Average Active Use Life of Your Smartphone?

bigbadboogieman on 11/09/2024 - 08:59
Last edited 11/09/2024 - 09:52 by 1 other user

Greetings OzBs, I was wondering what is the OzB user's "active use life of a smartphone", I have added a poll below.

Recently I have been looking at newer phone deals and was kind of disillusioned looking at recent prices of good smartphones because basically I don't think I can afford to buy another long term phone anymore. Any decent recommendations would be welcome.

Some context: Purchased my current phone (Samsung Note 10+ dual sim non-5G variant) in Sep-2019 for $1039. This has been my primary and only device ever since. It still works wonderfully, very responsive and has basically no issues (apart from having to charge it more frequently - a charge still lasts 10+ to 12+ hours with very heavy use). I will probably continue using this phone for the foreseeable future until I can find a decent reasonable replacement or the banking apps stopped working due to no support.

After purchasing this device, I have basically stopped printing paperwork (not a student). Only had to print a paper once where a pathology was not willing to accept a referral soft copy during Covid. I have signed employment, hospitalisation and banking papers using the phone's stylus over PDF. It works well with all smart home devices, lighting, CCTV, etc at home. Works well with a separate Work profile for employment. Basically at this point, my whole digital life revolves around it and my work laptop.

The only concern is that Samsung stopped sending security updates to this phone since Sep-2023 and it bothers me a lot.

Poll Options

  • 4
    1 year
  • 12
    2 years
  • 92
    3 years
  • 43
    4 years
  • 85
    5 years
  • 16
    To infinity and beyond
  • 2
    Trust fund baby - new phone every month
  • 0
    What's a smart phone?
  • 0
    Sensitive force user (others choose my phone for me)
Mobile Mobile Phone

Comments

  • ihfree on 11/09/2024 - 09:12
    +9

    2-3 years.

    Would be longer but bargains or hardware failure have meant I have upgraded earlier than intended.

    • ihfree on 11/09/2024 - 13:58
      +1

      Had a quick look at exactly how long I had my last few phones - 2.5 years on average

      • Note 3 - Running a custom rom to squeeze more life out of it. Still have it and last time I turned it on it still had reasonable performance. The custom firmware/workaround for root detection probably wouldn't play nicely with work apps.
      • P20 Pro - Bought due to deals/salary sacrifice. Fingerprint reader died otherwise would have had it much longer.
      • Partner's P20 Pro - About 2Y ownership. A friend of ours has been using it for the past 2.5Y. It is starting to have some issues now (possibly due to being dropped).
      • S20FE 5G - replacement for P20 Pro. 4Y since purchase - A friend bought it for trade in value when I mentioned I was going to trade it in. Plenty of life left in it.
      • S22U - Current. Purchase due to various deals and for eSim support.
    • HeWhoKnows on 12/09/2024 - 08:23
      -4

      OP'S particular issue..

      "The only concern is that Samsung stopped sending security updates to this phone since Sep-2023 and it bothers me a lot."

      ANSWER: switch to Apple iPhones
      Apple supports thier iPhones with updates for around 6 years.
      Yes, Even thier base models!

      eg Currently iPhone XR and XS are still supported and were both released in October 2018.

      This is just one of several reasons why iPhones have better resale values

      • ihfree on 12/09/2024 - 08:39

        No, that's not the answer. Samsung and Google have both improved their update policy since 2019.

        Currently:

        Samsung - 5 years
        Pixels - 7 years

        PS: stop replying to top comments unless on topic.

        • User0001 on 12/09/2024 - 10:09
          +1

          Samsung offers 7 years now with the S24 series

          • SlickMick on 12/09/2024 - 16:27

            @User0001: But will thier phone last that long?

            I'd had a sring of bad experiences with android phones. Trying my first iPhone now, and I think it's already outlasted any of its predecessors.
            Ironically, it was the updates that sold me on iPhone.I didn't know Samsung & Pixel had longer update lives.

            I do miss google though. Even though I use google apps on my iPhone, google doesn't even know I just spent 3 weeks in Japan, nor does it keep track of my fitness anymore :(

            • User0001 on 12/09/2024 - 16:29

              @SlickMick: Definitely. I have a S10 plus and Note 9 still which are still in use.

              They're from 2019 and 2018.

              Linus from Linus Tech Tips uses a Note 9 as his usual device.

