Read more.Quote:
New releases keep on coming, but are you content to stay put?
Printable View
Read more.Quote:
New releases keep on coming, but are you content to stay put?
I'm still rocking my OnePlus 6T Pro. That was 3 years ago. I don't see any need to upgrade it.
Not into phones at all and TBH hate the bloody things but are a necessity these days especially with work. I use mine just mainly for calls and occassional texts although the camera comes in handy on jobs as it saves me carrying a dedicated one. Other than that I use WhatsApp for my golf group and sharing funny pics.I don't use the data side , have a PC for that and SatNav in my car , gaming defo no way ( don't even do that on my PC) besides my old eyeballs couldn't cope with that on a phone screen. Had to get a new phone couple of months back as I dropped my old one twice and screen cracked to hell and became eratic in use. Bought a new Moto G5 to replace the Cubot one I had.
normally i just buy a cheap handset when thry die, but during the pandemic i thought id treat myself so went for a contract phone over 24 months! Worst descision i ever made, stupid monthly costs that thrh try and say that thryre for all the inclusive minutes and the like, but thats all b-locks, its a rip off, hate it..
But ive got at least another year of all this, oh the joy.
Bought my first phone in about a dozen years last summer (2020, I mean). I don't see any need to change it anytime time soon.
Probably about 2-3 years ago, got a new iPhone X fairly cheap.
Far from the type that upgrade whenever a new iphone or samsung or whatever brand is out... from Samsung S3 to Oneplus 8T 5G, only did the switch as they was going to boot the 3G network here, so went for a phone that could handle both 4G and 5G
Towards the beginning of the year. The previous phone, a Motorola 4G lasted a good seven years, only upgrade due the camera module crashing randomly (reboot needed), losing contact with the sim and occasionally corrupting photo's (the fact that it took a good 15 minutes to bring up the keyboard whenever it came close to an internet connection only helped). Replaced with a Pixel 4a due to the sub 6 inch size otherwise I'd have had another Motorola who seem to only make 6.4" behemoths that are distinctly pocket unfriendly.
December 2018. Huawei Mate to Apple iPhone XR. See no reason to upgrade. Battery capacity is at 89 per cent.
I have a flaky Xperia 10 from 2 years ago, it does the basics ok although sometimes it drops calls (hence flaky) and is sloooow but it will do till I can afford another. Might go for a refurb or something that isnt top end, no real need for the latest fastest whizzy thing but something that isnt as slow as this.
Last year, when I pre-ordered the OnePlus Nord after sticking with my previous phone for almost 5 years.
Partly to get a newer version of Android (although LineageOS actually ended up restarting development for my previous device around that time from what I understand, not sure if it lasted though), but partly to get something faster and newer for better future-proofing.
Just bought an iPhone 12 mini for dirt cheap brand new. Never had an iPhone before, only Android phones but i must say I love it. Been waiting for a long time for a small phone and it turned out to be Apple. Nice little device as a daily driver, not for a heavy user though.
3 years ago. I buy a phone outright and try and get about 4/5 years out of it. Current one still runs well and has plenty of battery life, so another year will be easy enough.
I got a Xiaomi Mi9T in January 2020. Great phone, loved it, but ran it over with a fully loaded HGV after it fell out my pocket when I was opening the trailer doors :-( Replaced it this year with a Xiaomi Mi10T Pro 5G. Almost everything about it is better than the 9, apart from the signal quality when I'm not on 5G. At least once a day it'll tell me I've lost connection
Now nearly 4 years. Had a look the other day they even have 3 year contracts. Crazy, I will only replace mine when it stops.
Bought a note 10 lite on offer this year, though did need to spend under 200 to fix it when I dropped it... Before that I had a galaxy s2 that I didn't really use. Last time I figured a flagship would be solid for a while but wasn't really.
Bought a Pixel 3a in Oct 2019 when it was on offer. I really don't like notches or punch-hole camera cut-outs (I want a display that's symmetrical on both horizontal and vertical axes) so I guess I'll be sticking with it for a long time.
Got an iPhone 12, my first Apple phone, February this year and, don't expect to replace it until we are up to at least iPhone 16.
About 1.5 years. no plan to upgrade for the next 3-4...
