What's the point of buying new phones every years?

I mean, most of the population isn't buying a new phone every year, it's just that there are enough people using phones in general that at any given time there are people buying new models. It's the same reason why there are people buying cars every year.

I personally use my phones for about 3 years. Sometimes up to 4, but usually year 3-4 is when the battery degradation gets so horribly bad and performance stutters so much that I figure if I'm going to do a full reset and buy a new battery and all that, I might as well get a new phone.

See thats where im with OP.
Lots of people do switch every 1-2 years.
And swapping a battery costs idk 40€ and an afternoon, full reset costs nothing and takes 20 minutes. Why would i generate that much trash and spend a thousand bucks on the latest shit thats 99% the same instead?
- Capitalism and Marketing, bro.
- I had a 4 year old phone that I had to charge twice a day. I figuered I switch the battery with an official branded replacement which had costed around 100€. The difference between the old and new battery were unnoticable and I still had to charge the phone twice a day.
Not charging my old phone to 100%, rather to 85% or 90% has helped with battery longevity immensely. After almost 5 years in use, accubattery still shows 80% battery health, and even if that's not accurate, it still lasts quite a while. The SD625 that phone had was very sluggish though, so in the end I still replaced it
- I used to do that, but it was a chore to keep monitoring my battery life. I wish there were a "charge phone to 80% and stop" option.

The only real issue are updates. After just 3 years my previous phone didn't get any security updates and I had to get new hardware. I actually liked my previous phone more than my current one. But it is how it is.

That's the reason why I switched to iPhone after many years of Android, security updates are vital nowadays with all the sensitive data and apps we use on our phones, Apple is the only one that guarantees al least 5 years, iPhones are not too expensive if you don't buy the latest models and I'd rather avoid supporting companies that don't understand the importance of security.
- Pixel actually guarantees 5 years now and if you put GrapheneOS on it, then you'll have one of the most private and secure operating systems available
- I have just done the same.
  Although Google are now promising 5 years of support for Pixel phones, Pixel phones are not a core business for Google, and as they have shown many times, Google will end projects at the drop of a hat with no regard for their customers.
  There are secondary Android companies like Samsung that promise long term security updates, but are always behind the publishing curve compared to Google. This means that malicious actors have the opportunity to study Google’s published updates to reverse engineer cracks that they then exploit.
  The current Android security update model is inherently insecure due to this issue. Until manufacturers are forced to update in a timely manner ( by which I mean simultaneously with Google) I won’t buy another Android phone.
- Yeah exactly. It's surprising how many people don't check or care how long their device is being updated. Apple does a great job of supplying their devices with updates long-term.
- Both Samsung and Google give you 5 years of updates (at least 3 major Android releases + 2 years of Security updates) for a few years now.
- Pixel and Samsung also have 5 years of updates promised. And more phones are giving at least 3 years. I don't think most people nowadays are hanging onto their 5 year old phones. Most everyone switches phones every 2 or 3 years.
This is why we need law to mandate security updates for 5+ years.
That's why I installed custom ROM on my Redmi Note 3 and used it for 4.5y until the battery swole.
If you are using an android phone, you can change the ROM to one that still gets updates, it's like changing the os in a computer. The process will delete all of the user data inside the phone but you've got nothing to lose if it doesn't get any security updates.
I recommend lineageOS to anyone wanting to go down this route because of its compatibility with every phone, old or new.
- that “security update” quickly gets irrelevant as the exploits for lineage (or any non-standard rom) sells for pennies compared to a stock exploit. also no one’s paying security researchers to assess lineage - also it would be completely impossible with the amount of updates and devices they release
  remember that (unfortunately) security is all about money
- How difficult is it to change ROM?
This.
If you have a phone with snapdragon CPU you probably can extend it's lifespan with custom ROMs that offers security updates. Mine released in 2019, support dropped at android 11, but unofficial LOS with android 13 works great and still updates regularly. No complains here, even the OTA works. Although I do need to flash manually because of root. I don't see myself upgrade anytime soon.
Switch to iPhone. Or pixel. Longer security updates. Guaranteed
I hope I dont jinx myself with this but I dont think security updates at the OS level are that important nowadays.

The main reason to do it is when the manufacturer no longer releases security updates for the phone. Given the security history and the typical corporate attitude of caring little for the customer, I want to minimize the risk posed by not having a very out of date operating system.

You don’t need a new phone every year to get this.
- Some manufacturers drop support after a few years. It's usually less frequent than every year but if you were worried about spyware or someone getting all those weird pictures you have saved to your camera roll it could make sense to upgrade for peace of mind.
Honestly just switch to a manufacturer that provides security updates for longer periods of time. My iPhone 5S, released nearly 10 years ago and is still getting them. Fairphone is another great example.

I feel like when I was younger and phone tech was changing a lot in the early days of the iOS and Android the difference even 1 year made was sometimes huge. Nowadays it’s much more incremental. A slight processor boost here, a couple GB of Ram there. I think a large part as to why that is is two things.

One, the tech has stagnated to some degree. Innovation doesn’t exactly sell a phone to regular non tech folks, a stable “don’t have to think about it” experience is what most people are after.

Two, a lot more issues with the cell phone platform are solved with software rather than throwing around more powerful hardware.

All that being said when I was younger I loved the idea of bleeding edge tech in my pocket, I upgraded all the time. The appeal was more customization at a lesser cost to performance, I wanted all the bells and whistles and less of the jank that came with it. I’m a little older now and lean much more towards the “give me something that works and doesn’t crash for the 10 minutes I have to look at my phone” club.

For those that upgrade to the latest iPhone/Pixel every year no matter what, I chalk that up to lots of expendable funds. It doesn’t appeal to me any more but I can also recognize that there are probably plenty of people out there now, like I was 10 years ago, so it could also be a general interest in the tech and how the bleeding edge keeps pushing for faster, more efficient technology.

I'll pile on with a "Yup!"
While I fell into a pattern where I intend to upgrade every 2 years maybe 5 or 6 years ago, I've noticed in that same time frame that both the cost of new devices has gone up significantly and the durability of those devices has dropped.
I'm very easy on my phones. They spend a vast majority of their time on my desk, or plugged into my car. I'm old and boring enough that "going out" involves sitting down at a table at a nice dinner with friends and then going home. That said, the battery life on my phones starts to degrade after about a year. Various flaws start to creep up in the device. I've already had to replace the screen on my Pixel 7 Pro once -- though, to be fair, it took a tumble from the couch onto a hardwood floor, but even that, really, shouldn't turn the screen non-functional.
It's disappointing to see that planned obsolescence rearing its head.
- Pixels have extremely thin screens, apparently. I tried to get the battery replaced on an otherwise perfectly functioning Pixel a few years ago, but it ended up being cost prohibitive because replacing the battery also required replacing the screen which was "potato chip thin" according to the repair guy, and it was almost impossible to swap the battery without breaking it.
- See, I am not easy on my phones and I wish they were more durable/glove friendly.

Because they welded the one consumable that needs replacement to force you to buy new every few years: the battery

Luckily for us Americans, the Europeans have their head on straight and can force companies to fix this by the end of the decade. So that'll be nice at least
welded??
- Probably soldered.
I don’t think a phone where the battery is welded to the body exists.
I know you’re probably being hyperbolic, but sealing a phone’s body construction to make it waterproof is very different from ‘welding’ the battery in.
- Gaskets, o-rings, and screws exist. The waterproof argument is a weak one that doesn't hold water. There's no reason why it needs to be glued together and past phones have had waterproofing with a removable back and replaceable battery.
- The point is that virtually every mobile on the market has a non-replaceable battery, and that's a huge factor driving over-consumption via planned obsolescence.
- They've been a "not user serviceable" component since before phones got water proofing.
  Additionally plenty of things can be disassembled with screws and such, that are waterproof..... Watches come to mind.
  The fact that they're making it impossible for we the people and owners of the products, to change the battery isn't a technological limitation, nor a practical one. They did it so people will be forced to seek help to get a new battery, at which time, the vendor/carrier/whomever, can simply upsell the end user.
  They did it to sell more phones. If you believe anything other than that, I have some land in Alaska to sell you.
- This is so pedantic and competely misses the point.

