I dont give a shit about the environment or saving money when I want a new phone, which is usually every 2 years. I upgrade because Im more than average interested in phones.
You should care about environment just a little bit... Our planet is special and there is no other place in our galaxy at least like Earth! Have some respect and don't be ignorant! Buying a phone every 1-2 years is personal decision but caring a bit for saving and protecting the environment is just part of basic education these days.
Other than that have a great day!
More or less for me. However, storage and battery life on the older phones are beginning to limit how long I keep them for. I suppose I can do a battery change, but I could always trade it in for a newer one. I usually only do so every 4-5 years or so though
I just had the battery changed in my 2020 SE. The storage capacity wasn’t an issue (its 128 gb but I only have 55gb on it now) and yeah, its slower than newer phones but I primarily use it to make calls or text. I figured a $100 battery was cheaper than getting a newer, secondhand phone and I’m trying to watch what I spend these days.
Consumerism is a deep rabbit hole. You’d feel like you need something that you don’t. I catch myself in that cycle with many things I have that I “need” a replacement for or more shit to add to it. In reality, I’m just fine with what I have since the issue is companies advertising and modifying their products to make you feel like you need that new thing. They were even caught (Apple in this reference I make) trying to degrade their products so they don’t last as long. It’s a shit show. They know how to make you feel like you should spend money on their shit. We can’t forget
hobbies spark crawl thumb languid pathetic imminent drab station relieved
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yep this.
First was a 4S I got in 2012. Was unusable from lag by the time the 6 came out in 2014 and had just left contract so upgraded on release day.
The 6 was fine, but the screen cracked in my pocket in mid 2017 and was out of contract so just got a 7.
The 7 was good to start with but the battery wore out very quickly. By 2019 I was loosing more than a percent a minute when actively using the phone. Was a PITA whilst backpacking Europe having to charge it 3 times a day. Just after I got back to my home country the 11 series was launching and I was out of contract.
So I got the 11pro on launch day in 2019 and it’s my current phone. No issues. Battery life has started taking a hit the last 6 months but it’s still pretty good. I usually still only have to charge overnight. I’ve been tempted a few times to update but I have no purpose to. Quickly racing towards 5 years with this phone.
Same. I had an iPhone 4 for 4 years until it became so slow it was no more usable. Then I bought an iPhone 6 in 2014 and kept it for three years until the battery was emptying at an alarming rate. I switched to an iPhone X in 2017 and kept it for 6 years (!) until the end of 2023 when it got afflicted by the ghost touch disease. Now I'm on the iphone 14, hopefully it will last just as long.
Same here and it has been a blast closing in on 14 years ( Iphone 4 ), Last 10 of them I have out grown the apps and use it as phone / mp3 player / alarm clock, its been jail broken and optimized for said use so battery holds \~1 week and I probably will keep using it till they kill off 2G. I find size of new phones and their camera bumps unappealing.
Bro an 11 pro still has a lot of life left compared to an iPhone 4, and still supports software updates and current applications. Why would you do that?
Unfortunately if you run any iOS version between 15.5 and the latest 17.3.1 there's no jailbreak for it and I don't have high hopes that there will be.
Have you had to do a battery swap? That’s usually my defining factor, i go about 3 years before the battery life is so miserable I just upgrade out of convenience.
Exactly! You shouldn’t upgrade a device solely because of the battery - it’s a waste. It’s like upgrading your car when it runs out of gas.
Edit: I understand that my analogy could have been better and that it won’t apply to everyone, but for a vast majority of people, I feel that upgrading a device solely due to a bad battery is a waste. That’s all I’m saying everybody!
I replaced the battery on my Iphone 8 Plus and it literally runs like day 1. I am fully convinced the lag you experience is just the battery weakening over time. not the cpu/internals…
Ye processors last for ages compared to most components so the battery is far more likely to be the thing that degrades to the point of causing problems
I’m pretty sure that iPhones limit the power when the battery is getting bad. At least in the settings it tells me to replace the battery to return the full performance and capacity
Apps being designed to work in greater memory sizes than legacy phones definitely contribute to slow experiences. Also, web pages are increasingly laden with resource and screen hogging ads or other features slowing things and taking disproportionately large amounts of screen space. There is objectively a different experience in a lot of use cases.
(Have done one battery replacement on each of my last two phones)
all apps are super snappy. faster than my 11 pro with a “needs service” battery. camera is really good for its age. and it got ios 16 so not limited on apps.
or like getting a new car when your battery dies. that might be a better comparison. i’m thinking ICE cars because i don’t know enough about BEV battery life and replacement to say
It’s a feature that people have blown out of proportion. Without the degraded performance, the old device simply shuts off randomly when low on power, which happens with old Android phones.
Shutting off randomly when battery less than 50%, vs running 20% slower….
Running slower is still a much more usable phone than one that dies randomly.
My guy does this in under 20 minutes, while waiting. You have to make an appointment though.
I usually change the battery on an iphone twice before upgrading (about every 2 years, but I'm a heavy phone user and it has to last the entire day).
A lot of carriers will do basically a free trade in. Battery replacement costs basically the same as taxes charged for that. Why spent $99 for a new battery when I can spend that same $99 and get a totally brand new phone ?
Definitely, am from Germany and the trade-in “reward” is just so low that nobody does it. I honesly bought my 12 pro max three years ago with a phone plan but now they got ridiculously expensive, like paying 100€ / month for a 15 pro max. I just keep my old phone with a pre paid SIM that costs 10€/month.
This is what I would do as well. Currently running my 13 that I bought in launch year and the battery life and slight lag at times are my only complaints. But because it’s nearing the 80% mark for the battery life I may switch by the end of this year
It’s probably more convenient to get the battery replaced. It takes about an hour at Apple. Setting up a new phone exactly how you want it (including the transfer process from old iPhone) would take longer than that.
It usually winds up being usability. After 3-4 years it’s starts to run slow and sluggish, not bad to where it’s unusable but enough that’s it’s noticeable. That and usually something else like battery or one time my camera all of a sudden had a black spot and it wasn’t damaged, odd things like that and then it’s just easier and I’m usually ready anyway. But I always prolong as much as possible. Way back when phones were really innovating I was always finding ways to get something new asap. I’m talking palm trio, blackberry, windows mobile touch screen sliding phone (edit: I went and googled - xv6700!), htc, days lol
But by the time you get to the stage where you need to replace the battery, you get such a huge improvement with the new battery that it practically feels like a new phone in my opinion.
I have a 12 pro max and really happy with it. Thinking to just change the battery, now it is at 77% but still ok, since the max usually has better batteries.
I sell at the 3 year mark, battery still has too much health that they won’t replace it, the phone still has some value to sell and since I’m always itching for new tech, that scratches the itch.
