Average U.S. Smartphone Upgrade Cycle Now 33 Months( Apple and Samsung users tend upgrade more frequently )
- Thread starter Slayven
- Start date
Wow so many people here upgrading because their batteries when you could just spend $99 or less and get a new battery instead of $700-$1200 on a phone that does the exact same thing.
Had an S7 then bought the S10 this year. If I didn't have a company discount (cost me 250 bucks) I would of have been upset, even though it's such a great product.
If 5G ends up being revolutionary then I might make the jump in 2021 after I pick up a PS5.
If 5G ends up being revolutionary then I might make the jump in 2021 after I pick up a PS5.
Sounds about right, my average smartphone ownership is about 3 to 3.5 years.
iPhone 4 - Nov 2010
iPhone 5c - Sept 2013
iPhone SE - March 2017
iPhone 4 - Nov 2010
iPhone 5c - Sept 2013
iPhone SE - March 2017
Had my Galaxy S4 till 2017... then finally had to upgrade to an S8+ when the S4 Broke. S4 one of the Greatest phones ever imo.
Still on the S8+... although the wifi disconnects ever so often... I still like the phone. We'll see. Maybe a legit folding phone in a few years. Or 5g phone when that's available in SF on Sprint/T-Mobile.
Still on the S8+... although the wifi disconnects ever so often... I still like the phone. We'll see. Maybe a legit folding phone in a few years. Or 5g phone when that's available in SF on Sprint/T-Mobile.
My Xperia XZ of 3 years is kinda crap now. Weak battery and gets hot easily.
I'll probably start looking for a newer model next year, which will put me at 4 years upgrade cycle.
I'll probably start looking for a newer model next year, which will put me at 4 years upgrade cycle.
Still happy with my OnePlus 5t which is coming up on 2. I'd like a better camera and it might be the thing that gets me to switch later this year. Phone is still very fast and ticks the other feature boxes I want though, and I never charge the battery during the day.
My girlfriend's S8 is almost 2.5 years old and feels fresh.
I had my previous phone for almost 4.
My girlfriend's S8 is almost 2.5 years old and feels fresh.
I had my previous phone for almost 4.
Had my 4S for 4 years, 6S will be 4 years old this fall but I'm going to try and hold out 1 more year for 2020 iPhone. Honestly only thing that is noticeably bad about my 6S is the charging port is finicky, and Apple said they can't fix it without replacing the whole device >:(.
Was it refurbished? :p
But yeah, the price hikes on each new flagship has been a real damper for me, especially when recent phones are "good enough" for 95% of what I do. The Note 9 I have now was my first willing upgrade in 3 years--had a Note 7 incendiary grenade before that and had to replace it as a result.
I've had an S6 for years and it works fine. I'm not missing out, and still have that nice 3.5mm stereo jack.
OP
OP
iPhone 6 here. Got a new battery put in last year. Just gonna keep on kicking until it doesn't anymore.
I think I'm going to keep my S10 as long as possible. ..
We'll see how I fare against resisting the in screen finger print QoL upgrades (bigger scanning area), 10x telephoto zoom in camera, UFS 3.0 and 120hz display updates that will likely show up in the future.
The fingerprint print moving to the front is the thing that really made me go for the upgrade. Usability and functionality of the software and hardware is just really important to me. Samsung is surprisingly the only OEM that's allowing me to use big phones with one hand without making it a tough experience (mainly because of Goodlock).
We'll see how I fare against resisting the in screen finger print QoL upgrades (bigger scanning area), 10x telephoto zoom in camera, UFS 3.0 and 120hz display updates that will likely show up in the future.
The fingerprint print moving to the front is the thing that really made me go for the upgrade. Usability and functionality of the software and hardware is just really important to me. Samsung is surprisingly the only OEM that's allowing me to use big phones with one hand without making it a tough experience (mainly because of Goodlock).
Yeah, I'd wager most Samsung Galaxy Sx and Note users and iPhone users are on traditional carrier plans and agreements where there are basically incentives to upgrade every cycle.
I've had my iPhone 8 Plus for almost 2 years now.
I know it's not exactly an old device but I don't really see any reason to upgrade. Does pretty much everything I need to do.
