I'm Considering an iPhone as My First Smartphone; Which Model Should I Get?

Hello there I would recommend if you don't need one right away I would wait till September for when the new one will be out but if you probably need one right away I would recommend the 7+ or the seven but if you need to headphone jack I would recommend the 6S plus or 6S and for gigs I would recommend the middle tier or the one before it or if you have the money and a lot of gigs I will get with the highest when you get I hope this helps out and it understandable and they are my thoughts

Hi Danni, and welcome to AppleVis!

If you're wanting to buy a phone before Apple releases this year's iPhone models (most likely in September), I would recommend the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus--depending on what size of phone you prefer. As I see it, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are the best long-term investment... As the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE are all a generation older than the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. There are three caveats to my recommendations, however: if you can't comfortably afford an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, any of the 3 older iPhone models--the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE--are all very capable devices and you should buy with confidence. Second... as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus do not have a headphone jack, you must use an adapter (provided in the box with the phone) if you want to use headphones with a standard 3.5mm connector with your iPhone. If connecting headphones with a 3.5mm headphone connector is very important to you, then the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, or iPhone SE are what I would recommend. Lastly... If you want the smallest available iPhone in terms of screen size, the iPhone SE is what I'd recommend.

Hope this helps,
Michael

Anthony is correct, usually the new iPhone's come out in September. Keep in mind that if you purchase an iPhone 7 it does not have a traditional 3.55 mm headphone jack. Instead it uses Apple's proprietary lightning cable. So unless you purchase an extra adapter, you can't charge your phone and listen at the same time if you choose to use the included lightning headphones. You can purchase extra battery packs, and you can also use Bluetooth headphones and still do what you want, if that's important to you. When it comes to purchasing Apple products I've found that buying the most recent, or as close to recent as you can is always a good idea. Remember, iOS 11 will also be released in September, and usually, a new iPhone comes out at that time as well, although that's not always the case. Watch this website, or if you're on other social media things like twitter and Facebook, keep your ears out for big announcements from Apple. If this is gonna be your very first smart phone, we all want your experience to be a great one. There are plenty of podcasts and written guides here on Applevis, so don't ever, ever be afraid to ask any questions. I usually try to read the guides and listen to the podcasts first, though, because then you can say hey, I listened to this and it still isn't making sense. Just remember, you're gonna be learning some new concepts, but just take it one step at a time and eventually, you'll be hanging in there with the best of them.

If you cannot afford to make a one time payment for an iPhone, maybe you should check out some of the plans that companies such as Verizon or AT&T half. They will let you get an iPhone when you have a plan or a contract with them and you would be making monthly installments. That is an option, don't you think? As far as what device to get, I would go for the newest or the closest to the newest because that way you are making sure that it will last you for a longer time.

I might point out that all the models you're looking at run the same software (iOS 10.3 now, iOS 11 this fall) so learning to use an iPhone will be pretty much the same for all these phones. The only difference is the hardware. Screen size is one notable difference, but processor speed is different too. I would strongly suggest you try to afford more memory. The middle option in memory size is worth the extra cost, especially if you want to be able to make this phone last.

Danni,

Knowing a little more now... Yes, if the iPhone SE is available at Best Buy and within your budget, buy with confidence. You won't be disappointed.

Yes, there are many standard apps that everyone else uses that will work on the iPhone using Apple's built-in screen reader called VoiceOver. Just take a look at the app directory here on Applevis for loads of apps that will work.

I can't tell you how many times I need to explain that Siri isn't what makes an iPhone or iPad accessible to blind and visually impaired users. Siri kind of talks, but its main purpose is for you to talk to the phone. Blind users need VoiceOver, which speaks to the user. I can't count how many times people have misunderstood this.

I would strongly suggest that you buy the newest iPhone you can afford. Apple builds quality products and the physical phone will outlast its usefulness. Apple supports processors for five years after their introduction. This means the last full iOS version will arrive for the SE in 2019 and updates will end in 2020. This is why people suggested to wait if you can for the fall release. These 2017 phones will stop receiving updates in 2022, offering great value long term. Many developers introduce new apps for the two most recent iOS versions.

While your phone will still work in a few years, many newer apps will be unavailable for older phones. If you do decide to buy an SE, I would recommend the 128 GB version. It is more expensive, but you will be able to use modern apps that take up a lot of space. These days, apps like Twitter and Facebook are hundreds of megabytes in size. If you add a couple hundred albums of your favorite music, about 10 gigs, your memory will be nearly full at 32 GB.

Also, check out the website Best MVNO. If you are a light to moderate user, a prepaid MVNO will likely be much cheaper than getting a plan from a carrier. The savings could be used to buy a better iPhone or some apps. MVNO’s resell the network services from the big carriers at lower prices. Often the big carriers offer plans with so much service, much is unused.

I want to ad something. To me my iPhone has changed my life. The way i mange with my iPhone is difernt i can dentify money and more. You can connect your iPhone to your braille display if you have a braille display with bluetooth. There are menny braille display that ios supports the. From baum freedom, and untill popenmier. I like my braille display from Baum. It's VarioUltra. if you like to read braille like me, i am recomend to use this.

Congrats on the purchase of the iPhone! 16 gigs is small these days, in fact Apple have stopped producing iPhones after the 7 that have 16 gigs, but since you're a brand new user, it may take you time to fill yours up. Remember, everyone uses their iPhone differently, and in different ways. One person may have 25 talking books, 100 albums of music, 50 apps and a bunch of pictures, whereas you may only have a few apps at first. It's ok to not know what to do at first, and it's ok to ask questions. You won't learn unless you do. Check out the written guides and Applevis podcasts, especially the getting started podcasts and you'll get a better idea of what you're in store for.

The Blind Abilities podcast have some iPhone 101 episodes to help you get started and they're adding more episodes. There is an Blind Abilities iPhone app.

The Apple Vis podcasts are great as well!

Hope these podcasts help you!

Congratulations on your new iPhone, my friend. You will enjoy it for sure. You will feel more in control of your device now with your iPhone and the built-in application VoiceOver. The iPhone will definitely change your life. Enjoy your new toy.