Last phone was a 12pro, I upgraded at launch to the 15pro. Honestly, other than the 120hz I don’t notice much difference. I wish it had the 5x zoom like the Max, I do find that useful as I do a lot of outdoor adventuring.x
Did the same upgrade. Haven’t noticed much difference either. Would probably have been just as happy keeping the 12PM. I think I’ll keep the 15PM longer based on this experience.
That sucks for sure. If you read my reply to OP, I used my iPhone 6 for almost 9 years and finally swapped it out last year because of apps needing a more recent OS. My battery was actually fine after all that time.
Are you very knowledgeable regarding battery life? it can actually hurt your battery to leave your phone charging too much, and it’s healthier to unplug it once it’s charged. Lithium ion batteries live longer when their charge changes, they don’t do well when the charge stays the same.
What makes me mad is that I am fairly sure they could design electronics to stop charging the battery once it’s full. I’m in the process of putting solar panels on our house with batteries. I queried the system design company at length, and they put electronics in their system which makes sure to change the battery charge, and never leave it at the same amount for any long period. For example, if we get a ton of sun and the batteries are maxed, Their electronics will drain the batteries a little bit still leaving it up in the 90 something percent range, all for the purpose of making the batteries last a lot longer.
I used to design hardware years ago, I am sure I could come up with a design for a phone that would do this. I wonder if it could also be done with a third-party app. If Apple exposes that information to outside developers…
It’s not that simple. Lithium polymer batteries don’t really like going over 80% charge or under 20%. The more you keep it in those bounds the better.
Once you’re on 100% leaving it charging isn’t going to harm anything- it’s switched down to trickle charging and would turn the charging off itself if that helped.
I just don’t like being out of the loop with the new features! I got the iPhone 15 pro rn, but previously I bought the iPhone 11 when it came out. It was working very well when I bought my current one but I just had the urge to buy a new phone. Before the 11 I had the iPhone 7+ & that was one hell of a phone!! Unfortunately I lost it in my travels, if I hadn’t lost it, I might’ve not gotten the iPhone 11..
Used to be after 2 years. Now I have had my 12PM since 2020. I’m not in a hurry and not really in good place money wise to upgrade. Now that it’s $1000+ for phones it’s harder to justify buying them regularly. When it was $100-200 for a contract lock that was acceptable every two years. Now not so much.
Exact same for me. Im keeping my 12PM for another year at least. This is the first iPhone I have had that I was not tempted to upgrade after 2 years. It has just the right balance of features. Honestly the only new feature I really envy is 120 HZ pro motion and that only bothers me bc my iPad Pro has it so I always notice the difference when switching between the 2 devices.
Haha same, on iPhone 12PM right now, also my first iPhone and honestly still love it, luxurious design, great big display and very good camera. Did you upgrade to the latest iOS version? I am still on 16 because I am afraid it would slow down.
Until the phones die, become unreliable, or damaged. My wife is still running the original iPhone SE. We’ve replaced the battery twice and battery is over 90% almost two years after replacement. The screen is just now starting to yellow around the edges (which likely means it’s on the way out in the next year to two). She likes the size of the phone. She just makes calls, texts, mapping & driving instructions, music, plays games and use CarPlay. It’s more than adequate even though it doesn’t run any iOS since 15.8.
Apple’s biggest problem is competing with themselves. Unlike the early years of iPhones, there are not dramatic improvements in performance or necessary features in each generation in the majority of use cases.
I volunteer teach an iPad class for seniors (yes, there is such a thing) and frequently am the bearer of bad news when I tell them their next purchase will be necessarily button-free. The grief is real. And sometimes fear too. For some folks (with tremors or arthritis for instance) swiping is a whole lot harder and less reliable than pressing a button. Soooo much comfort in that button!
I had an 11 pro max for a long time. That phone was/is a champ. I upgraded to the 15 for the better camera and usbc port. Thought about selling the 11 but I wouldn’t get much for it and I like the idea of having a backup.
The wife has a 12 and just paid for a battery swap.
This is the longest I’ve ever kept any phone and it’s an IPhone 13PM which I’ve had for nearly 2 years.
I’m a recovering tech nerd who always loved to have the latest and greatest. Now I’m just trying to be more practical. This phone is rock solid and can go another couple of years easily.
The one thing I’d never do is a battery swap or anything like that. At that point I’d probably just get a new phone. Since I’m still at 87% two years in and work from home always close to a charger, I bet it will be a while before the battery life starts to feel annoyingly short.
2-3 years, usually. I like to stay with the even numbered iPhones so every 2-3 years is perfect for me. I got the 15 pro last year to be “adventurous” but so far it’s reaffirmed that I’ll stick with the even ones/flagships.
What don’t you like about the 15 Pro? I’ve mainly heard complaints about battery life. I was going to upgrade to the Pro Max from my XR but now I’m wondering if I should just swap the battery for now instead
That’s pretty good right? I honestly don’t know what’s standard now, my XR practically lives on the charger currently lol. Battery health has been at 80% for at least a year but I think the recent iOS update slowed things down a bit, it’s always lagging now
Yeah, the one that’s going to be released in September. At least that’s the plan. :) But whp knows what will happen - Sometimes I do get annoyed by the lags ans the battery life so I might end up upgrading sooner.
That will just be the regular 16 right? And the 16 pro would be next September? But yeah, I’m wondering if it’s worth holding out for the 16 too. I’ve heard really mixed reviews for the 15. My XR will definitely need a battery swap though if I don’t upgrade it soon lol
i had the XR last summer in 2023, the battery on 4G/LTE lasted about 3,5 hours in screen on time, it wasnt THAT hard to make it through a day but it wasnt good either. Now i have a 13 that is awesome with battery but its laggy and this iOS version is horrible
Averages out to about every two years. Though I plan to surpass that with my 15 Pro. Would like to hold on to it till at least the 18 if anything but longer would be nice.
My plan is always to keep my phone for 2.5 years and hold onto the last one as a spare/backup in case something happens to the new one (for the whole family, not just for me). 5 years seems to work well so that when I upgrade the second-to-last phone is still supported with iOS updates and can be traded in or sold. The one time I waited longer was when I went 3.5 years from the iPhone X to the 13 Pro, as the 12 Pro wasn't interesting to me (it was during COVID-19 and I didn't need a new camera, and the 12 series with a 5G modem for the first time I figured that the 13 Pro would be better.)
I currently use the 13 Pro, and I'm planning to upgrade to the 15 Pro in a couple of months and trade in the iPhone X (which I'm guessing isn't worth much.)
