Is the Newest Smartphone Worth it?

A recent article seen in the Detroit News discusses the trend of smartphone use in the U.S and how some people prefer their older phones. Whether it's the fact that people don't want to spend the hundreds of dollars on a new phone or they don't want their lives to be consumed by looking at a screen, there is a growing minority of people that have shunned the notion of upgrading to the newest smartphone every two years.

Regarding this trend Mae Anderson of the Associated Press wrote, “ Every customer counts these days. Overall smartphone sales are slowing down — particularly in industrialized markets such as the U.S., where most people who want a smartphone already have one. IDC forecasts a 10 percent increase in worldwide smartphone sales this year, but that’s slowed considerably from 27 percent growth in 2014.”

Companies such as Apple Inc. AAPL have begun programs that allow customers to lease new iPhone models every year, hoping to implant the idea that it's okay to upgrade your phone every year. Furthermore, manufacturers are doing their best to pack as much technology into phones as possible, with features such as a better camera and screen sensors that can identify the owner with a fingerprint.

However, these tactics have not won over every customer. Kelsey Scott, a 25 year old professional from Hutchinson Kansas, said, “I think it’s a little ridiculous to give up a perfectly good phone for a new one that is only slightly different.”

Shares of Apple Inc. closed Monday at $118.30, up 0.42 percent.