The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: KarefulKactus15 on December 07, 2016, 10:26:07 AM
-
How long do you guys keep smart phones?
My current phone is a nexus 5. Ive had it for about 3.5 years. I believe its near the end of its life lol. I usually buy the mid grade phones, I dont ever buy flagship models .
Also, what is a good budget smart phone for a mustachian? I may need to replace soon.
-
I kept my iphone 5 for almost 4 years. I was having a lot of issues with the battery and we had a big trip planned so I finally upgraded to the SE last month for the better camera and the other issues I was having (bought from the Apple store through the Chase UR portal for bonus travel points). When I took my 5 out of the case I saw that it was being pushed apart because of battery outgassing. We bought a new battery and now it is our unlocked "international" phone for travel. My plan is to keep the SE at least four years and replace the battery on it if I have the same problem. Everyone IRL was shocked when I bought a "new" phone and it wasn't the 7 or at least the 6S. I don't get it. I like the SE size, I could use my old case, and it was much cheaper. I prefer not to get the "latest and greatest" anyway.
-
Droid Incredible released in 2010, I got it from a friend who was upgrading in 2012 (not sure when purchase it). I traded a pair of the wife's shoes for it. Yes, she knew I traded her shoes. She was trying to sell them already. I've had it ever since 2012, the battery could be better but it works great.
-
I received my used iPhone 5 free from my FIL in I think November 2014 and it lasted until this past May when the screen literally peeled away from the phone. He is an Apple aficionado so I'm sure he bought the phone as soon as it came out in September 2012 (according to Google). I got a new 6S this year only because I switched carriers and they gave it to me for free.
-
Just got a Moto X recently, about a year ago. It has a far better battery life than my previous phone, Samsung Galaxy (S1).
I probably won't be upgrading on this one for at least another 10 years. Manufacturers are pretty content with slowly rolling out slightly improved phones each year. Unimpressed.
-
I'm with you on the Nexus 5. I've debated getting a new phone because security updates will stop shortly, if they haven't already. Bummer it won't make the leap to the new OS because the hardware still does the job for me. Battery still lasts all day for my usage. I'll probably keep it for now
-
I have had my current phone for about 2 years (and will likely keep it until it disintegrates).
I had my previous brick phone from new in 2006 until 2015 if that gives you an indication.
-
I plan to keep mine until it's no longer functional, however I know phones get "slower" over time. As new OS and app versions become beefier to take advantage of faster hardware, the old hardware doesn't always play well with new versions of software. I suppose at some point I may reach a patience threshold where the phone still works but I'm getting a new one that is "snappier."
-
Forever, approximately. Or until it stops working -as a phone.
I did have a Nokia monochrome dumbphone back when (late 90s) that worked fine. But they shut down the analog network.
Hosed; dumped a perfectly good phone then.
-
My DH had the S2 - he got it for free when it came out in 2011 and he used it until 2015. By the end of 2015, it was really wearing out and not functioning well, so he upgraded. Used a CC application to get a brand new iPhone 6S for $300. In researching phones, we soon realized that to get what he wanted (I use it for travel so it is fairly important for me to have the latest and greatest apps and a good camera), we were looking at $300+, even for a used phone. So this ended up being a decent deal for us.
The 5 yr old Galaxy S2 is still with us and is barely gasping now...we keep trying to use it as an emergency/spare phone but it really does take absolutely forever to do ANYthing. I think it's time to put it in the trash...unless there are any usable spare parts?
-
I'm with you on the Nexus 5. I've debated getting a new phone because security updates will stop shortly, if they haven't already. Bummer it won't make the leap to the new OS because the hardware still does the job for me. Battery still lasts all day for my usage. I'll probably keep it for now
Mines been a tank. I've replace the screen, battery, and camera lens already.
My current issue is power button failure lol. Micro solder job. I might attempt it just for fun. But like you said, I niece ita near the end of its software life.
-
Had a perfectly good flip phone for many years until they shut down the 2G network. Got offered $35 towards a new $150 smart phone or another $35 flip phone. I chose the flip phone. Will keep it until it dies or gets phased out.
-
It'll be 7 years in another few weeks.
I've replaced the battery once.
