5 Reasons Not to Buy The iPhone 5

If you didn’t pre-order the iPhone 5 or camp out overnight to buy one, but still want one, you might want to re-think your decision. As with the models before it, the iPhone 5 offers a number of upgrades. Those upgrades aren’t necessarily reason enough to shell out between $200 and $400 for a new phone. Plus, the new iPhone model has a few features that might make it downright inconvenient.

1. Lightning Dock Connector

Older iPhone models have a 30-pin dock connector. The new iPhone 5 has a tiny, 9 pin port called Lightning. While the new port is smaller, sleeker and faster, it has one slightly large drawback: it won’t work with any docks you might already have. You will need to spend $29 to $39 to purchase a chunky Lightning to 30-pin adaptor or replace your docks completely. In the long run, $30 or $40 might not seem like much, but considering that you’ve already shelled out a few hundred dollars for the phone and for any docks in the past, it is a bit of a nuisance.

2. No Google Maps

Just before the iPhone 5 was released, news broke that its new Maps app, which replaced the Google Maps app, was less than reliable. That’s disappointing, but Apple promises they will fix it. Even though the Apple map app is faulty, users of the iPhone 5 don’t have the option of using a Google Maps app, which was available on previous models.

If you love Google maps, your only option with the iPhone 5 is to access it through the Safari browser. You’ll be able to search for addresses and get directions, but using the Safari version is a little more difficult than the app version.

3. iOS 6 Upgrade

You don’t need to purchase the latest iPhone to get the latest operating system. iOS 6 is also available for the iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S for free. The new iOS has a lot of added features, some of them disappointing, such as the Apple Maps app, but others not-so-disappointing. For example, Siri will now be able to launch apps at your request. The new operating system is also integrated with Facebook and Twitter. With the new iOS6 upgrade, even if you are using an older model, it won’t feel like an older model.

4. Cheap Phones

With the release of the iPhone 5, the price of older models has dropped, sharply. How does a free iPhone sound to you? You can get one, if you sign up for a two-year contract from a carrier and choose the older iPhone 4. If you want a slightly newer model, but don’t want to pay the price of an iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S’s price has dropped to a mere $99. The older models are available on less expensive carriers, too. You won’t have 4G LTE and you will need to pay out of pocket for the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S on carriers such as Virgin Mobile, but the cost of the plan over a few years will more than make up for it.

[Read more: Smartphone Buying Tips for Beginners]

5. Better Things Are On Their Way

While the iPhone 5 has some upgrades on the iPhone 4S, it’s highly likely that the next model, the iPhone 5S, will have even better upgrades. The new iPhone has Passbook, which lets you check into flights and use coupons. But the iPhone 5 doesn’t let you use your phone as the payment method itself, a feature some speculate is coming with the next model. It’s likely the next model will make use of Near Field Communication, so that you will be able to pay for things with a quick tap.

[Read more: How to Sell Your Old iPhone Online]

Despite the drawbacks, millions of people got their hands on an iPhone 5. If you got one, how is it working out so far? Do you wish you had waited? Let us know in the comments.