What's the point of buying new phones every years?

Other than your carrier give it for free or cheap, I don’t really see the reason why should you buy new phone. I’ve been using Redmi Note 9 for past 3 years and recently got my had on Poco F5. I don’t see the point of my ‘upgrade’. I sold it and come back to my Note 9. Gaming? Most of them are p2w or microtransaction garbage or just gimped version of its PC/Console counterpart. I mean, $400 still get you PS4, TV and Switch if you don’t mind buying used. At least here where I live. Storage? Dude, newer phone wont even let you have SD Card. Features? Well, all I see is newer phones take more features than it adds. Headphone jack, more ads, and repairability are to name a few. Battery? Just replace them. However, my Note 9 still get through day with one 80% charge in the dawn. Which takes 1 hour.

I am genuinely curious why newer phone always selling like hot cakes. Since there’s virtually no difference between 4gb of RAM and 12gb of RAM, or 12mp camera and 100mp camera on phone.

donut4ever,

I’ve been using the same galaxy note 20 ultra since launch. It’s been 3 years now and it’s still working no problem. I do struggle with the USB-C port, it got loose and the wire falls off easily, but no big deal. If this dies, I’m buying the same phone from eBay and I’ll be rooting it when Samsung stops sending updates.

couragethebravedog,

I buy a new phone anytime a new innovation comes out. I ordered the Google pixel on day 1 and am loving it.

ice1011,

I finally had to upgrade after 5.5 years because software support was lagging for the version of Android I was on.

nLuLukna,
@nLuLukna@sh.itjust.works avatar

I refuse to upgrade past a pixel 4a, because as far as I’m concerned it has everything I need. When my last one broke I just brought another pixel 4a, why? Because they cost like 150 quid second hand on Amazon.

When I have shown the phone to friends and such, I get the same reaction to the price since it looks like a really good phone. And cost significantly less.

No intention of flipping back ever again

anguo,

I bought a second hand (non-5G) specifically because I wanted a smaller phone.

cufta22,
@cufta22@programming.dev avatar

Is battery life a problem with an older second hand device like that or is it fine

nLuLukna,
@nLuLukna@sh.itjust.works avatar

Depends, if you just get a second hand one it’s way cheaper, but battery life can suck ass, bit of a gamble. If you get refurbished one, the battery is excellent but that costs a little more at 170 quid So it really boils down to if you wanna take the risk

Ballistic86,

There are people that like new things, there are people who prefer older things. I am willing to spend money on a new phone every 2 years because it is my main computing device. I, also, don’t miss a lot of things of older phones. I never used as SD card, I never replaced a battery, and I haven’t used wired headphones in a decade.

I like my iPhone 14, the LiDAR gives me a ton of cool applications, the camera takes the best photos I’ve ever taken before, it will be kept updated for the next 5 years and the always-on screen is very useful for unlock-free info.

If you trade-in a fairly new phone, you can heavily discount a new phone purchase as well. It’s more like leasing a car vs owning a car. Pay for the time you use the phone, return it while it still has value in the 2nd hand market and get a fresh phone.

On the other hand, my brother sticks his phone in his pocket all day and doesn’t look at it at home. He bought an iPhone SE a few years ago and it just works. He would argue buying a new phone is silly as well. But we use our phones very differently and so our purchase habits will be different.

captain_brunch,

When I find a good deal on a used/refurbished/open box phone on eBay I grab it and throw it in my drawer until my current phone breaks or becomes considerably difficult to use. I haven’t paid more than $250 for a phone in a long time.

Madbrad200,
@Madbrad200@lemmy.world avatar

I agree. I only replace my phone when it stops working.

Battery life is decent for 3-4+ years nowadays.

tweeks,

Check out the Fairphone; you can replace parts like battery and the production line tends to be (more) sustainable. They also provide security updates for 5+ years.

They don’t have really high-end phones though, but personally I think most moderate phones nowadays are fine for practically all usecases. For me it works out fine, as I already used mid-range phones for a couple of years.

