[LyndsySimon]

Need? No, I don't need it. I have an iPhone X, which I paid $1,200 for. It replaced a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, which I think I paid $700 for.

My X gives me better integration between my MBP, iPad, and AirPods. Siri is actually somewhat usable now, though it has room for improvements. I use it quite a bit while driving to "read" and respond to text messages, and I almost always have my AirPods in while driving. I drive a Jeep, without doors, and I've noticed some hearing damage that I attribute to the wind noise at highway speeds. My AirPods mean I can listen to podcasts or music without cranking the volume so high that people can hear it in their houses next to the road.

It's neat that my iPhone has so much processing power, but I rarely use it. The camera is good enough that I don't feel I have to carry my dedicated camera with me on a daily basis anymore, but when I do, I occasionally transfer my photos from it to my phone to post something on Instagram or upload through Lightroom to a shared gallery. I do all of my photo post-processing in Lightroom on my iPad, and usually have it with me.

At the end of the day, though, it's purely a luxury item. I like having good tools, and I make enough money to buy some. The difference in satisfaction for me between using my old S7 Edge and the iPhone X is enough to justify the cost to me.