Attention! I have an announcement to make: I made a big purchase. Ok, maybe it might not be seen as a “big” purchase if you’re rich, but this might just be the most expensive thing I’ve ever purchased before. I got myself a brand new, blue titanium, iPhone 15 pro MAX with 512 GB of storage.

Crazy, I know, but the main reason why I made this purchase was that it was time to upgrade my phone from my current iPhone XR. There are a few other “justifications” that I told myself after I hit “pay now”, and after I sat there staring at the “purchase successful” screen. I started thinking more, when should you upgrade your phone and other technology that you use daily?

Pixabay / JESHOOTS-com

Ok, so you probably want to hear first what my rather bizarre “justifications” were for buying this new phone. I’ll be honest, they aren’t good justifications at all, but it’s something I tell myself still as I wait for the phone to arrive.

Justification number one, (which you may laugh about, which is understandable) is that I was planning on buying a car this summer, but instead I bought this phone, so that means I saved a lot of money with my final decision? Right? Right? Ok, there’s that one, and the other more reasonable justification is that I did a good job saving money over the summer, and rather than going on another big vacation I decided I wanted this phone.

(Pixabay / StartupStockPhotos)

But let’s get back to the topic at hand here now, when should you upgrade your phone? I heard online that the “magic” number is every 5 years, but it really depends on how much and what you use your phone for at the end of the day. The differences between my iPhone XR and my soon-to-arrive iPhone 15 pro max are pretty substantial, and I feel like I’ll actually notice and benefit from all it has to offer. I’d say, upgrade your phone whenever you’re ready to do so, there’s no pressure and no rush needed.

So what about other technology? Like, let’s say your laptop, how often do you get a new one? The one I use now is 3 years old but it looks and performs like it’s almost brand new, so again we see how it depends on how it’s used. How about TVs? That’s another tricky one, because really when you’re upgrading that it’s just for a larger and better display.

Well, now it is time for you to continue this ever-lasting discussion. The next time you make a big purchase, make some justifications (maybe not as outlandish as mine) and think to yourself, was it a good time to make the upgrade!