3 years, since that's how long the Nexus and Pixel phones support security updates. Hopefully, the rumor is true about the Pixel 6 having 5 years support.
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Longest you have gone without upgrading a phone?
- Thread starter NuclearCake
- Start date
Very late 2015 to very late 2019 on my HTC One (M8), switched to an LG G8 after the battery was just too poor to use and not worth the price of replacing said battery. Hopefully I can get 4+ years out of my current phone or at least a nice trade-in if I wind up switching carriers.
Probably 3 years, but done it multiple times. I used to go for cheaper android models and usually upgraded every 2 years because they'd feel really archaic after the second year. My Moto Z Play was good though, right up until my wife bought me an iPhone XS as a gift while that phone was 3 years old. Other 3 year phones were dumb phones.
I'm horrible with dates. But I've only had 3 smartphones so far. So they last me long enough. And they've never been expensive phones. I should be going for a new one when my finances get better. Current one is 4 going on 5.
Last update I did was from a 7 Pro to a 11 Pro Max, that's 4 years right?
I was never really a "phone guy" until my daughter was born. Now I just want to have the best possible pictures of her growing up. Ordered a 13 Pro Max of Friday, sth I wouldn't have done otherwise.
I was never really a "phone guy" until my daughter was born. Now I just want to have the best possible pictures of her growing up. Ordered a 13 Pro Max of Friday, sth I wouldn't have done otherwise.
I'm at like 3 odd years now so might be now? Really not sure what I'm doing next either. I bought it outright for £500 quid and my current SIM costs me £9 per month.
I have a one plus 6 at the moment and have had android phones since the original iPhone. I really do like all the privacy stuff apple has been doing / saying recently but not sure I can be bothered with the switch so may end up getting another random android phone for £300-600 in the next 6 months or so.
I have a one plus 6 at the moment and have had android phones since the original iPhone. I really do like all the privacy stuff apple has been doing / saying recently but not sure I can be bothered with the switch so may end up getting another random android phone for £300-600 in the next 6 months or so.
5 years was the longest, but I was pushing it as phone was really slow. Though if I think about it, I think I could've gotten one more year out of it.
Well i am still on my very first smartphone, which is pushing 5 years now, recently had to put a new battery in it though, but it think i'm good for another couple years now.
Unless we are talking about the pre-smartphone era as well, in that case, obviously more than that.
Unless we are talking about the pre-smartphone era as well, in that case, obviously more than that.
Now at 3 years with a P20 Pro, don't have any plans to upgrade for a while yet as this is running great still. Could be tempted by a Pixel 6 next year when the price drops and it reviews well.
I had my first mobile phone at 13ish and probably had that for about 5-6 years, so that will probably be my undefeated record.
Currently using my Xperia XZ2 compact for a bit more than 3 years, and it's still doing good but I kind of want a bigger phone not gonna lie.
Will probably upgrade within the next year or two
Currently using my Xperia XZ2 compact for a bit more than 3 years, and it's still doing good but I kind of want a bigger phone not gonna lie.
Will probably upgrade within the next year or two
Galaxy S8, 4+ years. Expandable storage and headphone jack. Swapped the battery last year and it was running like a champ...
BUT the camera is pretty fucked and the expandable storage stopped working after I dropped it real hard; I was like "hmm I'll just get a cheap midrange Samsung" and was horrified to see that the S8 STILL OUTPERFORMS ALL THE MIDRANGE STUFF OUT THERE.
I'm almost thinking of finding a refurbed S10 and getting a new battery in it.
BUT the camera is pretty fucked and the expandable storage stopped working after I dropped it real hard; I was like "hmm I'll just get a cheap midrange Samsung" and was horrified to see that the S8 STILL OUTPERFORMS ALL THE MIDRANGE STUFF OUT THERE.
I'm almost thinking of finding a refurbed S10 and getting a new battery in it.
Still rocking an S7 edge here got it in 2016 had it replaced under warranty in 2017 then replaced the battery in 2019 and the phone is still going strong though software wise its getting a little bit long in the tooth I mean its running a security patch a year old and an android version thats 4 years old.
