How often do you replace your phone?
My phone, Samsung Galaxy S20, has finally started having some screen issues and made me start looking seriously at a new phone. I felt like I got great use out of this phone after 5 years, and I anticipate trying to get a similar or (hopefully) longer life span from my next phone.
Ideally I'd like to keep this phone going for another year, currently the screen issue is more annoying than actually preventing me from using the phone. The OLED can no longer properly display black colors and when the screen goes to sub 10% brightness it adds a yellow tinge to the screen, and using my blue light filter only makes it worse. This has led me to use my phone less at night or when it's dark, since it's like having a dim flashlight shining in my eyes.
A bit of a startling realization, was that I've been putting off building a new computer since I moved over here due to the expense, but I'd happily drop more than I'd be willing to spend on that new computer on a new phone since I use it everyday throughout the day.
This made me wonder how often others replace their phones.
Are there any criteria you look for when picking new phones?
Are you a brand loyalist, or do you shop around?
Do you do camera comparisons between phones/models?
Or simply, how do you choose your phone?
I've currently got a S20 FE 5G and usually push a phone 5-6 years if I can. My criteria is mostly based on a good chipset, always android, always OLED. Whoever is offering the best deal meeting that is the brand I go to. I previously had some Motorolas, they had a Moto X with IR sensors for gesture and motion control. I really liked that but it fell out of fashion. Most recently the deal was on this Samsung. I'd rather not next time, they want to sell you a Samsung phone that happens to be an android whereas I'd rather have an android phone that happens to be from <manufacturer>.
My family likes their iPhones and someone gets a new one when one gets paid off and they just keep that payment plan going. It's absolutely absurd if you ask me (taking a payment plan out on a phone at all is absurd to me though).
that’s absolutely absurd. i replace my iPhones with one generation behind every six years. I went 4S, SE, 12 Mini.
Now you’ve got me thinking about what my progression was, hmm… 3G, 5c, 8, 15 Pro. Feels like I’m missing one but I think that’s right. I’ve been in the ecosystem so long it’s surprising to see that it’s only been four devices! Looks like I’m averaging about 5 years per phone, that’s not too shabby.
I set a little money aside every paycheck to save up for my next phone, and keep my current one running as long as can comfortably do so before software support and battery degradation become problems. Then I can buy the new model outright instead of financing it. I like to get one that’s unlocked and go for the latest model so it’ll have a longer lifespan.
I had a Galaxy S3 before the 4S, which was my first proper smartphone. I had an iPod 3 or whatever that I used with SIP sometimes, but rarely.
I've replaced the battery with every iPhone at least once. It should be cheaper than it is, but is still worth it.
I think I’ve had roughly the same trajectory — 3GS (secondhand from my dad), 5C, SE (1st gen) when the 8/X came out, then SE (3rd gen 2022) when the 13 came out, and I’m partway through saving up for my next one but I think this time instead of budget I’m gonna go for flagship to see how it goes.
I got the 2022 SE about a month after it was released, but it’s still basically brand new because in December 2022 and again in December 2023, it started glitching due to water getting in, and both times Apple just replaced it free of charge. Australia has excellent consumer protections and Apple chose to market it as IP67, so “whoops it was still in my pocket when I jumped in the pool” should be easily within the limits of what it can do, so both times they’ve just swapped it for a perfectly brand new out of the box replacement at no cost.
However, I’m starting to like the idea of an action button and better quality cameras, so I’m thinking I might get the 16 Pro (or more likely 17 Pro given the slower rate I’m saving up for it)
I liked the idea of it too, but since I got a model that has one the only thing that made sense to use it for was the ringer toggle it replaced. For my use case, anyway. I love to tinker with Shortcuts and such, but I still need a quick and convenient way to silence the phone so nothing was really gained.
I haven’t looked into it, but is there a shortcut that does everything the ringer switch does? I don’t use the switch often on my current phone or for quite a few years if I’m honest, I prefer it to stay forever on silent except the rare occasions that I know an important call will be coming through soon. With the kinds of cases I usually use, having a physical switch that might catch on other stuff in my pocket and suddenly make my phone loud is slightly more of a liability than a benefit for me at the moment.
If I can make a shortcut that does the same thing, then I’m happy to turn the action button into a “press to display a handful of my most used shortcuts and then I tap on the one I want” which will only be a little bit more interaction to mute/unmute as usual
I have the exact same progression!
let me know when you replace it. We'll see who can go longest :)
To be honest the only thing that is remotely tempting to me is the satellite messaging. I live in a place without mobile coverage and do a lot of bushwalking so that could be very handy.
Otherwise, I just find modern giant phones unpleasant to hold and use.
wait what! that’s neat. ok, yeah — that’s a good feature.
it’s crazy how expensive these phones are vs a mac mini or even my modest gaming pc
I still have my 4s and I use it to read reddit posts on Alien Blue when I’m in bed. That app can still load most images, but cant play video. The browser on the phone wont load most web pages now.
My current phone is an iphone 8 that Ive had since 2019 I think. Its still going strong, no issues with it, even the battery is fine.
I’m not sure what my next phone will be. I don’t like the face recognition software and all the new iphones use that.
i wasn’t sure about face id, but i eventually switched over and don’t really think about it. you can totally disable it, but i’d love the option of touch id. my sister has a pixel and the reader is behind the screen, which is perfect.
My phones technically are usually on a payment plan, but the amount I would pay monthly for the phone is credited to my bill. Roughly once a year, one or more of the major cellular providers (in the US) will have a deal where you can get a "free" phone, but you have to set up a new line (and potentially trade in your old phone). Usually the terms for this are 12-24 months. So I just flip flop between Verizon and T-Mobile when the battery life of my phone has degraded enough to be problematic.