There is a HUGE difference in 4 and 12 GB of ram if you're using 20 different apps at once that are all running background tasks.

The camera raw megapixel are of little significance these days but things like optical zoom or a larger sensor and aperture make a lot of difference.

The main reason to upgrade otherwise is unsupported OS versions. you'll stop getting security updates leaving your phone vulnerable to attack.

Vanity, marketing and buying shit unnecessarily.

I have a Fairphone 3 that I got in January 2020. Its a great device. I want to using it daily for between 5 to 10 years. And I have no doubt it will do that.

Meanwhile my brother has bought 3 Samsung devices in that time. And each one still works fine. He doesn't need a new phone each time but he will still insist on it.

How's the camera on this phone? Really the only thing I care about, next to battery life
- The camera on the Fairphone 3 is only okay. But there is an upgraded camera module you can buy from Fairphone.
  I'm not much of a photographer so it doesn't bother me. But if you take a lot of pictures, it's something to keep in mind.

Foldables are the only interesting thing to have happened to smartphones in the past like 6-8 years. It's kind of sad.
- While the tech is cool, I don't see folding screens as an improvement, at least for me. Sure, a larger screen would be nice, but I already carry a laptop that's WAY more capable than any phone.
  All the folding phones are more expensive, less durable, worse battery life, and the software still isn't 100% even 4 generations in.
  If I actually cared about having a bigger screen on my phone, I could just buy a normal phone + a tablet for the same price as a foldable.
Say what you will about huawei, but in the years when they were fighting to challenge Samsung, both companies made some exciting products.
- Those days are long over

I buy a new phone when my current one breaks. So like every five years.

Lots of people are bad with money or don't prioritize the same things I do. I try not to worry about this. I worry about other unimportant shit like why do people roll for stats in DND 5e.

why do people roll for stats in DND 5e.
Because having a wizard with 6 CON, a chronic disease, and a built in death wish is funny as hell
In the early 10s Smartphones evolved quickly and it was worth it to upgrade every 2nd year or even every year.
This changed when the tech stagnated. But smartphone was much cheaper in the early days so financially it probably isnt much different if you are buying flagships later now.
I'm the same, use the phone until it refuses to function any longer then jump on a Chinese site and get the cheapest pos with a decent camera and then once it arrives watch a yt video on how to change the language to English

Planned obsolescence wiki link

The world around you uses Instagram daily. They do need a better camera and all the AI photo enhancement filters. Plus, consumerism, you know.

Other than that, there's no technical reason to buy anything better than what flafhsips were a few years back. I have one and it's constantly underutilized.

I mean, maybe 5G or wifi 6 could be a reason to migrate.

maybe 5G or wifi 6
This is why we need phones with swappable modules. I'm pretty sure my current phone could last for decades if I could replace it's radio equipment to keep up with modern standards.
- Framework Phone When
- I would love to build a smartphone like a Desktop Pc.
Or -- Christ it's 2023 -- Apple's first fucking USB-C phone. Holy mother of god, having one stupid cable for the devices I want was a siren song of a mad god, but we're finally here.
In 2023

Status symbol. That, and many people are horrible with their devices. They drop them and scratch them, crack the screen, chip them.

They abuse them and load them with tons of apps. Fill up the phone with videos and photos. The battery holds less of a charge because many people use their phones as computers and will constantly be cycling it dead 3 times a day or more.

Apps update and use more resources and space. They could just clean up their phone, do a reset, and have a case for protection but choose not to and just buy a new one.

It's stupid I agree

The only time I ever "upgrade" is when I break a phone beyond reasonable repair. If batteries were easier / more cost effective to replace, I would keep this Pixel 4a a few more years. The battery is starting to lose capacity now, I'll have to check on the cost of battery replacement before too long.

Considering a Fairphone next time I do upgrade.

Batteries are cheap to replace.
- An important change is happening in many industries/ markets. To make devices easy to repair & enable OS updates many more years for long term use.
As someone who is currently using a fairphone 3, I cannot recommend it.
The idea is good, but let down by very cheap hardware. The fact is that, when you get the phone brand new, it's already a very low end phone. Still having it 3 years later just means that it'll be even worse. The fact that you can repair/replace most of it (but not upgrade) doesn't change that fact.
I have been so disappointed with the experience on mine and would've replaced it ages ago if I could afford to.
Have to say, though, security updates are good.
Same. My next phone will be fairphone.

I totally agree :) I'm S10 until the thing melts, I managed to replace the battery under warranty and plan to rock it as long as humanly possible.

Headphone jack is a huge factor in that as I would not want to lose something I use every day, but also like you say, performance is fine! On top of that is the fact that I'm paying £8 a month for unlimited everything without a contract! :)

I guess there used to be a night and day change, and people kind of still expect that from the next flagship each time they're offered an upgrade?

That said, these days the trends tend to steer into things I don't use much, or improving what's already good enough - its a good time to be on a budget I guess! :)

I can't see why you can't see the difference. I've been swapping every few years from the lowest tier phone that's recently come out and each change feels like night and day each and every time. Perhaps you should stop buying overpriced phones?

Buying cheaper phones for the purpose of feeling the need to upgrade them sooner doesnt really make sende though, does it?
- Well, there are some arguments pro buying cheaper phones.
  You have the option to upgrade, you are not obliged. Even if you finance the more expensive phone you are still committed for more. You have more options.
  Batteries do naturally degrade over time. No matter how expensive or good your phone is.
  Accidents happen some will not be covered by warranty but I also do not see more expensive phones having more than 2 years warranty which is the minimum.
  If you do chose to upgrade you have more phones, that means a backup or a free phone for a member of your family.
- I have had three phones in the span of ten years. All of them were gifted to me via the line provider. I don't know what you are talking about, mate,
- It's about how much you are spending every year for a device. A $300 device will last you 3 years. A $1000 device will last you 5. Are you willing to spend that much money, is it worth the improvements, usually in camera and support service?
  I just buy mid range $300-$400 phones with big batteries and popular hardware, so I can make it last long.

20 years ago, I had an insurance plan with AT&T. For $30 I could "replace" my phone under the insurance policy (once per year). Then the plan changed it was a refurbished phone not new..... then eventually the insurance plan went to a surcharge of $200 to replace with a refurbished phone.

Back in the old days I simply upgraded every one or two years under the insurance plan. But that was the days before smartphones really took off.

These days I don't have that insurance plan, and simply hold onto my phones as long as possible. I don't get it either.

I have a Galaxy S9 that I've had for five years and it just won't die on me. Not that I'm complaining, I honestly have no clue what I'll buy next. But I don't get the need to upgrade annually.

Another piece to this is that smartphone innovations have slowed down significantly. I used my Samsung S8+ from launch 2017 until 2022 and couple kept it going longer but it wasn't getting security updates anymore and it's performance for Android Auto had intermittent issues, so I sold it to my friend (who's still using it) and upgraded. But as far as new features on new phones, by upgrading I got a faster display, faster SoC, and more RAM, which are nice to have but not game changers imo, and I lost a headphone jack, micro SD card expansion, and downgraded the resolution of my display (S21). I'm planning on holding onto this phone as long as possible and maybe I'll upgrade to a foldable if they iron out the kinks and come down in price.
- Foldable
  Iron out the kinks
  I don't know if this was intentional, but if it was not, you're a goddamn comedic genius.

