How often do you change your phone?

bilbot79

Some folks change their car every 3 years. How often do you change your phone and why?

Should you plan to sell and upgrade every 2 years say?

Just bought the one plus 5 and noticed a lot of people seem to have had lots of different phones.

Once every two years. I would have done it more frequently a few years ago but the changes are insignificant now in my opinion. If you have a decent phone, with at least 2gb of ram and has the latest updates, then the phone is grand.

Wanderer78

when it breaks beyond repair

Mantis Toboggan

Used to change every 3 or 4 months but now all phones are very similar. Even the cheapo phones are rock solid, my last phone was 150 euro and has lasted 24 months. Performance was very good.

914

Normal change every 3 years. Always find after two years a phone begins to slow down and battery depletes, I can normally put with with that for a year, and then get fed up and change.

Very little major advancements in the past few years where I haven't felt the need to justify in changing.

Flaccus

Bout every 6 months which is usually when a new phone takes my fancy. However i tend to collect phones. Easily bored.

RoisinClare6

Had my iPhone for the past 4 years, the battery died a week and a half ago and it now it won't turn back on. So I've been without a phone since and it's quite nice

At least once a year, sometimes twice. Works out around €300 a year to keep on the latest and greatest by selling my previous one to help fund the next.

Ranjo

Whenever I actually need to. I've had 3 phones in the last 6 years. That would be 2 if I hadn't dropped one.

DopeTech

Usually every 12 to 18 months. I never buy flagships because I don't believe in paying crazy money for them. I would get tired of the €700 phone just as quick as the €200 one. Once it's something reliable and can be rooted/custom roms installed I'm happy.

Imallrightjack

Tyson Fury wrote: »

Used to change every 3 or 4 months but now all phones are very similar. Even the cheapo phones are rock solid, my last phone was 150 euro and has lasted 24 months. Performance was very good.

which phone was your last one?
I keep mine a long as they last or when they start to slow down.2 possibly 3 years.

tedpan

Used to be every 3-6 months. Loved the fun of buying and selling. These days the premium phones don't change a whole lot, so now I'm every 12-18 months and usually end up keeping the previous phone as a backup.

I'm a complete android man too. Since the Snapdragon 8 series processors came out 4 years ago with 2GB of RAM, performance has been good. Usually replacement came down to battery or a certain part being to expensive to replace. I've had the SD 800, 801, 810 & 820(I bought an LG V20, impressive phone, but my wife's S6 screen broke so it's hers now). Now I'm using a Huawei mate 8 for the past year with a 6" screen, superb 4000mah battery, Kirin 950 proc, 4GB of RAM, 64GB internal and a 128GB micro SD. Still get no lag. Can't see changing it for another 6 months at least. The mate 9 isn't enough of an improvement.

Strange, but I'm a Huawei convert after years of HTC & Samsung..

tedpan

tedpan wrote: »

Used to be every 3-6 months. Loved the fun of buying and selling. These days the premium phones don't change a whole lots, so now I'm every 12-18 months and usually end up keeping the previous phone as a backup.

I'm a complete android man too. Since the Snapdragon 8 series processors came out 4 years with 2GB of RAM, performance has been good. Usually replacement came down to battery or a certain part being to expensive to replace. I've had the SD 800, 801, 810 & 820. Now I'm using a Huawei mate 8 for the passed year with a 6" screen, superb 4000mah battery, Kirin 950, 4GB of RAM, 64GB internal and a 128GB. Still get no lag. Can't see changing it for another 6 months at least. The mate 9 isn't enough of an improvement.

Strange, but I'm a Huawei convert after years of HTC & Samsung..

801 was awesome
810 rubbish
820 good, but not as good as the 801 was at the time
835 best ever

tedpan

The 810 wasn't too bad, worked ok on my G Flex too apart from the heat ups lol

Yeah, happy with the 820, the 821 wasn't a significant update either.

You're right about the 835, especially with 6GB of RAM. A beast!

Mantis Toboggan

Imallrightjack wrote: »

which phone was your last one?
I keep mine a long as they last or when they start to slow down.2 possibly 3 years.

Smart ultra 6.

Pkiernan

Gotta laugh at people who belive Trump is the worst thing to happen to the environment, yet they change their phones every 12 months or less...
Blissfully ignorant! !

Pkiernan

Pkiernan wrote: »

Gotta laugh at people who belive Trump is the worst thing to happen to the environment, yet they change their phones every 12 months or less...
Blissfully ignorant! !

What a bizarre comment. You ok, pal?

Imallrightjack

Basil3 wrote: »

What a bizarre comment. You ok, pal?

Isn't it "you ok hun?"

tedpan

Basil3 wrote:

What a bizarre comment. You ok, pal?

Strange one alright, I don't think they are discarding the phones, the majority resell them on

CelticRambler

Bought my current phone in Feb 2015, and the one before that in 1995, so about once every twenty years ... :pac:

Then again, I bought an identical one for MrsCR in 1995, which I started using when mine had been cooked on the dashboard once too often, so I suppose that makes it an average of once every ten years ...

tedpan

CelticRambler wrote:

Bought my current phone in Feb 2015, and the one before that in 1995, so about once every twenty years ...