If I ever got to a place in my life where I could detach from having a smartphone, I'd probably go back to buying "minutes" on those pay-as-you-go phones that are now commonly referred to as "burner phones." But I can't see myself going back. I've also used a few different MVNOs, but the cellular data is de-prioritized to give subscribers to the main provider the best experience. For the handful of times I've needed to use my phone as a hotspot, it's been unusable. On Verizon, it's definitely fast enough for most things, including Teams/Zoom calls.
I've enjoyed my Galaxy S20 enough that I am considering staying with Samsung for my next purchase, especially now that they give the 7 years of support for newer phones. I know Google is offering that as well, but I found that once I disabled all the Samsung bloatware, their One UI has been enjoyable enough for me to use without any real complaints. Though, I haven't gone and tested other phone UIs in a long time.
My last phone before this was a Oneplus3 which was a great phone but I was glad when I replaced it due to battery life and also some random compatibility issues I'd started running into with work related applications.
In general, I agree on the payment plans not being great for most things, but when I get an offer for 0% interest and there's no additional cost baked into the plan, it helps take the sting out of the purchase and not impact my short term finances to address spending so much at once. Granted, my perspective has shifted a bit after moving to SE Asia where instead of a higher end phone being hundreds for the base model, the base model is already several thousand of the local currency.
Answering mostly because my answer is different than everyone else's (thus far) - I replace my phone every year or two. Trading in so frequently means that I get a massive trade-in offer and only pay $300-400 for the new one. I like new technology and enjoy experiencing the updates (e.g. apple intelligence on the new iPhones). And tech near the end of its useful lifestyle - laggy, poor battery life, etc. - drives me absolutely nuts.
Same, although with my most recent phone (Pixel 9 Pro XL) I'm taking a slightly different approach. Because its end-of-life date isn't until 01 Aug 2031, I will save slowly every month until that date, then buy a new phone with cash.
That said, that was ALSO my plan with my Pixel 8, but when that phone physically broke, I was still able to trade it in and use my several-hundred-dollars of savings to get the new one. I rarely break phones so that was an exceptional case.
I'm pretty regularly at 2 years, hitting the even-numbered Pixel generations. Same reasons - the trade-in is generous and it keeps the battery fresh and the experience snappy. I probably don't get as much use out of upgrades recently because I don't want AI products (even on-device), so we'll see if this keeps up.
Similarly, I tend to replace my iPhone with the latest version every 2 years, but the last couple of years have been lackluster enough that I've kept my 14 Pro Max. I plan on upgrading to the 17 Pro Max when it releases this year.
I'm largely the same here, have got a new phone usually every 2 years or so. It made sense for a while since phones would sorta follow a tick-tock upgrade cadence with every other year being a big change or redesign but that's become harder now that slab phones are so mature. Currently use both a Pixel 7 Pro and an iPhone 15 Pro Max and I can see myself swapping the Pixel for whatever Pixel Pro XL gets released at the end of this year but I'll probably keep the iPhone for a few more years.
I've enjoyed the pixel 5 so much that I spent more on my 4th than my 3rd; they've become something of a rarity at this point. (All 4 are refurbs with screens I've ultimately seen mostly off - good enough as reserves maybe.)
Phones just keep getting bigger, but this lil fella is palm sized. One wee thumb stretch and the whole screen kingdom is mine. If there's not another normal sized phone for a normal sized person when I inevitably drop this poor chap then it'll prolly be another p5 for me.
My priorities and those of BIG cellular just don't align anymore 😞
I'm curious what it was like when they did align 🙃
I have a pixel 5 as well, and my wife has a pixel 3 still. Now that it's out of security updates, I'm considering an upgrade, but nothing I've seen has seemed worth it. I might look at a pixel 7 or pixel 8. Curious if folks with those phones have feedback they'd share.
I went from the Pixel 5 to the Pixel 8, very happy with it. Pixel 8 is nearly the same size as the 5, just 6mm taller (width and thickness are basically identical).
The battery life, performance, and camera are all huge improvements over the 5. Would highly recommend it.
Thanks, that's good to know. I'm happy to be a generation or two behind and not pay a premium for the device.
Interesting, I bought into the pixel line at the pixel 6, when Google started to actually produce the phone themselves and I feel like I got played. There's a lot of small things I don't like about this phone. Since the day I got it I wanted to go back to Samsung as I'd really only had a good experience with their line (once I disabled the bloat or installed my own OS)
Have you had the chance to compare the Pixel to the Samsung line?
I was on Samsung until the s10e. (Went from S1 > S4 > S7 > S10e). I did a lateral move to the Pixel 5 (2nd hand) when the battery life on my S10e was so poor. The pixel 5 wasn't much better battery-wise but it was mostly a holdover device until the Pixel 8 came out. I can't say much about the Pixel 6 but I remember it being too big and it was Google's first tensor chip? I think they were still ironing out the bugs with that one if my memory serves. I've been quite happy with my Pixel 8. Feels snappy, camera is amazing and the form factor is pretty good. A bit tall but doesn't feel much larger than the pixel 5 in day to day usage.
Can't compare with any more "modern" Samsungs. They are probably also fine.
Another Pixel 5 user here! And I've got another one that I'll use if and when this one dies. I upgraded from Pixel 3 to Pixel 5 and by the time Pixel 6 and 7 came out, they were too big for me, so I just kept my Pixel 5 instead. Last summer (2024) I bought a used one because my original one wouldn't hold charge for more than a couple of hours. So I'm now on my second Pixel 5 and a couple of months back, I bought a other used one in case this one dies.