I hope they will do something like a subscription for even longer updates (if enough people are interested). Don’t need a new phone if this keeps working / being repairable.

Madbrad200,
@Madbrad200@lemmy.world avatar

I love the idea of Fairphone but it’s too pricy for me unfortunately. my current phone (Redmi Note 10 Pro) only cost £150 ($195) and it’s pretty much the perfect phone for my minimal needs.

tweeks,

That’s of course fair (yes… intended). They are indeed expensive compared to many other phones, especially mid-rangers. It took me a while to decide to switch.

For anyone who can easily afford it though, it might be something to keep in the back of your head perhaps in the future :) I hope this small trend of replacable parts and longtime security support in phones continues.

solstice,

My iphone is almost 7 years old and still runs great. No problems with the battery, speed is just fine, everything is fine. I paid about $1,000 for it and I’m determined to squeeze every last penny of life out of it. No plans to change until it breaks or becomes unusable somehow.

UnverifiedAPK,

The convenience of not replacing the battery.

I’m in a good financial position and swapping the battery isn’t rocket surgery, but it’s a bit of a risk I’m not willing to take. Plus Pixel phones go on a decently deep discount in September before the next model is released.

And I wait until the battery is bloated so it’s kinda a safety thing too.

TheBatz,

Just wondering, why not try swapping the battery? Worst case it breaks and you buy a new phone, best case you can keep your phone for a few months/years

Raxiel,

I have a Pixel 2 I picked up in 2018, a few months after they were released (my previous Nexus 5x got the bootloops).

I held off upgrading due to the free original quality Google photos. When that ran out, I did follow new releases, and found the features appealing, but then I’d see the ever inflating prices and couldn’t justify spending so much to replace a device that still works fine.

And it does still work. Granted, it’s had a new battery and a couple of charging ports (I’ve gotten a lot bolder with cleaning the ports now, don’t expect it to need a 4th any time soon). I’m fortunate to be capable of making those repairs myself, I’d have probably given in and bought an A model otherwise. For now though, I just have to say, maybe next year.

M_Reimer,

The only real issue are updates. After just 3 years my previous phone didn’t get any security updates and I had to get new hardware. I actually liked my previous phone more than my current one. But it is how it is.

Nezuh,

I hope I dont jinx myself with this but I dont think security updates at the OS level are that important nowadays.

joelthelion,
@joelthelion@lemmy.world avatar

This is why we need law to mandate security updates for 5+ years.

hunt4peas,

That’s why I installed custom ROM on my Redmi Note 3 and used it for 4.5y until the battery swole.

Jackolantern,

Switch to iPhone. Or pixel. Longer security updates. Guaranteed

XpeeN,

This.

If you have a phone with snapdragon CPU you probably can extend it’s lifespan with custom ROMs that offers security updates. Mine released in 2019, support dropped at android 11, but unofficial LOS with android 13 works great and still updates regularly. No complains here, even the OTA works. Although I do need to flash manually because of root. I don’t see myself upgrade anytime soon.

ulu_mulu,
@ulu_mulu@lemmy.world avatar

That’s the reason why I switched to iPhone after many years of Android, security updates are vital nowadays with all the sensitive data and apps we use on our phones, Apple is the only one that guarantees al least 5 years, iPhones are not too expensive if you don’t buy the latest models and I’d rather avoid supporting companies that don’t understand the importance of security.

TheAnonymouseJoker,
@TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml avatar

You are wrong. Android decouples its updation from “system update” and does not do updaes the way Apple does. Play Store, system apps and third party apps can continue to be updated years after official OEM EOL has been reached. You cannot use App Store or install or update any apps after 5 years of iPhone, but you can install and upgrade apps in an Android 5.0 device (8 years) or Android 7.0 device (6 years) long after EOL has been reached.

Moreover…

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/10d4f55a-2586-4a29-b8a1-abc9686df859.png

  • Asus has now increased security updates to 4 years for its Zenfone 10.
Pechente,

Yeah exactly. It’s surprising how many people don’t check or care how long their device is being updated. Apple does a great job of supplying their devices with updates long-term.

ulu_mulu,
@ulu_mulu@lemmy.world avatar

True, I bought an ipad more than 7 years ago to read because e-readers are too small for my liking.