Was hoping to replace it with a Note but Samsung said no new Note this year so maybe ill hang on to it to see if 2022 will garce us with a Note phone.
Was hoping to replace it with a Note but Samsung said no new Note this year so maybe ill hang on to it to see if 2022 will garce us with a Note phone.
Still going with the iPhone X I bought in 2018.
First time I've ever bought the handset instead of having a contract. It's been interesting that once removed from the contract upgrade cycle I've had absolutely no desire to change or upgrade. I think the battery is starting to show its age but other than that, I'm still really happy with the phones performance.
First time I've ever bought the handset instead of having a contract. It's been interesting that once removed from the contract upgrade cycle I've had absolutely no desire to change or upgrade. I think the battery is starting to show its age but other than that, I'm still really happy with the phones performance.
I like to wait until the outgoing flagship has dropped in price, and look for a good offer.
I'm still using an iPhone 7 Plus, which is about five years old now. Honestly, it feels like it's older than that.
There have been two noticeable downgrades after OS updates over the years:
There have been two noticeable downgrades after OS updates over the years:
- After a major OS update a couple of years ago, the phone now gets very warm whenever the camera is being used in third-party apps, and drains the battery very quickly.
- And back in June or so, there was a minor iOS update that significantly cut down the battery life of older phones like the 7 and 6s when idle. I even had family asking me if there was something wrong with their phones after this update (which they had no idea about - it just happened overnight). I can barely make it through a full day on a single charge now, and have to keep the phone on low power mode most of the time. I've kept track of the battery health, and that is largely unchanged.
Longest time for a smartphone is my current: I have had an xz1 compact for 3 years and still going. Every time I'm tempted to replace it, I just compare its size with any alternatives and suddenly all interest in a new phone evaporates. I'll probably end up with an iphone mini eventually... if they still make them by then.
It'll be 4 years next year, if I don't upgrade by then.
Been rocking the iPhone X since 2018 but I can notice the battery drain so I think it's time.
Been rocking the iPhone X since 2018 but I can notice the battery drain so I think it's time.
2 years with my Pixel 2. At this point I pretty much only upgrade for the cameras, if I had no interest in that I'd just keep phones until the batteries died. I have a Pixel 5 at the moment and it's a fantastic phone but I'm already getting that itch looking at the 6 and 6 Pro, the one thing that might put me off is the size.
Maybe 3 years. I'm always about 5 years behind the newest model and buy them second hand because the idea of spending more than £200 on a phone just makes me feel ill.
I've had my X since new so three or four years… I'm going to upgrade to the 13, as I believe it's enough of a leap for me to get a new phone.
I think it's been every 2 years. May be a bit murky on the years here, but think it's accurate.
There just always seems to be some deal that makes it worthwhile.
Droid X - 2009
Galaxy Nexus - 2011
iPhone 5C - 2013
Galaxy S7 - 2015
Pixel XL 2 - 2017
iPhone 11 - 2019
iPhone 12 Pro - 2021
There just always seems to be some deal that makes it worthwhile.
Droid X - 2009
Galaxy Nexus - 2011
iPhone 5C - 2013
Galaxy S7 - 2015
Pixel XL 2 - 2017
iPhone 11 - 2019
iPhone 12 Pro - 2021
Still with the S8 from 2017 over here.
This is more because back in what I refer to as "the day", phones were subsidized by getting locked into a 2 year contract with the carrier of your choice. Best Buy used to do this this thing where you could renew your contract and get the previous year's model Galaxy for $1. God damn, those were the days.
The S8 was the first smartphone that I actually "paid for", even though I got it on sale. In order for me to tack on another $20-$30/month, I would have to justify that the new phone is worth it. But what do the new galaxy phones really offer? Better refresh rate? Slightly nicer camera? A slightly bigger screen?
That's a lot of money of for what amounts to a bunch of "slight" improvements. So I'll hang in there for now. Either for a black friday deal, or just wait until my phone straight up dies.
