OT: How often do you get a new cell phone ?

[Plum Street]

I have iPhones. Usually replace between years 2 and 3 . I am on a 2 year payment plan with xfinity . Had Verizon previously.
So once I pay off the phone I notice the performance really seems to lag. Do I absolutely need a new phone at this point. ? No , but the usage is annoying and slow even when “cleaning up” and updating the phone. I wouldn’t mind keeping an older model forever if it worked great.
Just recently I traded in my 2.5 years old iPhone 13 for an iPhone 16 with the new phone payment of $14 a month for 2 years.
Seems like they really don’t want you to keep these phones after it’s paid off.
Just wondering what other people do here .

How much do people pay for phones and services ? Xfinity is $45 unlimited a month and I get $10 off cable (which is already too much).

Do people get insurance or Apple care ? I don’t. I buy an otter box and sceen protector and hope for the best ….

 

[RUevolution36]

It's the bloat from the new OS versions and app bloat. Battery life also sucks after 2 years.

I used to replace as soon as my phone was paid off, but now it's more like every 3 years with whatever the latest and greatest is.

 

[rutgersal]

Xfinity (Comcast) and Spectrum have the best cellphone deals, and use the same backend technology. I replace my cellphone every 3 years.

You can keep your phone forever if you just use it for phone calls. But we all need to surf

 

[WhiteBus]

I have iPhones. Usually replace between years 2 and 3 . I am on a 2 year payment plan with xfinity . Had Verizon previously.
So once I pay off the phone I notice the performance really seems to lag. Do I absolutely need a new phone at this point. ? No , but the usage is annoying and slow even when “cleaning up” and updating the phone. I wouldn’t mind keeping an older model forever if it worked great.
Just recently I traded in my 2.5 years old iPhone 13 for an iPhone 16 with the new phone payment of $14 a month for 2 years.
Seems like they really don’t want you to keep these phones after it’s paid off.
Just wondering what other people do here .

This is nothing new for Apple. I guess they haven't learned or doesn't care.

Apple agrees to pay up to $500 million in settlement over slowed-down iPhones: What to know

Apple has agreed to pay a minimum of $310 million and up to $500 million in compensation for slowing down old iPhones, depending on the claims filed.

www.usatoday.com

 

[megadrone]

I aim for 3+ years; but now I'm no longer with a phone provider that also gives you an interest free load to pay it off. So I'll squeeze as much life as I can out of the phone.

 

[RULoyal]

I don't replace my phone until it stops meeting my needs.

 

[RUSK97]

I insure my phones for the first 24 months and typically pay off the phone in 36 months. I usually aim to replace every 60 months, but somehow, something always seems to happen to it around the 48 month mark.

 

[ruinac]

I don't replace my phone until it stops meeting my needs.

Same here. I replace it when it becomes obsolete and can't handle the latest operating system.

 

[bac2therac]

I don't replace my phone until it stops meeting my needs.

Me too...just got a free brand new S25 with trade in of old phone I had for over 5 years

Don't have insurance but I put otterbox on it

My previous phones were ruggedly built phones that survived daily falls

 

[dfr1966]

I'm still using my Samsung Galaxy S10 from 2019. Not giving me any problems so no plans to replace it right now.

 

[CranfordKnight]

Usually about 3 years. When I want to upgrade, I search for the best deal on last year's phones and just buy it outright at a huge discount.

 

[rutgersdave]

I think I have my iPhone for about 5 years. What performance lag with older phone, battery?

I am thinking of getting another IPAD , my third since battery and other problems.

 

[PeteGiam07]

Every 4-5 years. For those of you who wait longer you should google/check when do your security updates stop. I can't imagine they provide security updates for phones 5+ years old and they are important.

 

[RU-05]

For awhile I was taking my niece's hand me down phone. Bought an SE 3-4 years ago. No plans to upgrade.

 

[Plum Street]

I think I have my iPhone for about 5 years. What performance lag with older phone, battery?

I am thinking of getting another IPAD , my third since battery and other problems.

Calls dropping …not often but happening. Picture messages not sending sometimes .
Guy at Apple Store did all the tests and upgrades . Couldn’t find anything wrong, except the phone was not new !

 

[ashokan]

I use three phones - 2 android and an iPhone.
My fav for calls is an android from 2019
My media is an android Pixel thats a couple years old and the battery is epic
I use the iPhone for Spotify only because it was unreliable and calls bricked by updates
New phones with AI hardware/apps will get worse for battery - prodigious spy phone that churns data constantly.
iPhones especially are spy phones https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/11/tech/elon-musk-apple-ban-openai/index.html

Battery wise I do well

A) Keep apps off the phone - apps take power, they update and do things on the sly (IoT - Internet of Things)
B) Don't fully charge phone
C) Don't leave phone charging all night etc
D) Use good chargers like GaN chargers that run cool/efficient

Top Apps That Drain Battery and How to Manage Them Effectively

Want to learn about the apps that drain your battery in 2025? We're here to help you!

www.mysteriumvpn.com

Complete Guide to GaN Chargers:​

https://www.anker.com/blogs/chargers/gan-charger

 

[newwavedave1]

I may be the last person on Earth to not own a cell phone. Don't feel the need for one.

 

[LETSGORU91]

My previous phones were ruggedly built phones that survived daily falls

Lay off the juice and edibles. Maybe you won't fall as much. 😉

 

[bac2therac]

Lay off the juice and edibles. Maybe you won't fall as much. 😉

lol...no that would be mitch mcconnell

 

[DHajekRC84]

I don't replace my phone until it stops meeting my needs.

THIS. Year 5 and it is time though (speaker issue) . MOTO ACE
Lucky Could have been 1 and done but got that grad year too.

