How long do you keep your phone?

[Radioactive Snowman]

12 hours ago, Rubycon said:

Whenever a new one comes out.  Mostly Samsung and Apple phones.  Tried some others and just feel they're not quite up to the giants.  Some are close and better buys for the money.  Just like wine and food, everyone has their own thing.  Typically I get 2-3 phones a year. 

I'm the same, try out oneplus if you haven't already. Apart from camera quality the 7T pro is a much better experience than the Samsung S10 imo

[Rubycon]

I did own the 12GB version of the OnePlus.  I wanted to keep the phone but the soft corners of the screen and very lackluster video quality was a dealbreaker for me.

 

I wish (Samsung) offered more devices with the ceramic back, particularly the Note10+.  I like the larger, more square screen of the Note10+. Before that, I was using the S105G.  Funny how with the November security update that all the phones, even the lowly S10e now have all of the camera features that were only on S105G and Note10+ phones.

[SkilledRebuilds]

I have a Note9, before that I had the S8+,..a Huawei Mate 9 at the same time (good deals, comparing then selling one) and before that....Huawei Nexus 6P (still working)

^All within the last 5 years.

My brother is STILL using this as his Daily.

I've tried many times, I gifted him a Huawei Mate 9 and he gave it back... didn't like it, gave him my Note 5 burner (Mums old spare,..worse than Huawei mate9 but Spen inc and brother draws!!)
Nope, he gave that back too....
He is his own level of weird. Not a people person, not overly social, so no need for flash phone as he has his own SpecCamera he uses for photo's.

 

[Radioactive Snowman]

9 hours ago, -Kriss- said:

Thats a bit excessive.

Everyone has their hobbies, I enjoy changing my phone every couple months and I have a good job that allows me to fund it without sacrificing anything.

[Zodiark1593]

My current phone (LeEco Le Pro 3) still holds up pretty well. Still hadn't upgraded LineageOS past Nougat though as there is quite a lot on here I won't be able to replace within my monthly data limit, and for w/e reason, dirty flashes of large updates are ill-advised.

 

I am fighting with storage though, 64 GB is proving to not be nearly enough for me. VoLTE and certain lower frequency bands are also not supported on this device, which is a problem as I reside on the very edge of 3g service (which is necessary for me to make actual phone calls). Also, the display has some weird dynamic contrast that may suddenly wash everything out. I hate this particular bit...

 

Will probably just hold on to this thing until it breaks though. No point tossing it if it works, even if it drives me crazy at times.

[nobodywasishere]

On 11/13/2019 at 6:49 AM, WereCatf said:

My phone is 3 years old at the moment and I am going to have to replace my phone next year at some point and that's simply because OnePlus will stop providing security-updates for it at the end of 2019. If they continued to provide those updates, I wouldn't have any reason to get a new phone, since it keeps on chugging along just fine and provides all the features I need.

 

The poll doesn't have the option for "when my current phone stops being supported" and none of the options available fit, so I am not going to vote.

Check out LineageOS

On 11/13/2019 at 7:30 AM, Mark Kaine said:

Usually between 5 and 6 years. 

 

Sent from my Xperia Z3 "compact"  ~

 

 

 

 

Your phone is now officially supported by LineageOS iirc.

[nobodywasishere]

On 11/13/2019 at 7:03 AM, WereCatf said:

LineageOS is okayish and certainly an acceptable way of keeping old phones going -- I use it myself on my old LG G2 and G3. Alas, can't use it for my OnePlus since you lose Widevine when you install it, which means e.g. Netflix and the likes will be limited to 480p, which isn't a tradeoff I wish to make.

I do Netflix 720p without GApps (cause of the plan I'm on) and everything works fine

[WereCatf]

3 hours ago, nobodywasishere said:

I do Netflix 720p without GApps (cause of the plan I'm on) and everything works fine

Nope, you need Widevine L1 to be able to do HD. You may be able to select 720p or whatever, but it'll be displayed in 480p.

[Rhyn]

I used to upgrade my phone every 2 years or so but now I plan on keeping my current one until it stops working well for me.