              I have a few family members still using an S7 (2016)

              You need to use the snapdragon variants. The Exynos ones are not very good.

              iPhones can also have a short life too. I hated using my iPhone 12 near the middle to the end of its life. It lagged, overheated, and the battery died quickly. It had 91% battery health after 3 years, so it wasn't user error.

        • 2025 on 12/09/2024 - 16:39
          +1

          PS: stop replying to top comments unless on topic.

          Wow, it’s a pattern, but that’s not all of it though.

          Hewhoknows in 2019

          …had the same problem recently porting from Optus to Amaysim

          5 years later, commenting out of nowhere on the exact same dead thread

          … Its OP that made the wrong decision.
          Thousands of others havent had any such problems when porting to Boost.

          …This is a classic case of OP playing the blame game.
          Blame anyone but OP.

          I think we should be asking, RU OK HeWhoKnows?

  • Loot N Plunder on 11/09/2024 - 09:17
    +22

    if it aint broke

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 11/09/2024 - 09:44

      True OzBargainer style.

    • magic8ballgag on 12/09/2024 - 09:38
      +1

      This seems to be becoming more of a common excuse not to upgrade one's smartphone these days.

      I would rather sell my phone before it is either physically broken/faulty or the tech is no longer current, rather than wait until it's worth nothing.

      For example, I could sell my existing phone today for $300-350 via private sale or trade-in and put that towards an upgrade, or I could simply keep it for another 2-3 years and it just gets recycled at the end of it's life.

      You'll have to do the math to work out if you're getting that much more value out of your existing phone.

      • Loopholio on 12/09/2024 - 11:45
        +2

        I run my phones into the ground before buying a new one. Once the phone gets too slow for daily use (I think the memory wears out, greatly slowing performance) it becomes a backup phone.

        I'll never replace my Samsung GT-I5503T because it's perfect as an alarm clock. It has a decent speaker and it's stable (Uptime 421 days).

  • DingoBilly on 11/09/2024 - 09:17
    +8

    Used to be every 2 years. I've now switched to 3-4 years. The upgrades are incremental, the phones last forever, and everything costs a lot more as well.

    • DiscoJango on 11/09/2024 - 10:07
      +1

      Pretty much this. With the iphone, between the 3 to 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 there were some worthwhile differences, but since then, theyve essentially been the same.

    • Ade99 on 12/09/2024 - 07:49
      +1

      with the threat of 3G being turned off I have had to move on from my iphone 3GS…:-(

  • 87percent on 11/09/2024 - 09:23

    Work gives me a new phone every 2 years, but I would probably do 3 if I had to buy myself

  • EightImmortals on 11/09/2024 - 09:25
    +2

    Til the battery goes kaput.

    • Ugly on 11/09/2024 - 18:26

      Replacing the battery is cheaper than replacing the whole phone.

      • Loopholio on 12/09/2024 - 11:47

        True, but finding genuine replacement batteries that aren't half dead isn't aways possible.

  • Nillionaire on 11/09/2024 - 09:31
    +1

    I use Pixels. I currently have the Pixel 8 Pro. I previously had the Pixel 6 Pro. I will likely upgrade to the Pixel 10 Pro XL. So every 2 years. I know I could easily go 3-4 years with them now but I like the freshness as an enthusiast.

    Most of my iPhone friends hold onto theirs longer, especially the ones with Pro / Pro Max models.

    Galaxy friends go both ways - I know some that upgrade every year and others that are still on 6 year old models.

    • MS Paint on 11/09/2024 - 09:40

      Galaxy friends go both ways

      That's my experience also

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 11/09/2024 - 09:34
    +2

    Prob 3-4 years now.
    Tech development has really stalled.
    The only thing that kinda makes me want to upgrade is crap battery life now my 14 pro is under 80% battery health.

    • vorsprung on 11/09/2024 - 12:46
      +2

      Maybe I'm delusional, but I find the $169 battery replacement from Apple to be quite a fair price. No idea how they do this in practice though, do they do it on site / send it away / give you refurb?

      I only upgraded from the 13 Pro to the 15 Pro because of some tax benefit through work at the time, no plans to move from the 15 Pro any time soon…

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 11/09/2024 - 12:58

        Yeah it’s not bad - I mean if you really wanted to take it further you could prob diy with a part from Ali express… depends how much you value your labour and how well it all sits back together and maintains waterproofing. The way I see it, it’s still quite reasonable to use, just need to top up during work or take a batttery bank.