Lol, what was the phone from 95.. I'd really love to know :-D

Erik Shin

Every 12 months, on the Samsung S7 at the moment,

CelticRambler

tedpan wrote: »

Lol, what was the phone from 95.. I'd really love to know :-D

Siemens C35.

It still works (well, the replacement one) but some of the functions went a bit wonky when I got it unlocked.

That was fun - took it around all the "unlock any phone here" shops and got only :eek: WTF is that??? looks, till I finally found the Russian guy in Moore Street.

tedpan

CelticRambler wrote:

Siemens C35.

CelticRambler wrote:

It still works (well, the replacement one) but some of the functions went a bit wonky when I got it unlocked.

Loved that phone, I had a C35, M35 and an SL45. Nifty little phones that were reliable and specs ahead of their time.

Your dates are wrong though dude.

The C35 wasn't realeased worldwide until 2000 so I'm guessing if you were lucky in Ireland you got it late 2000 or 2001.

Still a great innings either way

tedpan

Erik Shin wrote:

Every 12 months, on the Samsung S7 at the moment,

When's the S8 being ordered?

Erik Shin

tedpan wrote: »

When's the S8 being ordered?

Will bypass it I think

tedpan

Erik Shin wrote:

Will bypass it I think

Yeah, not enough of a change. Do you have the S7 edge?

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Erik Shin

tedpan wrote: »

Yeah, not enough of a change. Do you have the S7 edge?

No, S7 standard, it's a cracking phone and can't fault it

biko

tedpan wrote: »

Strange one alright, I don't think they are discarding the phones, the majority resell them on

So what happens to the last phone in the chain of the buys and sells? It goes into a landfill (hopefully the owner is responsible enough to recycle it but I doubt a lot are).

On topic, I change every few years but not because I want the latest fashion phone. It's because I want to try something different. I've gone through most Apple, Windows and Androids phones now.

CelticRambler

tedpan wrote: »

Loved that phone, I had a C35, M35 and an SL45. Nifty little phones that were reliable and specs ahead of their time.

Your dates are wrong though dude.

The C35 wasn't realeased worldwide until 2000 so I'm guessing if you were lucky in Ireland you got it late 2000 or 2001.

Wasn't it? I was in the UK at the time, and bought it/them when I set up my own business, which was ... oh, no, 1997. What did I have for the inbetween years, then ... ?

'95 was when my eldest son was born. Once he "came of age" - like about in his late teens - he was bowled over by the specs of this "dinosaur". Couldn't believe that it had internet as a menu option!

o1s1n

Got my first phone in 1996. Would say I've had a maximum of 10 different phones since then. Probably less. I tend to find a phone I like and just stick with it until it breaks.

Would still be on the Moto G I bought a couple of years ago but it went through the washing machine last year and smashed to pieces :eek:

Darwin

Like most above, usually every 2 years but this time sticking with my Note 4 for the foreseeable future as there is just nothing that interests me in any recent releases. It will probably need a new battery after the summer, I've had it 3 and a half years at this stage.

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

Ever year, because work gives me a new one every summer, I get to keep the previous one too, so that gets passed to my wife.

I usually get the best mid-range phone available in a Bricks & Mortar, which is fine for my needs, and if it's getting replaced each year I never have to worry about Android updates or battery performance etc.

jamesthepeach

About every 2 years.
Most important feature is that it has dual sim.

Vahevala

I used to upgrade every 18 mths - 2 years. I am still using my Samsung S6 at the moment and am out of contract. Nothing out there seems to interest me, they are either curved screens with this narrow display or really big screens so I am sticking with what I have.

That way my bill is cheaper, the phone still works really well, really good camera, phone is still really quick and the battery is alright

Vahevala

Vahevala wrote: »

I used to upgrade every 18 mths - 2 years. I am still using my Samsung S6 at the moment and am out of contract. Nothing out there seems to interest me, they are either curved screens with this narrow display or really big screens so I am sticking with what I have.

That way my bill is cheaper, the phone still works really well, really good camera, phone is still really quick and the battery is alright

S6 battery was brutal. You'd love (and deserve) a new phone

Vahevala

Basil3 wrote: »

S6 battery was brutal. You'd love (and deserve) a new phone

I don't find it that bad, in the end of the day, I am usually around a power supply if I need to charge it up.

Like I say, there isn't really much out there that I am interested in getting. I am not a fan of curved displays and the regular iPhone screen is too small for me and the plus size is too big

theteal

I've just had my much loved z3 compact swapped under warranty just shy of 2 years. The replacement, while I assume is a refurb, looks and feels brand new (2+ days battery ftw) so I expect another solid 2 years minimum. Not bad for a phone that was free in the first place from the old job.

tedpan

Basil3 wrote:

S6 battery was brutal. You'd love (and deserve) a new phone

Yeah my wife's one was useless after 13 months. She loves the V20, plus it's easily replaceable

boobycharlton

Last phone before my current Moto G4 play was the first gen Moto G and it lasted me three years. Moto G's are built to last and it was still perfectly functional and battery was fine, but screen was fairly battered from 3 years of abuse. Also wanted NFC for topping up Leap Card, so plumped for the G4 Play when it was available for €100 delivered direct from Motorola UK.