 

[rutgersguy1]

Every 3 years or so. Just changed it recently ahead of any potential tariffs that were on the horizon at the time. They’re already expensive so if it’s going to be done soon might as well do it was my thinking. Battery memory and just apps requiring more resources as time goes by are the biggest issues as phones get older.

Buy them outright from Apple and do get Apple Care and do put in an Otterbox. Haven’t ever needed Apple Care in all these years but I prefer to have the peace of mind if an issue ever arose with theft or breakage.

 

[ashokan]

Battery memory and just apps requiring more resources as time goes by are the biggest issues as phones get older.

Indeed, if a phone is tagged as outdated and shelved - the apps can stop being updated.
Or - apps can be updated for new models and work rough with old models.
Apps are a lot more insidious than many realize

Android has more models and my 2019 phone is still an old android and works fine
Android is based on Linux so they pay licensing and didn't create OS from scratch.
Many phone makers use Android and they constitute a consortium that has to agree on basic OS changes.
Google cant just pop the bonnet and wrench OS around.
Android is more secure that way, and Apple can pull all sorts of things for better or worse.

 

[chase_NJ]

Whenever Apple stops supporting iOS updates for my current phone. I had an iPhone 7 for like 6 years.

 

[fsg2]

Depends how often I drop mine. And if said drop really spiders it to unusable or just dings it up.

I can't stand cases that make a sleek phone a big pocket brick so I started carrying the insurance a couple years ago.

 

[goru1869]

I have had my current one for about 4 years. When I decided to toss it, I am going back to a flip phone. NO need to have anything more! My life will make more sense and be easier!

 

[RUJohnny]

About every six months. I'm with FS, I wont use a case, I don't want to feel the weight of it in my pocket. It's insured, I just pay a $100 deductible and get whatever they're willing to send me as acomporable replacement model.

 

[Plum Street]

About every six months. I'm with FS, I wont use a case, I don't want to feel the weight of it in my pocket. It's insured, I just pay a $100 deductible and get whatever they're willing to send me as acomporable replacement model.

What kind of phone ? Do you ever break your phone without a case ?

 

[RUJohnny]

I may be the last person on Earth to not own a cell phone. Don't feel the need for one.

I wish I could do this. I have a virtual consultant who teaches me how to prune through video on cell phone live in the field. Otherwise I would try to ditch it. How do you deal with 2FA requests?

 

[RUJohnny]

What kind of phone ? Do you ever break your phone without a case ?

Moto Z4. Yes I drop it about once a month, and by the sixth or seventh drop it needs to be replaced. So I make the insurance claim.

 

[thegock]

Every 2-3 years I replace. I buy a refurb last year's model top of the line Pixel at about 40% off list. OtterBox or I would buy at least a phone a year.

Using a prepaid plan, rather than financing my cell through a provider. Had StraightTalk with verizon service for about a decade. Verizon has the best service in NYC and client calls had to be bulletproof.

I switched to Mint in November for the $20/month 15gb plan. If I didn't listen to Spotify and podcasts incessantly, the $15/5gb would have been fine. It runs on the T-Mobile network and have had one dropped call in three months. Plus, Ryan Reynolds makes me an omelet every morning.

 

[bac2therac]

It's pretty easy to do free phones with return of old phone

 

[Jm0513]

No case club.. I like to live dangerously.
Tried a case but it looks better naked.


🤣🤣

 

[rubaseball78]

I’ve had only 3 cell phones in my life. And I have only one mobile number.

 

[Doteman]

Whenever it dies

 

[WhiteBus]

No case club.. I like to live dangerously.
Tried a case but it looks better naked.


🤣🤣

I agree the look of a phone without a case looks great. I disagree about living dangerously 🤣
I used to live that way but three new phones in less than a year stop that bad habit. Thankfully I had the insurance!

 

[hoquat63]

Whenever I forget it’s in my pocket and run it thru the washer and dryer

 

[megadrone]

Slight divergence on the same topic but how frequently do you changes batteries in the phone if you keep the phone for a few years? I've had mine for 3 years, and could keep it for a while longer if I change the battery. But I don't want to replace the battery just to have the phone go obsolete (iPhone 11)

 

[newwavedave1]

I wish I could do this. I have a virtual consultant who teaches me how to prune through video on cell phone live in the field. Otherwise I would try to ditch it. How do you deal with 2FA requests?

What are 2FA requests?

 

[rutgersguy1]

What are 2FA requests?

2 factor authentication….where you get an OTP (one time password, usually a 6-7 digit number) that gets sent to your phone to punch in after you’ve already entered your password or biometric info.

 

[ashokan]

Slight divergence on the same topic but how frequently do you changes batteries in the phone if you keep the phone for a few years? I've had mine for 3 years, and could keep it for a while longer if I change the battery. But I don't want to replace the battery just to have the phone go obsolete (iPhone 11)

Obsolescence can be a phantom depending on what you do.
I like my older android because the OS is still simple and not full of layers of cruft
I think newer OSs are intentionally made complicated to control and customize.
Viruses and things like that barely impact Linux based phones and PCs (I dont even use AV on mine - its a privilege door).

Instead of getting mugged for latest and greatest $1500 phone I think its better to have 2 or 3 phones. $200-400 can buy a new flagship from 2 years ago. The bugs are mostly smoothed. Check Slickdeals.

I like a small phone when being active - hiking/exercising with 6" + phone in pocket pulling sweats down sucks. I used an Apple SE for Garmin app because its compact.

The mobile phone market is getting more interesting every day with initial moves to wider Satellite functions and better privacy. People are sick of carrying spy phones. Some phones are being built with self-repair a main feature (lots of demos on YouTube). Blackwater founder Erik Prince has a new line of privacy phones without all the psyop tentacles. This is where phones are going and AI spying is going to push the trend

https://unplugged.com/products/up-phone