I don’t use it much anymore since I have an e-writer now, but it still receives updates regularly, whatever comes to my phone comes to it as well, it’s impressive.

amir_s89,
@amir_s89@lemmy.ml avatar

If you stand there at the store with this year’s iPhone; take the full price divided by how many years you plan to own/ use it. Then you realize it’s actually relatively cheap.

luke,

iPhones have decent residual value as well. You should be able to recoup at least a third of the price after three years, if you look after it.

Ranessin,
@Ranessin@feddit.de avatar

Both Samsung and Google give you 5 years of updates (at least 3 major Android releases + 2 years of Security updates) for a few years now.

ConditionOverload,
@ConditionOverload@lemmy.world avatar

Pixel and Samsung also have 5 years of updates promised. And more phones are giving at least 3 years. I don’t think most people nowadays are hanging onto their 5 year old phones. Most everyone switches phones every 2 or 3 years.

ulu_mulu,
@ulu_mulu@lemmy.world avatar

I’m a fringe case then lol, I keep them until they actually break, they do last 4-5 years for me, sometimes more, I don’t make intense use of my phone, I much prefer using my PC for basically everything.

001100010010, (edited )
@001100010010@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Apple isn’t the only one that guarantees many years of updates. The fairphone (although currently only sold in the EU, they’re coming soon to the USA) has 5 years of promised support, Google Pixel 6 and later also have 5 years of promised updates, Samsung Galaxy, has 4 years, while one year less than its competitors, still much better than the 1-2 years most phones used to have. Android phones these days aren’t like the wild west back then, Android phones are on par with iPhones, the choice is merely personal preference.

ulu_mulu,
@ulu_mulu@lemmy.world avatar

Happy to hear companies are finally getting it.

pineapplelover,

Pixel actually guarantees 5 years now and if you put GrapheneOS on it, then you’ll have one of the most private and secure operating systems available

zkfcfbzr,

You can do even better than five years with Fairphone (…Speaking as a Pixel user)

cyberic,
@cyberic@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

But will Fairphone be around in 5 years?

Ranessin,
@Ranessin@feddit.de avatar

It has been around for 10 years and 4 phones by now, and only gaining in popularity and market share. No reason to predict an early demise yet. The Fairphone 1 controversially only received 3 years of updates, but since then it’s 5 years.

pineapplelover,

Fairphone is also guaranteed only 5 years. If not, then they are probably using a custom ROM that is not directly supported by Google. I’ll keep my eye out for this company though, the repairability is great and I love the repairability of the phone.

zkfcfbzr,

The article I just linked says they’re extending support to 7 years: Out to 2026 for their 2019 model, the Fairphone 3. The article also links to an older article talking about how the Fairphone 2 ended up with 7 years.

I’m in the US so the Fairphone was never really a consideration for me, but if it’s available whenever I need my next phone I’ll definitely look into it. It’s pretty annoying to be using Google’s own phone, and still only have access to 3 years of OS updates.

pineapplelover, (edited )

Interesting. So 7 years for the Fairphone 3 but it seems on their website, for the Fairphone 4, it is only 5 years, they might extend it to 7 years like their previous phones though.

Edit: Apparently Fairphone 4 is coming to the U.S, but with /e/os instead of the fairphone os.

shop.fairphone.com/?ref=header

www.fairphone.com/en/open-source/

arstechnica.com/…/fairphone-is-coming-to-america/

dzervas,

just a side note for graphene: i have the feeling that it’s not for everyone. “too much” security tends to get in the UX way

pineapplelover,

Chances are if you know how to use an Android, using Graphene isn’t too much harder. You can still download from the play store and run apps like normal. If you’re reading this post then you probably have the technical knowhow to plug your phone into the computer and press the start button.

