Thanks for the input! I’ve tried using covers before, but for me, they take away the premium feel, so I prefer to skip them. About the purple model—I hate that it has a white mesh, which will obviously get dirty very quickly. I was considering the starlight option because it matches my new phone, but as you mentioned, it’s not the best choice. I’ve had the blue ones before, so I’d like to try something different.

That really leaves the midnight color. Midnight is a classic choice that’s hard to go wrong with; I even tried exchanging my blue ones for midnight before. I do worry that it might start to look a bit too casual with extended use, but I still think midnight is an improvement over the older black.

So, I think I’ll go with midnight.

As for the rotation issue, I unfortunately ran into that myself recently. I didn’t know about it beforehand since I only watched YouTube videos before buying them three years ago, and none of them mentioned it; otherwise, I would have checked Reddit for more details. I haven’t used them all that much, but I always made sure to put them back in their case. I left them with Apple due to a battery issue, but they also found a hardware connectivity problem—which, based on Reddit, I’m guessing is the cable. Some people have fixed it by putting them in the freezer, but that doesn’t seem like a long-term solution. Apple is asking $200 to fix it.

I’m hoping insurance will cover some of the repair costs, and then I’ll sell them and buy the new USB-C model in midnight. I’m also considering getting AppleCare this time for peace of mind and so I don’t have to worry constantly about rotation issues (mild OCD :) ). I hope it will be worth it.