I'll replace it soon....in the next year or so. To be frank, there's been no reason to upgrade.
On any objective scale it still is an amazing piece of technology, even if it was obsolete about 5-6 years ago. The only reason it's not even more functional is the (IMO) useless bloat of may websites now combined with the reduction of low graphics specific sites. All the flash / embedded video & audio just doesn't work with it. Everybody wants you to "do" their application as well (none of which work on this ancient phone)....screw that. Why the hell should I install your piece of spyware? Meh......I get what I need. (grumble, grumble as an old curmudgeon ought to)
-
I kept my iphone 4S for about 4.5 years. I replaced the battery once. I finally upgraded because I wanted to play Pokemon Go.
-
I have a dumb phone. I've had it like 7 years or so? Works for me. I just can't see spending the cash on constant upgrades and data plans.
-
I replace my phone every 2-3 years depending on how the phone is holding up internally and externally. My phone is covered by the company plan so there is no cost to me to replace it as soon as my upgrade is available.
-
I usually keep my phone for 5-7 years before something unfortunate occurs to it. I'm on my first "smart" phone with a Samsung Galaxy S4 which I've had for 4 or 5 years, paid 250 for it under contract at the time. I already replaced the battery once and I've also replaced the USB charging module inside the phone myself so I can continue using it after the USB charging port was damaged as a result of charging it in awkward positions. I took the phone with me from AT+T to Ting and had the carrier unlock it as soon as my contract was up (which was costing me 2X what I pay under Ting).
I plan on using the phone for another year or two, then eventually I'll upgrade to a Pixel on Google Fi once the next new generation pixel phones come out.
I primarily use the phone for audio (podcast/MP3 player), text chat, internet browsing, and flashlight.
-
I got my flip phone in 2007 or maybe 2008. so did my husband. Mine still works great. Husband dropped his last year, had a hell of a time replacing it -but finally found same flip phone at a deceased estate sale for $10! We can call and text. sometimes i wish my phone had a camera, but mostly i'm pretty happy with what i have!
-
Until it no longer functions well....which usually seems to come down to the battery, holding a charge for a day is about the only expectation I have of a phone that eventually fails ...
-
Until it no longer functions well....which usually seems to come down to the battery, holding a charge for a day is about the only expectation I have of a phone that eventually fails ...
I've found that batteries for older model phones (the ones where you can actually access the battery compartment that is...) are only $10-$15 online, and you not only get the new battery with its more durable charge cycle, but you can swap it for your old battery when that dies and get even more up-time with two batteries. If you really want to spend that money burning a hole in your pocket without buying a new phone, they also sell battery chargers for many phone models so you can charge it externally on a wall charger while the phone is in use with your second battery. You never have to plug your phone in again as long as you keep swapping batteries. I purchased my GF a new battery and wall charger for under 20$ as a gift, should give her phone another 2-3 years of usable life, and since its the same phone I use now we have 4 batteries between the both of us.
-
I have an iphone 5, have had for nearly 4 years- battery is pretty terrible and I'm going to get that replaced as soon as I find the time to take it in- otherwise planning on keeping it at least another year or two, longer if it hasn't gotten too slow/annoying
-
I've waffled a bit on my philosophy about this.
My own cell phone change history:
2009-2011: Cheapie flip phone - dumped because smartphones are cool!!1
2011-2013: HTC G1 (2008) - dumped because it was physically falling apart
2013-2015: Samsung Galaxy S (2010) - dumped because 3G on AWS was being shut down in my area to make way for more LTE and 3G on AWS was all the phone could do (Basically, I was about to lose mobile data of any kind)
2015-2016: some cheapy HTC smartphone - dumped because battery life was hilariously bad after only ~16 months of use, and was way behind on security updates and not popular enough for third-party firmware to compensate, plus the internal storage was all kinds of stupid even with barely anything installed.
current: iPhone 7 - wat?
