A New iPhone Is Coming. Should You Upgrade or Just Fix Your Old One?
By improving sluggish performance or replacing a broken screen, you can make your old iPhone feel new agai
4 min
When the scent of pumpkin spice lattes starts to fill the air, I know it’s time for those texts from friends and family: “Should I get the new iPhone?”
My answer? Ehh, probably not. Temptation to upgrade will be high after Apple’s Sept. 9 launch event. And there are very good reasons to buy the new model.
But just because your oldie but goody suffers from sluggish performance, short battery life or a cracked touch screen, it isn’t doomed to become e-waste.
By spending a little on repairs, you could save hundreds of dollars and extend your current iPhone’s life by a year or more. Plus, it’s worth waiting for the imminent iOS 26 software update , which will add new tricks to recent older hardware—at no additional cost.
Upgrade, update or repair?
That all depends on your model and its condition. Is your current iPhone…
…more than six years old? Upgrade. Apple supports iPhones with new software updates for about seven years. The version of iOS expected next month doesn’t support iPhone XS, XS Max or XR, or any earlier models. These updates include crucial security fixes, and outdated software can put your data at risk, so yes, you’ll need new hardware.
…a 2019 or newer model? Update. iOS 26 comes with a live translator, spam-call screener and other helpful new capabilities, though the “liquid glass” redesign will require some adjustment.
A note: Even if your model is compatible with iOS 26 , some tricks are only available in the newest iPhones. Apple Intelligence, which includes access to ChatGPT via Siri and Genmoji, only works on iPhone 15 Pro, all of the iPhone 16 models (including the 16e ) and of course the iPhones Apple is about to announce.
… feeling slow? Or short on battery life? Repair. A battery replacement can help with performance and battery life. As your iPhone’s battery ages, the device is designed to draw less power, which means occasional unexpected shutdowns.
Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If the capacity is below 80%, you should replace your battery. That should cost $99 or less, depending on the model.
If your battery is above 80%, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Deleting unused apps or uploading photos to the cloud can help with speed too.
…cracked? Repair. The cost depends on your model and the damage.
Apple’s online tool can spit out an estimate for an Apple Store screen swap, which generally runs between $199 and $379. You typically make an appointment and then wait about 30 minutes.
Independent shops can offer you a lower price for a third-party aftermarket part, but quality can vary. While iPhones now have OLED screens, you can go cheap and replace yours with an LCD screen. But they don’t look as good and can cause rapid battery drain, said Jessa Jones, owner of iPad Rehab Microsoldering, a mobile-device repair and data recovery shop in Honeoye Falls, N.Y.
If you’re given the option, go for a “soft” OLED screen for the best combination of sharpness and durability.
Broken back glass is trickier. Apple charges between $199 and $499 for this repair. Jones said it often requires swapping the whole external housing to preserve water-resistance.
Cameras are one of the simplest repairs, Jones said. She replaced two different camera lenses on her iPhone 12 Pro, and the raw materials only cost her $1.43. Through Apple, this repair costs between $169 and $249. Jones’s shop charges $50 plus tax for a repair with aftermarket parts.
…not working properly? Repair or replace. Start with an Apple Store consultation. Issues such as water damage or a faulty charging port need a deeper assessment. For these trickier cases, Apple may recommend paying for a replacement phone. In that event, if you don’t have AppleCare, it might be better to buy one of the latest iPhones instead.
A local, independent shop might have more creative solutions. “For water damage, we’d tear down the entire phone, remove everything, and let it sit in a dehumidifier for a little while,” said Alex Hausfeld, a franchise consultant and former technician at uBreakiFix, which has over 680 repair locations.
Apple Store vs. repair shop vs. DIY
If you live near an Apple Store or an Apple-authorized service provider, a repair is straightforward. You can make an online reservation for in-person support , and often the repair can happen while you wait.
If you’re far from a store, Apple’s mail-in option can take up to nine business days, round trip.
There are also DIY kits from Apple , iFixit and others—a route for savvy tinkerers only, warned Jones. “Taking off a screen used to be like shucking an oyster. But they have become thinner and thinner. They’re easy to break, and really expensive.”
A local repair shop can be more convenient and affordable than either of those options. But because quality varies, uBreakiFix’s Hausfeld suggests vetting the technician with these questions:
• Is the replacement a genuine original manufacturer or aftermarket option? If it’s the latter, ask about potential impacts to performance.
• After the repair, how will the water-resistance and durability of the phone change?