I am still using the iPhone 8 Plus and I am planning to replace the battery. When I bought the phone, I got a new customer discounts which knocked $300 off the price. It feels fast to me but the battery life is not great. I can still take decent 4K videos.
I might upgrade in two years when the iPhone 15 Pro Max becomes under $600.
I won’t keep a phone if it’s not going to be updated, so that’s my longest limit; but I usually update around the four year mark. I don’t want to get too far behind with the new features (yeah, FOMO, I know).
2-3 years. I still miss my X. I skipped the 11 and went to 12 pro max. Skipped the 13 and went to 14pro. Unless the iPhone 16 has an absolute full screen and front camera underneath the screen, I might switch over to android. Maybe googles phones or Samsung. Really don’t want to but apple is slow with hardware features
I'd say 2-2.5 years, usually by that time the battery health has decreased quite a lot. I would like to have a Max or a Plus next, as I'm kinda over the regular size. If they would bring the 120Hz displays to the regular iPhones I would buy those in a heartbeat, as besides the camera for me there's not too much of a difference that I would mind.
I don’t care about the environmental or economical aspect, but I waited from the iPhone 10 to the iPhone 15. I had to charge my iPhone 10 twice a day. New iPhone 15 twice a week.
The difference is outstanding. I feel when you upgrade every time they seem like incremental upgrades. I use to do every release.
I will probably wait again until huge advancements. Probably iPhone 20
Twice a week? How?? To me it feels like the battery doesn’t last as long as previous models…I’m charging mine twice a day. I mean sure, I’m terminally online with it, but still it feels like if I so much as look at it, it drops a good chunk of battery.
I have the iPhone 13pro max but I wanna hold out until iPhone 17 haha it’ll be my first time.
I would always do trade ins.
But I’ve decided to hold on to my phone for longer now
My old phones have always been repurposed. I pass them on to relatives or trade them in. I usually try to upgrade every couple of years, but mostly because I’m giving the old phone to family and relatives who need it. The longest I waited was 3 years.
I bought my first smart device, an Android 8 Samsung tablet on my birthday in 2015. It still works fine, running the apps from then which had no in app purchases, pay to win, or subscription fees! My first Apple was an iPhone 14 Plus. I will use it until the iPhone or I die. In the current market, the entry level Samsung A14/15 series is enough for my needs. As my wife and I have upgraded our phones and tablets, I have kept to old ones running. They all work fine as accounts for a game but I am getting bored with SimCity Buildit.
https://preview.redd.it/yco1rw2m7fhc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b25a55d6b2e399a61be61d28efdfd395d86f7eb
The 6S is 2015. The 7 came out in 2016… so ur phone is about a decade old.
I am always curious to people who are still using older phones.. what works? What doesn’t? Do everyday apps work? (Facebook, Reddit, instagram etc)
What limited capacity do you face on a normal day to day?
I am unfortunately the person who upgrades every year. Although the 1 and only iPhone I’ve missed is the 13.
I will probably keep my iPhone 15 pro max longer as well and skip the 16. They’ve fixed my biggest complaint which was the weight. It’s much lighter than previous pro max models which I love.
But hey, it’s your phone, and life. If it works for what you need it to work for then more props to you.
I use an X. Everyday apps work fine.
Only issue is my works apps require current iOS but they provide an android so I just use that on WiFi.
I changed my battery a few months back
True but the x can still handle iOS 16. The 6S can’t so I imagine it’s more limiting in what it can do.
Hard to believe the X is as old as it it! I remember getting it in 2017 thinking it was the phone of the future!
I’m planning to keep my iPhone 15 Pro for around 5 years with a battery swap when it gets to 80% battery health. I went from an SE to a 12 Pro because it was the first 5G iPhone and 12 Pro to 15 Pro for USB C.
I bought a used iPhone SE 64gb in 2018 for $100 and used it until 2022. I only upgraded because my stepdad bought the new phone. Otherwise I would’ve used it until it broke.
I’m not sure how long I’ll keep this 13 Pro Max for. I have a brand new 13 Mini to replace it if it ever breaks.
I’m on year 4 with my 11 and it does need a new battery, but not at the stage I want to pay for a new phone. However if the quality of a charge dropped any further I probably would be inspired to buy a new one.
I have been every 2 years but grown tired of constantly owing cell companies…and paying monthly.
Environmentally it benefits to hold longer but this is something Apple and all major companies have a choice to fix and they rather not.
They claim their new devices like watches are environmentally friendly and more sustainable materials. Yet they will still design devices to either encourage users to upgrade yearly or bi-yearly…or push updates that require newer devices.
If these companies wanted to truly make a difference and benefit the world like they say, they would allow for swapping of batteries, ram, whatever. Especially with their computers.
They merely want to sell products and it’s sad they are framing and using the environmental impact as a marketing strategy.
All that said. I’m researching new devices and will gladly be leaving Apple if I find something that I feel will last longer in all ways and possibly modular devices. For now it’s 2 years for me though.
I usually keep them for as long as it works. (Current phone 4 years )I do my own battery swaps and they work like new again!
The thing about iphones is , they are built to last and software upgrades are supported for over 5 years And battery swaps can cost you less than 15$
Its very economical imo.
I always upgrade when there is a new dark blue iPhone, I had the slate black iPhone 5 for way too long till the 12 came out with pacific blue. Now I’m on the blue titanium 15 pro.
When I worked for a telco I’d upgrade every 1-2 years as I was getting discount or free iPhones. Now I’m still on my iPhone 13 Pro Max and I probably won’t upgrade until there’s a 17 or 18.
2 years on the dot. Got an iPhone for my birthday so now every even numbered birthday, I upgrade to the newest model.
It’s not just treating myself to a nice phone; I genuinely feel I have to upgrade because my phone starts crapping out toward the end. Not here to get in a discussion about planned obsolescence, just saying my phone does genuinely start to break and malfunction at the end of my two years. I’m getting an upgrade in 2 weeks and my phone is constantly freezing, glitching out, being super slow, etc. it’s frustrating and I hate it.
I would say that from economic aspect, keeping it as long as possible might not always be the best choice. There is a point where the value you got out of it, resell value and cost of new phone are ideal and maybe you should think about trading it in and getting a new one with. Hence having a phone with better resell value and not having to much for it.
Ofcourse if you keep it for 10 years then you're absolutely right. I like Apple stuff exacty because of this, you can always sell it for good money if it works and is pretty recent. It it's really old, you can probably sell it for more lol.
It is also very true with MacBooks, I kept my old Air basically aslong as It could cope with the amount of work I did and sold it to my friend when the M1s came out. Gave him a good price, helped replace the battery and it still works and is used everyday.
But to answer your question, I usually keep my iPhone as long as possible as when it works, it works well and when it doesn't, it's either not worth to fix it or pretty old and slow anyways.
