The new iPhone 18 Pro series went on sale this week. Though they are the best iPhones Apple has ever made, their enhanced features—blazing-fast chips, better cameras, and foldability—come at a high price. While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max started at $1,099 and $1,199, respectively, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max begin at $1,199 and $1,299.
Apple isn’t entirely to blame for these sky-high prices. The AI-fueled memory chip shortage is driving up component costs across the industry. And Apple, like every other consumer tech maker, is passing a large share of those costs on to consumers. This may put many buyers off.
If you’re on the fence about whether the new iPhones’ prices are justified, it might be worth saving your cash and making your existing iPhone feel “like new” again, instead. Here’s how.
1. Replace your iPhone’s battery
The number one thing most people can do to make their iPhone feel like new is to replace its battery. This is especially true if you have an iPhone 15 Pro or older. iPhone batteries are not electronic, like the device’s other components. The battery is made up of chemicals. Over time, those chemicals naturally degrade, which means your battery holds less charge than it used to.
Not only does an aging battery mean you have to charge your iPhone more often, but it can also cause your phone to slow down. The iPhone’s software will intentionally throttle the CPU and GPU to preserve the life of an aging battery throughout the day. This throttling is especially noticeable if your iPhone’s battery drops below 80% of its original capacity.
Any iPhone that is three years or older likely has a maximum battery capacity in the low 80th percentile or less (a brand-new iPhone battery has a maximum capacity of 100%). Apple recommends replacing the battery of an iPhone that has dropped to 80% capacity. Doing so can stop your older iPhone from performance throttling and make it feel much snappier.
You can check your iPhone’s maximum capacity by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If your iPhone’s battery is at or below 80%, replacing it could make your iPhone feel more like new. Best of all, the amount Apple charges for a brand-new battery replacement is relatively low compared to the cost of a new iPhone: just $89 for an iPhone 12 or 13 series, and $99 for an iPhone 14 or 15 series.
2. Perform a factory reset (after backing up your data)
The longer you use your iPhone, the more digital “cruft” accumulates. This cruft consists of items such as cached files, system logs, and even remnants of previously deleted apps or operating systems. Over the years, it can build up, taking up valuable storage space, causing bugs, and reducing your CPU or GPU performance. In short, digital cruft can slow down your iPhone, making it feel old before its time.
The easiest way to clear out all this cruft is to do a complete factory reset of your iPhone. This will restore your iPhone to the software conditions it would have if it were new. It wipes all your personal files, settings, and data from the device, and gets rid of all the cruft, too.
While a factory reset will make your iPhone’s software as close to “like new” as possible, it is critical that you back up all your data before you reset your iPhone. This is because a factory reset will delete everything on your iPhone, making it unrecoverable without a backup. After a factory reset, you’ll need to restore it from your backup to get all your data back on the device (here are links to Apple’s backup and restore guides).
To perform a factory reset after you have backed up your data, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone. You can find Apple’s factory reset instructions here.
3. Give your old iPhone a makeover with a new case
Every year Apple releases new color options for the iPhone lineup. The company knows that a cosmetic makeover will compel some people to upgrade even though their current iPhone is still perfectly usable. But you can easily give your iPhone an entirely new look by purchasing a new case.
Cases come in nearly every color and texture imaginable, and they can turn a drab old, scuffed-up iPhone into something that looks bright and new. Last year, the iPhone 17 Pro’s signature color was Cosmic Orange. I know several people who loved the color yet thought it made more financial sense to save a grand and just give their iPhone 16 Pro a similar look with a bright orange case they picked up for $20 on Amazon.
This year’s signature color for the iPhone 18 Pro is Burgundy. It’ll cost you a bare minimum of $1,199 to get the new shade built in. Or, for a few bucks, you can buy one of the many “red wine” and burgundy cases available for older iPhones and give yours a similar new, stylish look without breaking the bank.