I know I am part of Apple's iPhone problem but even after doing all my research, I still don't feel the need to upgrade

That credit could be used for future monthly payments and paying taxes on my next phone.

Shoot! I always forget about the taxes. Let's figure that out real quick.

The 64 GB XR retails for $749, and the sales tax in San Francisco is 8.5%. So to walk out the door with my new XR, I would have to pay $63.67 in taxes.

I wasn't impressed with the look or feel of that phone.

According to the specs, my 7 Plus is thinner and lighter than the XR and actually has a higher resolution display.

That's quite a bit more expensive per month than the XR and after taxes on the $1249 XS Max, I would only have three free months from my trade-in credit.

Going from $0 to $60.33 per month is a hefty difference. And for what reason?

I'm proud that even without a case (those get in the way of how a phone is supposed to feel), I only have minor scratches.

Also, my battery life is still holding strong. And as the Apple employee kindly reminded me, if my battery does deteriorate, I can replace it with a new one for just $49.

Further, even with improvements to the newer cameras in the XR and XS, I still stick by the quality of shots I'm able to capture with my 2.5-year-old "clunker."

I'm not sure what it'll take for me to finally upgrade from my 7 Plus — maybe if those intermittent app crashes become more consistent or god forbid, my AirPods can't connect.

But for now, I'll happily continue to be in upgrade limo and a poster boy for Apple's current iPhone problem.