Should I repair 14 Pro, upgrade now to 17 pro or wait for next gen?

I’ve been using an iPhone 14 Pro since day one, and honestly, it’s still more than enough phone for me. I don’t really feel like I need to upgrade.

That said, I recently got to use an iPhone Air, and I really liked it. The size and how light/thin it felt definitely made me want one. The only thing stopping me is that I take a lot of photos and videos, so I don’t really want to give up the Pro camera system.

My 14 Pro is also starting to show its age a bit. I’ve had it since launch, never had AppleCare, and I’ve always gone caseless. There’s a tiny bit of dust in the telephoto lens that shows up in some photos. It’s really not noticeable unless you know it’s there… but now that I know it’s there, I can’t unsee it lol.

The back is also slightly cracked, and my battery health is at 75%.

Here’s the thing: I have an $800 Apple Gift Card, and I’m trying to figure out what makes the most sense.

The options are:

Option 1: Use the $800 to repair/refresh the 14 Pro and keep it for another 2+ years.

Option 2: Put the $800 toward an iPhone 17 Pro now, since iPhones will only get more expensive.

Option 3: Keep the 14 Pro as-is and wait for the iPhone 18 Pro / Air 2 / possible Ultra, then decide once we know what the next generation actually looks like.

I really don’t need a new phone, which is what makes this harder. The 14 Pro still does everything I need. But at the same time, with the battery at 75%, the cracked back, and the dust in the telephoto, I’m wondering if it makes more sense to move on while I have the $800 gift card.