How often do you upgrade your smartphone?

[Bradley Prior]

How often do you upgrade your smartphone?

 

[boomslang]

4 years

 

[gogga_]

When it becomes a PITA to use because it has become toooo sloooow......normally 3 to 6 years for me.

 

[Goosfrabba]

Every 2 years approximately.

But I buy cheap phones cash so can't expect them to last long

 

[wbot]

Every 4 or 5 years years or so when the battery dies or struggles to charge.

 

[PhireSide]

Used to be every 2 or so years, but my current phone is 6 years old and phones have become too expensive to replace as often.

So this one will do until it no longer runs the apps I use on a daily basis

 

[naughty001]

prior to my current phone i had a Poco F1 for around 6 years and only stopped using that when the battery became unusable - and now i have a Samsung S24FE - i see that being decent to use for at least 5 to 6 years so the correct answer for me would be "till the phone drops down dead" or as others have said above that it can no longer satisfactorily run the apps that i need to run to make my life bearable

 

[IamNoone]

2-3 years. I have come to like the Samsung S#FE phones. Usually just get the previous years release when I do decide to change it.

 

[JabiRider]

In the old days of the Nokia 3310, it was exciting to upgrade every two years, because there were frequent leaps in mobile phone technology. I had my 3310, and two years later I had a phone with a color screen, two years later I had a phone that could access the internet, two years later it was a phone with a camera. Eventually came the Blackberry phones and after my Blackberry I got my first Iphone, and soon all phones were smartphones.

Technology leaps these days arent so noticable anymore, and not upgrading frequently doesn't leave you in the dust.

So, I use my phone until it breaks or becomes a hassle to use.

 

[DarkWater]

5 years or so

 

[r00igev@@r]

Whenever I drop it in the toilet.

 

[bwana]

When it breaks - batteries and screens can always be replaced.

 

[satanboy]

4 years

Wouldn't that be the norm? It's funny that it isn't an option in the Poll.

 

[gogga_]

I just upgraded my 5yr old Xiaomi 9C to a new Redmi Note 13. What a huge difference in speed and everything lol. WhatsApp opens in a flash now instead of at least a minute with the 9C. Happy days

Hopefully this will be good for another 5 years or so.

 

[Neuk_]

When I get offered a hand-me-down, the last new phone I got was in December of 2016.

 

[kolaval]

Use cheap phones until they break or cannot perform banking, whatsapp, calls.
Then it's a new sub R5k phone (and you can pay it off over 3 months with pay just now etc)

 

[Johnatan56]

When the security updates run out, so 2-3 years, current phone is nearing 2 years (P8 Pro) and I have no intention of swapping it at the moment. Battery life is still good, and software support is for 7 years, so will see when I feel like there's something worth swapping to in another 2 years.

Has been interesting to see people with phones from like 2020 nowadays still, used to be rare to see anyone have any phones that are >3 years, now it's kind of common.

----
New EU rules for software support 5 years after end of sale has started, so new phones are going to last longer. This is going to have an impact on the "sub R5k phone" but overall will be better / push the minimum standard up.

 

[thestaggy]

It is based on the battery life.

Once I have to start charging it during the day to cover my normal usage, then I replace it. Although my current phone is starting to hang, so this may be the first time I replace a phone because it is actually acting up.

I'm not a phone person, though. I'll use any cheap smartphone as long as it can do the basics.

 

[Brawler]

Every 2 years approximately.

But I buy cheap phones cash so can't expect them to last long

I totally get the "expensive phones aren't worth it" crowd but I'm struggling to understand the buy cheap and replace every two years idea.
Is it not better to spend double and get something nicer that will last for 4 years?
Or do you break phones a lot?

 

[Smiggles]

1.5 to 2 years. Will stay with 2 years and hand it down in the family. Works well with tablets and phones.