        $169 is basically 1/10 a new unit price the way I see it.. i will just run it out and put the money towards new model when I need

      • ssfps on 11/09/2024 - 19:39

        Maybe I'm delusional, but I find the $169 battery replacement from Apple to be quite a fair price

        You're delusional. It's only fair in the sense that it's a non-commodity (fashionable) item and they can charge what they like.

        An actual fair cost would be the cost of designing, manufacturing, transporting and managing the inventory, plus a fair profit margin. Labour should not be factored in, as it's necessary only as a result of consumer-hostile design (fabricated demand).
        For the number of units they sell, i'd ballpark guess a "fair" price (with reasonable profit margin) would be closer to $50, perhaps less.

        • freshofftheplane on 12/09/2024 - 19:22

          A fair price is the price people are willing to pay.

      • SlickMick on 12/09/2024 - 16:56
        +1

        I'm on an iPhone 11 and there's nothing wrong with it so far.
        If I could eventually extend it's life further for $169 it might last me a decade.

        • freshofftheplane on 12/09/2024 - 19:23

          How often do you charge it? How many hours does it last on a single charge?

  • mapax on 11/09/2024 - 09:40
    +2

    I only replaced my iPhone 6 in 2022 because the BS apps we have to use at work stopped working.

  • skid on 11/09/2024 - 09:47
    +2

    Don't worry about the lack of security updates. It's uncommon for critical vulnerabilities be discovered on old versions of Android.

    Your phone will last until apps refuse to be installed on the version of Android running on the phone. Or the apps that you use are so bloated that they feel slow on the phone.

  • holdenmg on 11/09/2024 - 09:58
    +1

    Phones cut short in their prime by progressively switching off 3G. lol

  • wannagrababargain on 11/09/2024 - 10:04
    +2

    1: 08/2012 - 12/2017, 2: 12/2017 - 12/2022, 3: 12/2022 - . Each one costing at least double the previous one!

  • L0zBargain on 11/09/2024 - 10:09
    +1

    https://batteryuniversity.com/img/content/DST-cycles-web2.jp…

    If you can avoid fully charging or fully discharging your battery too much, it should essentially last indefinitely.

    My biggest issue is avoiding smashing the screen at some point 🤦🏻‍♂️

    • bigbadboogieman on 11/09/2024 - 10:10
      +1

      yeah I charge till 85% built in functionality in Samsung. Can't prevent fully discharging but I try given its age.

  • pharkurnell on 11/09/2024 - 10:23
    +2

    When it dies, it gets replaced..

    I have a mate who is an iSheep…. soon as anything is released hes at teh front of the queue… has a draw full of phones that work, but wont get rid of any of them.

  • tsunamisurfer on 11/09/2024 - 10:39

    If it wasn't for the manufacturers designing phones where batteries cannot be replaceable it would be 5 years.

    • Horacio on 11/09/2024 - 14:09

      But they are replaceable - check out instructions on ifix for many common models.

      • Chandler on 11/09/2024 - 15:26
        +1

        "User replaceable", then.

        Yes, the "user" could follow said instructions on places like iFixit, but that is not what "user replaceable" means. I remember my Samsung Galaxy Nexus was like the old Nokia dumbphones where you popped off the back cover and there was the battery, just pop it out. No screws, just held in by pressure and the back cover, with the connection just being a spring-type contact. That is user replaceable.

        I seriously looked at replacing the battery for my old phone. Was not viable when you add up the cost of the battery itself (and/or kit from places like iFixit), the value of my time, the risk of damage/mistakes when self-replacing, and then taking that and comparing to the price of the phone itself or a replacement device.

        • Horacio on 11/09/2024 - 15:31
          +1

          Agreed it's fiddly and it was way better then they were drop-in swappable. But if the phone isn't worth much on the used market then it's worth doing. You don't need an Ifixit kit, I've done three with nothing more than screwdrivers, a suction cup and a hair drier.

          • Horacio on 11/09/2024 - 15:32
            +1

            @Horacio: Also getting the replacement batt from Aliexpress makes it more viable cost wise..