Fair point with not being for everybody though, I wouldn’t be comfortable giving it to my non-techy family and friends. You do have a fair point.

borth,

Out of curiosity, which Pixel phone is a good one to have GrapheneOS installed on to last a long time?

pineapplelover,

The latest Pixel would get the longest update. They follow Google’s support updates which is 5 years from the time it is available for purchase.

grapheneos.org/faq#device-lifetime

TheAnonymouseJoker,
@TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml avatar

Just a reminder that GrapheneOS dev harassed Louis Rossmann of being complicit in his hoax attempted murder, something he has not provided evidence for in over 2 months. He has harassed me, Techlore, FlorisBoard, Bromite, Calyx devs and many countless entities, including subreddits of sheltering, according to him, alleged swatters.

pineapplelover,

I followed this controversy as well. On the GrapheneOS forum, strcat announced he has stepped down to work on himself. The project is running like normal and development is still the same as always.

…grapheneos.org/…/5235-stepping-down-as-project-l…

TheAnonymouseJoker,
@TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml avatar

His announcement is a big hoax for attention seeking purposes. Upon repeated attempts by his non-critic fans, he refused to provide any evidence of swatting. His habit is to maintain silence whenever he is caught lying, and will use as much dead cat strategies as needed to accomplish that.

rtevans,

I’ve been running GrapheneOS on my Pixel 3 for three years and I have few complaints. I still cant figure out how to get automatic updates to work in Android 13 with the Neo or Droidify stores but atleast the stock GOS apps auto update. BTW, to clarify what you said, we have to use the Aurora app to download from Google Play Store.

You’re right it’s not for most people. Not having Google services installed might be a major blow for people who have become accustomed to the conveniences they provide. I just use a separate vanilla Pixel for Google services if I need them, but the phone with my SIM card is the one with GrapheneOS.

pineapplelover,

You can turn Google Services on if you would like. I personally do have it turned on as some of my apps wouldn’t get notifications without it. You could use it as a normal android downloading through the play store and nobody would notice that it’s degoogled. All the apps are sandbox and you can change what permissions that have, I previously used CalyxOS and this is much more private and secure.

rtevans,

Does it send telemetry? Why is CalyxOS more secure?

pineapplelover,

Oh I meant GrapheneOS is more private and secure. Don’t get me wrong, CalyxOS is still much better than stock android

ulu_mulu,
@ulu_mulu@lemmy.world avatar

Well, Google isn’t famous for being reliable in the long run with their services, Apple is proven at this point, tho who knows, I’ll wait a few years and see if Google is still at it with their Pixels.

Metallibus,

Googles already been doing this for years.

Hector_McG, (edited )

I have just done the same.

Although Google are now promising 5 years of support for Pixel phones, Pixel phones are not a core business for Google, and as they have shown many times, Google will end projects at the drop of a hat with no regard for their customers.

There are secondary Android companies like Samsung that promise long term security updates, but are always behind the publishing curve compared to Google. This means that malicious actors have the opportunity to study Google’s published updates to reverse engineer cracks that they then exploit.

The current Android security update model is inherently insecure due to this issue. Until manufacturers are forced to update in a timely manner ( by which I mean simultaneously with Google) I won’t buy another Android phone.

programmer_belch,
@programmer_belch@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

If you are using an android phone, you can change the ROM to one that still gets updates, it’s like changing the os in a computer. The process will delete all of the user data inside the phone but you’ve got nothing to lose if it doesn’t get any security updates.

I recommend lineageOS to anyone wanting to go down this route because of its compatibility with every phone, old or new.

dzervas,

that “security update” quickly gets irrelevant as the exploits for lineage (or any non-standard rom) sells for pennies compared to a stock exploit. also no one’s paying security researchers to assess lineage - also it would be completely impossible with the amount of updates and devices they release

remember that (unfortunately) security is all about money

001100010010,
@001100010010@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

But more people using stock roms could potentially mean any exploit is more easily found compared to custom roms. Not saying that’s the case, but it’s a factor to consider.

dzervas,

as more people use a software it’s not easier to find exploits but much more profitable - and you see that propagate, as in:

  • More people start to use a software
  • Inevitably it gets hacked - by a kid most probably
  • The company starts panicking due to bad press
  • They start fixing the security bugs
  • (some years pass)
  • Now its quite difficult to find exploit as many security bugs have been fixed
  • Exploit prices skyrocket since it would affect many users and it’s difficult to develop
  • Bug bounty skyrockets since the exploits are so pricey

Now the last 2 steps tend to cycle since the security of the product fluctuates

Now the above have nothing to do with “residual” products - such as custom roms. And actually, you have so many deeply specialized people around the main product that finding a bug and developing an exploit on the residual is just a matter of “who the fuck cares”.