I tend to replace phones when they get so old they don't function well (slow, freezes a lot, etc.), or they start having battery problems (if I can't replace the battery). My average is about 4 years per phone.
Here's a timeline of what I've owned:
2008-2011: Motorola Razr flip phone (gave it to my dad when I changed phones, he kept it until the 2G towers shut down in Canada)
2011-2016: Samsung Galaxy Nexus (still in use by my grandparents, who needed a basic phone just for phone calls when the aforementioned 2G shutdown killed their old cellphone)
2016-2017: LG Nexus 4 (aunt's old phone that was already ~2 years old by the time I got it, developed battery issues and had a finicky screen because of a poorly calibrated replacement screen)
2017-2021: Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) (I loved this phone to death and only got rid of it because the battery life was harder and harder to work around and I couldn't find a replacement battery anywhere - my brother uses it for basic calls/text now)
2021-now: Pixel 4a 5G (battery replaced last November)
Soonish: Pixel 6 Pro (partner upgraded to a S25+ and is giving me his old phone)
I don't do anything super exciting with my phone so I don't need a top-of-the-line model - my main priorities are battery life, the camera, and now repairability as well. As you can see, most of my phones have been in decent enough shape by the time I'm done with them that someone else got some use out of them. I might offer the 4a to my grandparents, as the GNex is so old that the battery dies after a couple hours, which makes it useless on longer trips out of the house.
I'm not sure what I'll get after the Pixel 6 though. My plan was to change the battery in my 4a so it would last until I could pick up a Sony Xperia on my next trip to the US, which would have been in the fall (Sony doesn't sell phones in Canada anymore) but for obvious reasons that isn't happening. I'm hoping HMD or Fairphone will have branched out here by that point. I don't like how "proprietary" (for lack of a better word) Samsung's phones have become, I don't like the direction Google is going in now (I'm only taking the Pixel 6 since I'm not paying for it...), and I've never been an Apple fan, so that doesn't leave a lot of options nowadays.
2-4 years
We're on about every 2 years. Not really because we want to upgrade but by then my wife has already hammered her phone so badly that it's starting to have issues. Granted, we've only ever bought budget phones. I think the most I've spent is $200 on a phone before.
I'm getting to the point of acquiring a new phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S21+ and basically live my life on it, including doing things that many people consider to be tasks reserved for computer use cases (e.g., buying airline tickets, booking hotels, paying bills, making appointments). I started seriously thinking about buying a new phone when I noticed a more frequent occurrence of: 1. Battery not lasting the whole day despite normal activity. 2. Connectivity issues (refusing to connect to networks when I know I'm not in a dead zone, and now having a hard time taking with my smart watch to start an activity). 3. I'm more likely to blame my car for this, but it disconnects from Android Auto when it fully charges via wired connection (wireless isn't an option for the car). If it's a phone issue... well, a different phone might correct it and make Android Auto usable.
This has been a good phone and I don't think it's at the end of its useful life, but I'm basically constantly running it (audiobooks, reading on the screen, browsing, casual games) and I don't want to drag myself down while trying to use a "run it into the ground" approach. So when it starts to look like it's getting inconsistent and going downhill, I'm jumping ship.
I already know that I will continue to use Android and that I'm not a huge fan of Samsung, so I'm probably going to take this opportunity to hop ecosystems. I compared this phone to a handful of others and basically came up with the Pixel 9 as a more-or-less lateral move. I don't need to upgrade; my main focus will be getting a phone that is capable of what I have now, with a decent lifespan going forward, for a not-terrible price.
Background: I've had Samsung galaxy S-somethings for years (decades?) and have pretty much had the same philosophy seen above. There was a short time when I bought a Windows phone for the camera (traveling), and I loved it dearly because of my activities at the time (writing in Word was super easy because of the integration, and I was a college student doing homework on my phone!). Despite my history of being a Galaxy owner, I'm not brand-loyal, and I find Samsung to be among the more invasive phone brands. Not that Google will be any better (ha), but at least there will be less bloatware.
Side note, if anyone can tell me if there are phone brands that are eschewing AI... I'd be interested in that. But I'd also be very surprised.
Yeah Samsung does really like their own apps. I disabled most of them and after doing that it worked fine. Their migration app was also super handy when I first got my S20.
I know that there are Pixel phones available in the country I live in, but I haven't seen them in person, which I'd want to do before committing to switching over to see if I like how it feels. Granted, I haven't looked that hard to find them, since I'm not in desperate need of a phone yet. Samsung having dedicated stores in a few of the malls here makes it a lot easier to just go play around with one of their phones if I have a few minutes.
I do feel like it's still a bit early in the lifetime for folding phones, but I was very close to getting a Galaxy Fold when I worked at my old job, since I did so much of my work from my phone.
Pretty infrequently - I first got a ('dumb') phone in 2008, finally replaced it with a smartphone in 2015, then replaced that one after its charging port failed with a Samsung S10e in 2019 which I'm still rocking.
Since I've purchased new phones so infrequently, my criteria have been pretty bespoke each time and there's not much similarity to share!
This is pretty much my trajectory, but add a couple years to each date. I'm on my second smart phone and it seems to have some life in it still.
I buy my phone outright and keep it for 4-5 years. iPhone.
Frankly, I go as long as possible. My first was the Moto G 2nd gen in 2015 (you read that right--before that I had a landline or used my PC as a phone via Google Voice; yes, people thought it was weird), and that lasted only two years until I upgraded to the Moto G Plus 5th Gen in 2017. If I remember right, I was forced to upgrade both of those: my first upgrade was required for work, and my second was because the battery could not hold a charge and because all of the 3G towers in my area were discontinued. That second upgrade happened at the start of last year, when I upgraded to the Moto G Power 5G. All were ~$200.