GF since I've known her:
2008-2011: LG flip phone - dumped because smartphones are cool!!1
2011-2014: iPhone 4 - dumped because screw you Verizon
2014-2015: Moto X - dumped because she shattered the screen and then left it at a restaurant (different events)
2015-2016: iPhone 5S - dumped because charging connector quit working
2016-2016: iPhone SE - dumped because crazy deal on replacement, and soon to be sold nearly at cost in perfect condition.
current: iPhone 7 Plus
I've now wound up with this: Only flagships for the most part (current or not) are worth buying on the Android side (especially Samsung S-series and Nexus branded devices), and pretty much anything on the Apple side is (current or not). Nobody will sell you a phone with a removable battery anymore except maybe LG. Apple is the best about supporting older hardware (seems wrong but it's true), with Nexus (and presumably Pixel) devices next in line. Battery life is overall better with Apple, but non-replaceable batteries are easier to replace two years in with a non-Apple. These are of course all very general statements that have tons of caveats/exceptions.
iPhones are useful until about the 5 year mark (from initial availability); most flagship Android phones are useful until about the 3 year mark (from initial availability) unless they are popular enough to have third-party firmware (Cyanogenmod etc.) which can extend life a little further. Any will probably need a battery replacement halfway through life. Hardware problems are really the only good reason to dump a still-supported phone.
-
2 years. I use mine lots and lots (inc. for business) and it's my only personal computer, etc. Battery life and processor speed is noticeably degraded by that point. And it still has a very substantial trade in value at that point making it inexpensive to upgrade. $200 every 2 years (net price after trade in) is well worth it to me.
-
This is a useful thread! I've had my iPhone 5c for almost 2 yrs but the technology is 4 I think. Like others have said, the battery sucks. I charge it at least twice a day. Camera is ok so my main reason. For imminent replacement is for a better camera. I'm sticking with Apple and eyeing the 6s or 7, of the Boxing Day sales are good, then I might get a 7, otherwise a 6. I have never had the latest and greatest and have yet to pay for a phone itself but I suspect this next replacement will involve some money down.
-
Just got a moto g3 about 3 months ago. The Motorola website doesn't sell the G3 anymore but the G4 is on sale reasonable under $200. No bloatware when you purchase directly. I love that. Will keep the g3 until it croaks.
-
I have had my iPhone 4S for 5 years. It still works fine and I have no plans to replace it.
-
Phones, much like PCs in general, have become a very mature market. Things have kept "ticking" until there's really not much more meaningful ticks to be made. Only until the "tock" comes (something as revolutionary as the first iPhone) will there will be a large reason for the masses to upgrade. Innovation is happening slowly so if you have anything equivalent to an iPhone 5S or Galaxy S3 (3 years old), you'll likely still be able to use it for a very good while into the future. I couldn't imagine using an older Android or iPhone older than a 5 at this point in time.
Something like a 4S (5 years old) is still viable for most applications, but is rapidly showing its age. Going from a 4S to anything past the iPhone 6 is like night and day.
-
I find that I take my iPad with me everywhere and use it for quick internet checks so don't use my smart phone for web checks but rarely, I much prefer the large screen size of the iPad, and also have no interest in getting a phablet. Because I don't use the phone for surfing, the battery life is not yet an issue. Works for me.
-
Still on a Galaxy S4 purchased in Spring 2012. What are we up to now? S8?
My thoughts are that unless it stops being able to run the apps you need or lacks/loses some functionality that is essential, why bother upgrading?
In the past when my S4 has started feeling sluggish, a factory reset has done wonders. And Android you can also try rooting and installing new ROM specific for your device. Like a whole new phone!
-
3-4 years. I've had my current cell phone for 2.5 years.
-
I bought my S4 used off ebay ~2.5 years ago. While I was traveling over Thanksgiving, it started randomly losing contact with the sim card and demanding to be restarted. Unless I can work out why it's doing that, I'll be replacing it soon. Helpfully, it does it the most when I want to actually use it IE when I'm in the airport with a mobile boarding pass that I need to use or on-call for work and need to get notifications and calls in a timely fashion. If it was just doing it while I was at work every once in awhile, I would be less annoyed.
