Owning the latest iPhone may be a flex but is it worth it financially?

Buying an iPhone each year might be a status symbol, but succumbing to lifestyle inflation could delay reaching larger financial goals.

Tess BennettTechnology reporter

Oct 1, 2025 – 11.33am

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For some people, upgrading their iPhone annually is a non-negotiable. But for others, investing in a newer model is a three or four-year event which only rolls around when they are finally fed up with the flagging battery life and their cracked screen.

But having the latest iPhone doesn’t come cheap, and financial educator Molly Benjamin, the founder of the Ladies Finance Club suggests people consider if a “life upgrade” like a new iPhone brings them closer to or further away from achieving their larger financial goals.

Tess Bennett is a technology reporter with The Australian Financial Review, based in the Brisbane newsroom. She was previously the work & careers reporter.