But I'm pretty unusual. I like having a little computer in my pocket that has a lot of handy functions when I need them, but in general, I hate the phone form factor and always prefer my PC. I don't like the tiny screen and I don't like the stripped-down, ultra-convenient (but less powerful) apps. So I don't think I use the thing as much as a lot of people do.
I still prefer to do things on a computer if I can and hate when I have an app that is missing some functionality just because its the mobile app version.
After my oldest was born, I came to appreciate working on my phone more. I found I could do everything for my job on my phone if I needed to, some things would just take longer. Being able to carry him around and play with him while working one-handed helped us to be more flexible and not need any extra childcare while he was little and both of us were back to working full-time.
I mentioned in another comment that I was close to getting a Galaxy Fold at my old job because having that extra screen real estate and being able to more easily multiple task on my phone would have been huge.
Used to be every 3 years or so. But they will have to pry my Pixel 4a from my cold dead hands. (Or a major android manufacturer could produce a compact phone with a decent processor, a headphone jack and at least 4 years support)
I am in a similar boat to @DynamoSunshirt as I only replace my phone when it starts to have problems.
I've had:
2008-2013: Motorola Razr V3 (Classic)
2013-2014: HTC One
2014-2016: Samsung Galaxy Note 5
2016-2019 Google Pixel 1
2019-2024 iPhone XS
2024-2024: iPhone 15 (briefly before returning and deciding to getting out of the Apple walled garden)
2024-Present: Google Pixel 9
I do miss the nostalgia of smaller phones and the simple life of the Motorola Razr flip phone. Alas, our advanced age has delivered us slabs of shiny glass which is far bigger than I could have imagined in 2008 (Which is a shame in my opinion).
I bounced around Android and hated the bloat HTC and Samsung had. When I grabbed the Pixel 1 I fell in love with the simplicity and sturdiness of the design. Ended up drinking the Apple cool-aid when the XS came out and decided to give it a go. The phone lasted me a good bit, but started suffering from being sluggish to the point of enraging me. I upgraded to an iPhone 15 and decided Apple is not for me.
Shortly thereafter, I grabbed a new Pixel 9 and put Graphene OS on it. I thought it was going to be a PITA and leave me wanting more or worse, going back to Apple. Thankfully, I am happy with what I have. It works for me and while the phone may be on the larger side, it is nice to have such granular control over my device.
I'm there with you, usually only replacing my phone if it breaks or support gets dropped. They're not something I'm heavily interested in or always trying to stay at the top of, mostly because I hardly use my phone beyond the basics like calling, messaging, GPS, and quick searches on the go. I miss the days of a slide-out, physical keyboard being a flagship feature.
Cool to find another GrapheneOS user. I'm also running Graphene as of my 9 Pro purchase and have been similarly happy with it. Easy setup, no issues that weren't solvable by simply adjusting permissions, and appreciate the additional control.
I seem to be one of the exceptions on Tildes.
I want to keep a phone for a long time, but I get bored and often buy a new phone. It's a problem I cannot square with myself.
I am solidly android and always buy my phone outright.
I greatly enjoyed the OnePlus phones. Had a couple. Loved the slider and other features. Then the software turned to crap when they were bought by Oppo. Apparently they are better now, but I haven't gone back.
I love the idea of flip phones so I jumped in with the Samsung Z Flip 3. I still hate Samsung software. Enough that I only kept the phone for about a year. I still think they make the best flip phones and I really want another one some day, just not Samsung.
So I switched to the Asus Zenfone 10. Loved how small it was and the fact that you could get close to pure android. Ultimately I got bored again and switched after a little more than a year.
I wanted a Pixel for a long time but they were too big and I guess I couldn't bring myself to buy a non pro version, so when they came out with a smaller pro version I grabbed it and it's great.
My current plan is to keep my current phone until it breaks. In reality, I imagine I won't keep it based on past behaviour.
I don't even do that much with my phone, so I don't know what I hope for out of upgrades.
I feel i'm in the same ship, getting bored with phone after maybe a year or two, but i scratch that itch by switching between Custom Roms, changing launcher, and anything and everything that i can change in software.
I'm currently using a Poco X4 Pro and i when the time of boredom came i didn't feel like installing another Rom, so i'm using my phone upside down now. No camera notch on top, hidden gesture pill on bottom (I barely ever use the front camera).
Doing this made it feel like a new phone, feels like more screen real-estate, and has satisfied that itch for now
Hah, not what I was expecting! That's fun. I used to care more about custom ROMs back in the day. The most I'll do these days is change launchers. The main problem there is that Niagara Launcher is basically the only one I enjoy using, so switching to it is like coming back to an old friend but doesn't really change things up too much.
I will say the unique features the Pixel offers compared to other androids are good enough I might stay a bit longer. Who knows. I'll tag you when I buy a new phone in 12 months.
I bought a used iPhone SE back in 2017 and it still seems to be working just fine. I'm not a heavy phone/app user, though. But I only use my phone for calls and texts, and I don't always bring it with me when I leave home, either.
I'll probably buy another used iPhone when cell service stops functioning on my current one.
I got a Nexus 4 in 2013, Galaxy S7 in 2019, and switched to a Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact in 2020. I'm technically on my second XZ2c after the first one developed dead lines in the screen a month or so ago. I very briefly used a Pixel 3 as a fallback in 2022 when Verizon dropped support for my XZ2c (aside: why in the everloving fuck is that a thing) while I wrangled working cell service, but it was never intended as a permanent replacement¹. So say, three phones in twelve years is an average of four years per phone. Although, the S7 was a mistake² and an outlier; if you exclude that one, it's two over eleven years, or 5.5 years per phone.
