What was the longest time you had a phone for?

pyro love bird on 21/05/2014 - 02:40

Hello fellow Ozbargainers!

I was talking to a friend today, and realised that I've had my current phone for almost 5 years now.. It's still in working condition (it's not a brick phone, just an entry level smart phone).

So I was just curious about your experiences with phones. What was the longest time you had your phone for, what model was it, and how did you lose it? (Otherwise you can opt to entertain me with a funny story of how you lost/broke your phone). :)

I've had a couple of phones go through the wash/fall in the sink but nothing drastic.

Anyway, have a fantastic day everyone!

Mobile

Comments

  • Janko on 21/05/2014 - 04:24
    +22

    Galaxy S2 - 2 years, jogging, manhole cover in footpath collapsed, down I went.

    Fixed screen, but unit would power off if bumped. Powered off during important call once so I threw it into a brick wall to force myself to buy a new phone.

    Wall impact buggered SD card which had photos of the steps I took to disassemble my car's steering column - had to reassemble it 'blind'. Had some parts left over which must have been optional.

    • mskeggs on 21/05/2014 - 09:08
      +5

      I always have a few optional parts left after working on stuff.

    • pyro love bird on 22/05/2014 - 16:28
      +3

      I had a Nokia phone I threw at a wall to break so I could convince my parents to get me a new one.

      … I picked it up and it only had a teeny weeny scratch. Freaking industructable Nokia brick phones!

    • stig on 23/05/2014 - 12:30
      +2

      jogging, manhole cover in footpath collapsed, down I went.

      That actually happens? I thought it was just an irrational fear I had :(

      • ChickenTalon on 23/05/2014 - 13:09

        This happens.

        Had a work colleague disappear down one when walking out the front of the office in the city. Nasty but could have been much worse. Just a broken arm.

        • stig on 23/05/2014 - 14:03

          Ouch, poor guy. Well, now I can continue to avoid them, but not feel like a weirdo for feeling the need to.

        • ChickenTalon on 23/05/2014 - 15:08
          -1

          I think the fear is still irrational. Chances of it happening are very very low. I'd only ever heard of it when the colleague fell down one.

          Like a terrorist attack or being hit by a meteorite, something I'd ever bother worrying about

  • ESEMCE on 21/05/2014 - 07:55

    3 years Galaxy S1.. before that, no phone had lasted me more than 21 months all due to keypads failing, most likely due to being in my pocket and building up lint etc.
    The S1 is still running as a remote control and baby monitor receiver.

  • ExtraSalt on 21/05/2014 - 08:14

    i've had the first SGS since it came out. I don't use it anymore, but mother does….does that still count? its still going strong, with the odd battery replacement.

    • pyro love bird on 22/05/2014 - 16:29

      Definately still counts, if it's operational, its operational!

      • MrGareth on 23/05/2014 - 10:24

        I'm the same as Andrew, my mum now has my SGS and it still works fine (I replaced the battery before I gave it to her though). I'm still rocking an SGS2.

        No intention of upgrading as it still works great :)

  • Paul Atreides on 21/05/2014 - 08:24
    +2

    nokia n95 8gb. 4 years. dropped many times, even a few times down the stairs, still worked.

    retired due to cosmetic damage.

    • tohara on 22/05/2014 - 21:56
      +3

      i don't remember my n95 fondly. It was sooooooo slllooowwwww

      • maybeamacy on 23/05/2014 - 02:48

        N95 was the last of the great Nokia's - First phone with GPS, 5MP Camera, all those spec's fitted into that phone. I remember mine quite fondly.

        The advent of the iPhone happened and all Nokias from then on out were shiet.

  • siraitken on 21/05/2014 - 08:24

    iPhone 4 - 3.5 years

    Button eventually died so replaced with Samsung S5

  • scotty on 21/05/2014 - 08:36
    +2

    Nokia 8210 for 4.5 years, died of no longer able to get any signal (probably due to heavy abuse). Nokia 1100 for 3 years after that due to accidentally placed it in the washing machine.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/05/2014 - 09:58
      +3

      Still have Nokia 1100 and have used it for past 8 years at least, maybe longer. I have dropped it but haven't gotten it wet. The keypad has faded in places. The screen is beginning to die. The battery only lasts a couple of days now instead of a week.