It used to be that a new phone came with a relatively substantial new feature set. People have become accustomed to this and businesses have been built around this. At this point, it’s mostly about consumerism.

I’m still rocking an iPhone 12 Mini without the slightest hiccup as well as an original iPhone SE as my main music player. I used to be the person who got every new phone because there used to be such a jump in performance and hardware features. Now I have no reason to upgrade at all. Honestly, I’d love to get rid of my phone all together and just use an iPad, Apple Watch, and my camera and journal.

Yeah this is really it. The answer is that there used to be significant technical reasons to do so. Technology improved enough each year that last year's phones were really showing age.
At this point even basic phones are so fast and so feature rich that no one except niche groups needs anything faster than what came out several years ago. Everything basic like watching videos, maps, internet browsing, and messaging works perfectly fine on anything.
So the reasons shifted to renewing battery life and OS updates. Which are both at least somewhat artificial since manufactures could easily implement longer updates or replaceable batteries.

I buy used flagships.

A 1.5 year old flagship costs the same as a brand new midrange phone, but is significantly better.

I just got a S21 Ultra for cheaper than I would have paid for an A54. (Also Exynos is hot fucking garbage. I wanted to get away from Samsung altogether, but the price on this made sense and I has a snapdragon. Significantly better)

I have never upgraded every year, I used to every two years, then three. Now I’ve had my iPhone 11 for almost four years, and I’m planning to keep it for 5. It will probably still get new OS updates for another 1 year after that (total of 6).

There is no reason to update your phone every year.

Same, I've easily had phones last for 4-5 years. My husband and I both keep them til there's something annoying enough to warrant an upgrade, be that lacking capabilities or wear-and-tear damage.
The kid then gets the option to upgrade her current hand-me-down phone with whatever we just replaced. I replaced this phone a year or two ago, I don't expect to replace it for quite a while.
Absolutely no reason to upgrade a phone every year. I highly recommend getting the phone protected with a good case and possibly a screen protector to anyone who doesn't do this already.

There are OS updates and there are security updates. Check with your manufacturer as these periods may be quite short, and considering how tied our finances and porivate info are to our phones, it could be a huge hazard. Most android manufacturers, for example, I think offer 2 years of OS updates and 3 or 4 years of security updates. Apples does 6 and 8 - which is wild to me for all the talk of Android users about FOSS and privacy and security. Samsung does 4 and 5, which IIRC, is one of the highest in the android world.

I'm certain someone will mention GrapheneOS, so let me get ahead of that: You can completely de-google your android phone and get as many years of OS upgrades as your hardware can physically support... but is the average person really going to do that?

Apple doing software updates for such an extended period of time is wild, considering how anti-consumer they are in the first place (bad repairability, walled garden, bizarre prices).
Google does 5 years updates for the pixel phones, which is to be expected since they own android lol.
- I mean...the software updates usually help people end up upgrading as new features do not work on certain models or are slower etc...

I just use my phone until it either breaks or can't do what I want it to do.

Since having kids they break more often.

I agree. I only replace my phone when it stops working.

Battery life is decent for 3-4+ years nowadays.

Check out the Fairphone; you can replace parts like battery and the production line tends to be (more) sustainable. They also provide security updates for 5+ years.
They don't have really high-end phones though, but personally I think most moderate phones nowadays are fine for practically all usecases. For me it works out fine, as I already used mid-range phones for a couple of years.
I hope they will do something like a subscription for even longer updates (if enough people are interested). Don't need a new phone if this keeps working / being repairable.
- I love the idea of Fairphone but it's too pricy for me unfortunately. my current phone (Redmi Note 10 Pro) only cost £150 ($195) and it's pretty much the perfect phone for my minimal needs.

Google provides a stripped down base Linux kernel to hardware manufacturers. This kernel works with android and allows the manufacturer to load all the proprietary code needed to support the processor, modem, and hardware peripherals without the manufacturer merging the source code into the mainline Linux kernel. This means the community can never support the hardware in the kernel. As software changes in android, features are added, and vulnerabilities are fixed, the only party that can update the device's kernel is the manufacturer. This is a criminal scheme to exploit the end user and force them to constantly buy new hardware. Proprietary is always about theft of ownership from the end user. It is a tool for exploitation. It is not about intellectual property or business. These arguments are praying on naïveté. Everything can and is reverse engineered in this hardware and software by every serious competing company. The only reason proprietary exists is criminal exploitation of the end user.

Aka planned obsolescence

In my experience, batteries start to deteriorate after about two years or so.

Ain't it a shame that you're talking about tossing a phone for an $8 battery?
- It's such a racket. My 3 year old phone is perfect except for the battery. I remember back in the day I could pop open my case with my thumbnail and the battery was just sitting there ready to swap. Nowadays that process involves specialized tools and heating pads to melt glue. I'm hopeful that the industry is trending toward removable batteries again, but that's still years away.
Consider buying a phone which lets you change the battery considerably easy. I watch teardown videos of phones before i buy one to compare the process and the likeliness of me breaking something in the process. Of course not everyone is going to do this, but you could ask a friend to do it (i changed batteries for phones of at least 3 or 4 people by now).
- I'd say that's only half the problem. While ease of disassembly is a factor I'd personally consider when buying a phone, I feel like the more difficult part is finding a good quality battery replacement. For the most popular phones (Galaxy S series, iPhones, and a few others) you can probably find a battery at a reputable site like iFixit, otherwise you're stuck with ordering something that supposedly matches the part number on Amazon or some sketchy Chinese site. Is it a new part or a refurbished OEM battery? Is it anywhere close to advertised capacity? Will it work any better than the used battery you're replacing?
Honestly, this is more bad "charging hygiene" than anything else. I thought this was the case too until like 10 years ago when I learned how Li-on batteries worked, and since then, I've had negligible battery deterioration after 3+ year old devices.
The TLDR is don't charge your phone past ~80% except on rare days you need the extra juice, and by extension, definitely don't leave your phone on the charger overnight. Most people do exactly that and it absolutely murders your battery health.
If you're on Android, AccuBattery is helpful with charge alarms and detailed info if you want to learn about it.
If you have a Samsung with the "protect battery" quick option, it's a god send and makes this all super easy.
- If the battery greatly damages itself by charging past 80%, then the device should be aware of that and accommodate. I should never have to set an alarm to unplug my phone in fear of destroying it. This isn't the 90s, where we tried to avoid over-charging Ni-Cd batteries. Making it work for the lowest common denominator is the only way to do it.
  If, you know, you're a company that doesn't want your customers to buy more of your stuff. Yay e-waste.

Gaming? Most of them are p2w or microtransaction garbage

And? You may not like them, but there's clearly an audience.

Don't buy a new phone if you don't want one, but why be so mad that other people have reasons you don't?

There are many good games, paid and free but no p2w, as well. They just advertise less.

Z fold user here. This thing has a limited number of times of being folded and unfolded. My early upgrade plan is kinda to prevent the inevitable happening while I'm the device owner.

- Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=q-ScIkOukCc
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  I'm open-source, check me out at GitHub.
- It's actually the Samsung software that I like most.

Because my simple or brain likes shiny new things.

Right there with you. I'm a sucker for the new shiny and I actually kinda hate it.
Yeah it’s really not that deep. A lot of people simply like the idea of having the latest and greatest.

My number one reason: battery life

They could make the battery last 5+ years before degradation if they made the phones a bit thicker to get the same battery life with lithium iron phosphate cells instead of lithium ion cells. They also don't turn into spicy pillows or catch fire really too if that means anything to you.
I really don't understand the obsession with having the thinnest possible phone but also selling $2,000 folding phones that are thick as hell.
- That's why I support the "right to repair"
  Sadly a lot of devices are losing that ability by design
- Selling the thinnest phone, but ship it with a silicone case because the thin-ness makes it too fragile. And also one bit of the phone will just be thicker anyway.
  It seems almost like parody. Phones are literally too thin for their own components. If anybody knows of a decent line of phones that aren't overly skinny, please let me know for when I need a new phone.

