Normally when I write an article about switching phones, it’s about how I’ve switched it up to some new and exciting phone that’s recently come out, because that’s what we’re usually most excited for. Most people don’t get new phones all that often, so when they do it’s a really exciting transition. I’m at that place right now where I’m in need of a new phone, and today my new phone finally arrived.

Except for my new phone isn’t really new. It’s a phone I’ve owned before: the iPhone 4S.

To put it bluntly, my Moto X is out of commission for the time being and I needed a cheap replacement. I could have gone with a number of other phones out there, but for some reason I decided I wanted to go with the iPhone 4S again. It’s a phone I always thought fondly of when I was using it, but I do remember being more than frustrated with its performance in the end when I eventually traded out for the HTC One (M7) last summer. Still, with a couple of phones still set to release this fall, I wasn’t quite ready to drop a ton of money on anything too fancy yet. A refurbished iPhone 4S fit right in with my budget and I decided that it would be a good chance for me to get to know iOS 7 a little more beyond the small window of testing I did last year.

I’m kind of excited about returning to the iPhone 4S, but I think a lot of that comes from nostalgia. I’ve been using Android for about a year now, give or take a break for a brief Windows Phone experience, and I’ve kind of missed the apps that I purchased in the store. I’m also super excited about being able to use my phone easily with one hand again. I can handle a 4.7-inch display, but it’s still not exactly easy for me to reach my hand across at all times. The 3.5-inch display of an iPhone 4S was always an easy handle for me.

There was another reason I decided to opt for the iPhone 4S as well. You see, the more I read about the rumors surrounding the iPhone 6, the more I think I might want to pick one up. But before I really want to get into that commitment, I really have to get over this beef I have with iOS 7. I still think it looks a lot less attractive than iOS 6 looked, but maybe it’s not as bad as I had originally made it out to be. I still wish it didn’t have so many brightly colored gradients, though.

I think this is the first time that I’m willingly going back to a phone that I used to own. I know it’s only for a few months, so perhaps that’s why I’m not aprehensive about the decision to do so; still, it’s kind of weird that my “new” phone is a phone that I used to own not too terribly long ago. This is also a phone that I really enjoyed using for about 2 years until this time last year, so I wonder if this time around will be as enjoyable or not, especially with iOS 7 in full swing. I guess only time will tell if it will or not.

iOS 7, here I come!

Readers, have you ever had to go back to an old phone? Whether it was by choice or not, we want to hear your experiences. Let us know in the comments below! 

Images via AnandTech, The4Cast