      I will be upgrading to Nexus 4 soon once I get a new sim for it and figure out how to use it. It will be annoying having to charge it every day.

      • IamEzza on 23/05/2014 - 00:40
        +2

        I also had a Nokia 1100 from 2004 till 2013, still worked when I retired it to the drawer. Also went to a Nexus 4, though I'm tempted by the Nexus 5 now..

        Best thing about the nexus though is wireless charging, if you have one where you normally stay during the day it makes keeping the phone charged a lot easier.

  • Mikinoz on 21/05/2014 - 08:39
    +2

    3 years Nokia 7110 brilliant phone

    • LYRICALRAVER on 22/05/2014 - 19:34

      those were the days man! Nokia was the king of Mobile Technology.

  • bleachy_dude on 21/05/2014 - 08:57

    I've always updated every 2 years with a new contract however I still have my iPhone 4S from launch day (October 2011) so that's now 2 and a half years with this phone.

    My mum is still using my launch day iPhone 3GS so that phone has been in use almost 5 years now. I used that for two years and 4 months waiting for 4S to be released.

    My 4S does everything I want it to do in conjunction with my iPad Air (which replaced my iPad 2). I don't plan on upgrading now until it actually dies.

  • ChickenTalon on 21/05/2014 - 09:13
    +5

    iPhone 1 (the old 2G version 8Gb size)

    SIM card has soldering & chip on it to get it to work here in Aus. Still works almost 100% (the screen has a few lines across it) and the battery barely lasts a day. I still use it as an iPod and I think it remains the best looking iPhone with the alu casing.

    Got it late 2007, so it's almost 7 years old now. wow.

    • Explosions_Hurt on 22/05/2014 - 14:16
      +1

      Wow, that's amazing you still have the original iPhone. I have never even seen one.

      • pyro love bird on 22/05/2014 - 16:32

        That comment makes me think how fast tech is going these days, my 9 yo sister has grown up with laptops and smart phones, I grew up using the old windows '95

      • ChickenTalon on 23/05/2014 - 13:27
        +1

        They never released them here. Australia started with the 3G iPhone.

        Man, i remember the phone i had before that. HP iPAQ rw6815. Never has a product promised so much and delivered so little. Lasted 5 months before i chucked it out. Battery wouldn't last a day, recieving a phone call would cause it to crash, so would turning it on pretty much. Windows Mobile version 5.0 (but it was more like version 0.5 in terms of quality). So bad.

        • theStinge on 23/05/2014 - 16:52
          +1

          LOL @ "Never has a product promised so much and delivered so little. " So true - I had one of these too. I once had 14 missed calls before it attempted to ring!

        • ChickenTalon on 23/05/2014 - 21:27
          +1

          Solidarity brother. Back in the day we'd have had quite a few people to our support group.

          Remember the web browser? God that thing sucked so hard. Virtually unusable. If you did get a page to load it was almost impossible to interact with. Music player was a waste of time too.

        • theStinge on 07/06/2014 - 15:24

          True about the web browser. Although in fairness, that could've been the fault of the web-dev community who neglected to make their sites mobile-friendly.

  • 2jzzzz on 21/05/2014 - 09:21
    +2

    3.5 years with a HTC Desire HD. Great phone, but now have HTC One. Before that I had the Nokia with the flash light torch at the bottom and removable case to customise with pictures. Had that for 3 years, great phone.

  • jdf on 21/05/2014 - 10:15

    Sony Ericsson W810, 4 years of daily use & 2 years of occasional use…only threw it away because the battery bulged & wouldn't fit inside the case anymore.

  • cannedhams on 21/05/2014 - 10:34
    +3

    nokia e72. It was my wife's phone, and then my phone, for something like four or five years. It was a brilliant email machine, and plus it came with a lifetime subscription to Nokia maps which was a good deal at the time because google maps was pretty crap back then.

    I went from being able to charge that thing once every three or four days with constant email to having an android phone that lasted barely one day with hourly interval email.