            • Chandler on 11/09/2024 - 15:49

              @Horacio: All valid points. I still worry about spending X and then having to get a new phone anyway because I botched it and broke a connector or something. Likewise with screen replacements.

          • Loopholio on 12/09/2024 - 11:58

            @Horacio: Where do you source your batteries? eBay and Amazon seem to be full of shirty fakes.

        • Chandler on 11/09/2024 - 15:49

          Note that where I said "not viable" I really should have put "not viable (to me)"

  • jv on 11/09/2024 - 10:42

    17 years

    • neoleo on 11/09/2024 - 15:53
      +1

      Nokia :P ?

      • jv on 11/09/2024 - 16:01
        +1

        yes, need to move to 4G now apparently… 😔

    • bigbadboogieman on 11/09/2024 - 18:11

      wow - should add a poll option "till kingdom come"

  • thrillho on 11/09/2024 - 11:20

    Just replaced the battery on my iPhone 12 pro, plan to keep it another 3-4 years if possible!

  • wednesdayfaye on 11/09/2024 - 11:31

    If I hadn't accidentally smashed the screen on my phone (Huawei P30 Pro), until it dies (it's currently 6 years old). As it is, I have to get a new phone soon because the screen replacement costs 50-80% of the cost of getting another P30, and the screen is slowly but steadily cracking even more.

  • AustriaBargain on 11/09/2024 - 11:49

    Three years, two if the new iPhone is a big change. But the old ones get passed down through family. Family members incept the idea of getting a new phone by asking me if I'm getting the new iPhone, which is code for "can I have your old phone".

    • dtc on 11/09/2024 - 12:13

      same, my daughter got my iphone 6 and then my iphone X, which she still uses (replaced the battery). Work updates me every couple of years (now iphone 14)

      But goes to show that if a teen can survive using/living off an iphone X then not much need for the rest of us to upgrade

      • AustriaBargain on 11/09/2024 - 12:47

        Yeah that's the thing, the person at the bottom of the chain might still be using a 5S with a wonky aftermarket screen and desperately needs an upgrade. The person at the top of the chain is still using their 14 or whatever and doesn't actually need to upgrade. It helps if people lower in the chain kick in some money.

        • jv on 11/09/2024 - 13:26

          the person at the bottom of the chain

          that's me…

      • jv on 11/09/2024 - 13:26
        -1

        Work updates me every couple of years

        Doesn't that affect your long service entitlements?

  • Ghost47 on 11/09/2024 - 13:27

    I got about 4 years of use out of an iPhone 4 before it slowed down too much, been using my iPhone 8 since launch (~6.5 years). Will probably use my next phone for the same amount of time. Depends on one’s use case though, I don’t do much on my phone except standard stuff like texting, browsing, Youtube, social media so there’s no point in upgrading constantly.

  • ozbargainsam on 11/09/2024 - 13:36

    Yearly here, but only because with salary sacrifice and selling it after getting the next one, it's zero cost (sometimes profitable) to go through a phone each year.

    • bigbadboogieman on 11/09/2024 - 18:10

      You've got a good deal going on there.. 👍

  • freefall101 on 11/09/2024 - 13:48

    I upgrade when the battery stops lasting a day. It's been a long time since I felt a phone couldn't do what I wanted it to do.

    That said, I'd upgrade to a 16 if it had 90 or 120hz screen. Otherwise it feels like going backwards from my current 13 pro and the 16 pro is too expensive to justify.

  • Horacio on 11/09/2024 - 14:12

    6 years still going strong. Only got this one bc last one was stolen after about four years.

  • LanceVance on 11/09/2024 - 15:57

    I was an every 2 years person while there were still advancements.
    Now I've had my 13 Mini for about 2.5 years and have no plans to replace it at all. Mostly because I don't like the new standard of massive phone and I'm perfectly happy with it. Battery health is sitting at 87% but still perfectly fine, will replace the battery when its around 80% so currently I could see myself potentially holding onto this for another 2 years.
    Even if it got to 2 years I'd face the dilemma of what could replace it if phones haven't stopped being stupidly sized?

  • battler on 11/09/2024 - 16:52

    Used a Samsung Note3 from 2013 to 2021. Love the SD800 👌

  • stickingly on 11/09/2024 - 18:36
    -1

    My Samsung S10 is still going strong and does everything I need.
    I don't see anything that a new phone would give me.

