Tired of buying new phones

KMatle

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Some years ago you HAD to buy a new phone. Usually after some time it ran out of RAM. Coming from 512 MB, 1-2 GB phones, with 4 GB of RAM are now good for a long time. Standard models today have 8-16 GB of RAM with 8 core cpu's and up to a TB of memory. All the phone cameras are good. Newer models just offer a bit more but not much. The advantage of buying new phones is decreasing.

I'm staying with my Xiaomi 10T Pro (Android 12, 8 GB/256 GB) and even my previous one (9 T Pro with Android 11) ist still good. So why buy a new one, except for "it's new and it has Android 14+"

What do you think?
 

Sagenut

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I think that a reason it's that the major part of the producer stop supporting products after a couple of years.
And the problem it's not about not having the last OS version, but in missing security patch.
Google Pixel has an high price, but then it should guarantee something like 7 years of update if I am correct.
And the hardware will quite for sure manage correctly every OS.
Will it last 7 years?
Hard to say, like for every else model and producer.
 

Daestrum

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It's how the marketing people have programmed our brains over the years. We MUST have the latest phones or else we're out of touch.
 

rabbitBUSH

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KMatle said:
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Exactly - post-retiring it's all one can do anyway. It will be less units to join the pile of bodies in the household's phone graveyard.

I guess the next strategy to strangle us consumers will be to reduce the life-span / usable life of the battery pack - and make built-in redundancy principles live on more years. As it stands it's not easy to replace that battery.... doesn't seem as if there is a developing recycling industry in the sector either. These lithiums could go rogue in your house ("they" tell me).
 

byz

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Agreed. My Honor 20 is five years old. I was going to change it this year, but I thought it would be unnecessary. Because he's enough to make phone calls, chat on WeChat, watch TikTok, and develop b4a. There's not enough reason for me to replace the new equipment.
 
Q

QSerg

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I have my phone (Samsung Galaxy8 for more then 5 years. It is perfectly fine and perfectly suit me even battery is still strong. Though it looks like I have to ditch it purely because some software became incompatible as well as some communication protocols. It is not a progress by any means and one can create own conspiracy theory why they forcing us to buy new stuff endlessly. Actually answer is simple - money.
 

Vellad

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Same is the case with Samsung also. You have the same functionalities as the old phone except the boast that I have latest android and more GB in RAM. But what to do with the old one?. The first part goes out of quality is the battery and you may have to connect the charger always.
 

aeric

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I have been long time no purchase a new phone. I think more than 6 years. I only afford to purchase low range price phone like Xiaomi Redmi.

I think not much of innovation in the past few years.

5G, it's still not common at my place.
New bluetooth version, anyone care? Most peripherals are backward compatible.
Higher screen frequency? I don't play games. I don't need it for watching YouTube.
Bigger battery, current phone usually can last 2 days that is enough for me who stay at home most of the time.
Storage, still manageable.
Camera, I don't take a lot of photo or video.

If I need a new android version, I will ask and loan a unit from my client. Otherwise I use an emulator.

So I don't find any good reason to buy one for now.

If our phone battery is not working as it was when bought, it is cheap to have it replaced at nearby shop.
 

peacemaker

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I remember that wanting to buy a new one after some time when i feel that the current one is ... started to look slower than before.
Strange, but any device even fresh after some time looks freezing.
 
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tchart

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We (in New Zealand) have had a few news stories where banking apps stop working with older phones becuase of "security". This was due to the banks not supporting devices a few OS versions behind.

You can always use the banks website but it is unfortunate when apps stop supporting old versions of OS as this usually affects people who cant afford a new phone every year.

Side note, a few years ago I had a brand new Xiaomi flagship phone that was not rooted etc but the McDonalds app would refuse to run. It said my device was rooted/unsecure. Sometimes these apps are overly cautious and just end up frustrating the users
 
Q

QSerg

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This is why I avoid all those apps like the plague and use websites whenever it is possible
 

byz

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Yes. Many applications do not trust the root device. If you do not root, you can upgrade the system and its ok
 

MrKim

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Interesting article a couple of months ago. Guy made an analogy between phones and cars. In America, after the war everybody who wanted a car and could afford a car HAD one. Demand was slacking so the makers said "I know! We'll add more chrome slap on some fins and advertise in a way that makes people think they are rubes if they don't have the NEW model with MORE HORSEPOWER and NEW COLORS!"
Sound familiar? Every new iPhone comes in a slew of new colors never made before.
Anybody remember Earl Schieb? He would paint any car for $29.95.

Maybe there is a business painting iPhones so they look like the latest model.
 
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Cableguy

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Just remembered that, A few months after the iPhone 5 was out and many had bought them, the Iphone 5C came out and those who had bought the Iphone 5 were willing to "trash" them just to buy a green or a red one... so, as long as there is someone willing to buy a new phone just to have the "latest" new feature,... they'll just keep pushing small upgrades as new phones!
 

peacemaker

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Yes, programmed aging of the electronics is well known. But anyway note that any portable electronics collects the internal PCB micro-defects (during bending, bumps, water in the air...), dirt... during ages. Not mentioning the battery degradation and scratches over the outer surfaces.

So, smartphone update each 3-5 years is ... reasonable during this one reason also.
 
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Y

YvesB4

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I’m in the same boat. At some point the upgrades stopped feeling meaningful, and for normal day-to-day stuff banking, messages, YouTube, navigation most phones from the last 3–4 years still run perfectly fine. The only times I’ve changed devices lately were because the battery health tanked or the charging port got loose, not because the phone felt slow.

Cameras are good enough too, unless someone really cares about low-light or shoots a ton of videos. For most people, keeping a stable and familiar device is actually more comfortable than jumping to a new UI every year.
 
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