A free phone from your carrier is never actually free. You will be paying for it over the next 6 months to 2 years.

I like new cameras, higher refresh rates, and super fast page loads.

Selling my phone on Craigslist every year and buying new is about the same price as buying new every few years.

$1500 phone. 3 years. $500 per year.

$1500 phone. Sell for $900-$1000 at one year old. Buy new phone for $1500. $500-600 per year. And I have a always warranty (extended by my credit card).

Similar price per year, night and day better product.

$500 seems insane to me, I've only ever paid about £100 for a phone and it does everything I need it for.
- Yeah. Well I use my phone in the same way a professional uses their commercial equipment. And that equipment isn’t cheap. And I love technology. It’s something I personally enjoy. Considering it’s something I use for hours on end every single day, more than any other tool I use in life, and memorializes my life, I have no issue spending $40 a month on it.
  Where I live $500 feels nothing. Rent where I live is like $5k per month. Everything is stupid expensive. I’m just numb to it. I am quite frugal in other ways though. My car is 20 years old. I’ll drive it until the wheels fall off. I don’t care about fancy cars at all. And I don’t enjoy “the feel of a new car.”
- Yeah that's a no go mate, I couldn't even do my job if I had a £100 phone it would end up being a cluster fuck as I need to constantly look at spreadsheets, and multiple email inboxes and work through a web Ui portal and none of that is gonna be a good experience on a phone at that price.
  I've used enough of those cheap £100 phones be they new or second hand to know for someone who's actually using their phone to do work they are completely unsuitable.

The big reason is updates. Phones will only get Android and security updates for so long. After that point, you buy a new phone or run the risk of being exposed.

Yeah but not one year. Even the shittiest brand will give you security updates for at least 3 years.
Yeah I should bite the bullet and get a Pixel, they normally get the longest updates support or am I wrong? This habit of going for a budget phone and it becoming unusable/unsafe after 3 years is just a hidden cost I'm in denial over 😞
- The Pixels get 3 years of major version upgrades and 5 years of security updates from Google. After that point if the battery is still working well enough for you, you could always try installing something like Graphene OS on it.

In Canada, for years, you were almost a fool for not upgrading your device every two years. The "regular" plans we all had involved a 2-yr contract in which time your phone would be paid off. But after that term was up, the monthly bill remained exactly the same. It was stupid, but a lot of Canadians just said, "Welp. Might as well upgrade then." Then the CRTC here stepped up and told the big three carriers here to knock it off.

I had a Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ that I held onto for three and a half years. That was the longest I'd ever kept a smartphone. It was going strong too. Alas, I found out security updates were knocked down to quarterly from monthly. And after this year, it would receive nothing more. I reluctantly looked into the Galaxy S23 Ultra as a replacement and thanks to a good deal, I have that phone now. It's an amazing device too and I hope it carries me for another 3+ years.

Same in the US. You'd pretty much just pay tax and could get a free phone every two years. Since that ended, I had a S7 for 4 years then only upgraded to a S9+ for a bigger screen. Every new phone I've ever had has been an upgrade and for the first time there's almost no way to upgrade. I know I'm in the minority but I want an SD card slot and headphone jack; I use them all the time.
I used to do that about 10-15 years ago. I think the subsidies got to be not as good around the same time that phone prices rose sharply. Whereas you might have previously paid $200, and gotten a $500 subsidy for a $700 MSRP phone, now that $500 off a $1000+ MSRP doesn’t seem like as good a deal. I think they also widened the pricing gap between the prepaid and post paid plans, and/or started offering “discounts” for BYOD plans. Seems like the last couple upgrades the cheapest option for me now is to just buy the phone outright and then find a cheap plan.
For anyone in Saskatchewan, check out LUM mobile. It’s a Sasktel run MVNO that actually has a unique pricing structure that’s pretty competitive.

I only get a new phone when my current phone just dies. The hardware for even the best phones out there really doesn't change much even in 5 year spans. It's actually kind of annoying. The biggest difference between the phone I have now and the first smart phone I ever had is a few hundred cycles faster CPU and it has 4 cameras instead of just 2.

I wish these things were like a desktop PC and I could just buy parts and build it myself so I could have the raw power I want.

No difference between 4GB of RAM and 12GB

You... You're serious? I guess if you're a super casual user, it won't matter. But if you want to do more at once, you need more RAM. Shit, even if you don't more RAM does make a difference when the apps start consuming more and more as time goes on.

The Megapixel “argument” is also laughable. Like you said, casuals can’t know the difference.
I wish these things were like a desktop PC and I could just buy parts and build it myself so I could have the raw power I want.
So when my last phone was nearing death i finally made the decision to get myself a Fairphone. Plan is to save money in the long run by just replacing parts as they break not the whole device. Plus it's one of the only phones out there with a replaceable battery. The modular design makes it quite bulky but I actually like that as well.
My old phone with 3GB ram was hell (granted it had a weak SoC too). Now that I have 8GB (on a midrange phone too), it's become much more enjoyable to use my phone. Everything is snappy, nothing ever freezes

I was at work last week and two colleagues loaded on an apple update to their phones. Their phones slowed to a crawl and lost battery charge quickly through the day. The next thing I saw was one of them with the internet browser open putting his credit card details in to buy a new iPhone £650 gone just like that. iPhone users wouldn't balk at expensive contracts or spending £600 quid on a new iPhone. It seems to me apple deliberately trash their phones and users accept it and upgrade to a newer model. I could understand if it was a cheap phone but jeeze crazy money for something with such a short lifespan. Would you buy a ln expensive TV if you thought it wouldn't last you any more than a couple of years?

Plenty of iPhone users rocking iOS 16 on the iPhone 8 (from 2017) with no trouble. For many iPhone users the longevity is one reason they use it. Others will always update to the latest and greatest.
- Exactly. iPhones are one of the longest if not the longest supported phones. Having said that, there's no convincing Android users and vice versa.

There are people that like new things, there are people who prefer older things. I am willing to spend money on a new phone every 2 years because it is my main computing device. I, also, don’t miss a lot of things of older phones. I never used as SD card, I never replaced a battery, and I haven’t used wired headphones in a decade.

I like my iPhone 14, the LiDAR gives me a ton of cool applications, the camera takes the best photos I’ve ever taken before, it will be kept updated for the next 5 years and the always-on screen is very useful for unlock-free info.

If you trade-in a fairly new phone, you can heavily discount a new phone purchase as well. It’s more like leasing a car vs owning a car. Pay for the time you use the phone, return it while it still has value in the 2nd hand market and get a fresh phone.

On the other hand, my brother sticks his phone in his pocket all day and doesn’t look at it at home. He bought an iPhone SE a few years ago and it just works. He would argue buying a new phone is silly as well. But we use our phones very differently and so our purchase habits will be different.

For me it's just an unhealthy fascination. Tech is the one place where consumerism got it's dirty claws in me. We didn't have a computer in my household until I was 15 and it was a super slow and old PC my older brother bought for $500. This was back in 1999. I eventually became obsessed with finding the best value for money mobile devices and bought way too many phones, laptops and computers.

My iphone is almost 7 years old and still runs great. No problems with the battery, speed is just fine, everything is fine. I paid about $1,000 for it and I'm determined to squeeze every last penny of life out of it. No plans to change until it breaks or becomes unusable somehow.

IDK, I always buy used phones and pretty much use them until they either die or are no longer usable because they were abandoned by the manufacturer for too long. I haven't had a new phone in probably close to a decade now. The last new phone I bought was an Xperia Z3 Compact.