    Best thing about it is the 3.5mm audio jack.

  • ssfps on 11/09/2024 - 19:34

    Poll only goes up to 5 years, then it's Infinity.

    Purchased my current phone (Samsung Note 10+ dual sim non-5G variant) in Sep-2019

    OP, this is an ageist poll. Not everybody with a phone older than yours witnessed the big bang, okay!?!?

  • miwahni on 11/09/2024 - 21:00

    My iphone 11 is coming up to five years old and still going strong, still has 75% battery life and I can get through a day without any trouble including calls, listening to podcasts, watching vid from my alarm system etc. I had planned on upgrading to the 16 but I honestly don't need to.

  • zah on 11/09/2024 - 22:32

    Bought my iPhone 13 for $1169 (+ $100 in cases, screen protectors, cheap wireless earphones over the years of owning it) thinking I would keep it for 5 years, then sell it for $100 and buy something else. Still on track to do this, although I could sell it at 2 years and get $600 back and get something else. Have been tempted but the deals haven’t been good enough.

  • afah0447 on 12/09/2024 - 07:48
    +1

    I usually lose a phone whilst on the piss every four years or so.

  • 2esc on 12/09/2024 - 08:28

    Havent really kept track but would have to be 5 years plus on average and only when it stops working.

    Most expensive phone is my current one I bought 4 years ago a Samsung Galaxy A21s I think I paid $259 for it does everything I need it to do.

  • skillet on 12/09/2024 - 10:39

    I have over 10 mobile phones coming from the 2G GSM monochrome lcd flip phones days. I am consider myself pretty average when it comes to updating my mobile.

    Forget about people who have multiple mobile phones, or poorer countries, kids and disabled. So roughly over a lifetime of each person in this world will own 10 mobile phones. That's more than 80 billion units made, 8 billion in use. Hopefully we can recycle them properly because 80,000,000,000 is a huge number.

  • kobeduck on 12/09/2024 - 12:00

    Pixel 4a for $400+ 3 years use. Have to charge a few times during the day. Nothing I can't solve. Constant usage.

  • Spending2Much on 12/09/2024 - 13:18

    I'd keep my phone, but it's the battery or holding charge that makes me buy a new one.
    S22+ and I barely get 6 hrs, doesn't last at work without a power bank
    The INUI deals I've bought alot of recently get a good work out just to keep it going.

    It's the battery that makes me upgrade or buy new

  • Herbse on 12/09/2024 - 18:42

    New phone every year. It works out better imo.

    Phones drop in value dramatically each year after the first and after the 3rd it's basically a paper weight in value. Combine this with new phones costing $100-$200 more each year than the previous model, if you keep an old phone for long you get no money for it and then you have to fork out a shit tonne for the new one completely out of pocket.

    I found selling my phone after one year, the value drops around 30%. I use the sales money to buy the next phone and keep going. I usually try to sell the phone a few months before the announcement of the next, but this year google offered trade ins for the first time and the trade in amount was more than what I was being offered on marketplace. So I'll be doing this moving forward.

    If you're an iPhone user, the value holds about 5-10% better than pixels/Samsung's. The smaller android brands have a smaller market so harder to sell and less money in it.

    Even if I'm not "better off" sometimes, the difference is a few dollars compared to holding onto a phone until it's annoying to use and worthless, and I get to enjoy a new phone with new features and excellent battery life each year for minimal cost.

  • brayhouse on 12/09/2024 - 19:19

    I used to switch every 4 years or so, but I'll likely be holding on to my iPhone 12 Mini until they stop supporting it, I destroy it somehow, or they release another smaller sized phone (snowball's change in hell). Very little about any phone since has tempted me enough to switch – I'll take the smaller form factor over a slightly better camera or AI features I'll likely rarely use. I've already replaced the battery and I'll do it again.

  • mousie on 12/09/2024 - 19:43

    I upgrade to new every 2 years but I buy last year's flagship model brand new when the superceded one has just launched.

    Android . On an oppo find x5 pro. From mostly Samsung lineage, but did like the Huawei p9 and HTC 10

    I prefer being able to sideload apps.

  • Jared17 on 12/09/2024 - 20:01

    5-7 years , but I keep my old phone as backup and use them once in awhile. I’m still typing this from my old iPhone 7 Plus from I can’t remember, ten years ago ?

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