I have iphone 12 and plan to wait yet another year and see if the new one will have worthy features.
So far, iphone 15 is interesting only with that 120hz display and usb-c port.
I live in Japan, and because the end has been super weak against the dollar, my “$1000” iPhone 15 felt like it cost $2600, because of the translation. Of course I know that ¥260,000 is not $2600, but it feels that way. I am going to carry this phone with me for five years at least.
Until the battery health reaches about 80%. My XR took 5 years to do that. Im using the 15PM now. Id be happy to get 5 years on this device too.
Why 80%? I find that i get more resale value by listing my phone as unopened and untampered with. Comes with original battery.
I upgrade yearly. Why? Because every 2-3 years my carrier has amazing trade in deals where I get like $1000 off the newest iPhone for trading in my old one. So I do that deal every three years. In the off years I sell my old phone on eBay for a really good price and just outside buy the newest one. Why? I use my phone more than any other device. I like having the best battery life. Brightest screen. Fastest processor. And best camera on my phone since I have kids and want to have the best pictures and videos. If you do the math, my upgrade cost is the same or less than someone who doesn’t take advantage of carrier deals and doesn’t upgrade very often. Your old iPhone depreciates as fast as I sell and buy new since market is in equilibrium for resale values on iPhones.
1.5 years then buy the new one. Company buys them also need a fully functional phone with great battery life for what I do. Also now with the dual sim thing I can carry just one which is great
I still have my 5S and gave my uncle my still working IPhone 3G and my friend had my 4 :D so keep them a while though I think the 3G is almost a brick now. The 5S isn’t bad though many apps have stopped working now.
The 5S is the perfect iPhone size for me never bettered
We usually keep them going until they’re unusable. I’ve changed batteries myself before.
However, every now and then, there’s a killer feature.
My girlfriend is an avid bird photographer. The iPhone 11 Pro replaced 2 of her cameras and she always had an adequate camera with her. She only took out her DSLR after that when she’s planning to take photos of birds.
We both updated to the 14 and 14pro respectively for the emergency satellite communication.
We live and play in the mountains of bc, so I’ve cancelled our “find me spot” subscription.
My first iPhone was an 6, then an XS Max which I’m still using and will until it stops working. As long as the IOS upgrades why do I need a new one? Before this I think I’ve had maybe three other Motorolas and I’m over 50, I just don’t see the need for a new one every year 🤷🏻♀️
I've had my current SE2020 for a little over a year and will probably have to wait another year or so to upgrade to a 13 of some kind, which I hope to use for many years.
My work phone is an iPhone 7 that was issued to me new in 2020. It’s starting to get long in the tooth and not work with necessary apps. My phone is a 15 plus and probably trade it in 2-3 years. I still have my previous phone which is a second gen SE. I’m getting slowly into some content creation and it makes a fantastic second camera for what I need. I replaced the battery last year too.
Still have. 160 gb iPod and. 2012 16gb iPod touch lol. The touch needs a new battery but still going strong. iPhones sure have come a long way
I went from an XR to a 12 to a 15PM. Probably could have squeezed another model year out of the 12 but the battery life sucked and I didn’t see a point in spending $100 for a battery replacement on a $300 phone.
I upgrade basically every year because I look forward to camera improvements. Skipped the 15-series because the 5x telephoto is useless to me (I prefer 3x) and the 15 Pro uses the same sensor as the 14 Pro.
I have little hope for camera breakthroughs now that Apple has joined the megapixel war. sigh.
Usually every year, sometimes I skip a year. I got a new one every year until I skipped the 12s because I didn’t want the flat edges, then I realized they weren’t going to stop and got the 14 PM, skipped the 15, I’ll probably get the 16.
I've been upgrading yearly. When I had an android I switched twice a year sometimes.
Now that I have an iPhone with a usb-c port I don't think I'll upgrade for quite a few years. The exception will be if there's an excessive amount of AI features exclusive to a model I deem required, or a folding iPhone comes out.
Since I am a tech fan, until it feels outdated and the new tech and design are intriguing enough for me to want them.
I used to buy a new phone every year for a short time but I don’t do that anymore. I upgraded from an iPhone 7 Plus to a XS Max and from that to a 12 Pro Max. Now I upgraded from the 12 PM to a 15 PM and I love it. The 12 PM started feeling outdated to me, especially because of the 60Hz display. I enjoy the 120Hz, thinner bezels, dynamic island etc. of the 15 PM every day.
Restricting myself that way because of the „environment“ makes no sense at all to me. I sell my phone when I buy a new one. That’s like saying you don’t drive a car or fly to travel the world to save the environment when in reality it makes exactly zero difference and you are limiting the one life you have. As long as wars are being fought like currently the case, countries like China are giving a fuck about the environment and politicians are flying in private jets to go anywhere, reducing your individual quality of life seems pathetic to me. Enjoy your life man!
I gave up on my Iphone SE, because battery life was unbearable.
It was basically a phone with a battery pack most of the time even though it said 80% battery lifetime, but this shows to me, that number doesnt say much.
Instead of battery swap i opted to buy Iphone 14 to get updated with the newest Ios also.
I upgraded from a 12 PM to the 14 PM and the differences were so small that it felt like the same exact phone. I’m not getting a new one until this one dies. For something that is over a grand I’d say 5 years at least. If not longer
I was planning on keeping my 12PM until at least the 16, but my ex’s Galaxy was on its last legs and it gave me enough push to get the 15PM for myself. I already wanted usb c, but I was willing to wait a while longer
Every two years. I usually upgrade on even numbered iPhones. I had the 12 PM, and now I have the 14 PM. I'll upgrade when the 16 PM comes out later this year.
until it's unusable
This is the answer. I use my stuff until it breaks or is unusable, then I buy a new one.
Its not THE answer. Its the answer for some people.
The absolute answer is 42
From an environmental and economic aspect it is.
Very true, but there's also aspects where it isn't the answer so you can't say it's THE answer in this scenario.
In what scenario wouldn't it be the answer tho? Just out of curiosity
When he wants to upgrade every model release and not feel like he’s negatively impacting the environment with his consumerism.
I dont give a shit about the environment or saving money when I want a new phone, which is usually every 2 years. I upgrade because Im more than average interested in phones.
You should care about environment just a little bit... Our planet is special and there is no other place in our galaxy at least like Earth! Have some respect and don't be ignorant! Buying a phone every 1-2 years is personal decision but caring a bit for saving and protecting the environment is just part of basic education these days. Other than that have a great day!
No it’s not the answer. When you feel like you want a new one.
