Keeping the Same Phone for More Than Two Years Isn't a Crazy Idea

Megalith

Megalith

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This isn’t about fighting the itch to upgrade your smartphone every one or two years, but the fact that Android phones do not have the same longevity as competing devices. The author thinks this is a real shame, pointing out that Apple and other competitors support their products for substantially longer periods. For instance, the Nexus 5X (2015) will no longer receive guaranteed security updates after 2018, yet the iPhone 5 (2012) is still receiving support.

The only issue I see with keeping the Nexus 5X (or any phone) for two years or more is the software update situation. Because security updates are important to me, it probably matters more than it does for others, but we need to know the company who made it and took our money is willing to be there to fix whatever needs fixing when it comes to the software it runs. And unfortunately, you can't count on long-term support from any company in the Android space, even Google. There are plenty of reasons why, and most of them make sense. But that doesn't matter because Apple and Microsoft can do it.
 
Why wouldn't you keep it? if it still works ...

The only real aging aspect is the battery and after 18months the dimishing storage does start to show.
 
Maybe its sad, but I think Android has actually been getting better about updates. Previously I remember even 2 years being a dream.
 
I just upgraded from my Note 2 after having it for almost 5 years. The reason that I didn't upgrade for so long is because the phone continued to work great, and there really wasn't much to upgrade to with new phones like the Pixel XL having the same size screen as my 5 year old phone (5.5").

98% of the reason people upgrade their phones after 2 years is because they want a shiny new one, not because there was anything wrong with their old one.

I agree that it would be nice if most phones received updates for longer periods, but not getting new updates, in itself, doesn't prevent you from continuing to use your phone longer. It's also worth noting that the phones that are actually sold by the same people who make the OS (Google Nexus and Pixel phones) receive updates at least as long as Apple phones do. There really is no comparable situation with Apple where a different company makes the phone vs the OS (Samsung vs. Google for example).
 
I think the only issue I have is how different companies do not update their phones over time to keep up with Vulnerabilities. I do not use my phone for much of anything other than texting or phone calls but knowing it is several versions behind is my only concern as to why I think about upgrading it.
 
i was led to believe that older android phones do not received regular automatic and mandatoriy updates to avoid bricking them , while apple phones get mandatory and automatic upgrades designed specifically to brick them and force the luser to upgrade.

under android i have a short time window of automatic and mandatory upgrades and a bit longer time window of optional upgrades, and all of them can be reversed to a previous software. an apple luser will receive constant upgrades, automatic and mandatory, until one of them bricks their phone, and those upgrades can not be reversed.

i have a working lg optimus x2, running 4.2.1. not bad for a 2010/2011 phone. apple crap that old be bricked long ago.
 
Samsung Galaxy S5 here. Shipped with 4.4.2 Kit Kat. Upgraded to Lollipop. Now on Marshmellow 6.0.1. Rocking a 7500 Mh battery & 32 Gb flash memory. Water proof. Shock Proof. No plans to upgrade anytime soon. It's perfect for me.
 
I keep a cell phone for well over two years generally -- and then retire the old ones to be my secondary phones for testing/development purposes (or just use them on WiFi as in-house SIP phones; no data plan).

A case in point would be my old LG G2 (came with Jelly Bean way back when) -- which is currently running Nougat (Lineage 14.1).

My feeling are that much like the current rulings that allow device portability between carriers, for security reasons, manufacturers should be FORCED to allow unlocking the bootloaders and allowing 3rd party support for any devices they no longer continue to release updates for. Essentially, whenever they quit supporting a device, they should be required to release a final update that unlocks the device and unencrypts the bootloader. In other words, when they quit supporting it, they have to release the device such that open source community (e.g. Lineage) can be allowed to support it and continue updates.
 
geok1ng said:
i was led to believe that older android phones do not received regular automatic and mandatoriy updates to avoid bricking them , while apple phones get mandatory and automatic upgrades designed specifically to brick them and force the luser to upgrade.

under android i have a short time window of automatic and mandatory upgrades and a bit longer time window of optional upgrades, and all of them can be reversed to a previous software. an apple luser will receive constant upgrades, automatic and mandatory, until one of them bricks their phone, and those upgrades can not be reversed.

i have a working lg optimus x2, running 4.2.1. not bad for a 2010/2011 phone. apple crap that old be bricked long ago.
Click to expand...