I had my previous iPhone for much longer and only upgraded when I literally lost it haha.
(It was found, month later having been in the snow and grass. Crazy thing is that I believe it still worked.)
I know it's not exactly an old device but I don't really see any reason to upgrade. Does pretty much everything I need to do.
I had my previous iPhone for much longer and only upgraded when I literally lost it haha.
(It was found, month later having been in the snow and grass. Crazy thing is that I believe it still worked.)
Same here. I had Samsung phones in the past but I kept upgrading every 2-3 years. But ever since I've had the Google Pixel 1, I really like it and don't want to upgrade yet. The funny thing is that every time I think it's on its way out, I get a new update and it runs just fine afterwards.
My iphone 6 is four years old. It has a fresh battery in it, and I'd feel absolutely zero pressure to upgrade, were it not for the fact that ios updates will no longer come to the phone as of the next one, and that's the one that has bluetooth controller support. Maybe I'll get a cheapo android tablet to do Steam in home streaming.
Phones used to die out for me and/or slow down after 18 or so months. Now they are lasting much longer and I see no reason to upgrade as often. On 30ish months currently
I usually go 3 - 4 years on every phone I've owned apart from one where I only had it 2 years. Last year I upgraded to a galaxy S9 from an S5 that still works and I use as a media player.
I normally upgrade every year or 1.5 years, but with the Samsung S10 I am very satisfied with the form factor, screen, camera, and fact it still has headphone jack. Wont be upgrading it for 2-3 years. Might wait until folding screens are done right which could be even longer lol, but the battery wont last that long.
Smartphones are kinda boring to me now, I used to upgrade yearly because the progress was so amazing. Now it is very ho-hum and 5G is boring to me too. I usually have my phone on some sort of wi-fi and 5G will be problematic indoors without a separate antenna. Plus, it was a battery nightmare when phones used to switch constantly between LTE and 3G and I imagine 5G will have the same exact issue for the first few years.
Smartphones are kinda boring to me now, I used to upgrade yearly because the progress was so amazing. Now it is very ho-hum and 5G is boring to me too. I usually have my phone on some sort of wi-fi and 5G will be problematic indoors without a separate antenna. Plus, it was a battery nightmare when phones used to switch constantly between LTE and 3G and I imagine 5G will have the same exact issue for the first few years.
I got a oneplus 7 pro and it's faster than literally every phone I have ever used, with a better battery life than most of them too.
before then I had a Samsung S7 Active.
And before then, a moto razr for well too long.
before then I had a Samsung S7 Active.
And before then, a moto razr for well too long.
I've been bi-annual since I got my first smartphone, but I'm going to make the leap from being an Android user to Apple user and I'm hoping to do 33-36 months between upgrades. Largely driven to the ecosystem leap by data privacy concerns and the relatively seamless hardware ecosystem of Apple, because I'm planning to do phone+smartwatch combo. That obviously means two devices to upgrade when it's upgrade time, so the extra time will give me a better budget. Would be nice if I could stretch 4 years, too, but I feel like I'm a little too consumer-engaged in the tech industry to resist the pull of beefed up hardware specs... But we'll see.
Since I quit Facebook, I've noticed my screen on time is pretty much halved, and I have my foot halfway out of Twitter at this point too... So without social media my phone becomes very utilitarian and better, faster performance and all that nonsense doesn't matter as much. Cameras seem to be at a reasonable level of fidelity nowadays, too.
Since I quit Facebook, I've noticed my screen on time is pretty much halved, and I have my foot halfway out of Twitter at this point too... So without social media my phone becomes very utilitarian and better, faster performance and all that nonsense doesn't matter as much. Cameras seem to be at a reasonable level of fidelity nowadays, too.
Same current pixel 2xl is awesome ain't upgrading until the phone is completely unusable not financing ever again going to buy a mid range device outright if anything or the same phone .
What activities make people excited about 5g on their phones? I'm not sure how it would benefit me, LTE has served me very well.
The way most people buy these phones nowadays they just get them used to that extra $50 on their cell service bill so why not just upgrade anytime you are eligible? People are basically leasing phones now.