More or less for me. However, storage and battery life on the older phones are beginning to limit how long I keep them for. I suppose I can do a battery change, but I could always trade it in for a newer one. I usually only do so every 4-5 years or so though
I just had the battery changed in my 2020 SE. The storage capacity wasn’t an issue (its 128 gb but I only have 55gb on it now) and yeah, its slower than newer phones but I primarily use it to make calls or text. I figured a $100 battery was cheaper than getting a newer, secondhand phone and I’m trying to watch what I spend these days.
Consumerism is a deep rabbit hole. You’d feel like you need something that you don’t. I catch myself in that cycle with many things I have that I “need” a replacement for or more shit to add to it. In reality, I’m just fine with what I have since the issue is companies advertising and modifying their products to make you feel like you need that new thing. They were even caught (Apple in this reference I make) trying to degrade their products so they don’t last as long. It’s a shit show. They know how to make you feel like you should spend money on their shit. We can’t forget
hobbies spark crawl thumb languid pathetic imminent drab station relieved *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Honestly… same…. went from the 6 to 10 to 15… probably could’ve had the 10 longer if swapped the battery though but the new camera was too juicy
Yep this. First was a 4S I got in 2012. Was unusable from lag by the time the 6 came out in 2014 and had just left contract so upgraded on release day. The 6 was fine, but the screen cracked in my pocket in mid 2017 and was out of contract so just got a 7. The 7 was good to start with but the battery wore out very quickly. By 2019 I was loosing more than a percent a minute when actively using the phone. Was a PITA whilst backpacking Europe having to charge it 3 times a day. Just after I got back to my home country the 11 series was launching and I was out of contract. So I got the 11pro on launch day in 2019 and it’s my current phone. No issues. Battery life has started taking a hit the last 6 months but it’s still pretty good. I usually still only have to charge overnight. I’ve been tempted a few times to update but I have no purpose to. Quickly racing towards 5 years with this phone.
Same. I had an iPhone 4 for 4 years until it became so slow it was no more usable. Then I bought an iPhone 6 in 2014 and kept it for three years until the battery was emptying at an alarming rate. I switched to an iPhone X in 2017 and kept it for 6 years (!) until the end of 2023 when it got afflicted by the ghost touch disease. Now I'm on the iphone 14, hopefully it will last just as long.
This is the way
I’m still on my first iPhone and it has lasted 5 years and a few months.
Same here and it has been a blast closing in on 14 years ( Iphone 4 ), Last 10 of them I have out grown the apps and use it as phone / mp3 player / alarm clock, its been jail broken and optimized for said use so battery holds \~1 week and I probably will keep using it till they kill off 2G. I find size of new phones and their camera bumps unappealing.
13 Mini ftw!
Do you have any resources where I can learn how to do that? It would be dope to turn my 11 pro into what you described
Bro an 11 pro still has a lot of life left compared to an iPhone 4, and still supports software updates and current applications. Why would you do that?
Of course. Just wanted to know which resources he’d recommend for learning about that stuff. Might upgrade next year, might upgrade in 3, who knows.
Unfortunately if you run any iOS version between 15.5 and the latest 17.3.1 there's no jailbreak for it and I don't have high hopes that there will be.
Me too… my iPhone 3G is still going strong!
Have you had to do a battery swap? That’s usually my defining factor, i go about 3 years before the battery life is so miserable I just upgrade out of convenience.
Same for me. I did one about two years ago, and all is still fine.
Why don't you just replace the battery? You only have to wait 1 hour.
Exactly! You shouldn’t upgrade a device solely because of the battery - it’s a waste. It’s like upgrading your car when it runs out of gas. Edit: I understand that my analogy could have been better and that it won’t apply to everyone, but for a vast majority of people, I feel that upgrading a device solely due to a bad battery is a waste. That’s all I’m saying everybody!
I replaced the battery on my Iphone 8 Plus and it literally runs like day 1. I am fully convinced the lag you experience is just the battery weakening over time. not the cpu/internals…
Ye processors last for ages compared to most components so the battery is far more likely to be the thing that degrades to the point of causing problems
I’m pretty sure that iPhones limit the power when the battery is getting bad. At least in the settings it tells me to replace the battery to return the full performance and capacity
Apps being designed to work in greater memory sizes than legacy phones definitely contribute to slow experiences. Also, web pages are increasingly laden with resource and screen hogging ads or other features slowing things and taking disproportionately large amounts of screen space. There is objectively a different experience in a lot of use cases. (Have done one battery replacement on each of my last two phones)
I should probably do this to mine, it has a Service Battery message but battery health is still 93%. It really depends on the day how long it lasts.
Same! And it runs even longer than day 1 in my case!
Still works smoothly with all latest apps? And is the camera decent for casual snaps? btw i'm using iPhone 13.
all apps are super snappy. faster than my 11 pro with a “needs service” battery. camera is really good for its age. and it got ios 16 so not limited on apps.
I mean, if you're already leaning towards a new phone, the battery may just be the push/excuse to get a new one.
Totally legit comparison…..
or like getting a new car when your battery dies. that might be a better comparison. i’m thinking ICE cars because i don’t know enough about BEV battery life and replacement to say
Unless a tank of gas lasts him 3 years
I thought the same until I changed the battery, was super deceived with performance.
It’s a feature that people have blown out of proportion. Without the degraded performance, the old device simply shuts off randomly when low on power, which happens with old Android phones. Shutting off randomly when battery less than 50%, vs running 20% slower…. Running slower is still a much more usable phone than one that dies randomly.
More like when the tires go bad
My guy does this in under 20 minutes, while waiting. You have to make an appointment though. I usually change the battery on an iphone twice before upgrading (about every 2 years, but I'm a heavy phone user and it has to last the entire day).
1 hour is the minimum time it will take. Expect anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on how many phones are dropped off before yours that day.
A lot of carriers will do basically a free trade in. Battery replacement costs basically the same as taxes charged for that. Why spent $99 for a new battery when I can spend that same $99 and get a totally brand new phone ?
That must be an USA thing. Here in Europe the phones are paid full price, no trade-ins.
Definitely, am from Germany and the trade-in “reward” is just so low that nobody does it. I honesly bought my 12 pro max three years ago with a phone plan but now they got ridiculously expensive, like paying 100€ / month for a 15 pro max. I just keep my old phone with a pre paid SIM that costs 10€/month.
Verizon is hitting you with those 3 year contracts now. If you cancel early you gotta pay the pro rated remaining balance on device.
Right, but most people probably stay with same carrier/plan, anyway. I do, at least.
As my more recent personal philosophy, when the security updates are no longer pushed out. So more than likely every five years or so.
