Which (used/refurb) iPhone?

Halp me hive! I am considering changing carriers from ATT to an MVNO on Verizon network (Cox) and will need new devices. Mrs AAZCD and I are currently on four Samsung phones and think that two android and one iPhone will be better. I prefer to buy used/refurbished rather than adding a payment to my contract. The iPhone will be mainly for photo/video and audio streaming. I want to stay under $500 and don't care for the latest & greatest unless there is a major improvement in camera quality. 13, 14, 15..? Pro? Pro Max? 128GB, 256GB? I've always been an Android user. What do the iPeople recommend?

For photo/video, get the latest 'Pro' iPhone that you can afford as they have the better cameras. The regular iPhones don't have the telephoto lens.

Does the MVNO require a physical SIM? If so, you're stuck with iPhone 13 or older as IIRC they did away with the SIM slot on the US model iPhone 14 onwards.

Memory depends on how much stuff you tend to have on your phones. More is usually better, I currently have an iPhone 13 Pro w/ 256GB that I use for shooting B-roll from time to time and some of the video formats (like 4K ProRes, even at the lowest quality) chew up memory like no one's business.

I have an Xs Max in 64 gb.  It's 6 years old and going strong.  More storage would be nice.

dang, you fancy AAZCD.  I'm still using the 11 i got new something like 4 years ago.

How much data do you use when not on Wifi? Any time I'm somewhere there is free Wifi, I use it and turn on the VPN. 

The new Pixel 9 phones are essentially free with a two-year contract on Google Fi. I use the "Flexible plan" $20 for voice/text and $10 for every GB of data you use. My phone bill is typically around $33/month. About the same rebate for your bill Google is offering on new Pixel phones for new customers. 

I would already have a Pixel 9 Pro XL or possibly even the Pixel 9 Fold, but I don't qualify for that rebate since I'm an existing customer. I've been on "Google Fi" since it was "Project Fi." And no complaints. I typically have better reception and coverage than my fiance on ATT with an iPhone. 

Cameras aren't as good as high end android unless you pay for the Pro models. I love the form factor of my 13 mini I got one for my daughter also (Amazon refurbished). I would recommend 256 if you take many videos. 
honestly though, iPhones are only good if you have other Apple devices. Their best feature by far is working with the other iCloud things and sharing everything together. Android can do more for cheaper, but after 15 years of Apple stuff from work we finally got on the iPhone wagon back with a 6. You don't need to upgrade often, I went from 8-13. My wife went from 7-11 and still uses it. 

I'm tied to the SE because I wear uniforms at work, and the newer/larger versions won't fit in my shirt pockets. 

Thanks for the discussion. I'm leaning towards a 13 Pro or Pro Max now - It looks like Max is mostly about a bigger screen and more battery? I had thought that 13 was getting old since the 16 seems to be the big thing now. Glad to see that people are still happy with the older devices.

More info...  The company I work for uses iPads an iPhones. There are some apps and devices that work with Apple, but not Android. I'm still going to have a second personal phone that will be Android. For now I have a Note 9 as a primary and S21 as a better camera and 'burner' phone number.

ATT has been great while I needed to use a 5G hotspot from my phone for primary home internet, but I have fiber now and can cut my cost by more than half by switching to three phones on Cox without paying for all the hotspot data I was using.

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

I'm tied to the SE because I wear uniforms at work, and the newer/larger versions won't fit in my shirt pockets. 

That reminds me of back in the day when everyone needed a holster to carry their brick sized cellphone around.

In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :

Same because I wear carpenter jeans almost exclusively and the SE fits the side pocket perfectly. 

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

dang, you fancy AAZCD.  I'm still using the 11 i got new something like 4 years ago.

Same here. I am still running an 11 with 128GB memory. I had an 8 that I gave to family a couple of years ago. It still works fine. 

I used to be a droid guy, and my wife had an iPhone 6. The initial selling point  for switching to iPhone was that my wife can actually use it without me having to do anything. It seemed like we invariably ended up in a situation where Mrs. Tester needed to do something with my phone and just wasn't familiar enough with it. Going iPhone simplified my life. 

The only reasons to upgrade would be USB C charging and 5g wireless, if you need it.

AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

Thanks for the discussion. I'm leaning towards a 13 Pro or Pro Max now - It looks like Max is mostly about a bigger screen and more battery? I had thought that 13 was getting old since the 16 seems to be the big thing now. Glad to see that people are still happy with the older devices.

More info...  The company I work for uses iPads an iPhones. There are some apps and devices that work with Apple, but not Android. I'm still going to have a second personal phone that will be Android. For now I have a Note 9 as a primary and S21 as a better camera and 'burner' phone number.

ATT has been great while I needed to use a 5G hotspot from my phone for primary home internet, but I have fiber now and can cut my cost by more than half by switching to three phones on Cox without paying for all the hotspot data I was using.

We switched to ATT fiber last summer (we switched as soon as they finished burying the cables and made it available). DRAMATICALLY increased speeds and decreased latency, and $55/month cheaper. 