-
i was hoping to keep my bought used in the beginning of this year galaxy s4 for a while, but recently dropped and cracked the screen. I'm not very good in replacing screens, so I might just splurge on a used galaxy s7
-
I still use my htc hd2, windows mobile phone. Outside of work, the phone does everything I want, it opens internet, plays music, has radio and gps, alarm clock
-
Still on my Nexus 4. Was hoping to switch it over to unofficial builds of Android after it stopped receiving updates (it's stuck on Lollipop or Android 5.1) but I've managed to burn out the recovery mode USB hardware. Looking to hang onto this thing through 2017. Replaced the screen once and the USB connector once from when I shorted it when it was wet (this is probably what killed the recovery mode USB). Was also thinking about doing a battery swap but I ended up uninstalling some apps that were battery hogs instead. Battery is performing pretty well actually. Security is probably the only worrisome thing about it but I mitigate most attacks by not installing 3rd party apps and refrain from browsing sketchy sites. Wish Android would devices longer. Apple seems to support devices longer but that's a whole other can of worms.
-
Droid Incredible released in 2010, I got it from a friend who was upgrading in 2012 (not sure when purchase it). I traded a pair of the wife's shoes for it. Yes, she knew I traded her shoes. She was trying to sell them already. I've had it ever since 2012, the battery could be better but it works great.
The Droid Incredible that I had in 2010 was the best smartphone I've ever had, only changed from it when I swapped from Verizon and their crazy bills to Virgin Mobile.
2012-2014: ? Can't remember but it was falling apart. The screen would only turn on when I pressed down on the corner of the phone.
2014-2017: LG Volt cost about $70? Has always been a bit slow but I made do with it. Lately it only charges at a very specific angle and I have woken up to find that it stopped charging overnight before reaching 100%. I've tried to clean the contacts, but it seems that the charging plug hole has loosened and the cord wobbles around in there. Pretty annoying as I don't have much opportunity to charge it while at work.
I ordered an LG stylo 2 phone on black Friday for $70, won't start using it until I get back home from my contract work at the end of January. Also switching to boost mobile to save $10 a month between the wife and myself.
-
I do something completely different than most people here.
Every year when the new iPhone comes out my wife and I buy 1 new phone. The person with the oldest phone gets a new one. This keeps us on a two year update cycle.
We then sell the old phone to friends or family for a friendly "Craiglist price".
It turns out that old iphones retain the resale value incredibly well, so this is actually a relatively cheap way for us to have new/semi-new phones.
We may have to stop doing this as apple has raised prices on the iPhone 7 into a range that we don't want to pay, and I would miss my headphone-jack.
For the same reason our macs will be replaced by PC's when they die. The prices have just climbed into insane levels.
-
I used to replace them when I got to the 'free' upgrade part of my contract, but it felt rather wasteful to get rid of something that was working fine so I changed to replacing when things stop working properly. I had an iPhone 4 for 4-5 years (replaced the power button along the way) but the home button stopped responding consistently and it would occasionally turn itself off for no reason so I upgraded recently to my Dad's old S3 which runs so much faster.
Hopefully by the time that dies someone else in my family will have a hand-me-down going spare :)
-
I will keep it until it is completely broken. I have had it for a bit longer than 4 years. Until now I was able to solve all issues, but it gets more inconvenient. I had to call the bank to change back the login security system to a paper card because my phone is too old for their app. I cannot update apps without deleting all of them first. If I am lucky I can install them again, otherwise it is one more round of minimizing apps. Charging it is also a hassle, and the screen os broken, but it is still usable for me. Other people make fun of my phone but Indon't care. At least I don't complain about the costs.
-
This is one area where I struggle. I bought a moto x 2nd gen shortly after finding mmm in December 2014 so I could switch away from Verizon. Now the battery is just destroyed (shuts off if under ~40% and try to use the leds (flash or flashlight), randomly shuts off, if you try to use it under 15% to do anything it shuts off.) I lack the patience to deal with it and I'm a sucker for a good "deal." So I have a new moto z play on its way right now. I used the $100 off republic deal + 6 months of service. So I'm pretty much at a 2 year replacement right now, even though I would like to keep them longer, it seems like I wear them out in about 2 years. Facepunches welcome.
-
I had my previous smart phone for 5 years. I bought it on a contract so the real price was disguised, but I think $400ish. Eventually I had dropped it so many times that I could see the circuit boards through holes that had opened up on the corners of the phone. I replaced the camera lens years prior when it got scratched, but I couldn't replace the external case because the screw holes were stripped out. It was also having a lot of trouble charging, ran slowly, had an outdated camera and a scratched screen.