As people have mentioned contracts, I'd just like to point out that mine was an outright purchase to use with my existing sim, no contract involved.Quote:
Originally Posted by Output
I believe my previous one was part of a bundle, so while the handset was still outright purchased, it was bundled with a 12-month sim-only contract as the cheapest option (and both better specced and cheaper than my existing sim at the time too).
2 years ago.
In general i keep a phone until it break, my previous phone still worked but the swelling battery was pushing the screen off, and knowing lipo batteries from the RC hobby, i sadly had to waste money on a new phone.
Of course not a high end phone or anything, there is no need for me to go there as dingeling,,,, yes ! is about all i need.
Earlier this year I got the Xiaomi Mi 11 when it launched (April think it was) - upgraded from the Huawei P30 Pro which was great but the colours on the camera were way off.
On that point, outright purchase of a lower-midrange Samsung (A71) with a PAYG SIM.Quote:
Originally Posted by Output
First, I rarely use it when not within range of (private) wifi. Texts are very rare, data usage even more so. And my first £20 in credit lasted 15 months, and but for BT cutting off the (landline) phone at my mother-in-laws, without being asked, would have lasted much longer. Essentially, I use it as a sort-of tablet, and as a display for the DJI drone, much more than as a phone. Also, I detest paying monthly for things I use so little.
I think I got my OnePlus 6 around three years ago.
I'd probably upgrade if I spotted an epic bargain, but I don't need to - it's been great and the battery is still going strong.
Me too on all counts, there isn't any reason to upgrade for meQuote:
Originally Posted by Spreadie
Switched from a Nokia 808 to a second-hand iPhone SE in Q2 of 2019. There wasn't much driftwood left on the burning platform of Symbian by that point, and the phone was showing its age enough to convince me to upgrade before taking a big overseas vacation.
So far, I've been happy. I miss the 808's OLED screen, and in ideal conditions its camera was better, but for most things the iPhone is a significant upgrade. I've even added a 4th category to my traditional phone uses (call/text/camera) - fitness tracking apps.
No plans to upgrade at this point. Other than a slightly nicer camera, and maybe being able to store more music on my phone, I can't really point to an area where I'd be able to tell a difference with a newer phone. Performance, I wouldn't be able to tell, I never play games on it.
i got a 6s during release week, about a year or 2 later i got a new one as apple messed up the battery replacement thing. another year or 2 after that i got a replacement batter the week before apple put the price up. it still works, the battery doesn't last long though, but it still runs the apps etc i need, and has the latest IOS ,and now WFH i don't use it much as i have proper computers that do most of the stuff instead
just before lockdown i got a cheap android phone brand new for £80 to use as a music player as it has a SD slot. specs are similar to the iphone, perhaps a bit better. the main thing i'd miss if i dropped apple is imessenger as most people i do chat to use that, and it's integrated in the txt app so you can send pictures without being charged, and you don't have to persuade people to move to whatsapp
i have been looking out for something like a ex flatship android phone thats about 2 years old and sub £200 and there's been so many deals, but i notice a lot of them have dropped the SD slot. if there was a more seemless way to use an SD slot with iphone like a case that incorporates it, then i'd be more inclined to stick with apple, and i have been looking at getting a 2 year old sub £200 iphone to upgrade to, but rarely leaving the house bar to get groceries, paying hundreds to upgrade is a bit pointless. once covid clears more, i'll be out and about a bit more so just keeping my eye out on a good deal so i'm all set when i do want to go outside and listen to music from my phone or whatever gadget. ideally without havimg to take 2 phones/gadgets
Moved from an aging Pixel 2XL to a Pixel 5 a few months back. So glad I did.
Two years ago. I upgraded my One+3 for a One+6. I've still got the One+3 which is worth next to nowt but still going strong. On reflection I shouldn't have bothered upgrading but there you go.
not since getting a Galaxy10 a few months after release, and I have no desire to upgrade. what I do want is an electro-magneto-gravitic spaceship so I can get off this rock :)
3yrs ago for me (P20 Pro)
I've been looking for an upgrade as endless zoom calls since lockdown have killed the battery life, problem is there isn't much out there with a significantly better camera (especially the optical zoom) that isn't either expensive/huge/non Google services or a Samsung.