As mentioned by others, security updates and the camera. If the right 'phone comes along at the right price, then is when I'll consider doing the upgrade. Upgrading when the latest greatest 'phone is released is something I would never consider.

There was a couple years where I could trade in last year's Samsung for like $100 below the cost of the new phone, and they'd give me $250 in accessories with that. It was honestly just the cheapest option for a bit.

Absolutely this. I'm cheap AF and continued to do this, but Samsung has stopped these incentives so now I'm "stuck" on my s21 ultra.
I use quotes because it's an awesome phone and 2 years later it's still crushing everything I throw at it so I have no qualms with hanging onto it.
- Yeah, after they stopped I decided to try a Pixel for the fun of it. So far I hate it. Debating between trying Apple now that they're being forced to use USB C, or just going back to Samsung next year...

I just like new phones 🙈

I bought a Redmi Note 11 pro last year and it's a great phone! Really though, buying new phones every year is something only well off people can afford (or people who are ok getting into lots of credit card debt). There really is no point right now, newer phones just aren't that much better and in fact smartphone sales worldwide are slowing down exactly because everyone who wants a good enough smartphone already has one. My current phone does absolutely everything I need, in fact it's much more powerful than my first laptop ever was, I can emulate most retro consoles, watch uhd videos, use any app I need, listen to all the music I want, I can even do things like use microsoft office on it. I don't need a new one, this works just perfect for me. The only thing that would make it better is to get it rooted so I can install a custom rom and get rid of xiaomi's bloatware infested android rom

I finally dropped my S10e too many times. I tried switching to my backup phone which was a Pixel 2 but it is pretty limited in terms of bands for my carrier. So I bought a Pixel 6a. I would love a Zenfone 9 but it is a tad pricey.

Would I have upgraded of my phone hadn't died? Probably. It stopped receiving security updates. The battery was starting to not last all day. There were some things it was starting to get slow on. The camera was okay in good lighting but shit in bad lighting.

Newer phones are not actually selling all that well. Still good but there aren't really likes it the door on release day like there used to be. People are keeping their phones for a lot longer now or opting for midrange ones.

I drop my phone so often that how easy or hard it is to replace the screen on my own and how cheap a replacement is factors onto deciding to buy a phone.

I have Android 7 and Jerboa {the official Lemmy app) requires Android 8 or higher. So people told me to upgrade but I wasn't having that. It turns out there is a fork with Android 6 and 7 support that might get merged into mainline, so my phone will be cool for a while longer. But the upgrade pressure is out there.

- I had trouble with the web version but it works now so I'm using it. I'll try Jerboa again sometime. I had to uninstall the 0.17 fork I was using after lemmy.world upgraded it's backend.
Android 7 is quite old though, isn't there any custom ROM development for your phone? I know there are downsides but it's usually been fine for me
- I am not sure of the custom rom situation but I use this phone every day so I don't want to mess with it. I can consider it if I get a new phone while the old one still works.

I break them, then buy a new unlocked "last gen" phone cheap to replace it. I am usually one or two versions behind the "newest" phone, but I'm spending less than using carrier based device insurance. Phones have become like sunglasses to me. I don't buy particularly nice ones because I just destroy them.

Performance gains for certain software or games. Especially if you are into emulation then the higher power of newer flagships or better cooling design, mean that you can run more recent games on your phone. Same thing goes with camera lenses, better camera means you can get better shots so if you are into photography it makes sense to upgrade.

Thrift wise, there is never really a reason to upgrade as long as it still texts and makes calls but the non-phone features are why you would upgrade early.

but the non-phone features are why you would upgrade early.
Or getting a non-phone for your usecase.
- That's always an option and often cheaper. But people would rather use the device they always carry on them rather than having to carry a laptop, emulation handheld, or DSLR camera with them all the time. People are willing to pay premium for the convenience.

Galaxy S10e gang checking in. Resoldered the USB port because it was corroded. Everything else is working perfectly fine. No plans to ditch it as of now.

I have been using my poco f1 for more than 4 years now, the only problem i have had is the battery. It has an sdcard slot, headphone jack, 6gb of ram which has been more than enough and latest lineageos is supported. see https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/index.en.html

Unpopular opinion: everyone focuses on productivity, then on features. Literally zero consideration for performance. Also lack of customization. I can flash Linux, hackintosh or any other random OS on any laptop I buy, but not on smartphone...

Kind of sucks that my Cat S62 Pro smartphone suck ass with it's slowness and lags and I can blame Cat as a manufacturer for that, but lack of standards (so I can flash generic OS onto it simply sucks).

So I am forced to buy new phone every 1-2 years because it gets slow... 🤷

Oh wait! Batteries are not replaceable! USB-C port is also incresibly hard to change!

Have you thought about flashing a custom rom on your phone, or getting a phone that supports custom roms if you don't have one already?
I have an old samsung galaxy s5 still running LineageOS and while a little slow it's still usable as a backup in case my current phone shits the bed.
The process is fairly straightforward, and if you've installed linux on a laptop you can install LOS on a phone.
This is why I exclusively stick to Pixels. Honestly don't really care about the hardware, it's okay. But it's the only phone that lets you flash it and reflash it with a custom key so you can have verified boot on a custom OS.
Android is a tricky situation, there's very few phones that actually allow you to unlock the bootloader, and only Pixels can do it securely. Samsungs are basically a no go unless it's an older phone that has gotten cracked open. Like Samsung S5 old.
So ironically Google phones are by far the best to degoogle your phone lol, and they actually go above and beyond to let you do so. Even the new Pixel fold and tablets support this. I personally recommend GrapeheneOS or CalyxOS for these devices, both are really good.
I choose my custom OS first and then pick the actual physical phone second. For me, I value software over hardware, but obviously that's important too.
There's lots of focus on performance from vendors like Apple, Samsung and others operating in the same space. Cat phones, however, are known for having crappy perfomance due to the cheap CPUs they use.

My 4 year old iPhone XR is holding strong, so im gonna keep it a couple of years more!

iPhones tend to last a long time for some reason. They can last up to 7 years.
iPhone XR gang woo! Mine still works perfectly fine but I’m worried that iOS 17 is gonna be the last version for the XR :(
My XR that I bought on launch was still going strong in its third year, until I dropped it in a lake. Only 20 cm deep, for 3 seconds, but it was enough to kill the screen :( I would probably still have it if that didn’t happen.

The Google Pixel 7P that I have now I bought because I dropped the 6P on the ground so bad that it wouldn’t even start. The 6P I got because it had significantly better camera and was faster than the OnePlus 6T I had before. I know you say 100mp doesn’t make a difference from 12mp but there’s really a huge difference in image quality with the Pixel compared to the 6T, especially in low-light conditions or when you zoom. And it’s not just me, people have been commenting at how good the pictures are without even knowing what phone I own.

I also enjoy new features like the gestures to control apps. Overall, apps and the OS get slower because new features keep being added, and security updates stop coming, so I need to renew the hardware to keep up. I use the phone for hours a day every day, all year around, so I think it’s worth putting some money into it. But I don’t get a new one every year. Maybe 3 years, or possibly 2 years depending on what gets released.

Been rocking a oneplus 8 for the last two and half years, replaced the back glass a couple times and the battery once. I definitely don't baby my phone, it's a tool meant to be used, but overall am pretty good at not dropping things so I can reckon I'll keep going with it until it gets too slow or something breaks.

When choosing a new phone, I usually go for something new that's one level below the latest flagship, and check to see if LineageOS is being developed for it, as then I know it's likely to receive software updates for long after I've moved on to the next.

Thing is, I like, many people here, am a techie, and I'm not afraid to install custom ROMs and open up my phone for repair. The majority of people don't want that, so I'm really looking forward to the upcoming EU regulation on user replaceable batteries! Then it's possible for everyone to keep their phone for longer.