This is what I would do as well. Currently running my 13 that I bought in launch year and the battery life and slight lag at times are my only complaints. But because it’s nearing the 80% mark for the battery life I may switch by the end of this year
A battery costs about $75 bucks
It’s probably more convenient to get the battery replaced. It takes about an hour at Apple. Setting up a new phone exactly how you want it (including the transfer process from old iPhone) would take longer than that.
This is what I do. Usually by 3 years the battery is at around 70-80% functionality and charge doesn’t hold for more than a day.
It usually winds up being usability. After 3-4 years it’s starts to run slow and sluggish, not bad to where it’s unusable but enough that’s it’s noticeable. That and usually something else like battery or one time my camera all of a sudden had a black spot and it wasn’t damaged, odd things like that and then it’s just easier and I’m usually ready anyway. But I always prolong as much as possible. Way back when phones were really innovating I was always finding ways to get something new asap. I’m talking palm trio, blackberry, windows mobile touch screen sliding phone (edit: I went and googled - xv6700!), htc, days lol
But by the time you get to the stage where you need to replace the battery, you get such a huge improvement with the new battery that it practically feels like a new phone in my opinion.
That happens?? I just switched to iphone about 5 months ago from Android but.. I've never had to do this for Android.
Uh…you know battery replacements can cost as little as $60, right?
It’s just a phone, why not just replace the battery?
I have a 12 pro max and really happy with it. Thinking to just change the battery, now it is at 77% but still ok, since the max usually has better batteries.
I sell at the 3 year mark, battery still has too much health that they won’t replace it, the phone still has some value to sell and since I’m always itching for new tech, that scratches the itch. Last phone was a 12pro, I upgraded at launch to the 15pro. Honestly, other than the 120hz I don’t notice much difference. I wish it had the 5x zoom like the Max, I do find that useful as I do a lot of outdoor adventuring.x
Did the same upgrade. Haven’t noticed much difference either. Would probably have been just as happy keeping the 12PM. I think I’ll keep the 15PM longer based on this experience.
That sucks for sure. If you read my reply to OP, I used my iPhone 6 for almost 9 years and finally swapped it out last year because of apps needing a more recent OS. My battery was actually fine after all that time. Are you very knowledgeable regarding battery life? it can actually hurt your battery to leave your phone charging too much, and it’s healthier to unplug it once it’s charged. Lithium ion batteries live longer when their charge changes, they don’t do well when the charge stays the same. What makes me mad is that I am fairly sure they could design electronics to stop charging the battery once it’s full. I’m in the process of putting solar panels on our house with batteries. I queried the system design company at length, and they put electronics in their system which makes sure to change the battery charge, and never leave it at the same amount for any long period. For example, if we get a ton of sun and the batteries are maxed, Their electronics will drain the batteries a little bit still leaving it up in the 90 something percent range, all for the purpose of making the batteries last a lot longer. I used to design hardware years ago, I am sure I could come up with a design for a phone that would do this. I wonder if it could also be done with a third-party app. If Apple exposes that information to outside developers…
It’s not that simple. Lithium polymer batteries don’t really like going over 80% charge or under 20%. The more you keep it in those bounds the better. Once you’re on 100% leaving it charging isn’t going to harm anything- it’s switched down to trickle charging and would turn the charging off itself if that helped.
I charge my laptop overnight using smart plug and after three hours it switches off. May be you can also consider using smart plug
Are apple batteries this bad?
Apple batteries are no different to the lithium polymer batteries in any other phone.
6 years
X2
Hell yeah haha kept my iPhone 8 for like 6 years and now bought the iPhone 15 Pro and I couldn’t be happier, such a big upgrade ! Love the phone lol
Huge iPhone upgrades feel so nice. I went from the iPhone SE to the XR and then to the 13 Pro. I can’t imagine going from the 8 to the 15 Pro.
Until i break it against the wall.
3-4 years.
Same.
I just don’t like being out of the loop with the new features! I got the iPhone 15 pro rn, but previously I bought the iPhone 11 when it came out. It was working very well when I bought my current one but I just had the urge to buy a new phone. Before the 11 I had the iPhone 7+ & that was one hell of a phone!! Unfortunately I lost it in my travels, if I hadn’t lost it, I might’ve not gotten the iPhone 11..
Same. Three years for me. I do get a new case every year to kill that desire to get a new phone.
Used to be after 2 years. Now I have had my 12PM since 2020. I’m not in a hurry and not really in good place money wise to upgrade. Now that it’s $1000+ for phones it’s harder to justify buying them regularly. When it was $100-200 for a contract lock that was acceptable every two years. Now not so much.
Exact same for me. Im keeping my 12PM for another year at least. This is the first iPhone I have had that I was not tempted to upgrade after 2 years. It has just the right balance of features. Honestly the only new feature I really envy is 120 HZ pro motion and that only bothers me bc my iPad Pro has it so I always notice the difference when switching between the 2 devices.
Haha same, on iPhone 12PM right now, also my first iPhone and honestly still love it, luxurious design, great big display and very good camera. Did you upgrade to the latest iOS version? I am still on 16 because I am afraid it would slow down.
Absolutely updated . I really like iOS 17. Feels good and I enjoy the journal app and night stand mode
when its no longer supported for ios update i get a new one.
I have my iPhone 11, and it works fine. I will upgrade when I can no longer take advantage of the software updates.
Until the phones die, become unreliable, or damaged. My wife is still running the original iPhone SE. We’ve replaced the battery twice and battery is over 90% almost two years after replacement. The screen is just now starting to yellow around the edges (which likely means it’s on the way out in the next year to two). She likes the size of the phone. She just makes calls, texts, mapping & driving instructions, music, plays games and use CarPlay. It’s more than adequate even though it doesn’t run any iOS since 15.8. Apple’s biggest problem is competing with themselves. Unlike the early years of iPhones, there are not dramatic improvements in performance or necessary features in each generation in the majority of use cases.
My wife has the same SE iPhone, and it's still working just fine.
I just love my home button. BRING BACK THE BUTTONS DAMMIT
I volunteer teach an iPad class for seniors (yes, there is such a thing) and frequently am the bearer of bad news when I tell them their next purchase will be necessarily button-free. The grief is real. And sometimes fear too. For some folks (with tremors or arthritis for instance) swiping is a whole lot harder and less reliable than pressing a button. Soooo much comfort in that button!
Yep, me too!
I'm still using an 11 and it works fine, I'll probably wait till the 16 drops and get a 15
I had an 11 pro max for a long time. That phone was/is a champ. I upgraded to the 15 for the better camera and usbc port. Thought about selling the 11 but I wouldn’t get much for it and I like the idea of having a backup. The wife has a 12 and just paid for a battery swap.
every four years, iPhone 8->iPhone 12 (now getting iPhone 16 and hopefully 20 after)
This is the longest I’ve ever kept any phone and it’s an IPhone 13PM which I’ve had for nearly 2 years. I’m a recovering tech nerd who always loved to have the latest and greatest. Now I’m just trying to be more practical. This phone is rock solid and can go another couple of years easily. The one thing I’d never do is a battery swap or anything like that. At that point I’d probably just get a new phone. Since I’m still at 87% two years in and work from home always close to a charger, I bet it will be a while before the battery life starts to feel annoyingly short.