An iPhone 13 mini sized phone with a decent camera/zoom/battery would be great. I couldn't care less about getting the latest snapdragon version but it seems impossible to get something mid range with my requirements.
i have an iphone 5 (s ? I think). I've had it four years, before that it was my nephews, he's had 3 more phones since I got this old one LOL
How very interesting to see the people on a tech site have so little interesting in the shiny shiny.
It's almost as if the bragging rights come from how long you can keep a phone and how little you're pushed into upgrading.
S20+ 5G.
I use mine a lot, it's a back up internet connection, used for Samsung Dex and I use the SIM in a bodged together long range cell set up. It's also my main camera as, if you give me a standalone camera, I get obsessive.
I will likely resist upgrading this one unless there is a very good reason as the monthly costs are getting out of hand.
About 2 years ago. I bought a Ulefone Armor 7 as I do a lot of physically hard work for an ordinary phone and my older HP X3 Windows phone was probably a bit light weight for what was coming. Cannot say I am totally happy with it. The on/off switch is far too light and is very easy to press in by mistake when its in my pocket. I think it manages to turn itself off a couple of times some days. The speaker is rubbish and it is not loud enough for a noisy environment. Which sort of negates the reason I bought it. Not sure what I want to do to replace it, as no one seems to do decent reviews of rugged phones. Maybe Hexus can do some real tough reviews of rugged phones, with real note of how loud they ring how good they make calls as well as the camera etc.
It might look like it but at least in my case, nah. It's simply a blend of several things. I was an early adopter of mobile phones, which goes way back into analog cellular days. Why? I needed it for business. It was the single biggest factor in enabling my business model to work, to be viable. The need was to be contactable, and to contact others. But as my business changed, that receded in importance, and then, being contactable at all times of day became a right pain in the backside, and more and more detrimental meaning either I couldn't concentrate without constant interruptions, or simply that it wrecked my peace and quiet.Quote:
Originally Posted by philehidiot
By nature, I'm a pretty private individual. In another time (and but for the wife) I might have been a recluse. I am certainly not highly social and by choice, have a pretty select group of close friends. They, and immediate family, are pretty much the only ones (and my doctor) that can get me on the phone, and even the doctor only has the landline number, which has a call vetting/blocking service on it so unless you know the bypass code, you aren't getting straight through.
My point is that very few people have my mobile number. Probably less than a dozen. Which is precisely how I like it. But the implication is that very few people use it. All my friends and family know better than to text me, especially if it's urgent. I look at texts every couple of months, whether I need to or not. Seriously. And it wasn't unknown for me to only turn my mobile on if I went out and needed it. Usually, I'd leave it at home. More than a few times, I'd charge it and turn it off. Next time I needed it, I'd have to charge it again because in the 2 ort 3 months since I charged it, it'd gone flat again.
I seriously don't like being at the beck and call of the phone. It is a tool I use when convenient to me, not to be allowed to run my life.
Given that, I had my previous phone for about 10 or 12 years simply because my demands were so limited that I didn't need an upgrade. Why upgrade? Some family members were using WhatsApp, then Signal, and I had a need to be able to get messages back and forth. Also, to intall a couple of Alexa units for lighting control, though I got around that by using a friend's phone. Still, upgrades etc. More recently, it's used by the DJI drone.
Now, it's used for :-
- the odd phone call
- signal to family nd a couple of friends#
- changes to the Alexa setup
- drone
- occasionally, music via BT to wireless headphones.
- oh, and Met Office weather app.
That's about it.
So why upgrade? It's not sort-of inverse bragging rights (for me). It's that I genuinely don't like the <bleeep> things, and use it so little that what I already have is really way, WAY more than I need, or want.
Generally, I am (or was) a sucker for the 'shiny, shiny'. After all, most of my living came from that. These days, yawn, bored. It's rare for something new to genuinely interest me so the phone is just a tool to enable a few things I do use, and nothing more.
I got my Samsung S20FE this summer after I dropped my previous phone,and the protective glass got shattered. The phone still worked but bits of the protective glass was continuing to flake away. It had 5G and Samsung was promising at least 3 years of software and security updates,plus having a medium telephoto lens was useful.