Your carries never gives it to you cheap. At best they sell you it at cost. More likely they sell it to you at MSRP. the cost is wrapped up in your monthly, and they hope people are too stupid or lazy to notice.

Never say never. After buying my OnePlus 9 pro, my carrier transferred the money to me instead of from me. Realizing the mistake, they immediately transfered it back again, but that only resulted in a 0 and thus I never actually paid for the phone :)
In most other cases you are right though.

It's turned into the car stereo thing. In 2002, I wanted a rainbow vomit colored faceplate, CD-R and MP3 support, CD carousel in the trunk, a USB port, steering wheel remote

Now I just want bluetooth, an aux in and a volume button.

Until phones merge with a steamdeck or something, there isn't much to look forwards to anymore.

My phone from 2014 pretty much did everything my current phone can. Certainly nothing worth spending hundreds of dollars on if you have a working cell.

Because the megacorps who make the phones like money and that's how they get it.

From an individual perspective, unless you can afford it and like having the new phones, there's basically no point in upgrading every year.

I bought an unlocked Pixel 6 near launch on sale and intend to use it until security updates cease (five years from launch).

I got the pixel 7 last year since my old pixel 2xl was out of security.
Well that and the battery was terrible and it was sluggish as well in general and a screen crack that didn't affect functionally, but was annoying af. Still have it around as a spare device to go back to if this one has an issue.
- Same here, kept a pixel 2 for way too long, i had to charge it 2 times a day if i used it as a smartphone ^^ though i didn't feel it become sluggish

I had an S10E that I loved. But then I had a baby and wanted better pictures as memories. So I upgraded the camera I had on me at all times, and went for an S22U. Took a while to get used to the huge size difference, but I couldn't be happier.

Also got it 'used' from Facebook marketplace, brand new in its box for almost half price. The guy had it as a free upgrade from his service provider, didn't want to change phones, and wanted some quick cash for it. Had all the paperwork and everything.

That's a very wholesome story

The only feature that motivated me to upgrade to my latest phone was a much better camera and I wanted that for traveling.

I spoke about this with a person, who wanted to get a new phone and replace their 3yo model. Ultimately, they just wanted a new thing, because it'd make them happier. That's irrational.

It's not irrational when almost every piece of media we see is somehow designed to make us want The New Things. Companies spend a lot of money working out how to convince us that we're dissatisfied with what we have.
Also, it's kind of sensible to upgrade after three years, when the device you have is still feasibly worth something on the second hand market.

I normally upgrade every two years when my contract runs out. It's cheaper than what I'd be for for an unlimited 5g sim only deal.

Plus this time I want away from my Fold!

My mother in law died after long sickness and she kinda connected phones, not the best, not the most expensive, but now I'm stuck with 8 phones, all ok for me, this one has that, and that one has this, I'm very confused what I should do, but on principle I'll never to buy a phones for 1300 € plus, that's about what a decent one would cost me these days, nope, never. Now I'm up to rooting My collection of Chinese spying apparati, yeah! I WILL SURVIVE THIS! Cheaply!

Exactly this. I bought a Oneplus 7 Pro for AUD $750 ($500 USD) in early 2020 and tried to "upgrade" to an iPhone 13 Pro recently. Ended up giving it to my husband and have no plans on getting a new phone again until this one dies. This phone was the last good Oneplus phone before they started transitioning to...whatever they are now. I've rooted it, I've switched ROMs a few times, I've unrooted it and gone back to stock ROM. Love this 2019 phone that seems to be unlike anything else available in the market rn.

Rocking op7pro too here. Changed back covers 5 times already, swapped battery for a new one. Never owned a phone for that long and I have no intention on buying a new one.

I upgraded twice from Redmi note 7 to Redmi note 9 to poco X4, only reason I updated was because my siblings lost their phones and I saw it as an opportunity to try a newer version of something I liked.

I don't think I'll upgrade unless the new phone also has an IR blaster and headphone jack. The IR blaster is so incredibly convenient

I used to do that because I love new shiny things and at that time most Android phones did not get software upgrades anyway. So I just bought entry-level phones every year. Until in 2016 I found a mid-range phone with the right price at least in my country, and with a good history of software upgrades, the Zenfone 3. I used it until the camera sensor and vibration motor died after about 3 years of use. Today I'm only looking for a phone with atleast 3 years of upgrades and replace it until it fails. I plan to use my current Samsung A54 until it doesn't receive software upgrades and patches for the next 5 years.

The convenience of not replacing the battery.

I'm in a good financial position and swapping the battery isn't rocket surgery, but it's a bit of a risk I'm not willing to take. Plus Pixel phones go on a decently deep discount in September before the next model is released.

And I wait until the battery is bloated so it's kinda a safety thing too.

Just wondering, why not try swapping the battery? Worst case it breaks and you buy a new phone, best case you can keep your phone for a few months/years

When I find a good deal on a used/refurbished/open box phone on eBay I grab it and throw it in my drawer until my current phone breaks or becomes considerably difficult to use. I haven't paid more than $250 for a phone in a long time.

I had my iPhone X for 3 years and would have kept my 12 Pro for 3 years, but the 14 Pros came in purple and I decided to go for it. I fully intend on keeping my 14 Pro for at least 3 years. Maybe even go 4 this time around and just get the battery replaced at the end of year 2. I don’t game on my phone at all, I have lots of other devices for that, so I don’t need the latest and greatest every year.

I'm only replacing my Galaxy S8 because apps are beginning to malfunction and some apps are even emailing me to warn about end of software support for my phones OS, which I cant upgrade because of the age of the phone lol.

I think you would notice a difference between models with the specs you list at the bottom of the post though...

I generally start looking to replace mine around the time that Google Maps starts becoming laggy. That's usually around the 3 year mark for me. After 4 years things get pretty bad.

Nexus 5 - Pixel 2 - Pixel 6a

Practically every app update grows its respective compute and memory footprint. And over time, it adds up. Combine that with the big jumps in resource usage that come with OS updates, and eventually things just start slowing down.

Still rocking my iPhone 7, and I’m planning on using it until it completely gives out. I agree that there’s very little reason to get a new phone, these days pretty much all of the improvements are just incremental and have no effect on the basic functions—calls, texts, web browsing, etc. Hell, even the fancy new cameras aren’t really needed, past 12mp (~4K) your camera quality doesn’t really make a big impact on image quality (most people have 1080p or 2k displays anyways) and you can only get so far with multiple lenses and AI stuff.

I don't understand it either. The only reason I upgraded from my Galaxy S10 was because the USB port no longer worked. I could still charge it via wireless charging, but it was annoying not being able to plug it into my car to use Google Maps. If the USB port didn't break, I'd probably still be using the old S10.

My current phone is 6. I have changed battery once. The only problem is internal memory.

I have been using same phone for 5 years now. Never visited to service center. Always used cover & screen protector. I usually see two strategies either buy very cheap phone and keep upgrading in 2 year or buy a mid-range use it for 5-10 year before upgrading. There is usually no significant upgrade in tech in 1 year but wait for 5 and you will feel you are actually getting something new and better

I don't. I usually buy something good (hardware wise) and use it until it dies. Repeat the process.

I've been getting a new phone every 4 years, but it isn't hard to answer your question tbh. New products feel amazing. Companies invest millions if not billions of dollars in marketing to make you crave the newest device, even if yours is quite decent. I think that's also the reason Apple pays so much attention to the packaging and their setup wizards so that getting a new product is an almost magical experience you want to relive. Ask any person with a shopping addiction, they'll explain to you the rush of a new product like no one else.

I've felt this way for a long time. After paying off an expensive contract for a S7 edge, I swore to never pay more than £100 for a phone. My S7 lasted 5 years before the battery gave out and the phone started to struggle.