You were led to believe lies. iPhones receive completely optional updates and you can back up any image to restore it later. Of course you're at a risk if you run an ancient unpatched version.
 
ICOM said:
Samsung Galaxy S5 here. Shipped with 4.4.2 Kit Kat. Upgraded to Lollipop. Now on Marshmellow 6.0.1. Rocking a 7500 Mh battery & 32 Gb flash memory. Water proof. Shock Proof. No plans to upgrade anytime soon. It's perfect for me.
Click to expand...

I have an S5 also. Love it. Recently got rid of Touchwiz and the device sped up considerably. I would buy another s5 in a heartbeat to replace this one if it ever breaks.
 
I'm still using a Galaxy S3 with Cyanogenmod. Even this old phone is way more phone than I need. I only make calls and the occasional text. I never even use the camera.
 
I am still rocking an LG G2. Nothing wrong with the thing, it does everything I want it to, and I still get over 30+ hours of consecutive power on time (with normal use) without out having to charge it. Sure it is a bit slow but that doesn't really bother me. If it ain't broke, don't fix (or replace) it.
 
I'm approaching 3 years on my Droid Turbo, and am only looking at upgrades due to decreasing battery life. While Quick Charge (or whatever version you're using) is great for getting your phone usable in short order, I'm pretty sure it has significant long-term impacts. When I got my phone the tech was brand new and nobody was talking about longevity. While a single use-case is anecdotal at best, I can tell you both my phone and my wife's have significantly worse battery life than they did when new. Just waiting on the OnePlus 5 to hit the market before I decide what to do.
 
I'm still content with my iPhone 6s. Sure it suffers from bend gate symptoms once in a while but it still does everything I want/need it to do. And as many times as I've dropped it on tiling, concrete and once in the toilet it's still going strong. I'll buy another phone once this one is dead. No need to upgrade as I've largely grew out of the "Want a new precious every two years" phase.
 
My S5 is a couple years old and it will probably be the last Samsung phone I buy (Samsung turned into iphone wannabes after the S5 so I won't touch anything newer). The highest factory android you can get for the S5 is 6.0.1. I've moved over to an AOSP-based rom at 7.1.1 and still get regular-ish (at least monthly) updates if I want them.
 
naib said:
Why wouldn't you keep it? if it still works ...

The only real aging aspect is the battery and after 18months the dimishing storage does start to show.
Click to expand...

So grab an extra battery, clean up the storage and delete crap you don't need...
 
I just upgraded my Blackberry Z30 to the Blackberry KeyOne.

Was on the old phone for 4 years and the only reason I upgraded it is because BB10 is dead now. I primarily used it as a work phone and its was fantastic in that role. It will now be my travel phone since I prefer to leave my main phone at home.

Not a big deal if I lose the old one while on vacation.

And I must say the KEYone is great I can get 2 days moderate use out of a single charge. And heavy usage will easily get me through a full day and will have battery left when I get home.
 
In my mid 20s I was all about the latest and newest every year or so, and between upgrades I was really big into custom roms/flashing/etc.

Now? I'm 35, i Just want the damn thing to work. Got a Nexus 6P when they released it, paid cash, and plan on keeping it for at least 4 years or more. If it works fine why mess with it. Especially with phones going for 600-800-1000 dollars for the latest and greatest.


All that being said, I wish I'd gotten a 5X, the 6P is super nice, well built, but even a little large for my 6'1 big hands having ass.
 
Bought my moto x pure edition January 13, 2016. Will be two years soon.

I just recently bought the otterbox defender series for it as trade square insurance ran out.

5oVuYG4.jpg

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Now my phone is superbadass.

Holster is nice too that comes with it.
 