Two years ago. Will probably keep my current phone (iPhone 11 Pro Max) but another couple of years.
When the last one broke. Why else would I replace a perfectly good phone?
Bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 128GB on release in 2018, last September I swapped it for a 512GB version. Only the Sony Xperia 1/5 II/III have come close to meeting my requirements; 256GB+, 3.5mm & no camera hole. I can see the Note 9 512GB lasting me until 4G is switched off or 3-4 years.
Current phone is a Oneplus Nord, purchased on release, having upgraded from my Huawei P9 which was showing some annoying problems including GPS dropping out mid-journey, some signal issues, and having stopped receiving software updates. I had already replaced the battery once which made a huge difference at the time, and general performance was still fine. Graphics performance wasn't its strongest point on release but this contributed to keeping peak SoC power down, which was a bonus IMO (not really that interested in mobile games).
Before that was my Nexus 4, another phone I really liked overall, and had performed a couple of repairs on including replacing the power/lock button which had worn out.
Nexus 4 (3G), P9 (4G), so naturally I wanted to ensure my upgrade had a 5G radio; the 765G processor in the Nord was ideal. Plus, being a more modern modem with a higher LTE category meant 4G performance is generally better and more stable too.
I did experience some very annoying bugs with my Nord on release and didn't have the best experience with their customer support who seemed quite dismissive, providing generic responses, even though lots of people were reporting the same bug on the forums, Reddit, etc. The most major bug being with cellular connectivity where seemingly anything Google-related on the phone (e.g. search, maps, app store, etc) would just refuse to connect. Besides cycling flight mode to temporarily resolve the issue, connecting via a VPN restored connectivity but obviously not something you expect to need to ensure a reliable connection to fundamental phone functions. The bugs were ironed out when a major OS update arrived, though I half suspect that was due to coincidence rather than them actually figuring out what was causing the problem.
In fairness, I don't know how other manufacturers would have responded, but I was left quite unimpressed by their response.
With those problems resolved, I do like the device now, at least enough to suggest it to other people looking for a phone in that sort of price range.
Upgraded this year - from a 6 year old budget handset, to a new budget handset of £100 that will no doubt last me another 6 years. It does all I will need a phone to do, send messages, take a few basic snaps, internet, browse gallery of photos and videos, it even make phone calls :-) !!!!
February, but had a OnePlus One for 5-6 years before that. Hoping to be able to keep this one as long. The whole 2 year cycle is a scam now that phones have reached a "good enough" point with only minor improvements each year. Apart from fingerprint scanner, there's really no revolutionary features on new phones compared to my OnePlus One, just slightly better screen/camera/internals.
I'm still happy with my 2018 Galaxy S9+. Does the job.
No incentives to 'regularly' upgrade these days. That and the cost.
I had a OnePlus One, but after three and a half years the battery life just wasn't up to it. With all the fake batteries going around I never felt confident in having it replaced. So I bought one of the last flagship phones to sport a replaceable battery - the LG V20, which wasn't actually sold in Europe, so had to get one from Hong Kong. I've had that three and a half years now, and replaced the battery once.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wozza63
Earlier this week I ordered a new mobile as I thought the V20's performance is getting a bit laggy and needs frequent reboots to restore performance. I'm awaiting a Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G that I've ordered from Amazon for aproximately £300. It's got a former flagship processor in it, the SD865, and that should be good enough for me.
Funnily enough, my battery was still going strong. But I definitely put in the effort to make it last. Custom ROM, background apps stripped down to the bare minimum and even undervolting the CPU within an inch of instability.Quote:
Originally Posted by malculatorI had a OnePlus One, but after three and a half years the battery life just wasn't up to it. With all the fake batteries going around I never felt confident in having it replaced. So I bought one of the last flagship phones to sport a replaceable battery - the LG V20, which wasn't actually sold in Europe, so had to get one from Hong Kong. I've had that three and a half years now, and replaced the battery once.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wozza63
Earlier this week I ordered a new mobile as I thought the V20's performance is getting a bit laggy and needs frequent reboots to restore performance. I'm awaiting a Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G that I've ordered from Amazon for aproximately £300. It's got a former flagship processor in it, the SD865, and that should be good enough for me.