This is more because back in what I refer to as "the day", phones were subsidized by getting locked into a 2 year contract with the carrier of your choice. Best Buy used to do this this thing where you could renew your contract and get the previous year's model Galaxy for $1. God damn, those were the days.
The S8 was the first smartphone that I actually "paid for", even though I got it on sale. In order for me to tack on another $20-$30/month, I would have to justify that the new phone is worth it. But what do the new galaxy phones really offer? Better refresh rate? Slightly nicer camera? A slightly bigger screen?
That's a lot of money of for what amounts to a bunch of "slight" improvements. So I'll hang in there for now. Either for a black friday deal, or just wait until my phone straight up dies.
i dunno but probably 5 or 6?
i change them when they don't work anymore or break, not because i need the upgrade, it's not something i plan
i change them when they don't work anymore or break, not because i need the upgrade, it's not something i plan
So far, 2 years because I'm not a
Savage who wants to wait several seconds longer for pages to render when I click a button.
Seriously though, I try to spend substantial money on items I use a lot and there is probably not much I use more than my smartphone.
Im thinking of keeping my current phone for 3 years instead of 2 this time. The anemic increase in processing power from one handset to the next makes it ok. I just wish changing batteries was easy.
Savage who wants to wait several seconds longer for pages to render when I click a button.
Seriously though, I try to spend substantial money on items I use a lot and there is probably not much I use more than my smartphone.
Im thinking of keeping my current phone for 3 years instead of 2 this time. The anemic increase in processing power from one handset to the next makes it ok. I just wish changing batteries was easy.
I think I had an iPhone 4 for four and a half years, after which I switched to Android phones. I've never been able to get more than two years' satisfactory use out of one of those, so I switched back to iPhone with the 12. I'm hopeful I'll get a similar four-year lifespan from this one.
I'm happy to wait a lot longer to replace "bigger" tech like my TV and laptop (both of those are on a six-year cycle, outside of accidental damage), but 3-4 years feels more achievable on a phone, where there's always better battery life and better camera hardware - the main things I care about in a phone - to be had.
I'm happy to wait a lot longer to replace "bigger" tech like my TV and laptop (both of those are on a six-year cycle, outside of accidental damage), but 3-4 years feels more achievable on a phone, where there's always better battery life and better camera hardware - the main things I care about in a phone - to be had.
Going to try and keep my 4 year old LG V30+ chugging however I can. Might need a battery replacement, have it permanently on extended power saving mode which does well so something must be sapping away at it otherwise. I don't want to get rid of the useable bezel, strong-ass screen since I drop it frequently, kickass DAC and headphone jack. It's a trooper.
I went from a OnePlus 2 (2015) to a OnePlus 6 in 2021. Still wanted that headphone jack and I don't like paying a ton for phones since I don't take many photos. Think it was about $200 for me lol.
I finally dropped my old phone out if my car and had the screen crack. Figured it was about time as it was getting slow anyway. Perfectly happy with my OnePlus 6. Might get a new battery for it though, that's the only issue I really have with it. Next upgrade will be in a couple years once 5g is the norm and it's worth upgrading to, but I'm on wifi 95% of the time anyway.
I finally dropped my old phone out if my car and had the screen crack. Figured it was about time as it was getting slow anyway. Perfectly happy with my OnePlus 6. Might get a new battery for it though, that's the only issue I really have with it. Next upgrade will be in a couple years once 5g is the norm and it's worth upgrading to, but I'm on wifi 95% of the time anyway.
Pixel 2 XL I think.
Lasted me from 2018 to late last year when I dropped it and broke the screen. Was still able to get Google to accept it for trade in ($70!!!) towards a Pixel 4a 5G.
Lasted me from 2018 to late last year when I dropped it and broke the screen. Was still able to get Google to accept it for trade in ($70!!!) towards a Pixel 4a 5G.
Close to four years. Modern high end smartphones are usually good for 5 years or so.
I would like to know more.