    If it werent for a couple of issues I had with the calendar I would have kept going with it. And the 128mb ram was a pain in the arse, considering the bloatware they had as well which you couldnt get rid of. Good for very casual web use but not much else.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/05/2014 - 12:31

      Still have mine actually is stilling on the dash I type this with my note 2.
      It's a backup handset when my note dies as the battery is large the car charger does bugger all.
      It can lay a few days still and Yeh ram is an issue but so simple yet a Paul tool.
      Shame about the Nokia maps not being updated anymore I do like using it as a gps

  • [Deactivated] on 21/05/2014 - 11:26
    +4

    The first mobile phone I owned was a Motorola - not an ancient brick, but still from just before the full analogue network switch-off. Whatever it model it was, it was pretty crappy and short-lived. I'd quite like to have it my hand right now so that I could piff it in the direction of a certain cat.

    Second phone was a cheapish Nokia from a time when they had more models than you could poke a dead Motorola phone at. Ended up being used as a backup phone to various others, but was on all-day, everyday and lasted for just on 10 years. Had a great, loud, reminder alarm that I used all the time and the most freakishly accurate (non-network-updated) internal clock of any device, or watch, that I've ever owned. Second-perfect year on year. Bizarre.

    The oldest, still working, mobile I own is a little Siemens dumbphone from well before the ill-fated BenQ takeover of their mobile phone division.

    Just googled - C55 - phone must be just on 12 years of age. To this day, has the best audio quality - at least as far that received by others - of any phone that I've ever owned. People regularly used to think that I was on a landline, in a way that tends not to happen now. Also bizarre, in retrospect.

  • malkakas on 21/05/2014 - 12:03

    Samsung X100, It was my first phone and lasted for about 4.5 years before battery died out(key pad faded away long before that).

  • peteru on 21/05/2014 - 14:10

    Still using the same Nokia 3210, some 10+ years later. I had to replace the battery twice, because I was only getting about 1-1.5 days out of it. New battery tends to bring the phone back to the "charge once or twice a week" state.

  • [Deactivated] on 22/05/2014 - 12:35

    I usually get a handset every new contact but recently I was going through mobiles like popcorn.

    E5 for a few weeks then back to e72,from there I had in the space of 2 years maybe 6 handsets and settled on the s3 but that met a untimely death so the note 2 is the current one, I am enjoying it but the size gets in theway I'm a tradie sobut I have yet to damage it.

    This the e72 being on standby

  • tomleonhart on 22/05/2014 - 13:11
    +5

    iphone 4 - 3.5 years.

    Dropped into toilet bowl - 1
    Dropped on wooden floor- countless
    Dropped on ceramic tile- countless
    Battery dead - 1 (bought a $15 battery and replace it myself as it is out of warranty)

    Still going. But the IOS 7 is killing it.

    • lakers1222 on 23/05/2014 - 04:56
      +2

      I do admire your never give up strategy

  • akula on 22/05/2014 - 14:38
    -1

    Nexus 4, 2 years and going strong. Very satisfied. Not planning to change for another year.

  • eneloop on 22/05/2014 - 15:00
    +3

    I'm still using my grandpa's carrier pidgeon

  • nuno on 22/05/2014 - 15:13

    iphone 3gs. Refuses to die. Its gets slower with each IOS update but still working fine.

    • umoddbro on 22/05/2014 - 20:18

      one day my 3gs battery exploded.. got an s4 now. loved my 3gs, it was slow but worked great. you be careful though!

  • telljoolz on 22/05/2014 - 15:21

    Used to be on contract therefore upgraded every 2 years.
    Recently purchased a Nexus 4 outright, just before they released the Nexus 5 (so it was cheap at about 250$).
    Plan to keep for 2 years.
    This has been my most favourite phone and now understand that as contract included phones are already obsolete when you get them, it seems a bit of a false economy to go on contract.

    250$ Phone + Amaysim deal (+extra data) works out to be similar to the 30$/month I paid on contract for less calls, high flag fall, less data and a lower tech phone.

    With high specced cheap phones coming out and network operators like Amaysim around, I will probably never go back to contract and probably be more willing to shell out more for a phone that I would keep for more than 2 years.

    Having said that, every 2 years, capabilities of new phones advance considerably so I'll probably be longing for an upgrade by then.