I spent $200 for my last phone, 2 years ago. That was cash price, no contract. I pay ~20-30/month for service through Ting & I bought the phone through them. I think my phone has at least another few years on it, assuming something catastrophic doesn't happen!
I prefer Android phones because there's more selection. Apple seems overpriced.
-
My previous phone I bought in the fall of 2006. I was just recently (a couple months ago) forcibly upgraded by my carrier. So, 10 years. Battery life was still solid, still only had to charge it every 2 weeks or so, but it was a 2G phone and those networks are being shutdown. Tracfone sent me a "new" (probably refurbished?) 3g phone. Now, let's see how long that one can last!
-
Generally as long as I can, with the caveat that I build apps so I need to have a model that runs the latest OS. I used the Nexus 5 for a while until it started having hardware issues and bought a Nexus 6P black friday last year for like 400. I plan on using that for at least 2 more years and hopefully 3 more.
-
I keep mine maybe two years. I buy something used, and then resell the old one. Usually I'm not out much depreciation.
-
Regarding the Nexus 5, I can confirm that my phone is now stuck at the Android October 5th, 2016 patch level. So no more security updates. I don't care too much about having the latest and greatest software & hardware, but I do care about security.
-
How long do you guys keep smart phones?
My current phone is a nexus 5. Ive had it for about 3.5 years. I believe its near the end of its life lol. I usually buy the mid grade phones, I dont ever buy flagship models .
Also, what is a good budget smart phone for a mustachian? I may need to replace soon.
That was my last phone. I believe it lasted 3 years before it stopped charging, and it didn't have enough memory.
Now have Nexus 5X. Just got this year, on sale for $250.
-
My Motorola RAZR Maxx HD is 4 years old. I just bought the same exact phone new for a $100 off eBay since the 4 yr old one is starting to falter.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk
-
Had an iphone 4 for almost 3 years. I would have kept it longer but the battery had become useless (I hike and camp so I need a reliable battery).
I got the gen 2 MotoE recently and I use Ting - love it. Affordable phone and it does everything I need. Hoping it can last 4 years.
-
I kept my iphone 4S for about 4.5 years. I replaced the battery once. I finally upgraded because I wanted to play Pokemon Go.
I'll top your 4s with a plain old 4. Works perfectly, even the battery (though battery life on these pales vs. newer models). I'm feeling the need for newer now because it's not upgradeable past iOS7 -- which won't run apps that I need for work, like Slack and 1 or 2 others.
I may actually pop for a brand new SE. On Ting, of course (https://z3ic8c4p6ac.ting.com/ (https://z3ic8c4p6ac.ting.com/)).
I used an old Star Tac, bought new when they came out, 'til I started having problems with the firmware not connecting -- maybe 2004 or 5.
-
Depends.
I had my old iPhone 5 for about three years, then bought an LG G3 because I really wanted a bigger screen. Then the stupid LG died after 14 months (a month after I sold my iPhone). Eventually I realised that the budget smartphones had progressed to a point where I probably didn't need a flagship model anymore. I've got a Moto G (original) that I used for a while, but realised that it wasn't quite good enough for what I want in a couple of areas (no SD card is a big deal when you've only got 8GB of space, and the camera is woeful).
I'm now using a cheap Huawei Y6 Elite that I bought from the supermarket for $99 (it came with a $40 prepaid starter kit). It could use more RAM and more internal storage, but I can't complain for $99, it does what I need (and has really good battery life, given the lower-end parts). Hopefully I'll get 2 years or so from it. Naturally a phone with the extra RAM and storage (for $149) was released a few days after I bought the Huawei.
I don't need a $1000+ smartphone to use Spotify or Facebook, or to use mobile banking apps (although no NFC means no Android Pay, but whatever, both of my cards have Visa PayWave). The cameras on the high end phones are better but I can take decent enough shots with the Huawei.
Prepaid is awesome.
-
I'm still on my iPhone 4S, had it for nearly 5 years. Am looking to upgrade now because it won't be supported by Apple and some apps such Whatsapp, for too much longer. I will be getting an Android phone next as I don't want to pay Apple prices again.