My first smartphone was a galaxy nexus in 2012 

I kept that for about 2 years then in Fall 2014 I moved onto a LG G3 which I didn't keep for as long as I should have as that was a powerhouse of a phone.

In early 2016 I upgraded to a Nexus 6p because I had messed with the G3 and put on custom roms that just wrecked the performance, plus I was getting a little bored and just got my first job so I wanted something a little flashy.

I kept the nexus 6p for an even shorter period because the battery life had started to tank about a year and a half in and the iPhone X had come out.  Initially I planned on waiting until early 2018 to grab the iPhone but I got impatient and got it in December 2017.  

After spending $1500 on the iPhone I'm put off on upgrading for a while, plus Apple's long term support is just plain better than most Android manufacturers so I'm not worried about security anymore.  I planned on replacing the battery when my buddy buys the new iPhone this year but the battery life right now is fantastic and the health is still at 100% so unless it tanks in the next few months I won't even have to do that.  Plan on keeping this phone until it breaks or 5-6 years happens, whatever comes first.

[Anomnomnomaly]

I used to replace my phones every 4yrs... or when they kinda broke.  That gap has been getting shorter for a couple of reasons.

1. A lack of security patches from manufacturers
2. Obsolete tech, apps that will no longer work on older OS versions
3. unable to repair/replace due to excessive costs and glued in parts
4. My mum needs an upgrade

 

So since the advent of smart phones... I first had a Sony Ericsson P990i as my first touchscreen phone back in about 2006-2007.  In 2010 (or early 2011) I got the HTC Desire HD, and in 2014 or 2015 I replaced that with the Wileyfox Storm after a few months trying to use the Moto G2 and it being some what lacking in power/memory for what I wanted/needed. In early 2018 due to battery bloating I got the Moto G5S+ and a few months later repaired the Wileyfox storm and gave it to my mum (who'd had the old Moto G2)... and in Jan this year after I noticed she's been struggling and getting annoyed with the Wileyfox phone (lack of fingerprint sensor, and her slowness in doing tasks meant screen kept turning off mid use and needing a pin to unlock).... I decided to upgrade mine and give her the G5S+.... So we're down to 2yrs... I didn't 'need' to replace my phone... But at the same time I know my mum doesn't really have the desire or need to spend money on a replacement... and she's happy to let me give her my old ones.... and I do give them to her, she's not buying my old ones even though I could sell them for a decent amount.

 

I have a rule that my phones need to be higher end budget range ones... and at a reduced price. So my budget is around £200 and I don't do contracts... Sim only tariffs... and I currently pay £10 a month for unlimited calls/txts and 7GB data. I'm connected to wifi 90% of the time and have never once used up all of my data... Not even close.  My Moto One was £270 on release last year and I paid £209. I did consider the Moto G7/G8 as I like the near vanilla android experience they offer... But the One Vision had dropped into my price range too and had better specs, more ram and much more storage and there's a 3yr guarantee of security updates and 2 OS upgrades... It's just been updated to android 10.

 

 

I imagine I'll replace it again in 2yrs and give this one to my mum... unless hers breaks/fails in some way and she needs a replacement quicker... in which case I'll get her to purchase something like the G7.

 

 

[Lord Vile]

Depends. My last 2 (iPhone 5 and SE) I swapped because the screen was coming out (5) and the battery drained in like 6 hours (SE). On a XR now and I’ll keep it until it breaks or an iPhone comes out that does enough stuff that mine doesn’t do to be worth upgrading. Hoping the next one will have the 120Hz screen, new design and a couple more changes to make it worth it this year. 

[DarkShame2]

I've been replacing my phone (upgrading to a new one) for about every 3 years, mainly due to technical issues or so. Nowadays, I'm trying to keep my current phone much longer (even after no longer receiving security updates and OS upgrades or so) till it's start to stop working or slowdowns (perfomance/technical/Age); unless some sort of  technical issues or so happens..

[Guest]

Yearly for me.

It's write-off.