As for when I'll replace my XZ2c? Well, it'll be no sooner than when something comes along that's (a) supported by LineageOS, and (b) not physically larger. So it sure looks like I'll be using this phone for the rest of my life.
One thing to maybe note is that all of those phones except the Nexus 4 were bought used, priced in the $100-$200 range. So the total amount I've spent on phones, including spares and bad ideas, is still less than the cost of a single new flagship iphone. Aftermarket firmware is basically essential to a good user experience these days, which means picking up any brand-new phone, not supported by any of the third-party firmwares, is a significant downgrade in experience.
¹ Also, I hated it. Turns out, the Pixel 3 is just over the limit of what I can operate one-handed, and I got annoyed and dropped it constantly trying to reach my thumb across the screen. The thing I don't get is, my hands are not especially small, which means most people can't use a phone the size of a Pixel 3 one-handed. And yet pretty much all new phones are significantly bigger than that. Does everybody just uses two hands to do everything with their big clunky phablets these days? Or is this why "I dropped my phone and broke it", something which has never happened to me, is such a common complaint?
² I was already running LineageOS on my Nexus 4 at that point, and looking to replace it because it only supported 3G protocols, which were starting to get phased out. I don't remember why I settled on the S7, but for LineageOS support, you need specifically the international version with the Exynos chipset. These devices have only partial overlap with US cellular frequencies and do not work well as phones in the US. (But they're not completely dysfunctional, which may be worse.) Anyway, with hindsight I should have kept using the Nexus 4 until LineageOS picked up XZ2c support, but I had no way of knowing that was coming at the time.
I try to do as long with phones as possible these days. How well that works really depends on a variety of factors. Things like software support, cost of replacing parts vs buying as new phones, etc.
I currently have a Samsung Galaxy S21FE (got it in January 2023) which will still receive software updates well into the future (2027) and overall works still great. So, if nothing happens to the phone it looks like I will get at least 4 years of use out of it.
As others mentioned I had to disable a bunch of Samsung apps overall. Also from time to time Samsung tries to trick me in agreeing to hand over my privacy. Whenever they update their privacy terms they have a dark pattern form where you can select to agree to all but also opts in to additional stuff if you are not careful.
Having said that, Samsung phones offer the most stable platform these days for me and replacement parts are relatively readily available.
Previously I had a OnePlus7T and while it was an “okay” phone the software certainly had a bunch of edge cases bugs making it a slightly less smooth experience. Specifically when dealing with work profiles. So when I dropped it and broke the screen I had one look at the price of a new screen and in combination with the lackluster (to me) software it was an easy choice to just get a new phone. To be fair, I think I also had it for at least two years at that point, maybe even three.
I honestly don't know what I will do when my current phone no longer gets updates or otherwise needs replacements. The current move towards AI phones by Samsung doesn't make me happy at all. Google phones are not as appealing to me as well, mostly because they are higher priced here and for every other generation I seem to read about some sort of hardware issue people are having. Things are also complicated by me wanting it to be a dual-sim phone.
Once in 6-7 years. Currently using Fairphone 4 since 2 years, I hope for more than 7 years of usage, however won't be surprised if it won't last so long. Fairphone is not a worldwide megacorporation is the first company trying to create ethical and repairable phones, so I treat is partly as an experiment, hoping more companies will be forced by legislation to build their phones in more ethical way than current.
There are some circumstances when I am forced to replace my phone.
I don't care about phones at all. I just want them to perform their basic functions.
I replace my phone whenever my current one breaks and becomes unusable. So far, this has usually been due to the battery dying / bloating (4 years or so). I've tried replacing the battery before, but the replacement batteries don't tend to last long in my experience.
Phone technology is pretty mature at this point and even mid range phones are more than good enough for my use cases, so I'm happy to pick up a mid range from the existing lineup or last year's flagship, depending on what is currently best value / most discounted.
I am an android user and like the pixel a series, which usually has most of the innards of the flagship at a more affordable price. They often also have a plastic / metal case rather than glass, which makes it much more feasible to use without a case. Samsung's galaxy series is also very good (I have this as my work phone) and has a similar 7 year timeline for updates to the pixel range.
My general approach for replacing the phone is if it meets one of 3 criteria:
I generally want to run the phone into the ground if possible. Phones these days are hitting such a maturity in the market that most new features are "nice to haves" rather than "must haves", and you can typically hold onto the phone for 3-5 years and be perfectly fine.
I have a Samsung S21 Ultra currently. I have replaced the screen on it once because I accidentally stepped on it with a skate blade, but it was cheaper to repair the screen than get a new device. This phone is about to be at the end of it's security update life though, so I will likely be looking at a new phone in the next 6-9 months.
I'm not a brand loyalist with phone but I do generally prefer Android over iPhone. I have an iPhone for work plus a Macbook and an iPad, so I'm not against the Apple ecosystem, I just prefer Android's more "open" approach to things that aren't android (as opposed to Apple not playing nice with lots of things that aren't Apple). I do prefer Pixel's more "stock" Android experience over Samsungs, I think my favorite phone I've had was the Pixel 2 XL, so I'm looking at possibly moving to the Pixel 9 Pro or 10 Pro (whenever those phones come out, depending on specs and price).
I replace when it breaks or no longer receives software updates. Last replacement was after 4 years and I'm on year 3 of my current phone. I would rather do a battery replacement than buy a new phone especially if it is less than 4 years old.