I replaced the battery once in that time and the screen must have been thicker than some of the newer models as it never cracked.
-
I still have my iPhone 4S. I have had it for five years, with no repairs needed and no problems. I use it mainly for a telephone, (have a landline phone in the house, but ringer turned off and don't use it), but like to check the weather, my emails, take an occasional picture, and use the calculator. I do text a little bit sometimes with two or three people. When traveling, I may use the flashlight app and/or the White Noise app for an alarm clock. Sometimes I look at the Fish Aquarium app. My dog likes to watch the Aquarium, too. That's about it. If and when it becomes totally unusable, I'll take a look at a new iPhone, but probably would be just as happy with one of the flip phones. I'm not really into technology, but of course, this is the new millennium, so I do use it.
-
I had my beloved, perfectly functional, iPhone 5 from 2012 until yesterday, when I accidentally put it through the wash. Replacing it with a refurb unlocked iPhone 6s.
-
I have an iPhone 6 and I'm lucky in that my work has always paid for my phones since I started work in 1998 (nokia 3210 anybody?).
However if I was paying for my own phone, I would get an android phone, as phone's are so good now in terms of battery life, camera etc you don't need to pay more than £150 for an amazing phone.
Saying that, I'm due an upgrade soon...
-
I keep mine a year or 2. I have low minute needs, and use mostly Wifi for data, so I still use Tracfone--currently an LG, prior to that a tiny Samsung, a tinier something I can't remember before that). QVC and HSN periodically have very good bundles with a year of service, 1300 minutes, and triple minutes for the life of the phone, plus some other little things, for around $100-120. It's like either a free phone, or free usage for a year. My DH is going to be downgrading to join me on Tracfone with this (he bought for $120):
https://www.hsn.com/products/samsung-galaxy-sky-5-16gb-tracfone-1350-minutes/8283643
He's not that thrilled with it so far (not officially starting on TF until his month is done with Virgin), but this is after a succession of downgrades for phones and service for him. (The first Droid on Verizon, then a couple LG's on Virgin, now this.) We'll see. Hopefully it goes okay for him. I still see no reason to upgrade my $7/month deal, plus a random $10 here and there for more texts/data.
I would buy a newer phone with a deal like this every year, but my phone is still working fine and don't want to fill the landfills a lot more than necessary.
-
I've had the iPhone 5s for about 2.5 years now. Plan to keep it for another 2 -3 years or until it dies. I absolutely hate researching phones and data plans.
-
Until they break.
I've had 3 phones in ~7.5 years.
-
As long as possible: more than 3 years, often up to 5 years. My last phone was so old that it was 2G and the phone company was switching off the network and I had to forcibly upgrade. I left it till the last 5 days, despite the fact they'd been hassling me to switch over for about a year. Nothing wrong with the phone, so why hurry?
-
Recently moved over to a Samsung S3 Neo (GF company gave it to her for free, so I put it to good use)
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9300i_galaxy_s3_neo-6289.php
Before using the S3 (about 6mths now), I was, if you can believe it... on a Blackberry Bold 9700, hehe. I actually really liked the phone. It was PERFECT for my needs. Compact, physical keyboard, zero apps to speak of, music playback was/is decent, perfect :)
http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_bold_9700-2963.php
-
UM.
2002-2004 analog flat phone(cingular)
2004-2005-color flip phone
2005-2009 -'smart' /w camera color flip phone(verizon)
2009-2011 iphone 3(maybe 3s)(att)
2011-2013 iphone 4s
2013-2014 motorola xt (republic wireless)
2014-current moto e
looks like I am averaging two years.
-
I got my Samsung S4 in March 2014. So I've had it almost 3 years now. It is definitely not working all that great. But also probably because I use it like a photo album and I have 700 photos on it! I need to move the photos somewhere else.
I've had my macbook pro for 6.5 years now. It also may need to be replaced sometime in the near future.
Really dreading the day I have to replace my phone and macbook. What laptop do others use/recommend? I like my macbook, and I definitely got my moneys worth, but they are expensive!