• What warranty do you offer for replacement parts? Many shops should guarantee their parts for at least six months; uBreakiFix has a one-year warranty.
This year, your best iPhone upgrade might be a fresh battery, a clean screen and some new software tricks. Plus, the extra cash you get to keep in your pocket.
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At least for people who carry the APOE4 genetic variant, a juicy steak could keep the brain healthy.
3 min
Must even steak be politicised? The American Heart Association recently recommended eating more “plant-based” protein in a move to counter the Health and Human Services Department’s new guidelines calling for more red meat.
Few would argue that eating a Big Mac a day is good for you.
On the other hand, growing evidence, including a study last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that eating more meat—particularly unprocessed red meat—can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s in the quarter or so of people with a particular genetic predisposition.
The APOE4 gene variant is one of the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer’s.
You inherit one copy of the APOE gene from each parent. The most common variant is APOE3; the least is APOE2.
The latter carries a lower risk of Alzheimer’s, while the former is neutral. A quarter of people carry one copy of the APOE4 variant, and about 2% carry two.
APOE4 is more common among people with Northern European and African ancestry. In Europe the variant increases with latitude, and is present in as many as 27% of people in northern countries versus 4% in southern ones. God smiled on the Italians and Greeks.
For unknown reasons, the APOE4 variant increases the risk of Alzheimer’s far more for women than men.
Women’s risk multiplies roughly fourfold if they have one copy and tenfold if they have two. Men with a single copy show little if any higher risk, while those with two face four times the risk.
What makes APOE4 so pernicious? Scientists don’t know exactly, but the variant is also associated with higher cholesterol levels—even among thin people who eat healthily.
Scientists have found that cholesterol builds up in brain cells of APOE4 carriers, which can disrupt communications between neurons and generate amyloid plaque, an Alzheimer’s hallmark.
The Heart Association’s recommendation to eat less red meat may be sound advice for people with high cholesterol caused by indulgent diets.
But a diet high in red meat may be better for the brains of APOE4 carriers.
In the JAMA study, researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute examined how diet, particularly meat consumption, affects dementia risk among seniors with the different APOE variants.
Higher consumption of meat, especially unprocessed red meat, was associated with significantly lower dementia risk for APOE4 carriers.
APOE4 carriers who consumed the most meat—the equivalent of 4.5 ounces a day—were no more likely to develop dementia than noncarriers. (
The study controlled for other variables that are known to affect Alzheimer’s risk including sex, age, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and education.)
APOE4 carriers who ate the most unprocessed meat were at significantly lower risk of dying over the study’s 15-year period and had lower cholesterol than carriers who ate less. Go figure. Noncarriers, however, didn’tenjoy similar benefits from eating more red meat.
The study’s findings are consistent with two large U.K. studies.
One found that each additional 50 grams of red meat (equivalent to half a hamburger patty) that an APOE4 carrier consumed each day was associated with a 36% reduced risk of dementia.
The other found that older women who carried the APOE4 variant and consumed at least one serving a day of unprocessed red meat had a cognitive advantage over carriers who ate less than half a serving, and that this advantage was of roughly equal magnitude to the cognitive disadvantage observed among APOE4 carriers in general.
In all three studies, eating more red meat appeared to negate the increased genetic risk of APOE4.
Perhaps one reason men with the variant are at lower Alzheimer’s risk than women is that men eat more red meat.
These findings might cause chagrin to women who rag their husbands about ordering the rib-eye instead of the heart-healthy salmon.
But remember, the cognitive benefits of eating more red meat appear isolated to APOE4 carriers.
Nutrition is complicated, and categorical recommendations—other than perhaps to avoid nutritionally devoid foods—would best be avoided by governments and health bodies.
Readers can order an at-home test from any number of companies to screen for the APOE4 variant.
The Swedish researchers hypothesize that APOE4 carriers may be evolutionarily adapted to carnivorous diets, since the variant is believed to have emerged between one million and six million years ago during a “hypercarnivorous” period in human history.
The other two APOE variants originated more recently, during eras when humans ate more plants.
APOE4 carriers may absorb more nutrients from meat than plants, the researchers surmise. Vitamin B12—low levels have been associated with cognitive decline—isn’t naturally present in plant-based foods but is abundant in red meat.
Foods high in phytates (such as grains and beans) can interfere with absorption of zinc and iron (also high in red meat), which naturally declines with age. So maybe don’t chuck your steak yet.
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