I've always gone with the pro/premium iPhone and now prefer smaller sizes. With the maturity of phone tech and my efforts to minimize phone usage, I'm starting to think a lower end iPhone would be sufficient.
I only replace my phone when it starts to have problems serving my day-to-day needs.
So far, I've had:
iPhone 4 - iPhone 5 - iPhone 6S - iPhone SE (2016) - Xperia XZ1 Compact - Pixel 4a
In the early days, smartphones aged fast. And I used to be on a Big Telco plan with my family, where we were stuck on the perpetual upgrade loop.
When I got the 6S, it was annoyingly big. Then it started to shut down on cold days when I walked to classes. When the SE came out, I jumped ship to it because I was desperate for a smaller phone.
No phone has really appealed to me as an upgrade since then. When the SE finally stopped getting iOS updates, I switched to the XZ1C so I could use Slack again for work. But unfortunately LineageOS had problems with signal, especially on international trips, and I eventually gave up trying to solve it.
A few months later, my partner got fed up with her 4A and decided to switch to a newer iPhone. I took the 4a and I've been very happy with it since... barring Google's atrocious update this January that almost ruined the phone until I could get a battery replacement at a Google Store. Sadly I still feel like this phone is a smidge too big, and I'm terrified to upgrade to anything bigger. When this dies, I'll consider a used iPhone 13 Mini... or maybe just give up on smartphones altogether. They're so expensive and honestly I would be happier without one most of the time.
I can do a quick rundown of all the phones I've had:
2012-2013: Sidekick
2013-2014: HTC Windows
2014-2016: Motorola Moto G
2016-2016 (Three months total): Motorola Moto E
2016-2017 (Eight months total): Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
2017-2019: iPhone SE (caveat that I had to replace it once due to water damage but it was covered under AppleCare)
2019-2022: iPhone 7
2022-2023: iPhone XS
2023-Present: iPhone 13
Two years is probably the longest I'm able to keep a phone. I lost the first phone I ever had but broke the rest. I remember my heart breaking when my Windows phone was smashed. My Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, which is designed to withstand several drops, stopped working because I dropped it so much. My Moto G's battery started leaking acid or something.
My current phone is actually the phone I've kept the longest in the best condition (I probably just jinxed myself). But it's batter and performance is suffering because I take it into the sauna at the gym (on top of my usual dropping of it).
I have a bad history with phones come to think of it.
I used to do more research, but since getting locked into the Apple ecosystem in 2017 I just get whatever slightly older iPhone I can get.
Whenever I get frustrated with it. Seems to be about every 3–6 years.
Roughly every five years. My last and current one is a new FairPhone, as its from recycled materials. In the end I do try to keep using electronics as long as possible given the rare earth metals - and I hope the right to repair keeps gaining momentum.
I used to replace my phone every ~2 years, back when there was still some meaningful evolution on the hardware and software, and you could feel your phone was getting slow after 2 years.
My current phone is a OnePlus 7, so I've had it for 6 years. I'm planning to replace it in a few weeks because the USB-C charging port is now malfunctioning, and I just got a jolt yesterday while it was charging... I hate that I have to buy a new one, because aside from the port, it's still more than good enough.
I was even planning to try LineageOS before buying a new one, but you can't patch a hardware failure, unfortunately.
Edit: I'm eyeing the OnePlus Nord 4, and it's even bigger than the 6... Which I already find too big, and I don't have small hands. Sigh.
From a quick google search it seems the charging board (Or flex cable in this case) is available and doesn't seem to hard to replace.
Maybe some day when you have free time you can give repairing the phone a go? follow a tutorial to minimize risks of breaking stuff (You can also use a hair dryer instead of a heating bed, just heat it as evenly as you can, and heat it up a lot).
Or find a repair shop? It's still a good phone, and Custom Roms can give it a fresh breath of life.
Thanks! It actually looks much easier than I tought, I was expecting soldering.
I had two of the HTC Evo models in 2010 and 2012 then switched to the iPhone 6 in 2014, 8 in 2018, and 13 Mini in 2022 (all bought outright) so currently looking at four years between them after the earlier days.
I mostly change once my current one starts to show its age, usually with decreasing battery life and some lag but still before the support cycle ends; so far I've been able to hold off until the new thing is announced then decide if I want that based on its features or something already out there (thus I got the 13 Mini when the 14 was announced without a smaller version). Size matters and I want something small, which is why as I mentioned in the iPhone 16e thread I'm not sure what I'll do when I need to replace my current one. I've been deep in the Apple ecosystem for a decade and so far haven't had a problem finding something that fits me well but I'm still considering switching if there's a good Android model that isn't massive to me.
Most of these are estimates
Some random Motorola flip phone: 1.5 or 2 years
Palm Pixi: 2 years
Droid X2: 2 years
Moto X2 (fantastic phone; I still have it somewhere): 2.5 years
Galaxy s10e: 1 year
iPhone 6s+: a few weeks (more on that later)
iPhone SE 2nd gen: 6 months (I was able to trade it in for the same price I spent)
iPhone 12 mini: 2 years
iPhone 14 Pro: 2.5 years, but I definitely won’t update until the 17, possibly later. So 3-4 years estimated. Although as soon as Apple releases a phone with USB C and a good people color, I will buy it instantly.