-
I got my Samsung S4 in March 2014. So I've had it almost 3 years now. It is definitely not working all that great. But also probably because I use it like a photo album and I have 700 photos on it! I need to move the photos somewhere else.
I use a free dropbox account and my desktop for backing up photos. If you're on WiFi, you can still view the pics in your Dropbox folder on your phone, assuming you have sync set up!
If your phone is feeling sluggish, try a factory reset. Better yet, you can unlock it and install much lighter versions of Android created specifically for your device. Check out XDA forums for how-to's and downloads (http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4 (http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4)). There are specific threads for variants from the different providers (Sprint, Verizon, etc.).
Either way make sure to back up your contacts, pics, and any other important media. Apps are linked to your google account, so they're easy enough to reinstall.
Source: I also have an old S4.
-
I plan on keeping my Motorola Droid Turbo until the battery gives out on me. I got it in November 2014 shortly after it was released. The battery would last 2 (and sometimes 3) days between charges for the first year and a half I had it. It has gone down significantly since then, but I still have 30-40% battery remaining when I plug it in each night. This is by far the best smart phone I've owned (compared to the original Motorola Droid & the Motorola Droid 4). I think the biggest reason this phone has held up so well is that I began only downloading time wasting apps to my tablet. My phone is primarily used for phone calls, email, text messaging, Fitbit syncing, and Facebook when I'm on the go. And starting in 2017, I'm going to give YNAB a try also.
I've always had good experiences with Motorola's smart phones and I plan on sticking with them as long as they keep coming out with new phones.
-
Well I must have jinxed myself. My RAZR Maxx HD died. I decided I would get a moto x play. $200 trade in for a non working phone paid $208. What a difference for my business. no more spin waiting & the battery life amazing. Everyone overlooks it because of Price. Read reviews the phone is killer
Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk
-
I replaced the phone I had for about 3 years last year, after I smashed it while hiking. I like to keep them until they break.
-
This thread just helped me keep my phone a lot longer. We used to do the "one new iphone each year" routine, because the old iphone had a nice resale value and we can tax-deduct our phones.
But Apple recently exchanged my wife's phone for a brand new one (iPhone 6) with a full 2 year warranty, and 3 weeks later they enacted the battery replacement program that covers my iPhone 6S.
So now we are left with two essentially new phones with a 1 and 2 year warranty for $0 cost.
Guess what, we are not swapping any phones this year. And besides we don't like the iPhone 7 that much. With any luck these phones will keep going for another 2-3 years
-
iPhone 4 8gb (not S) for a bargain when the 4s was winding down mid 2012.
The all glass and stainless has proved remarkably resilient in industrial and marine environments.
Might get a new battery to get it to last a few more years - or a cheap 4s 16gb...
-
I have an old flip phone that I've had about 4 years. I've assume it will work at least a few more years.
I've never had a smart phone of any kind. The only time I ever had a twinge of need for one was once when I spontaneously wandered into a used book store in Kona, Hawaii, and wished I had my 5 page list of 'books to read' along on an electronic device. But then I remembered I would have to cart books in my suitcase back to the mainland, and decided 'never mind'.
-
I had an iPhone 4 since late 2010 to late 2016. I finally updated and I hope this phone last just as long.
-
I'm on my fourth smartphone, a first gen Motorola Moto G, which I've had for nearly 2 years now. The previous three smartphones I switched after about 18 months with each, at that time phones were improving fairly rapidly and each new phone was a good upgrade in one or more ways. All bought used, looked after and sold off again. I think they cost £150, £90, £80, £70 or so and sold for £50, £25, £50. As others have commented, smartphones are maturing as happened in the PC industry, so I don't see the need to upgrade my current phone at the moment. I don't use it for games and the battery is still good so there is no compelling reason to upgrade really. I wouldn't mind a better camera, higher resolution screen etc. but the difference doesn't seem worth it. The only issue really is software security updates, as my phone hasn't had a new software update available for a few months now, I suspect it will get at the most one more. On the one hand I don't install unknown apps / click on any old link etc. so maybe don't need all the patches, but on the other hand I would rather have security patches applied as some issues can occur without me doing anything silly. So I suspect I'll upgrade it in about a year for a newer Moto G or similar ~£80 budget Android phone just to get a phone receiving patches.