  • Woodyg22 on 22/05/2014 - 16:08
    +2

    I usually have a phone for about two years but to go against your question, the shortest time I have used a single phone for was 5 months.
    Went out and bought an iPhone 5S on launch day. After 5 months packed with issues, apple support and a replacement (in first month) back to apple it went!
    Been using a Nexus 5 ever since and wow, what an upgrade!! The $450 of cash back in the pocket is a bonus

  • zennakamura on 22/05/2014 - 18:31

    i phone 4 for about 2 years and currently using the htc one for 1 year. Hope it will last for another a year and half.

  • netsurfer on 22/05/2014 - 20:57
    +3

    A Nokia phone (not a smartphone)… forgot the model number. Had it for 5 years. One of my work colleagues insisted on sending me a huge MMS from his iPhone and that killed it. The phone kept rebooting itself after receiving that MMS (which I still cannot open).

    • altomic on 22/05/2014 - 21:19

      similar. bought a nokia back from Japan in 2005, my wife used it until 2012 when she lost it.

  • Hirokuro on 22/05/2014 - 22:12
    +1

    Let's see…

    Nokia 3120: 2005 ($99) (Sold for $110)
    Samsung X640: 2006 ($119) (Sold for $99)
    Samsung Z140: 2007 ($189) (Collecting dust in my drawer)
    Nokia E62: 2010 ($99) (Passed it on to a relative)
    HTC Incredible S: 2011 ($269) (Broke the internal antenna, now use it as an expensive flash light)
    Samsung Ativ S: 2013 -> Current ($319)

    What was the longest time you had your phone for?
    3 Years

    What model was it?
    Samsung Z140

    How did you lose it?
    Haven't lost it. The phone still works perfectly however it's collecting dust in a drawer.

    • pyro love bird on 23/05/2014 - 01:20

      Wow! You've been through a few phones! They seem to be kept in pretty good condition too and you made a profit off the first one, that's a true Ozbargainer ;)

  • auna on 23/05/2014 - 01:02

    HTC Dream. Had it for 2 years.

    Then HTC Desire HD, Note 1, Note 2 and 3. At release every year.

  • scrimshaw on 23/05/2014 - 04:07
    -1

    My longest is 10 years — the cheap and cheerful Nokia 1100. And I still have it!

    http://i.imgur.com/sfhtIvb.jpg

    Left Nokia 1100
    Middle Nokia 6288
    Right Nokia ???? can't recall model number.
    Very right My Pebble watch

    My other phones

    Nokia 3200 (owned before the 6288)
    Nokia E71 (owned 2 years) sold $151
    Garmin ASUS A50 (owned 1 year) sold $99
    Huawei Sonic (owned 8 months) sold $89
    Acer Liquid MT (owned 1 year) sold $76
    Samsung Galaxy S2 (owned 2 years) gave to family member
    LG Optimus 4X (current device)

    Next phone… will probably be a One Plus One. Or whatever goes for the $300 price range.

  • pheasant_plucker on 23/05/2014 - 06:20

    I'm pretty sure Nokia's 3310 will outlast humanity.

    Man I loved playing snake

    • [Deactivated] on 23/05/2014 - 07:48
      +1

      As 'Kenny' might say - the smell of the countless millions of 3310's accidentally dropped down toilets over the years might actually 'outlast religion'…

      As to your second point, insert various 'That's what she said' jokes here…

  • sigh on 23/05/2014 - 08:18
    +1

    Nokia 3310. Brick phone. 11 years of use across three people. My dad first used it for over two years from release, then i inherited it and kept going for another 5 (could need be stuffed upgrading my byo contract best deal i ever had from big telco) then finally given to a family business employee with a new battery for remainder as they were from an older generation and only needed a simple phone. Best thing is its still sitting at my parents as a spare phone (my dad has a tendency to break smartphones regularly) so still gets occasional use.
    Best thing i remember is i could fold a 20 and stick in the back cover if i ever was short on cash it was my own little atm!

  • Almost Banned on 23/05/2014 - 11:13

    As I was driving to work this morning I heard an ad for the SGS5.
    I said to my daughter - huh, I still use my SGSII - I'm three models behind.
    I think it's been about 3 years.
    My wife was also using hers until it was stolen out of her car with her bag a few months back. She was pissed.
    Its been a good phone - no complaints.