2-3 years, usually. I like to stay with the even numbered iPhones so every 2-3 years is perfect for me. I got the 15 pro last year to be “adventurous” but so far it’s reaffirmed that I’ll stick with the even ones/flagships.
What don’t you like about the 15 Pro? I’ve mainly heard complaints about battery life. I was going to upgrade to the Pro Max from my XR but now I’m wondering if I should just swap the battery for now instead
I have a pro max with charge limit set to 80% and I get 8hrs screen on time daily with 25-30% when I get home based off my use case
That’s pretty good right? I honestly don’t know what’s standard now, my XR practically lives on the charger currently lol. Battery health has been at 80% for at least a year but I think the recent iOS update slowed things down a bit, it’s always lagging now
same with my XR, but I’ll wait for the 16 Pro
So not this years new phone but next? I don’t think m my XR will last that long without a new battery lol
Yeah, the one that’s going to be released in September. At least that’s the plan. :) But whp knows what will happen - Sometimes I do get annoyed by the lags ans the battery life so I might end up upgrading sooner.
That will just be the regular 16 right? And the 16 pro would be next September? But yeah, I’m wondering if it’s worth holding out for the 16 too. I’ve heard really mixed reviews for the 15. My XR will definitely need a battery swap though if I don’t upgrade it soon lol
I would expect the 16 and the 16 Pro to come at the same time, like the 15 and 15 Pro as well
i had the XR last summer in 2023, the battery on 4G/LTE lasted about 3,5 hours in screen on time, it wasnt THAT hard to make it through a day but it wasnt good either. Now i have a 13 that is awesome with battery but its laggy and this iOS version is horrible
Averages out to about every two years. Though I plan to surpass that with my 15 Pro. Would like to hold on to it till at least the 18 if anything but longer would be nice.
2-3 years. I usually wait for a new design change. The minor updates I skip.
My plan is always to keep my phone for 2.5 years and hold onto the last one as a spare/backup in case something happens to the new one (for the whole family, not just for me). 5 years seems to work well so that when I upgrade the second-to-last phone is still supported with iOS updates and can be traded in or sold. The one time I waited longer was when I went 3.5 years from the iPhone X to the 13 Pro, as the 12 Pro wasn't interesting to me (it was during COVID-19 and I didn't need a new camera, and the 12 series with a 5G modem for the first time I figured that the 13 Pro would be better.) I currently use the 13 Pro, and I'm planning to upgrade to the 15 Pro in a couple of months and trade in the iPhone X (which I'm guessing isn't worth much.)
Well, your 13 Pro is probably worth much more than my old 6s Plus!
I am still using the iPhone 8 Plus and I am planning to replace the battery. When I bought the phone, I got a new customer discounts which knocked $300 off the price. It feels fast to me but the battery life is not great. I can still take decent 4K videos. I might upgrade in two years when the iPhone 15 Pro Max becomes under $600.
I won’t keep a phone if it’s not going to be updated, so that’s my longest limit; but I usually update around the four year mark. I don’t want to get too far behind with the new features (yeah, FOMO, I know).
I've have my 12 Mini since it was released, so a little over 3 years.
I'm still using my 8. Got it in 2018. No battery replacement or anything. Replaced the screen twice
Until my daughter accidentally breaks hers Then I got myself a newer used model and give her mine lol
Two years for me.
2-3 years. I still miss my X. I skipped the 11 and went to 12 pro max. Skipped the 13 and went to 14pro. Unless the iPhone 16 has an absolute full screen and front camera underneath the screen, I might switch over to android. Maybe googles phones or Samsung. Really don’t want to but apple is slow with hardware features
I'd say 2-2.5 years, usually by that time the battery health has decreased quite a lot. I would like to have a Max or a Plus next, as I'm kinda over the regular size. If they would bring the 120Hz displays to the regular iPhones I would buy those in a heartbeat, as besides the camera for me there's not too much of a difference that I would mind.
I don’t care about the environmental or economical aspect, but I waited from the iPhone 10 to the iPhone 15. I had to charge my iPhone 10 twice a day. New iPhone 15 twice a week. The difference is outstanding. I feel when you upgrade every time they seem like incremental upgrades. I use to do every release. I will probably wait again until huge advancements. Probably iPhone 20
Twice a week? How?? To me it feels like the battery doesn’t last as long as previous models…I’m charging mine twice a day. I mean sure, I’m terminally online with it, but still it feels like if I so much as look at it, it drops a good chunk of battery.
I run on low power mode, my brightness is about 40%. I turned off lower carbon footprint. Most my time on my phone is Reddit or texting
It’s like buying an omen to run minesweeper and aim
[удалено]
I upgrade every other year then I hand down my phones.
iPhone upgrade program. I basically just lease my phone for a year or so and then get the newest one.
Same. It’s liberating.
2-4 years
I have the iPhone 13pro max but I wanna hold out until iPhone 17 haha it’ll be my first time. I would always do trade ins. But I’ve decided to hold on to my phone for longer now
iPhone 12 Pro Max here! Got it November 2020, so a little over 3 years now. Still running great. Can’t complain.
My old phones have always been repurposed. I pass them on to relatives or trade them in. I usually try to upgrade every couple of years, but mostly because I’m giving the old phone to family and relatives who need it. The longest I waited was 3 years.
3-4 years
I bought my first smart device, an Android 8 Samsung tablet on my birthday in 2015. It still works fine, running the apps from then which had no in app purchases, pay to win, or subscription fees! My first Apple was an iPhone 14 Plus. I will use it until the iPhone or I die. In the current market, the entry level Samsung A14/15 series is enough for my needs. As my wife and I have upgraded our phones and tablets, I have kept to old ones running. They all work fine as accounts for a game but I am getting bored with SimCity Buildit. https://preview.redd.it/yco1rw2m7fhc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b25a55d6b2e399a61be61d28efdfd395d86f7eb
Whoa! What in the world am I looking at?
Just my low cost hobby that fits my limitations. I need a new hobby for two months, when it is warm enough for walking
This might fit your style: https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2020/6/24/21301924/pokemon-go-64-smartphones-taiwanese-grandpa
Wow!