It was day to day performance that really did it for me in the end, apps that used to be super quick getting slower and slower with each update
Two years ago, picked up an Oppo Reno to upgrade from my old Huawei P9 Lite which I kept as a backup and eventually gave to a friend.
Love the Reno, it's updated from Android 9 to 11 now so should survive a while longer.
March 2018 Mi Mix 3 and its still fast, looks good and the great part is the battery still last a day even after 2 years of having gps and bluetooth switched on permanently.
Xiaomi Mi6 from 2017 but I just ordered a Fairphone 4. Hoping to keep it 4+ years as I usually do with my phones.
I got a new phone a few weeks ago, but only because AT&T is about to boot a bunch of older models that don't do "HD Voice" off their network, including my previous Moto G6. Switched to a Moto G Power (2021).
I miss the G6's front fingerprint button, which could also do things like swipe the screen back, much more than I miss its screen, which had a better resolution but washed out more easily than my new phone. Luckily, Cricket (my AT&T MVNO) subsidized the new phone, so it was ~$89 USD/£66 GBP.
Just upgraded after 5 years to the iPhone 13 Pro from my previous iPhone 7 Plus.
Got one of the flagships this summer. A decent compact camera for the upcoming trip was in a similar price, and the portability was a paramount. No regrets: photos are great.
5½ years ago - Small 4.7 inch Samsung A3 (2017).
Battery is still as new (Newer discharged to lower than 20%).
I can't find another small (<5 inch) Android phone at a reasonably price !!
I upgraded to the iPhone 12 mini last year, got it on the launch. Absolutely love the smaller form factor of it, while making only a small sacrifice on the camera front.
Last year... to a 2018 phone (Huawei Mate 20 Pro) for 200€.
Perfect so far... :D
Bought an iPhone 7 new about 3 years ago so it was an older but current model still. Some things bugged me for a while mainly around lack of choice, but is better since it allows me to use Chrome as the default browser. Generally it does most things pretty well and has a long support cycle, otherwise I'm not really a big apple fan, battery is at 85% and with light usage would last me a couple of days still if I needed it too.
Almost 3 years with an Honor View 20. It had battery bulge at the start of the year, so with a new battery in it I expect it will do the job for another couple of years now that it's back to nearly 3 days of battery life. We've really reached the point where the performance increases aren't noticeable any more, and on the ARM side everything past A76 has been increased performance for increased energy. The efficiency of the "Big" CPUs hasn't moved forward more than 20% in a few generations.
Almost 4 years old, my £300 LG6+ grey import is going strong if a bit underpowered. Battery life is great, it's robust and the gorilla glass has coped with many drops without damage, the only failure is the headphone jack.
My main reason for changing would be for better camera's, but no way am I paying silly money for a premium phone.
Well whaddya know.... Last week I finally upgraded, after almost seven years!
I wouldn't normally, but I do now need a better phone, this one was second hand anyway so a bit clapped out, and many apps can no longer run/update on my current phone because it's so old.
Don't actually have the new phone yet, either, as there are supply shortages in the UK! :(
Spring of 2020, Samsung S20. Still going strong, but if S22 will have some amazing features, I might sell mine and buy it. In particular I am looking for better battery life and maybe better video capabilities.
Have just gone from a 4 year old iPhoner 8, to a 13 Pro. Intend keeping this at least 4 years
Upgraded to a Pixel 4 about a month ago.
I swore my OnePlus 7 pro would last me at least 3 or 4 years, but then Amazon went and had an offer on the 9 Pro last Amazon day, so I bought one. The 7 Pro is still going, as my wife smashed the screen on her Moto G about the same time as I ordered it, so everyone's happy.
I'm definitely keeping this one for 3 or 4 years. Honest.
Don't even use a phone.
Gave up on them about 10 years ago and I've never missed it one bit.
You guys are all zombies.
Realme X50 Pro 5G back in the spring when I broke the screen on my Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s. Still prefer the 2s but it wasn't worth getting the screen replaced without doing the battery too as it wasn't holding a great charge and the offer on the X50 was pretty good at the time (around £300 IIRC).
Nah, you're just not interesting enough... :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Rubarb
Samsung Galaxy S9. Just waiting for the battery to die
Did you lock it away inside a biscuit tin?Quote:
Originally Posted by quatermass