Add in my €10 a month on 48 plan, and my phone costs are very little. Couldn't fathom spending €700+ or tying into 24 month contracts that a lot of people seem happy to do.

not1but4

Nearly have my Galaxy S2 6 years but I've been running with custom ROM's for almost two years. It has come at a cost as I've lost count of the amount of times I've had to completely wipe my phone. Recently I've been losing the battle to keep it going as I've had a lot of overheating issues, battery draining quicker than I could charge it, lot of issues with Whatsapp. So a few days ago I bought the S8 off Amazon.it for 580€. Let's see if my 10€ a month plan with 48 Months can handle this phone.

DopeTech

not1but4 wrote: »

Nearly have my Galaxy S2 6 years but I've been running with custom ROM's for almost two years. It has come at a cost as I've lost count of the amount of times I've had to completely wipe my phone. Recently I've been losing the battle to keep it going as I've had a lot of overheating issues, battery draining quicker than I could charge it, lot of issues with Whatsapp. So a few days ago I bought the S8 off Amazon.it for 580€. Let's see if my 10€ a month plan with 48 Months can handle this phone.

1GB of data, you could easily hit that in a month with a modern smart phone depending on your usage.

tedpan

FrostyJim wrote:

1GB of data, you could easily hit that in a month with a modern smart phone depending on your usage.

Jesus, that's nothing. I easily use 10GBs a month and I'm mainly on WiFi. Move to a meteor SIM only they have a 10GB plan with unlimited texts and 400 minutes for 20e. Much better service coverage than 48 too.

I like SIM only as you don't need to worry about topping up..

not1but4

FrostyJim wrote: »

1GB of data, you could easily hit that in a month with a modern smart phone depending on your usage.

When I got my S2 my limit was 100MBs a month with o2 in the UK, no idea how I managed to just have that for two years.

I might go to ID Mobile (30GB & 4G) or Tesco for a month to see what it is like if my 1GB a month doesn't last for 15€.

_Kaiser_

I used to replace it every year or thereabouts for whatever the current flagship was (all the Notes to 4), but I am using an S6 Edge+ as my personal handset since it came out and I actually don't see any real urgency to change anymore. Phones have hit a peak just as PC hardware did years ago. Incremental but relatively minor annual updates with novelty features of varying use to try and get people to upgrade anyway.

I have an S7 edge for work and realistically it's exactly the same thing as my own just slightly smaller, and I don't like the new form factor of the S8/S8+ (had an S8 for a week and returned it) and now that it seems the Note 8 will be virtually identical to those that's put me off too.

Not really sure what I'll switch to next to be honest but for now my S6E+ still zips along and does everything I need or want it to.

_Kaiser_

tedpan wrote: »

Jesus, that's nothing. I easily use 10GBs a month and I'm mainly on WiFi. Move to a meteor SIM only they have a 10GB plan with unlimited texts and 400 minutes for 20e. Much better service coverage than 48 too.

I like SIM only as you don't need to worry about topping up..

I was on standard billpay for years but moved to sim only a few years ago and it's a far better deal if you can afford to pay for the phones outright.

I was on a 3 sim only business plan that gave unlimited calls and texts, unlimited (60gb theoretical limit) data and roaming for 25 a month incl VAT, but the coverage is gone to hell since they were allowed take over O2, so now I'm on a Vodafone sim only plan with 15gb (still more than I use as I've wireless everywhere) and the same unlimited calls /texts for what will be 30 per month over the year but the coverage is much more reliable.

GBX

Have current Jiayu S3 about 2 years. Might change in the new year. Only change when I need to.

Darren 83

Normally change my phone every 12 months sometimes less, I'd normally sell my old phone so doesn't cost me full price. I've the S7 Edge at the mo and see no need to upgrade only helped with small incremental updates in newer phones.

Arbie

1998 - I collected special tokens for a newspaper offer and my parents bought it for my birthday, an Eircell readytogo flip phone, might have been Alcatel, I think it was £29!
2000 - Nokia 3210
2002 - Nokia 3310
2003 - Nokia 8210
2004 - Nokia 6310i
2005 - Motorola SLVR L7
2007 - Nokia e65
2009 - iPhone 3GS
2012 - iPhone 4
2015 - Samsung Note 4

So, every 1-2 years for me. I can't believe I've had so many phones.

thomasj

Depends on the performance of your phone. If it is working okay I don't see the problem in upgrading for the sake of upgrading. Risk that the phone you upgraded performs worst than the one you originally had.

Galaxy A5 2017 (latest)
HTC desire 825 (worst phone ever)
Oneplus one