That's why I bought an iPhone instead of an Android, I get guaranteed iOS updates the same day that everyone else across the world gets it regardless of which carrier I have.
 
LoL and here I'm using still my good old GS4.. no need to upgrade anytime soon, never had a security issue with any of my phones. Gonna use this thing until it dies..

decent camera, decent storage, decent speed, it runs everything decently fast enough to keep me away from having to upgrade.

Main problem with modern phones is they are mostly god Damm ugly, (specially looking at you google pixel phones).. very few phones have an attractive design to catch my attention as this galaxy S4 did when it was new..
 
Araxie said:
LoL and here I'm using still my good old GS4.. no need to upgrade anytime soon, never had a security issue with any of my phones. Gonna use this thing until it dies..

decent camera, decent storage, decent speed, it runs everything decently fast enough to keep me away from having to upgrade.

Main problem with modern phones is they are mostly god Damm ugly, (specially looking at you google pixel phones).. very few phones have an attractive design to catch my attention as this galaxy S4 did when it was new..
Click to expand...

And newer phones, SD card slot is removed.

---------------------

BTW, iphones have SD slots? or u gotta pay extra 1k for more space? Lol.
 
Bowman15 said:
So grab an extra battery, clean up the storage and delete crap you don't need...
Click to expand...
Exactly... Until they no longer make that battery form factor.... That happened to me with my old n900.
Now look at all the phones and how many use the same battery between manufacturers and models
 
I buy a new iPhone practically every year because I can and because its the device I use the most so I am ok with spending 1k~ every year on it. Considering this is the place where people routinely spend 2-3k on their computers every year I dont know why so many people are judgmental.
 
Conspiracy theory time: my wife has an LG G4 and her 2-year VZW contract just ended. Within a week of her contract ending, she had a "security update" and ever since then her phone does seriously random shit that it had never done before. It still "works" but it starts apps at random, the screen flashes weird shit, etc. Coincidence? Her battery had lost quite a bit of it's original capacity so I bought an OEM replacement and it seemed legit, with a convincing looking LG wrap and accurate markings/size...but the phone seems to have ramped up usage somehow and it sucks that battery dry as well.

Hitti2 said:
And newer phones, SD card slot is removed.
Click to expand...

With damn near ubiquitous free wifi and the ability to stream just about anything you would want, I think the lack of onboard expandable SD storage is less of an issue. Obviously there are exceptions to that, but for 80+% of the population it's not a big deal anymore.
 
///AMG said:
I buy a new iPhone practically every year because I can and because its the device I use the most so I am ok with spending 1k~ every year on it. Considering this is the place where people routinely spend 2-3k on their computers every year I dont know why so many people are judgmental.
Click to expand...
I think that over the last 17 or so years, I have averaged ~$200 a year on computer hardware. I have only ever used 2 smart phones. The first was an S2 and cost me $5 out of pocket (was subsidized) and my current phone is a LG G2 that a friend literally gave to me for nothing (it is fully functional with no scratches and clean screen). Then again, I am a cheap ass.
 
buzzbomb said:
Conspiracy theory time: my wife has an LG G4 and her 2-year VZW contract just ended. Within a week of her contract ending, she had a "security update" and ever since then her phone does seriously random shit that it had never done before. It still "works" but it starts apps at random, the screen flashes weird shit, etc. Coincidence? Her battery had lost quite a bit of it's original capacity so I bought an OEM replacement and it seemed legit, with a convincing looking LG wrap and accurate markings/size...but the phone seems to have ramped up usage somehow and it sucks that battery dry as well.



With damn near ubiquitous free wifi and the ability to stream just about anything you would want, I think the lack of onboard expandable SD storage is less of an issue. Obviously there are exceptions to that, but for 80+% of the population it's not a big deal anymore.
Click to expand...

I also had problems with Verizon LG G4 related to Verizon software (bloat). Have you tried disabling it? DTignite is risky in that it allows Verizon to install software without user knowledge or permission. Then there a bunch of other Verizon apps you probably are not using like their Navigation app. Try disabling those too.
 
