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.

richteratmosphere,
@richteratmosphere@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

I bought an unlocked Pixel 6 near launch on sale and intend to use it until security updates cease (five years from launch).

wheeldawg,

I got the pixel 7 last year since my old pixel 2xl was out of security.

Well that and the battery was terrible and it was sluggish as well in general and a screen crack that didn’t affect functionally, but was annoying af. Still have it around as a spare device to go back to if this one has an issue.

nouben,

Same here, kept a pixel 2 for way too long, i had to charge it 2 times a day if i used it as a smartphone ^^ though i didn’t feel it become sluggish

TORFdot0,

Performance gains for certain software or games. Especially if you are into emulation then the higher power of newer flagships or better cooling design, mean that you can run more recent games on your phone. Same thing goes with camera lenses, better camera means you can get better shots so if you are into photography it makes sense to upgrade.

Thrift wise, there is never really a reason to upgrade as long as it still texts and makes calls but the non-phone features are why you would upgrade early.

Dohnakun,

but the non-phone features are why you would upgrade early.

Or getting a non-phone for your usecase.

TORFdot0,

That’s always an option and often cheaper. But people would rather use the device they always carry on them rather than having to carry a laptop, emulation handheld, or DSLR camera with them all the time. People are willing to pay premium for the convenience.

fische_stix,

I break them, then buy a new unlocked “last gen” phone cheap to replace it. I am usually one or two versions behind the “newest” phone, but I’m spending less than using carrier based device insurance. Phones have become like sunglasses to me. I don’t buy particularly nice ones because I just destroy them.

axh,

Since there’s virtually no difference between 12mp camera and 100mp camera on phone.

There is. Those huge photos waist a lot of storage space (with virtually no difference in quality) so you want to buy a new phone with bigger storage.

HalcyonReverb,

Not if they use Pixel Binning, which Google, Apple, and Samsung all do, and I’m sure others do too. This results in my Pixel’s 48 megapixel camera generating 12 Megapixel photos, which reduces the file size.

popemichael,
@popemichael@lemmy.world avatar

My number one reason: battery life

Tak,
@Tak@lemmy.ml avatar

They could make the battery last 5+ years before degradation if they made the phones a bit thicker to get the same battery life with lithium iron phosphate cells instead of lithium ion cells. They also don’t turn into spicy pillows or catch fire really too if that means anything to you.

I really don’t understand the obsession with having the thinnest possible phone but also selling $2,000 folding phones that are thick as hell.

popemichael,
@popemichael@lemmy.world avatar

That’s why I support the “right to repair”

Sadly a lot of devices are losing that ability by design

Tak,
@Tak@lemmy.ml avatar

I believe it’s all intentional and I blame capitalism.

popemichael,
@popemichael@lemmy.world avatar

Its less of a belief and more of a fact at this point.

Its still really sad either which way

Ser_Salty,

Selling the thinnest phone, but ship it with a silicone case because the thin-ness makes it too fragile. And also one bit of the phone will just be thicker anyway.

It seems almost like parody. Phones are literally too thin for their own components. If anybody knows of a decent line of phones that aren’t overly skinny, please let me know for when I need a new phone.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Electric_leprechaun,

I was at work last week and two colleagues loaded on an apple update to their phones. Their phones slowed to a crawl and lost battery charge quickly through the day. The next thing I saw was one of them with the internet browser open putting his credit card details in to buy a new iPhone £650 gone just like that. iPhone users wouldn’t balk at expensive contracts or spending £600 quid on a new iPhone. It seems to me apple deliberately trash their phones and users accept it and upgrade to a newer model. I could understand if it was a cheap phone but jeeze crazy money for something with such a short lifespan. Would you buy a ln expensive TV if you thought it wouldn’t last you any more than a couple of years?

nan,
@nan@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Plenty of iPhone users rocking iOS 16 on the iPhone 8 (from 2017) with no trouble. For many iPhone users the longevity is one reason they use it. Others will always update to the latest and greatest.

Ecology8622,

Exactly. iPhones are one of the longest if not the longest supported phones. Having said that, there’s no convincing Android users and vice versa.

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.

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