  • imcold on 23/05/2014 - 12:55

    I think 1-3 years (more replacement more recently)

    *Nokia 3310 ($0)- Found it, apparently my brother also found a phone the same day.
    *Motorola C650 (~99$?) - (collecting dust)
    *Sony Ericson K800i ($199+tricked into insurance $40) - Bought it when they was clearing stock on this older model. Bounced off a large rock and survived. Gave it to a friend. The 5 button died about 1 year later. Could still make calls as long as it didn't have the number 5 in it.
    *Huawei 8150 IDEOS - (~$129?) was too slow and this was only supposed to be a temporary phone i would use until the price of the SG2 came crashing down. (collecting dust)
    *Motorola Defy+ (red lens) (~$99) - was too buggy with the wifi teethering so upgraded. Ok as a phone, not much for anything else when it comes to apps. (using it for app development)
    *Moto G 8GB ($324)<—- bought too early: Current model.. Plan to use for 2 years see how well we go.

    Yes i have used alot of Motorola's but seems to be merely coincidental ^^.

  • retiredfeline on 23/05/2014 - 12:57

    Ah you didn't specify mobile so I think my old landline handset was the longest, must have been 10 years or more. I don't have a landline anymore. I guess some people on the forum have not experienced a world without mobile phones.

    • peteru on 05/06/2014 - 13:46

      Ah, well in that case I have a Telstra Touchphone T100 here, that's still connected up. The plastic is a bit yellow, but it works. I think this one dates to circa 1992, so that would make it about 22 years old! :-D

  • rambutann on 23/05/2014 - 15:39

    iPhone 4, just over 3.5 years old now.

    Issues;

    • top button stopped working so i pulled the entire phone apart and put it back together with about 7 less screws.
    • top button completely stopped working again so i pulled out from the inside of my phone it the outside then held it down with blu-tac.
    • top button has since been completely torn out because it stopped working all together
    • wifi doesn't work from more than 3m away
    • battery has been replaced
    • gps gives me a 2km radius of where i am, no longer gives me a clear reading
    • has been submerged in water and dropped multiple times but still hasn't cracked or stopped working

    The only reason why I won't replace it yet is because the nokia lumia 520 doesn't have a flashlight on it and i don't want to pay the extra for one that does lol.

  • spy on 23/05/2014 - 18:11

    Samsung Galaxy S2 - 3 years and still rocking! Been through the wash twice, left out in the sun, banged around by kids but somehow still works?!

  • Cluster on 23/05/2014 - 18:11

    iPhone 4. Almost 4 years old now and I only recently changed the battery (cheap eBay battery). The upgrade to iOS 7 made the phone extremely slow and unresponsive but 7.1 has fixed all those flaws. I use it to browse web sites and of course make calls but don't play any games, so feel no compelling reason to upgrade.

    Currently on a Live Connected $18 almost-unlimited-everything type plan. Sure beats paying $80 per month with Telstra to pay off the phone.

  • misfitt1911 on 24/05/2014 - 00:14

    My oldest phone was a Nokia 8310, which I purchased in 2003. It was a very reliable phone even though it was dropped numerous times. I decided to upgrade the phone in 2008. The phone still works today, though it needs a new battery.

    In 2008, I purchased a Sony C902, which was also dropped a few times. The phone still works, but keypad needs to be glued to prevent it from falling off.

    Now I have a Samsung S4, which was purchased in 2013. I haven't dropped it yet. lol

  • mishrael on 24/05/2014 - 05:37

    I still have an old nokia (cant remember model number) that cost me $40. I've had it for around 10 years now, still working and its still my main phone. Might be time for an upgrade, If I can save some pennies up.

  • Claggs on 24/05/2014 - 12:05

    My current phone, HTC Desire HD. It has worked wonderfully over the past 3 and a half years. Recently having some problems due to an update by some third-party map software bundled in constantly unlocking the phone, but I've rooted and disabled it.

    HTC's response was to simply buy a new phone, so they've now lost a very loyal customer, who would recommend their brand to anybody.

    I'd like a bit of a faster phone now though, so I'm thinking I'll either wait till this one dies, or just get the OnePlus One (probably won't be here in Australia for another 6 months).

  • TRANCE on 24/05/2014 - 15:54

    In general I find it hard to not upgrade my phone every year or so, but even then, most phones I touch seem to only have a 1 year or so lifespan :S , but my latest phone, a Sony ION I have kept the past 2 years which is a record for me. Phone tech has been been a bit stagnant for the past year imo, no point upgrading yet.

