Asking because… On one hand I do see smartphones being released left-and-right, and they are rather integral to modern life
On the other hand I’m still chugging alone with my Pixel 6a that I bought 3 years ago with a replaced battery and a somewhat clogged charging port… and all my previous phones I only replaced when they have serious deficits that make them difficult to use
Wondering when you all replace phones. Please definitely mention it too if you ended up repurposing the old phone for something else
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Only when an essential function breaks. Current phone is about to turn 6 years old.
Same. Last phone 5 years. Current phone 2 years. See zero reason in upgrading, especially to another big tech device or OS.
Really hoping a true Linux phone and OS materialises in the next couple of years. Something that isn’t beholden to any corporate monopoly or cartel. My requirements are basic. Apart from a dozen core mobile features/apps, everything can be done through a browser.
A used Pixel with GrapheneOS is the best choice. GrapheneOS doesn’t have Google tracking and is likely the most secure mobile OS.0
How long does your battery last? For me, that’s the only reason I would change my phone. Mine now lasts about 12 hours so it’s time for an upgrade.
Still lasts almost 2 days with moderate use. Battery is at 84% of the original capacity.
That’s amazing. Good for you.
I am also team 6yrs. I may just get a refurbished version of this phone again.
I have an s23 ultra. This is the first phone that I feel I wouldn’t gain anything by upgrading.
I miss sd card slots and replaceable batteries. But those features died before the phones met my needs. Unfortunately.
Yep, got rid of my last phone when the mics stopped working right, even after flashing a variety of ROMS.
Whenever the old one dies or becomes unusable. A new phone doesn’t really offer much new, so I see no reason to upgrade just for the sake of upgrading
If it aint broke, don’t fix it. That’s my general idea anyway. The other thing to consider is security upgrades (end of life). Then again, this time around I may just install a de-googled OS instead of buying again.
Its been 6-7 years for this one. I replace them when they stop working
Ditto.
It historically the charging port for me that fails first to the point I can’t reasonably return it. So this time I got a phone with wireless charging … which stopped working after a few months and I’m back on USB C charging for years now.
At least C is a little more physically robust than older versions.
I haven’t had a phone reach end of life for security updates yet, but that drive me to get a newer one too.
A lot of phones have wireless charging now as well. Even if you don’t use it all the time, It’s fewer wear cycles on the connector.
That’s the rational answer. Replace a thing when it’s no longer fit for its purpose, typically because it’s broken.
I use my phone until it is completely inoperable so a few years.
I once used a phone where half the screen was broken but the touch sensors still worked and I’d memorized where all the buttons were so I could still receive and send calls and texts.
People that replace electronic devices that still work confuse and annoy me.
As long as the one I have works, I keep using it.
Every 3-4 years which is when it starts becoming really slow or something breaks. I still keep and use the old phone though and it usually works, just not enough to daily drive.
Only when the previous one is completely out of commission. My last phone was a Samsung S20 I got in 2020 and it finally died when it took it’s last fall on to some concrete, and I replaced it a few months ago with an S24
I won’t replace it unless it’s needed. And that includes data security reasons. If my phone stops receiving security updates, I buy a new one. Trying to sort out identity theft is not worth being cheap over.
I’ve always thought it’s a little crazy to buy a new phone on a schedule. Like some people do every year or two. That’s expensive and terrible for the environment.
When I can’t use the old one anymore. Every time so far, that’s been because of a hardware failure.
I’m currently on a Pixel 4A. It’s running Android 16 (LineageOS), and I limit battery charge with AccA so that it doesn’t wear out. It’s currently showing 92% capacity, which seems pretty good for five years. I don’t think I’d actually like a new phone; it would be faster and have a better camera, but my current phone isn’t a bottleneck, and a new phone’s camera will still be worse than my Olympus. It would have 5G, but why should I care? Most new phones are bigger, and as an adult, my hands are not growing.
I love that answers like this are popular here. There was a time when phone tech was improving fast enough that frequent upgrades made a lot of sense, but now is not that time.
I’m still on a 4a too! I’m kind of thinking about upgrading 'cause I run GrapheneOS on it and nowadays whenever I reboot it I get a warning that it’s no longer supported, but also it still works so whatever.
I think maybe if I see a newer Pixel that’s cheap second-hand somewhere I might think about it, that way I can keep using GrapheneOS and not give any money to Google.
4A club member! I love the hell out of this phone but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking for a good upgrade option. I’ve got burned in notification and tray icons and this guy has been in the drink a couple times. The 9A looks okay but I really hate all the AI integration phones have now.
When it no longer holds charge.
This is usually about 5 years. I’d change the battery, but by then the web has slowed down and become inefficient enough to warrant a new phone anyway.
About every 5 years, usually when either the phone breaks, or key software no longer supported.
I had a moment of reflection last year about this. I told a coworker that my phone doesn’t have service in the building and I refuse to get on company Wi-Fi with my personal device.
He explained that when he gets a new phone, he uses his old one as work only.
My brain hovered for a minute in “but the old one is broken do you get it fixed or something?” Before clicking in “oh, he buys a new phone before the old one goes bad”
My brain genuinely struggled with the concept. Maybe if he’d been a rich person it would have connected sooner. I dunno
If you still have that service issue, get an MVNO SIM that runs on a different network.
Generally I wait until it dies. My current one is testing my patience at 3 years old while I’ve disliked it since the start, but the cost of a new one is sobering enough to let me suck it up.
My first phone died under a bus after 4 years, my second one stopped getting security updates after 2 or 3 years and was starting to get seriously slow, so that one I sold, my third one took 5 years to die to repeated water exposure… And this is my fifth one.
I have averaged about every 5-6 years