[freeagent]

For my first few phones, I upgraded just for the sake of upgrading, My first was a 4S on a 3 year contract that I rode out to the end. Being cheap, I then upgraded to a 5S which I used for the two year contract. I then moved to a 7 that I used for 2.5 years. I only upgraded from the 7 because the mics were shot, and facetime was impossible for her to hear me. Its still a decent phone, the kids use it now, its in the mix. I upgraded to an XS Max 256 in Space Grey.. but I am cheap. It is a certified preowned that I got from my carrier, and I saved just over $850, so pretty much the same price as my last phones with apple care. To me it looked like a brand new phone, speakers are good, battery is 100%, glass is mint. I've got a Mous Limitless 2.0 on the way right now, Aramid Carbon Fiber, like what's on my old 7. I love the phone, I will probably use it until I cant. Its got a beautiful screen, plenty of storage, and it takes nice pictures.

[kokakolia]

On 2/22/2020 at 2:27 PM, freeagent said:

For my first few phones, I upgraded just for the sake of upgrading, My first was a 4S on a 3 year contract that I rode out to the end. Being cheap, I then upgraded to a 5S which I used for the two year contract. I then moved to a 7 that I used for 2.5 years. I only upgraded from the 7 because the mics were shot, and facetime was impossible for her to hear me. Its still a decent phone, the kids use it now, its in the mix. I upgraded to an XS Max 256 in Space Grey.. but I am cheap. It is a certified preowned that I got from my carrier, and I saved just over $850, so pretty much the same price as my last phones with apple care. To me it looked like a brand new phone, speakers are good, battery is 100%, glass is mint. I've got a Mous Limitless 2.0 on the way right now, Aramid Carbon Fiber, like what's on my old 7. I love the phone, I will probably use it until I cant. Its got a beautiful screen, plenty of storage, and it takes nice pictures.

I’m jelly! I bought an iPhone 7 three years ago refurbished with a worn out battery and very steep price (I should have paid $100 more to get a new unit, what was I thinking!?). Anyways, it still works like new. I just wish the battery life wasn’t so sucky (even with a newly replaced battery). 
 

Secretly, I wish that my iPhone 7 would die soon to buy a 5000 mAh phone. The Moto G8 Power is looking real nice. But I paid way too much for that iPhone. I need to justify the price. 

[butre]

basically as soon as it either slows down to a crawl or if I have to recharge it more than once overnight and once in the middle of the day

[freeagent]

Terrible, sounds like you just got someone’s used phone. Certified preowned is basically a brand new phone, including a new battery at 100%. I would go to an Apple store and get a new battery, they are relatively inexpensive.

[Thorium19]

I used to change every 18 months, my Z3 because it broke, and my S7 because it slowed to a crawl, but I've had my Pixel 2 XL for nearly 2 years now and I've no reason to upgrade it yet, so I'm hoping to hit the 3 year mark with it, so long as it continues to get security updates from google.

[Founders]

3 hours ago, Thorium19 said:

I used to change every 18 months, my Z3 because it broke, and my S7 because it slowed to a crawl, but I've had my Pixel 2 XL for nearly 2 years now and I've no reason to upgrade it yet, so I'm hoping to hit the 3 year mark with it, so long as it continues to get security updates from google.

If the original Pixel is anything to go by, you'll get one more year of official updates from Google. You can always switch over to Lineage OS if you want to continue to use your Pixel 2 after Google stops supporting it. 

[butre]

I tend to buy niche phones so they don't tend to get the slowdowns from failing hardware that lower end models get, and because they're not trying to get me to buy a new flagship they don't get the software based slowdowns that old flagship phones get.  I swap phones whenever they break.  got my s8 active on release day after my s4 active stopped charging the day before, and it's still going strong.

[D13H4RD]

These days, I usually only upgrade if my phone gets to the point where any issue becomes so bad, it's actually unusable as a phone or it totally breaks. 

 

At this point in time, phone have matured to the point where there's no real mad rush to upgrade as every new model is only incrementally better over its predecessor and said predecessor would still be running quite well.