I replaced it with a Redmi not 9 and after a year and a half i was having problems running my most used apps, bit to mention the ammount of bloatware was shocking.

I have just bought a refurbished Pixel 6 for £250 and the difference is in quality and performance is staggering! I have never been happier with a phone.

So my advice would be avoid the cheap brands and buy something future proof, but i totally agree there is no need to get a kew phone every year.

I haven’t gotten a new phone in the last 3 years and I don’t think that I will get one before the iPhone 15 comes out. I’m well satisfied with my iPhone 13 mini.

The fact that most newly released phones don’t go that small annoys me so I’ll keep it until I find something worth while or of similar size.

I love my 13 mini! Yeah I’m the same with wanting smaller phones. I had the iPhone 7, then waited until the SE 2020 model, and now the 13 mini. Hopefully they keep releasing mini models.
My dream is that Apple will release a mini every 3 or 4 years just for me. I currently have a 13 mini too, and I reckon a 16 mini would be perfect.
Otherwise I might end up with an Asus Zenfone, even though it is bigger than a mini.
- I would look into Asus' software upgrade policy. From what I understand it's pretty abysmal; something to consider when you're someone who holds onto phones for more than 2 years. Google and Samsung have much longer support cycles.

I'm asking myself the same thing. I grabbed myself the the cheapest phone available at my local electronics store after I dropped my old one in the river 2-3 years ago. I think I payed around 160€ or something and I see no reason to get something new

I'll ride this pixel til it dies.

I try to milk my phones as long as possible. But that’s mostly because I’m lazy and moving all the 2FA and getting things set up how I like and whatnot is a ball ache.

I have a Pixel 2 I picked up in 2018, a few months after they were released (my previous Nexus 5x got the bootloops).

I held off upgrading due to the free original quality Google photos. When that ran out, I did follow new releases, and found the features appealing, but then I'd see the ever inflating prices and couldn't justify spending so much to replace a device that still works fine.

And it does still work. Granted, it's had a new battery and a couple of charging ports (I've gotten a lot bolder with cleaning the ports now, don't expect it to need a 4th any time soon). I'm fortunate to be capable of making those repairs myself, I'd have probably given in and bought an A model otherwise. For now though, I just have to say, maybe next year.

Lack of memory card slot is a big deal for me. I get the cloud usage and all, but what about having a local copy? Space fills up really fast with a few videos and photos. I don't want to have to manage my storage painfully every month or so.

Also I prefer compact phones which are basically non-existent these days.

I changed from a OnePlus 6t to a Samsung S23+ after about 4 years of using the old one and at least for me the difference is huge. Both are flagships in their own time. The oneplus was starting to feel a bit laggy here and there, but I never expected the S23+ to be all around so snappy in comparison. Camera quality is leagues ahead. The battery life is way better. The fingerprint sensor was never good on the oneplus, but it's amazing on the Samsung. There are many other features I like or find useful like the wireless charging or the water resistance. The new phone is an all around better package for me and a surprisingly decent upgrade.

You definitely don't need to upgrade every 2 years and it probably matters what you expect out of a phone and how patient you are with the issues, but I think new phones do still offer compelling reasons to upgrade, just not as often as in the past.

I upgrade when the opsys gets hopelessly outdated (as in apps no longer supporting it) or the device physically breaks. My last phone (Huawei Ascend P7) lasted for 7 years, but the Android 4.4 got just a bit too old, plus I cracked the screen a month after removing the battered to hell glass screen protector...

I don't care much about the phone not getting OS updates since I don't keep anything important on a phone in the first place and I don't care much about CPU/GPU performance since I don't run intensive apps on my phone—that's what my desktop and server are for. My current phone I bought last year will last probably for 5 more years.

I follow my life rule of changing phone every 5 years. But my phone broke and become unusable after 4 years. Was xiaomi user for yrs, i bought s23 ultra now as xiaomi prices became expansive. Buy good phone mainly for the picture quality.

Also have a S23 Ultra because my old one died, the picture quality is incredible. I know i'll keep this phone for at least 5 years too

I refuse to upgrade past a pixel 4a, because as far as I'm concerned it has everything I need. When my last one broke I just brought another pixel 4a, why? Because they cost like 150 quid second hand on Amazon.

When I have shown the phone to friends and such, I get the same reaction to the price since it looks like a really good phone. And cost significantly less.

No intention of flipping back ever again

Is battery life a problem with an older second hand device like that or is it fine
- Depends, if you just get a second hand one it's way cheaper, but battery life can suck ass, bit of a gamble. If you get refurbished one, the battery is excellent but that costs a little more at 170 quid So it really boils down to if you wanna take the risk
I bought a second hand (non-5G) specifically because I wanted a smaller phone.

I like having high-end cameras and screens on my phones.

I keep my phones in excellent condition and sell them whenever I upgrade, which doesn’t make it a crazy expensive process.

I'm tempted to upgrade for:

Wireless charging
5G

But I'm not that tempted so I haven't done it, still very happy with my Oneplus 7T from 2020.

For me it's either when I find the included RAM is too small (as apps grow over time) or when the flash memory degrades to a noticeable degree, or when the camera loading takes too long.

I only upgrade every 3-4 years, but there's a lot of subtle differences that make it worth it. For example my current phone is far more reliable with Bluetooth connections than the previous one. It's got a better camera with AI photo touching. It's waterproof. Its fingering sensor is more sensitive and quicker.

For me, I kept my last phone for 3 years and upgraded because I didn't have enough storage. New phone is a little nicer, has a few new features, but I may well keep it for a few years again.

The camera technology advances significantly every year, so it really matters if you’re a photographer.

Beware of your phone going out of support and losing security updates. Android manufacturers tend to drop devices after 2-4 years, Apple after 4-5.

Each year new products & models are launching, so that those in need of it can aquire them. These companies are delivering OS updates for these smartphones so they last longer as realistically possible.

If when yours is broken or far too old, then you should consider aquiring this year's model. So that you can use something that is compatible with studies, work, activities etc.

Obviously each individual/ family/ organization does their own analysis regarding if there is a need or desire to aquire said products. Also what for.

You do it to give Samsung or Motorola or Google or apple or Amazon your money every year, obviously

There is no point. We realised it only recently. If you remember the cell phones from the time before smartphones, there hadn't been much technological progress. My first cellphone, a Nokia, could store up to 10 short messages. It's pedecessor had the same storage capacity. Of course, there were technological milestones that have been passed, e.g. antennas which didn't protrude out of the phone, vibration motors, (in comparison to today) really shitty photo-cameras (and the buggy software that was needed to transfer the photos to the computer), etc.

The point is, that they all were capable to do the same thing: calling and texting. Looking back, there was not really a need to replace the old cellphone. Advertising made us want new shiny things.

This changed when smartphones emerged. Hardware wise, there are not many differences. Some have faster processors than others, others have better cameras. The storage capabilities are sufficient. For the normal user these specifications don't matter. All smartphones are capable of accessing the (real) internet. The main difference today is in the software (operating system). Older phones run on software that is too outdated to keep pace, and the software support is often limited, which as a result leads to possible security flaws - because the user is supposed to upgrade the hardware, not the operating system only. And that's why new phones are bought, despite the old ones would still do.

My smartphone ist running on Android 8 (Nougat). It's still working and is sufficient for my needs. But I wouldn't run my online banking with that phone. Also, it gets pretty hot and slow when navigating with Google Maps.

Conclusion: It's not the hardware specifications which lead to the replacement of smartphones. It's the more complex (security wise) software requirements certain applications (online banking apps, medical apps, e.g. insuline tracking apps, overall more sophisticated apps that runs slow on an outdated smartphone) demand today.