My iPhone 4S is still chugging along. It works. And it's paid for.
 
The support period for the iDevices is great...the actual support itself? Not so much. After a couple of big iOS updates, you can noticeably feel the OS starting to wear on older devices. Though with the much better specs on the recent devices, I think this could change.
 
Android phone makers not passing on updates is a pure dick move, just being greedy. I won't ever buy an HTC product because they orphaned my M7 at 5.0.2 .... when it is perfectly capable of 7.0.1.
 
This has to be fake news. [H]ardforum assured me that only the company with the Fruit logo did stuff like this.
 
Came for the 128GB of storage. Stayed for the headphone jack. I was courageous.

Put a headphone jack on and I might be inclined to upgrade.
 
XvMMvX said:
This has to be fake news. [H]ardforum assured me that only the company with the Fruit logo did stuff like this.
Click to expand...

Let me see if I can twist this right. Android has been screwing its customers for ever. Apple just ripped them off and made it popular.
 
///AMG said:
I buy a new iPhone practically every year because I can and because its the device I use the most so I am ok with spending 1k~ every year on it. Considering this is the place where people routinely spend 2-3k on their computers every year I dont know why so many people are judgmental.
Click to expand...

I could buy the latest phone every year but why waste the money? I'd rather spend it on a nice vacation, or save it so I can retire a little sooner.

Used my S3 for almost 4 years. Plan on using my Note 4 for just as long.

As for computer spending , there may be some people who spend than much, but not me.
Used my last system for over 4 years with just a few minor updates. When I finally built a new system earlier this year, I only spent around $1k, and used some parts from my old system to keep the costs down.
 
What I have an issue with is companies not releasing new software, but still refusing to unlock your phone after they no longer provide new software for it. I'd not want to change my phone if not for the lack of software updates and the fact that it has evaded all attempts of unlocking. But I sure know my next phone won't be from the same manufacturer even though the hardware was perfect for me.
 
I'm 46 I run minimal apps and don't play games.

I don;t upgrade unless I really have to. I've given up worrying about updates as I don't install any odd shit and just run 4-5 core standard apps.
 
I won't be buying a new phone until the "bezelless" "infinity screen" fad dies out. I have a hard enough time hitting the screen on accident as it is with my S7. If I were in the market now I'd probably go for the new blackberry for that sweet sweet physical keyboard.
 
buzzbomb said:
Conspiracy theory time: my wife has an LG G4 and her 2-year VZW contract just ended. Within a week of her contract ending, she had a "security update" and ever since then her phone does seriously random shit that it had never done before. It still "works" but it starts apps at random, the screen flashes weird shit, etc. Coincidence? Her battery had lost quite a bit of it's original capacity so I bought an OEM replacement and it seemed legit, with a convincing looking LG wrap and accurate markings/size...but the phone seems to have ramped up usage somehow and it sucks that battery dry as well.

With damn near ubiquitous free wifi and the ability to stream just about anything you would want, I think the lack of onboard expandable SD storage is less of an issue. Obviously there are exceptions to that, but for 80+% of the population it's not a big deal anymore.
Click to expand...

Which is why I always disable/block OTA's on every phone I own.

The lack of an onboard SD card is a big deal to me -- because that is where photos and videos go when we are on vacation, etc. Without the extra 64Gb micro SD in my current Moto Z Force, I would be severely hampered.
 
///AMG said:
I buy a new iPhone practically every year because I can and because its the device I use the most so I am ok with spending 1k~ every year on it. Considering this is the place where people routinely spend 2-3k on their computers every year I dont know why so many people are judgmental.
Click to expand...

With the exception of gaming rigs and business workstations, anyone who spends even $1K on a computer annually is a total idiot (and likely an Apple owner -- which, IMHO, is often the same thing).

For the average home user, a decent Dell desktop with a Core i3, 8Gb and a 27" monitor can usually be had for under $500 if you know where to look.
A decent i7 with 16Gb and a basic add-on video card can usually be found for under $600, not counting monitor.
 
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