The iPhone 6s+ is what got me to switch to Apple. I had the s10e, Galaxy Watch, and Galaxy buds. I wanted to listen to podcasts on wireless earbuds from my watch while working out without my phone. I tried every tizen app there was for podcasts and audiobooks, but nothing worked reliably. All my research pointed to WatchOS apps being much better, so I picked up a used series 3 watch. You need an iPhone to use an Apple Watch, but I didn’t like iOS at the time (my last experience was with an iPod touch 4th gen). I borrowed the 6s+ from my grandfather. It was thoroughly abused, and the battery lasted a few hours if I was lucky. At this time, I had reinstalled Android on my s10e a few weeks prior to help with performance. I expected to use the iPhone just for watch interaction, and my s10e for smartphone tasks. To my surprise, the iPhone performed way better than the Samsung. A flagship Samsung phone only a year old was getting roundly beaten in every way (except battery and physical design) by an iPhone that was 5 years older!i used it for a few more weeks to ensure I could stand iOS’s limitations and bought the SE v2 when it came out. Since I now have the first phone in my life that I have been able to and wanted to use for more than two years, I think I made a good choice.
In retrospect, I think I kept my phones longer than I felt like I did. I always upgraded more often than my parents and friends, and I felt bad about that. But every two years with some small exceptions seems like a reasonable cadence, considering smartphone technology at the time.
And Apple please! All I need is a high refresh rate screen, people color (not lilac), and usb c. I will but instantly! (And then keep it for another 5 years until you decide to be a fun company again.)
Rather than saying how often, I will list a bit of my phone past.
I buy new phone eother when the old one is unusable (slow or lacking software) or when something new with really good bang-for-the-buck ratio comes out or when I want to tinker or show support for something. But I'm out of buying expensive phones. I would absolutely top out at 300€ but prefer phones around 200€ range.
With things like locking out Pixels 4a and brands not supporting older phones software wise, there is no point to buy really expensive phone. I can buy cheap one and once it gets unusable, I can buy another cheap one. This way I may get say 3 phones in 10 years for less than 600€ combined while I won't be using my 1000€ phone after 10 years if I bought it now - I would have to buy at least two such expensive phones in those 10 years.
I like the idea behind G22, just as I love idea behind Framework laptop. They made these thing with users in mind (and Framework probably with users in focus, not just mind).
PS: Unbelievable how e-mail was useful in getting all the years right.
EDIT: Fixed some non-logical things and added a few info here and there.
I like to keep my phones as long as possible, 3-4 years or so. I generally get either a pre-owned flagship from a few years ago, or a new budget phone when they are on sale. I also like to have a backup phone in case I break a screen or my current one is unavailable, but my backup now is my daily driver since Android Auto couldn't keep a stable connection with my old phone. Currently I'm using a Moto 5G 2023, last one was a Moto G Power 2021.
Too often, but that's just bad luck on my end.
Got a first gen pixel 2~3 years before my carrier decided to depreciate (idk the appropriate term) 3G signals, so I was forced to move and chose a Pixel 5a, in 2022.
In 2024, had to replace phones again, as my 5a was one of the ones with the failing motherboard. Now on a Pixel 8 pro.
Was very frustrating.
This is my history as best I recall. I usually keep them until they don't work reliably, but I definitely could have held onto the 4a longer.
I usually go for the "budget" phones over the mainline ones. I got the 7 over the 6a because I wanted wireless charging for use in my car and Google wasn't putting wireless charging in the "a" line. Of course they started with the 7a, had I waited. Paying $500 for the 7 was the most I've ever paid for a phone, I usually wait until they're less than $300.
I used to upgrade every couple of years, then it became 3, then 4, and now I wish my phone could just last forever because I strongly dislike all the newer phones because they are larger and lacking features I want.
I am currently clutching to my poor Pixel 4a, one of the last phones with a headphone back and third party ROM support. There isn't a single other phone on the market that is a good replacement for it sadly. I may end up buying a Pixel 8a and a stand alone portable music player, but that isn't ideal.
Very infrequently. The last two brand new phones I've bought are the 2016 iPhone SE (best phone ever made, sue me) and the iPhone 15 Pro. One because I adored that it was a small, fast phone that fit in my hand well and still ran the latest iOS at the time. The other because the EU forced them to include USB-C, and my phone was my last device to continue to charge with lightning and I wanted that to end.
2016 SE for life. If Apple put a recent processor and USB-C on that thing, I would buy it today. It kills me how much phones have bloated since that form factor.
I get a Samsung flagship every 2-4 years. I just replaced my S22 for an S25 because I had an awful crack in the screen and it was the same price to upgrade to a new phone than to pay $400 for a screen module replacement. I'm going to get a case and screen protector immediately so I can hopefully keep this one for 3 years.
Every 2 or 3 years. I use my phone enough that having a new-ish one and is worth it to me. I've been on Samsung for a while - had a couple of Notes until they stopped making them and then moved to the S-series. Currently have an S24 Ultra.
My company pays for a new phone every 2 years. I pay them a small fee and get the old one to myself, which goes to someone in my family who needs it.
Works fine for me :)
My main phone - and the last I bought new - is a Poco X3 NFC, which I purchased back in December 2020. I had its battery replaced twice since, and I have made no plans to replace it yet.
I did purchase another two phones since then, though: a used Poco F1, which I got to experiment with PostmarketOS - and which is tentatively being phased in as my secondary phone - and a refurbished Redmi 5 Plus, which I keep on hand as a backup phone with stock OS.
I don't care about camera quality, since I rarely take photos. I am not much of a brand loyalist, despite being all-in on Xiaomi stuff right now, but I look for inexpensive devices with a bootloader I can unlock and which are supported by LineageOS at the very least (on top of the usual µSD slot + 3.5 mm audio jack), and Xiaomi has been pretty good for that.