My Galaxy S8 had a lot of annoying problems both on stock ROM and Lineage OS. After three years I switched to Zenfone 8 and so far I am satisfied. The battery life is crap though, especially after updating to Android 13. I'm considering a downgrade if it's even possible

Still using my moto g40 since 2021 , don't think I will be needing a new phone for few more years . Might install lineage os to get that latest Android version

I usually break my phone within 12-18 months because they're so damn cheaply made. Why so much glass?

If I could go back to a Treo600 I would do it in a hot second, that was a great phone. I had it for years, it was mostly plastic that I beat up quite a bit, but they use gsm bands that aren't supported anymore.

Don't buy flagship. Glass is because it feels more luxurious.
Go for low to mid range. They are usually more plastic parts. The specs look worse on paper but unless you're running games it doesn't really matter.

I kinda have to buy a new phone every few years because I only get a handful of years in terms of updates (Pixel 5). After my phone is unsupported by GrapheneOS I might turn CalyxOS and by then maybe I'll buy a new phone.

I do it because it might fill the terrifying emptiness inside me for a moment or two. Looking forward to trading my Z Fold 4 in for a Z Fold 5 soon!

I used to get a new one every two years. Back then the changes were big enough to make it worthwhile. Nowadays there is not much to get from a new phone other than the hardware keeping up with the software and an improved camera.

I'd say, as with any device, keep it until it annoys you or doesn't get any more security updates.

My iPhone 11 from 2019 starts to feel laggy and the touch screen is not responding as well anymore. Battery health is still over 90% but due to higher energy demand of the newer OSs and apps I often still need to juice up during the day. So this year I'm finally going to get the new model but I'll keep the 11 as a webcam.

There's a lot of reasons. Single people can spend a lot on tech without thinking. People have lot of money. People don't like their current phone. I say let them spend and keep the companies in business. If all of us stopped buying phones every year and only bought once in 4-5 years, the companies producing phones will have to shut down sooner or later and we'd have just one or two left. I only upgraded recently after 6 years because the phone OS was too old and the cpu was like snail.

I just enjoy new tech and trying new things in that arena. So new phones before I technically need to is one of the things I spend disposable income on when something in that arena catches my interest.

Does have a nice side effect of constantly reenforcing the use of platform agnostic services and retaining ultimate control of my data if it is something I care about, since it really allows me to just move the sim to a new phone and be up and running in a hour or less with more or less any Apple or Android phone.

I just enjoy new tech and trying new things in that arena.
I feel like smartphones have reached the end of new, groundbreaking tech. Megapixels have diminishing returns, we got phablets, are now transitioning back to smaller phones and back to folding phones of a different kind. What do you think the next big thing in mobile phone tech will be?

I previously thought it would be a way to upgrade phones faster without losing (much) money.

Say, you have a 800$ phone and you want a new 800$ phone. Most people would just buy a new one for 800$ (outright or installment, doesn't matter) after 2-3 years. My idea was to buy a new phone every year, sell the older one for half the price and voila - you paid the same amount but got two phone upgrades.

The problem with that logic is that reselling takes time, energy and luck to get the price you want, plus it is possible to buy new phones for cheaper by just waiting anyway.

I have a Note 10+

With the way it's measuring up today for performance and battery life, if it were going to keep getting OS updates and security updates it'd keep being a great phone for another couple of years yet.

...And compared to some I know, I'm updating frequently.

I really do wish they'd squeeze another 1-2 OS updates into it's life-span. But at this rate I'll still be replacing it with whatever its up-to-date peer is in another year or so...

...and re-purposing this one - it's still awesome (awesomer if it allowed root without losing updates and pay-services)

I buy a new phone anytime a new innovation comes out. I ordered the Google pixel on day 1 and am loving it.

I finally had to upgrade after 5.5 years because software support was lagging for the version of Android I was on.

Only reason I see is because of phones breaking. My current Mi 10T Lite was great for the first two years, then it started getting annoying. I can no longer use Wallpaper Engine because of a stupid system update, notifications started getting stuck, sometimes it has other minor annoyances. The hardware is still fine, there's no reason this phone shouldn't work, but it doesn't. Xiaomi clearly wants me to go buy another phone.

So I did. Just not from them. My Fairphone should be arriving any day now. My friend already got hers, and she got me super excited for it.

For me, I just like "fun" phones. I don't update purely due to specs. I recently updated to a fold phone because I'm a bit bored with glass slab phones. A lot of phone manufacturers have decent trade-in deals where I'm at so I never pay full price for them. I might trade in this phone and get the new one if the build quality was improved but it needs to be a notable difference between versions.

i upgraded from a samsung galaxy S9+ to a S21

Reason?

better battery. the old was too poor to last more than half a day.

the apps are the same, and honestly apart from the ultrawide camera, the pictures look so identical i cant really tell them apart.

i did notice a slight improvement in loading times of a game, but.. its 2 second difference. nothing major. and also the new screen is a bit brighter, but the resolution is lower.

i miss my S9+. it was great.

My S21 is 2 years old now, and still holding strong. It'll probably be replaced in 2025 or something. It'll all depend on the battery. but i live in EU, so i may be holding on till we see the EU law with replacable batteries come into effect. then i can use the same phone for even longer. spend my money on more interesting things, like graphics cards and mechanical keyboards.

There's an actual reason for me, which is still not good enough of a reason for me to actually buy a new phone even if the old one is still working. Emulation! My Snapdragon 888 is good enough for 3DS, PS3 and Wii and all this stuff, but it can't keep up with the current develpments in Switch emulation. That's why I'm already looking forward to my next phone (as soon as my current one doesn't work anymore)

Sorry for hijacking this thread, how do you like the Poco F5? It's currently on my radar

I switched to the Poco F5 from my Mi Mix 2S. Overall I think it's probably the best bang for buck in the category. If you know your way around MIUI's shennanigans, it should be pretty great. The only complaint I have (it's really small) is that I was used to tap the power button for shortcuts, but now that becomes weird because it always unlocks the phone.
- Thank you!

I use my phones until the battery life is too degraded to be practical and the phone is too damaged to have the batt6replaced. My Samsung A71 is about 3 years old. Some months ago I noticed the battery was pillowing. Since it was still holding charge for more than a day, the guy at a repair shop (where I took it to get a new battery) just punched a pinprick to deflate it, and it's still going strong.

Isn't it a safety hazard to deflate a battery like that?
- Yes. Never deflate the spicy pillows.
- I suppose so, and I'm also thinking about additional gasses damaging the phone.
  So far so good, it's been 3 months already.
Which will work fine right up into your phone explodes. You don't punch a pinhole to deflate bulging batteries you replace the battery. The bulging isn't dangerous in and of itself, the bulging is a symptom of a problem you are ignoring.
- Well you only live twice :-)
This is why I personally would prefer phones with replaceable batteries like the Fairphone.

I had to wait 6 years untill someone released a device that's atleast in some aspects better than the one I already had. If I were forced to switch every year I'd hate most of them.

Switched from LG V20 to Galaxy XCover 6Pro

Every year no.... Every two maybe, most stop receiving updates after the 2 years, except for some brands and maybe top models...

Nowadays it's slightly better as usually there is a couple more years of security updates but that's it.

Of course if there is scene and you can get some custom ROM like lineage or similar it is slightly better.... But honestly most phones nowadays are locked down.

To keep our corporate overlords in their elegant fineries. DUH-HOY

I only upgrade my phone when it starts to lag and slow down. My last phone I replaced the battery when the life started dropping.

Many people upgrade every year because of perceived obsolescence.

Since there's virtually no difference between 12mp camera and 100mp camera on phone.

There is. Those huge photos waist a lot of storage space (with virtually no difference in quality) so you want to buy a new phone with bigger storage.

Not if they use Pixel Binning, which Google, Apple, and Samsung all do, and I'm sure others do too. This results in my Pixel's 48 megapixel camera generating 12 Megapixel photos, which reduces the file size.