone models, the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, and as expected the iPhone 5s took top billing as the company’s flagship iPhone. And for good reason. The iPhone 5s came loaded with improvements including Touch ID fingerprint technology, an improved A7 64-bit processor with M7 co-processor, a better camera, unique iOS 7 software features, and a design colored in gold. The iPhone 5s was and still is a worthy successor to the iPhone 5.

Nearly a year after its release, the iPhone 5s is still near the top of the smartphone heap. It’s a smartphone that we think buyers need to consider before taking the plunge with their next smartphone. It’s also a smartphone that you shouldn’t buy right now.

The next 40 days or so represent the absolute worst time to buy the iPhone 5s and really, any smartphone. That’s because we’re hitting the tail end of the yearly smartphone cycle. The devices that arrive in the next 40 days or so will likely represent the top smartphone options until the cycle begins anew in the beginning of 2015.

iPhone 6

One of those devices is Apple’s brand new iPhone 6, a device that’s expected to replace the iPhone 5s as the company’s top smartphone option in September. iPhone 6 release rumors peg the launch date for September 9th with a release date now expected somewhere in mid-to-late September, possibly Friday September 19th. Point is, an iPhone 6 release is close.

This is important because a new iPhone only comes once a year. It’s also important because the iPhone 6 is expected to deliver some significant changes to the iPhone. In other words, there is good reason to hold off on buying the iPhone 5s to see what Apple has up its sleeve.

Apple’s new iPhone 6 is thought to have two new screen sizes, 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches, both of which will provide more screen real estate for gaming, the web, getting work done, and television shows and movies. The best part is that it looks like the company might be able to accomplish that without blowing up the size of the iPhone.

The 5.5-inch iPhone 6 might be big but the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model appears to only be slightly larger than the iPhone 5s. The company could accomplish this by trimming the bezels and making the device a little bit wider and a little bit taller.

If true, and it’s looking like it is, the iPhone 6 could deliver the best of both worlds: A big screen smartphone that’s easy to use with one hand.

That’s not all. The iPhone 6 is also rumored to have a higher-resolution display, a slimmer and better protected design, a camera that’s improved over the iPhone 5s’, and an A8 processor that could deliver better performance and battery life. It could also provide similar color options and software features that need the device’s hardware to function. NFC (Near-Field Communication) has been rumored several times, something that would turn the device into a mobile wallet.

In other words, the iPhone 6 could play a trump card in all of the iPhone’s key areas.

By waiting a few weeks, you potentially open yourself up to two new iPhone models, iPhone models that on paper look like major upgrades over Apple’s iPhone 5s including lifespan.

The iPhone 5s is now a year old and with iOS 8 on the way, that’s a year of software support that’s gone and not coming back. The iPhone 6 should last at least a year longer than the iPhone 6 and for many people, that’s going to be worth the wait.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

The iPhone 6 isn’t the only major smartphone expected to touch down in the next 40 days.

Samsung is also gearing up for huge September smartphone launch of its own. Earlier this week, the company confirmed the Galaxy Note 4 release and tagged the device with a launch date of September 3rd. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4, the successor to the Galaxy Note 3, isn’t an iPhone but it could be one of the best smartphones of the year.

The Galaxy Note 4 is rumored to have a number of big time features including a large QHD display, powerful processor, solid camera with optical image stabilization, a high-end design with a fingerprint sensor, and tons of carrier options in the United States.

Like the iPhone, the Galaxy Note is a device that only comes around once a year. So by passing on the iPhone 5s right now, you’re going to get two extremely solid smartphone options to compare to the iPhone 5s.

Deals

So you wait a few weeks, compare the iPhone 5s to the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Note 4, and decide that you want to get the iPhone 5s. Guess what? Walmart’s $99 iPhone 5s deal is probably still going to be there. In fact, we would not be surprised if the iPhone 5s price dips even further once the Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 are announced and released.

Same goes for top Android smartphones. Top iPhone 5s competitors like the LG G3, Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 will likely see their prices drop in September as well as retailers attempt to make them look pretty next to the iPhone 6.

If you’re not in a hurry to replace your current smartphone and you aren’t one hundred percent sold on the iPhone 5s, we highly recommend waiting, at least until September. By then, you’ll have two more options to weigh against the iPhone 5s and you should also have access to cheaper Android devices and a cheaper iPhone 5s. In our eyes, passing on the iPhone 5s right now, if you can, is a win-win situation.

If you simply can’t wait, make sure that you don’t pay full price for the iPhone 5s. It’s still a top smartphone but as we head into the fall, it’s no longer worth $199.99 on-contract.