So you’re basing your security of your phone on “care”, also known as security through obscurity (some times at least).

Another example of “who cares” security is libreoffice. When I started as a security engineer the veteran (and boss) referred to it as training material to find security bugs. I found some, but who cares? Ain’t nobody gonna pay for them as “nobody” uses the software (keep in mind that we’re referring to millions of daily users rather than thousands per month)

Sorry for sheet! ❤️ Be safe and use a password manager

ILikeMultis,
@ILikeMultis@lemmy.ml avatar

How difficult is it to change ROM?

001100010010,
@001100010010@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

It depends. For Graphene OS, there is a web installer that the people who have used it said it was the easiest custom rom they’ve installed. Unfortunately, it only supports for Google Pixels.

For other custom roms… maybe not as easy…

Graphene OS Web Install: grapheneos.org/install/web

TheAnonymouseJoker,
@TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml avatar

Just a reminder that GrapheneOS dev harassed Louis Rossmann of being complicit in his hoax attempted murder, something he has not provided evidence for in over 2 months. He has harassed me, Techlore, FlorisBoard, Bromite, Calyx devs and many countless entities, including subreddits of sheltering, according to him, alleged swatters.

001100010010,
@001100010010@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Yes that’s true, but I’ve heard from others that the person involved has since stepped down from Graphene OS development, so it should be safe from now on.

TheAnonymouseJoker,
@TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml avatar

There is no clue about him, because he hid behind the veil of his Discourse forum, where any question related to him started being censored shortly after Rossmann exposed him. He could very well be the guy under a new pseudonym alias, considering he has lied every single time about anything, and considering every mod and himself ran multiple sockpuppets to self promote GrapheneOS and witch hunt downvote brigade any critics. He used to have multiple aliases as well, thestinger, strcat, GrapheneOS’ project itself besides his own name, and has a whole witch hunting troll army.

dzervas,

hmmm depends on the phone and what you mean difficult. If you’ve managed to format a computer you’ll be fine. If you’re having trouble downloading chrome or office, maybe think about it again - I’m not saying you shouldn’t try or learn (everybody can learn), Im just saying that it will require an amount of time that I imagine would be uncomfortable to a user that don’t wanna bother downloading a program.

Not all people enjoy computers!

Latecoere,
@Latecoere@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Lineage isn’t compatible with every phone. My shitty realme has no images there. It always depends on if there’s someone willing to actually make images for specific phones.

Lesson here is to never buy a realme.

CAPSLOCKFTW,

Hey there! Have you checked xda for unofficial ports or other ROMs? Might still be better than vanilla

Latecoere,
@Latecoere@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I haven’t checked that place out for a while. Looks like there’s a small handful of other roms people have ported to my model so I’ll give them a look over. Might be able to extend the life of this thing for a bit longer. Cheers!

dystop,
@dystop@lemmy.world avatar

I mean, most of the population isn’t buying a new phone every year, it’s just that there are enough people using phones in general that at any given time there are people buying new models. It’s the same reason why there are people buying cars every year.

I personally use my phones for about 3 years. Sometimes up to 4, but usually year 3-4 is when the battery degradation gets so horribly bad and performance stutters so much that I figure if I’m going to do a full reset and buy a new battery and all that, I might as well get a new phone.

godofpainTR,

Not charging my old phone to 100%, rather to 85% or 90% has helped with battery longevity immensely. After almost 5 years in use, accubattery still shows 80% battery health, and even if that’s not accurate, it still lasts quite a while. The SD625 that phone had was very sluggish though, so in the end I still replaced it

dystop,
@dystop@lemmy.world avatar

I used to do that, but it was a chore to keep monitoring my battery life. I wish there were a “charge phone to 80% and stop” option.