Their cell phone plans are still ridiculously expensive compared to the competition. 

AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

Thanks for the discussion. I'm leaning towards a 13 Pro or Pro Max now - It looks like Max is mostly about a bigger screen and more battery? I had thought that 13 was getting old since the 16 seems to be the big thing now. Glad to see that people are still happy with the older devices.

Well, the latest device is always the new hotness, and there are some features that you can't get on older devices (Apple Intelligence being the main one that IIRC you can only get on the 15 Pro and 16 series phones). In general, Apple does a pretty good job keeping older devices up, running and patched (and often on the latest OS, too). Definitely better than the Android folks - I use an Android for work, and until recently I had to cycle those out more often than the iDevices because the manufacturer stopped providing OS security updates.

Yes, the Max devices usually are about the bigger screen - they don't usually have other must have features. Although as I'm getting older, the bigger screen tends to develop a certain appeal.

BoxheadTim said:

AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

Thanks for the discussion. I'm leaning towards a 13 Pro or Pro Max now - It looks like Max is mostly about a bigger screen and more battery? I had thought that 13 was getting old since the 16 seems to be the big thing now. Glad to see that people are still happy with the older devices.

Well, the latest device is always the new hotness, and there are some features that you can't get on older devices (Apple Intelligence being the main one that IIRC you can only get on the 15 Pro and 16 series phones). In general, Apple does a pretty good job keeping older devices up, running and patched (and often on the latest OS, too). Definitely better than the Android folks - I use an Android for work, and until recently I had to cycle those out more often than the iDevices because the manufacturer stopped providing OS security updates.

Yes, the Max devices usually are about the bigger screen - they don't usually have other must have features. Although as I'm getting older, the bigger screen tends to develop a certain appeal.

This is funny. Apple has literally been caught multiple times intentionally reducing battery life on older phones as a way to encourage people to buy new ones. 

Apple phones are generations behind Pixel phones in every measure, and cost more. 

I've been buying the certified refurbs in excellent condition off of Fleabay for years without issue.  Buy the newest model and watch out for it's carrier and lock status.  I've been buying unlocked phones.

Peabody said:

In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :

Same because I wear carpenter jeans almost exclusively and the SE fits the side pocket perfectly. 

Try the Mini!

other new feature that is cool (not that I know) is the satellite comms. 

I also have the 13 mini and like it. I recently upgraded to it from my 1st gen SE specifically so I could keep the smaller size.

z31maniac said:

BoxheadTim said:

AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

Thanks for the discussion. I'm leaning towards a 13 Pro or Pro Max now - It looks like Max is mostly about a bigger screen and more battery? I had thought that 13 was getting old since the 16 seems to be the big thing now. Glad to see that people are still happy with the older devices.

Well, the latest device is always the new hotness, and there are some features that you can't get on older devices (Apple Intelligence being the main one that IIRC you can only get on the 15 Pro and 16 series phones). In general, Apple does a pretty good job keeping older devices up, running and patched (and often on the latest OS, too). Definitely better than the Android folks - I use an Android for work, and until recently I had to cycle those out more often than the iDevices because the manufacturer stopped providing OS security updates.

Yes, the Max devices usually are about the bigger screen - they don't usually have other must have features. Although as I'm getting older, the bigger screen tends to develop a certain appeal.

This is funny. Apple has literally been caught multiple times intentionally reducing battery life on older phones as a way to encourage people to buy new ones. 

Apple phones are generations behind Pixel phones in every measure, and cost more. 

Nope. Apple reduced the processor speed to accommodate an aging battery. They messed up in not disclosing it, but the alternative would've been for the phone to shut down without warning like the androids do. 
 

There are things either phone does better and to not acknowledge it is to be a weirdo fanboy of multitrillion dollar corps that have only sales first in their mind. I'm an Apple phone user because I appreciate their privacy policies and how long they support the hardware. Android hardware is sometimes more cutting edge but always shorter lived. They don't offer much in the way of updates once the hardware is released. 

z31maniac said:

How much data do you use when not on Wifi? Any time I'm somewhere there is free Wifi, I use it and turn on the VPN. 

The new Pixel 9 phones are essentially free with a two-year contract on Google Fi. I use the "Flexible plan" $20 for voice/text and $10 for every GB of data you use. My phone bill is typically around $33/month. About the same rebate for your bill Google is offering on new Pixel phones for new customers. 

I would already have a Pixel 9 Pro XL or possibly even the Pixel 9 Fold, but I don't qualify for that rebate since I'm an existing customer. I've been on "Google Fi" since it was "Project Fi." And no complaints. I typically have better reception and coverage than my fiance on ATT with an iPhone. 

I can't speak intelligently about iPhones, but just wanted to say that I drank z31maniac's kool aid about 6 years ago and I have never been happier in my life.  I have a Pixel 9 Pro and it's simply fantastic.  The GoogleFi unlimited plan is only about $50/mo and it's super good and super fast.  Unlimited data/talk/text in something like 181 countries.