My history and what I remember:
Not so much. I need only for usage a common programs. Even if we speak about messegers or socials, I still prefer use PC here. I prefer phones: with movable battery, having (mini-)jack, Android (over iOS).
Not so much, but I donʼt prefer smartphones from China, so my two last smartphones are from South Korea company + made mostly within Vietnam.
I usually replace my phone when I feel like I have to. I had a pixel 4 before my current 8. The battery only lasted 3 hours, but I got the new one because the old one was permanently locked into Verizon and I wanted to switch to a lower cost carrier. My previous phone was a Galaxy 7. That was my very first smart phone, my phones before that has been a pre Android Samsung with a slide out keyboard and a series of razr flip phones that I replaced when the antennas stopped working.
I came to smart phones late because I didn’t want work to think I’d answer emails in my off time .
I try to go as long as possible as long as the phone is still reasonably usable.
Current phone is a OnePlus 7 Pro running LineageOS.
I've been through 3 cases, 2 screen protectors and a battery (actually relatively easy to swap out with a bit of patience, and made it feel like a new phone again).
I spent some time with it rooted so I could use Wallet on LineageOS but then Google made more changes to their API and it got prohibitively hard, so I switched back to just using physical cards that I was carrying with me anyway. I don't like the idea of having everything on my phone, too easy to have stolen or drop it.
Not sure what I'll go for next or when. I've got some nice big scratches on the screen protector so that will need replacing at some point, but given it's almost 6 years old at this point I'm still very happy with the way it behaves. Really doesn't feel any slower than new phones that I've tried.
I think it'll live until something irreplaceable goes, like the charging port, then I might look into a Linux based phone and see how much I want to punish myself daily driving Linux instead
I wonder if I can do this from memory...
2000 - Nokia bar + antenna
2003 - Nokia flip phone
2006 - Motorola Razr
2009 - Samsung Comeback
2014 - Nexus 4 (dropped, cracked screen)
2015 - Nexus 5
2017 - Nexus 6P
2019 - Moto G Stylus
2022 - Pixel 6 (still going)
Everything 2015 onward was bought secondhand, and I have a trend of buying a generation behind. Most of the old smartphones became "game phones" for the kids or were given away or resold.
The USB-C charging port on my Pixel 6 doesn't hold a cable anymore, so I'll probably look into an upgrade to a not-so-new Pixel.
Unless someone has a better suggestion for an OLED android for use with Google Fi!
I read everyone’s replies to see if I could commiserate with anyone who exclusively had “when I break the old one” as an upgrade breakpoint. My complete personal phone history is so weird that I think it would dox myself, but in general I have a clumsiness issue where, if I’m not 100% focused, I will try to remove my phone from my pocket, slip, and thrown it directly at the floor.
Currently I’m on an iPhone X that I had the screen repaired on for $100, but on the way back to put it in the heavy duty case I dropped it again and shattered the glass back. Which is fine, so long as it remains in the case.
I’ve considered a phone tether before.
I use to upgrade every year or every other year. Started doing this with the first Pixel after having whatever the last iPhone was. Switched back to iPhone after the Pixel 3, and stopped upgrading in 2022 with the iPhone 14 Pro. I just didn’t see the huge camera/video upgrades that were happening in previous years and it’s the only reason I ever upgrade anyway. Though I like following all the advancements in mobile technology.
4-5 years. Usually its because the battery degrades and replacing it is worth the money.
Last one lasted ~5 years, this one is 2 years old and I feel zero need to replace it.
IMO 5-6 years is reasonable considering how mature phone tech is these days.
Whenever it breaks or there's some new features in particular that I want. Both of those seems to becoming rarer, so it's been about 3 years right now and I don't think I'll be replacing mine any time super soon.
I had a bit of bad luck where I had an iPhone X that broke after having it for a year or so, I got it replaced with insurance through my carrier, then the replacement broke about a year after that. The 13 Pro I have now is totally fine after 3 years besides the battery life starting to slide a bit, but that's it.
It depends, but somewhere between 2-4 years.
The fastest turnaround was iPhone X → 11 Pro Max, which I did because while I enjoyed the X I’d become too accustomed to the previous larger Plus models.
My most recent upgrade (14 Pro Max → 16 Pro Max) I did not because I needed to upgrade, but because my brother did since he was still using my old hand-me-down 7+, which while still functional is well beyond the scope of support and increasingly vulnerable. So he got my old 14 Pro Max.
I buy a new Android phone every few years too to have for dev testing purposes and the odd case where having an Android device is useful (e.g. travel, where having a Fi compatible phone has saved me when my iPhone on Verizon isn’t getting a signal). My last purchase there was a Sony Xperia I V, which was proceeded by a Google Pixel 3 XL. Never have liked Samsung phones and have a Galaxy tablet for replicating Samsung-specific app bugs with (which are more common than you might think as a result of Samsung’s deep OS customizations). That Sony probably won’t be replaced for several more years.
I typically spring for the latest high performing iPhone when it's time for me to upgrade. I enjoy the seemlessness of the Apple ecosystem (Apple Watch, fitness tracking, app store, apple music, imessage, photos, etc.)
I used to be brand agnostic when I first started buying smartphones and experimented with various Android phones. Once my last Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S5) started not receiving phone calls and texts at random intervals, I decided enough was enough and went iPhone full time ever since. I loved the reliability of everything on my iPhone. Great quality of apps, good standby time, solid hardware. I had my iPhone 6s for 5 years without any problems.
I'm on an iPhone 13 Pro right now, and see no reason to upgrade after recently getting my battery replaced. If the new features in September are tantalizing enough, I will consider upgrading, but nothing in the past few years has given me the itch.