B16_BR0TH3R,

Samsung phones let you restrict the battery percentage to 85 percent. I think Apple does the same now.

normalmighty,

There are apps you can install to manage it for you on android, automatically cutting off charging when a given percentage is reached.

dystop,
@dystop@lemmy.world avatar

…huh, i wish i knew that earlier. I’m gonna search for it now.

Metallibus,

Pretty sure this is root only. Normal apps don’t have access to the charge controller and I’ve never seen an app that claims to do this without root.

godofpainTR,

My samsung has the feature built in, but on that old phone I rooted and installed Advanced Charge Controller. (Not feasible for most people i know)

Metallibus,

I don’t know why Google hasn’t put this feature directly into Android. It’s honestly one of the biggest pushes away from Pixel devices for me and it’s absolutely silly.

shapesandstuff,

See thats where im with OP.

Lots of people do switch every 1-2 years.

And swapping a battery costs idk 40€ and an afternoon, full reset costs nothing and takes 20 minutes. Why would i generate that much trash and spend a thousand bucks on the latest shit thats 99% the same instead?

Guildo,

Capitalism and Marketing, bro.

shapesandstuff,

I know, thats why it’s so annoying.
Just two more reasons not to do it.
I had a oneplus 2 since 2015 or so until upgrading to a 9 Pro in 2021.
Several important apps had locked me out and battery life slowly became a noticable problem. I would’ve been fine for another 3-5 years if the lineage image had still supplied android security updates.

xavier666,

The only reason I had to replace my OP3 was because the buttons and screen broke down after 6 years. Battery was max 1 day but it worked for me.

shapesandstuff,

Yeah everyone I know charges their phone over night every day anyway.

Comptero,

I had a 4 year old phone that I had to charge twice a day. I figuered I switch the battery with an official branded replacement which had costed around 100€. The difference between the old and new battery were unnoticable and I still had to charge the phone twice a day.

normalmighty,

IPhone maybe? I know they restrict your battery capacity with software as your phone ages, so the short lifespan has nothing to do with the actual condition of the battery. Iirc some other brands do it to, but I don’t know which ones.

luki,

It‘s the other way around. Capacity decreases on its own just through usage. What Apple (and other manufacturers, as you said) does is decrease clock speeds of the CPU and RAM to make degraded batteries last longer. Basically trading performance for battery life. And that feature should deactivate automatically if the device senses a new battery being put in. At least it did with my old iPhone 6S.

shapesandstuff,

tough luck. Sounds like it was straining to keep up with background apps / OS updates rather than a broken battery.
Guess trouble shooting is half the battle in these cases.

henfredemars,

Perhaps the replacement battery was manufactured a while ago?

Eelviny,

Been rocking a oneplus 8 for the last two and half years, replaced the back glass a couple times and the battery once. I definitely don’t baby my phone, it’s a tool meant to be used, but overall am pretty good at not dropping things so I can reckon I’ll keep going with it until it gets too slow or something breaks.

When choosing a new phone, I usually go for something new that’s one level below the latest flagship, and check to see if LineageOS is being developed for it, as then I know it’s likely to receive software updates for long after I’ve moved on to the next.

Thing is, I like, many people here, am a techie, and I’m not afraid to install custom ROMs and open up my phone for repair. The majority of people don’t want that, so I’m really looking forward to the upcoming EU regulation on user replaceable batteries! Then it’s possible for everyone to keep their phone for longer.

Redknots,
@Redknots@lemmy.world avatar

For me, I kept my last phone for 3 years and upgraded because I didn’t have enough storage. New phone is a little nicer, has a few new features, but I may well keep it for a few years again.

LeafTheTreesAlone,

I only upgrade my phone when it starts to lag and slow down. My last phone I replaced the battery when the life started dropping.

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