For some time now, it’s been obvious to you that your phone is beyond saving.
It doesn’t last much longer than three o’clock before needing a charge. The camera can’t show you what you see through your own eyes. The apps crash at the worst possible moment. But you still convince yourself it is ok, because it still makes phone calls, right?
The fact of the matter is that a phone that does not let you use it without being limited can slowly but surely cost you time, patience, and sometimes even money. The question is not, “Will my phone last?” but rather, “Is my phone still a useful tool for me?”
This guide will help you determine when to upgrade your phone, when the better option is to wait, and how to calculate price versus usability when you do purchase.
How Long Should a Phone Actually Last?
The first thing I want to do is get to the bottom of it. Most phones are designed for 3 to 4 years of use as long as you take care of it. New statistics show that people now keep their smartphones about 3.5 years before upgrading their devices, compared to only 18 months ten years ago.
On the whole, this is a positive thing. Smartphones are generally better than they were last year, smartphone operating systems have become much better at supporting older versions of their products, and the consumer marketplace has figured out that jumping into every new release isn’t a good option.
However, just because a smartphone can turn on doesn’t mean it performs well. Many times, what we consider acceptable performance and acceptable operation may not match up. So, let’s see how we can tell if a smartphone is functioning properly.
6 Clear Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your Phone
1. Your Battery Can’t Make It Through the Day
When lithium-ion cells are discharged they lose some of their capacity, and as the years pass they may eventually only have 80% (or lower) of their capacity after 2-3 years of normal use. And, if you are hunting for an outlet before noon, you are hauling a power bank around, and/or you wake up to dead phone after having plugged it in for all night… it’s time to replace the battery!
If your phone supports battery replacements, you can replace the battery inexpensively enough to give another life to an otherwise decent phone. However, if there are more issues than just a degraded battery, you should consider going with something else.
2. Your Phone No Longer Gets Security Updates
The importance of this subject is often overlooked, but here’s why.
Every smartphone eventually reaches an end-of-life date when the company will no longer provide any security updates. When that happens, the risk of hacking, malware, and data breaches greatly increases. It may not appear so, but the risk is still there.
Most major manufacturers now support their flagship devices with a security update for four to seven years. Once your smartphone has reached the end of this Support Window and can no longer be updated, upgrading should not only be seen as gaining new features; upgrading should also be seen as upgrading your security protection.
3. Apps Are Crashing or Won’t Install
When an app keeps crashing, freezing or will not update, this indicates that your mobile device does not have sufficient hardware power anymore.
Many of today’s applications (e.g., applications that utilize AI technology, applications that support video, applications with high graphics resolution, etc.) will put a lot more demand on your device’s RAM and processing power than devices made 4+ years ago could support. You have essentially lost the battle when you see ‘not enough storage’ message on your device, even after you’ve deleted everything, or there is a 10 second delay when opening an application.
4. The Camera Feels Like a Step Backward
You don’t require any sort of photographic degree to be capable of seeing that your cell phone camera simply does not meet the standards at this point.
In recent years, photography technologies in mobile phones have actually advanced by a significant degree — including (but not limited to) enhancements with sensor technology, improved low-light imaging capabilities, additional zoom possibilities. Thus, if you are finding yourself asking to borrow somebody else’s phone for taking pictures, or if you would prefer to not even carry your phone and avoid taking pictures at social gatherings due to the anticipated poor results from using your device, this indicates a substantial issue with quality of your life.
5. Repairs Cost More Than the Phone Is Worth
Broken screens, dead charging ports, and broken speakers are all examples of phone issues that may require repairs. If your repair estimate is at least fifty percent of what a new phone costs today (or more), it usually doesn’t make sense to repair your phone.
To determine if you should upgrade your phone, I would recommend checking what your phone’s value is for trade-in. Then compare how much your repairs will cost and if the total cost of repairs plus the trade-in value of your phone is close to, or more than, replacing the device, then it is time to upgrade.
6. It’s Affecting Your Daily Productivity
Often it’s not just one major thing – it’s a hundred minor annoyances. An example of this may be your face being recognized slowly when wanting to unlock your phone, having trouble switching apps because of lag time, or experiencing problems with video calls such as dropping off the call or appearing choppy. If any of these issues cause problems with how you spend your day at work, in your social life or making your commute more pleasurable than it already is; upgrading your mobile device is definitely an acceptable reason for doing so! After all, your time is of tremendous value to you.
When You Should NOT Upgrade (Yet)
Some reasons you may want to think about holding off from buying that new mobile device now include these examples:
- Your currently owned mobile device is still receiving updates and can run daily applications smoothly.
- A flagship model from a manufacturer or brand name is due to come out in weeks and/or months and likely will be offered at a discounted price along with the current model before transitioning to the new model.
- You have had your currently owned mobile device for less than 1 year and/or less than 18 months and have not yet broken or are having other issues, therefore, it probably doesn’t warrant a replacement.
- For most people, FOMO would not justify spending hundreds of dollars for a camera improvement or for a different coloured device in addition to being an impulse purchase.
Replacing your mobile device annually does not make sense most of time, especially considering the difference in the performance of a 2+ year old phone versus a new model versus replacing with a 12 month old device.
The Best Time of Year to Buy a New Phone
If you want to save money on your purchase, timing is everything. Each year has a general pattern of releases that you should keep track of.
- New smartphones will typically be released by Apple and Google in September and October of each year and start lowering in price as soon as they are released. Depending on the phone, you can save anywhere from $100-$200 off of the retail price.
- November allows for aggressive trade-in promotions from carriers and retailers, which can make for a great time to purchase a smartphone if you’re flexible with the model.
- January and February often are the best months to purchase because of the post-holiday clearance sales and often will have some low-key deals on prior generation devices.
- If you don’t need the newest version of a phone, you may want to consider purchasing the previous version right after the newest one launches. This option provides you with top-of-the-line technical specifications for a mid-range price.
The worst time to purchase a phone is the week before the new phone is released. This time period will force you to pay the price of the last gen devices with no savings at all.
iPhone vs. Android: Does the Upgrade Timeline Differ?
Slightly, yes.
Users of iPhones usually tend to utilize their devices for a longer time, due in part to longer periods of time Apple has traditionally provided updates to their operating system, which is 6+ years from the initial purchase for some phones. If you’re an iPhone user who is still on a version of iOS that is currently being supported, you should feel comfortable in continuing to use that phone for a long time yet.
On the other hand, Android phones are different. While Samsung’s top-line Flagship S & A models receive 4-7 years of software functionality, budget-priced Androids typically receive 2-3 years. Therefore, knowing when your specific Android device will no longer receive software functionality is essential.
In summary: brand loyalty is less important than your time of personal experience with an Android or iPhone versus when you received your last software update through your existing Android/iPhone.
Final Thoughts: Upgrade Smarter, Not More Often
The purpose of this guide is to detail the honest truth about all things related to cell phones:
You don’t have to upgrade your cell phone at a certain time. You don’t have to upgrade because your friends have it, nor do you have to upgrade simply because you see an ad.
You should only consider upgrading when your current cell phone is making your life more difficult than easier or is otherwise diminising the enjoyment. An example of when this would apply is when your phone battery is unreliable, you cannot get software updates any longer, you are limited with the camera or are constantly frustrated by your phone.
The best phone is the phone that is currently serving your needs. Conversely, the best upgrade is the upgrade that you have truly considered.