  • MasterNoob on 24/05/2014 - 15:54

    1 year

  • lovesabargain77 on 24/05/2014 - 15:55

    Nokia 6210 Navigator - 5 years (2009-2014) and was still going strong as a phone (great reception and call quality)

    However recently decided to move out of the dark ages and purchased an LG G2.

  • neonlight on 24/05/2014 - 22:46

    Nokia 6110, was the first phone I had and the battery lasted very long. It did very well as a cellphone, dropped many times no issues, clear calls. had it for 4 years

    Next is iPhone 3GS, close to 4 years had it replaced at the end of 2nd year with AppleCare so batter still ok.

    Current Galaxy S3, going to be 3 years also

  • alvian on 25/05/2014 - 00:00

    Philips Genie SP. Dick Smith clearance sale $99 circa 2000. Still works but the battery won't last half an hour.

  • aardee on 25/05/2014 - 00:48

    Nokia 2100 (my first Nokia). Bought in 2003 and retired in Oct 2013. Served for 10+ years. I used it for few years, then my dad and lastly my mom. Still works as a spare phone. Tiny little something!

    My second contender in iPhone3GS (my first Apple). Bought in 2009, used as full time phone for first two years and is being used as a full time iPod ever since. So, 4+ yrs (almost 5 yrs now).

  • dhleoz on 25/05/2014 - 03:59

    Galaxy S2, 1 year and 2 months. What happened? I got it robbed in VietNam :( Still feel bad thinking of it. Otherwise I think it can last more than 2 years with me as I took very good care.
    Replaced by LG Optimus L3 for 9 months then gave my uncle. Then went with Huawei Y300 for 2 months before gave it to my bro. Now I'm with Nexus 5 (since January). BTW just got for mum a Moto G in the previous eglobal deals. That's my smartphone story.

    • pyro love bird on 25/05/2014 - 13:05

      :( I'm sorry to hear you had it stolen from you. Apparently they slice open the bottom of bags now to get what's inside… or at least that's what my aunt told me

  • Bullion78 on 25/05/2014 - 07:03
    +1

    bit offtopic but I have just had my ip4 that is pushing 4 years old brought back to life while on holiday in HCM city. Cost $30 to have front and back glass + home button replaced. Buddy even gave it a tune up and has it running significantly quicker with the latest ios. pretty stoked as it looks brand new again. Will continue to use for a while longer.

  • arislan on 26/05/2014 - 19:41

    Heh I think you need to rephrase it to "Smartphone". In the old days, we don't typically change cell phones that often.. for me anyway, ignoring pre smart phone era, it would be a 3gs that I got on launch week, which I held till recently, so about 4+ years?

    • pyro love bird on 27/05/2014 - 00:58
      +1

      Well it doesn't have to be, some people on here are still using phones from the pre-smart phone era. I actually didn't think anyone would be using them anymore, so it's really interesting to hear :)

    • ESEMCE on 04/06/2014 - 12:39

      Not so. My longest lived phone is a smartphone.. (it's still going although no longer used as a phone it did have a fully active life of 3 years.
      All the button phones I had became non-functional in one or more of the buttons before they reached 24 months.
      I wouldn't consider myself any more than an average user and for my last 2 had cases to try to protect the buttons from pocket lint etc. I even bought replacement keypads but either they broke quickly or the electronics behind them failed.
      The Galaxy S only got a case when it became babycam monitor and was getting placed in precarious positions..

  • Major Mess on 07/06/2014 - 01:57

    12 years - nokia 6210 with original battery. I had various PocketPC's during that time and finally migrated to an Android Moto Atrix due to an Ozbargain deal in 2012.

  • Super8Tab on 11/06/2014 - 16:06
    +1

    Longest lived phone (and still my current) iphone 4S which i got on release month 2011, I think that's about 2.5 years now. Had a yellow discolouration at the bottom but healed itself somehow !

    Prior to that was HTC legend which i got from a bargain here, loved that phone before i lost it somewhere in the house and can't find it anymore.

    • [Deactivated] on 11/06/2014 - 20:31

      If your work or your house has any exposed-tube fluorescent lighting (compact or batten tube) the not insignificant u.v. light output is likely responsible for 'healing' that yellowing…

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