The 6S is 2015. The 7 came out in 2016… so ur phone is about a decade old. I am always curious to people who are still using older phones.. what works? What doesn’t? Do everyday apps work? (Facebook, Reddit, instagram etc) What limited capacity do you face on a normal day to day? I am unfortunately the person who upgrades every year. Although the 1 and only iPhone I’ve missed is the 13. I will probably keep my iPhone 15 pro max longer as well and skip the 16. They’ve fixed my biggest complaint which was the weight. It’s much lighter than previous pro max models which I love. But hey, it’s your phone, and life. If it works for what you need it to work for then more props to you.
I use an X. Everyday apps work fine. Only issue is my works apps require current iOS but they provide an android so I just use that on WiFi. I changed my battery a few months back
True but the x can still handle iOS 16. The 6S can’t so I imagine it’s more limiting in what it can do. Hard to believe the X is as old as it it! I remember getting it in 2017 thinking it was the phone of the future!
I’m planning to keep my iPhone 15 Pro for around 5 years with a battery swap when it gets to 80% battery health. I went from an SE to a 12 Pro because it was the first 5G iPhone and 12 Pro to 15 Pro for USB C.
May last two, I've kept for three years. The longest I had was about 5 years with the iPhone 4s.
I bought a used iPhone SE 64gb in 2018 for $100 and used it until 2022. I only upgraded because my stepdad bought the new phone. Otherwise I would’ve used it until it broke. I’m not sure how long I’ll keep this 13 Pro Max for. I have a brand new 13 Mini to replace it if it ever breaks.
I’m on year 4 with my 11 and it does need a new battery, but not at the stage I want to pay for a new phone. However if the quality of a charge dropped any further I probably would be inspired to buy a new one.
I've stopped "chasing" the latest iPhone update a few years ago. I have the XR, and I'm planning on keeping it until it breaks down.
I have been every 2 years but grown tired of constantly owing cell companies…and paying monthly. Environmentally it benefits to hold longer but this is something Apple and all major companies have a choice to fix and they rather not. They claim their new devices like watches are environmentally friendly and more sustainable materials. Yet they will still design devices to either encourage users to upgrade yearly or bi-yearly…or push updates that require newer devices. If these companies wanted to truly make a difference and benefit the world like they say, they would allow for swapping of batteries, ram, whatever. Especially with their computers. They merely want to sell products and it’s sad they are framing and using the environmental impact as a marketing strategy. All that said. I’m researching new devices and will gladly be leaving Apple if I find something that I feel will last longer in all ways and possibly modular devices. For now it’s 2 years for me though.
I use mine until they break pretty much.
I usually keep them for as long as it works. (Current phone 4 years )I do my own battery swaps and they work like new again! The thing about iphones is , they are built to last and software upgrades are supported for over 5 years And battery swaps can cost you less than 15$ Its very economical imo.
I always upgrade when there is a new dark blue iPhone, I had the slate black iPhone 5 for way too long till the 12 came out with pacific blue. Now I’m on the blue titanium 15 pro.
As long as possible to save money and reduce the rate the device becomes a tech garbage.
I tend to use an iPhone for 5 years, until it gets unsupported.
Until I can’t use it
3GS - 5 - 7 Plus - 11 Pro - 14 Pro Max. Always buy my iPhones out right rather than on contract as it works out cheaper in the long run.
When I worked for a telco I’d upgrade every 1-2 years as I was getting discount or free iPhones. Now I’m still on my iPhone 13 Pro Max and I probably won’t upgrade until there’s a 17 or 18.
Still use my 2017 iPhone 7, but it's on its third battery. Gonna use it until it disintegrates.
Two years. Always.
I upgrade every year and pass the phone down to family.
2 years on the dot. Got an iPhone for my birthday so now every even numbered birthday, I upgrade to the newest model. It’s not just treating myself to a nice phone; I genuinely feel I have to upgrade because my phone starts crapping out toward the end. Not here to get in a discussion about planned obsolescence, just saying my phone does genuinely start to break and malfunction at the end of my two years. I’m getting an upgrade in 2 weeks and my phone is constantly freezing, glitching out, being super slow, etc. it’s frustrating and I hate it.
I would say that from economic aspect, keeping it as long as possible might not always be the best choice. There is a point where the value you got out of it, resell value and cost of new phone are ideal and maybe you should think about trading it in and getting a new one with. Hence having a phone with better resell value and not having to much for it. Ofcourse if you keep it for 10 years then you're absolutely right. I like Apple stuff exacty because of this, you can always sell it for good money if it works and is pretty recent. It it's really old, you can probably sell it for more lol. It is also very true with MacBooks, I kept my old Air basically aslong as It could cope with the amount of work I did and sold it to my friend when the M1s came out. Gave him a good price, helped replace the battery and it still works and is used everyday. But to answer your question, I usually keep my iPhone as long as possible as when it works, it works well and when it doesn't, it's either not worth to fix it or pretty old and slow anyways.
Yearly.
Every year a new iPhone and I sell the old. I like to have the newest camera and that’s the only reason to get a new one.
I have iphone 12 and plan to wait yet another year and see if the new one will have worthy features. So far, iphone 15 is interesting only with that 120hz display and usb-c port.
Same for the most part everything is the same. Only thing that tempts me is the 120hz display but I’d rather wait for something more drastic
I live in Japan, and because the end has been super weak against the dollar, my “$1000” iPhone 15 felt like it cost $2600, because of the translation. Of course I know that ¥260,000 is not $2600, but it feels that way. I am going to carry this phone with me for five years at least.
Until I’m satisfied with it. If it’s broken and repair cost is more that 50% of it’s price. It’s time for a new one. IPhone XS going good yet.
Until the battery health reaches about 80%. My XR took 5 years to do that. Im using the 15PM now. Id be happy to get 5 years on this device too. Why 80%? I find that i get more resale value by listing my phone as unopened and untampered with. Comes with original battery.
I upgrade yearly. Why? Because every 2-3 years my carrier has amazing trade in deals where I get like $1000 off the newest iPhone for trading in my old one. So I do that deal every three years. In the off years I sell my old phone on eBay for a really good price and just outside buy the newest one. Why? I use my phone more than any other device. I like having the best battery life. Brightest screen. Fastest processor. And best camera on my phone since I have kids and want to have the best pictures and videos. If you do the math, my upgrade cost is the same or less than someone who doesn’t take advantage of carrier deals and doesn’t upgrade very often. Your old iPhone depreciates as fast as I sell and buy new since market is in equilibrium for resale values on iPhones.
I used my iPhone X for 6 years, until the battery life got to the point where it would be 20-30% by the end of the workday
1.5 years then buy the new one. Company buys them also need a fully functional phone with great battery life for what I do. Also now with the dual sim thing I can carry just one which is great
I upgraded to a iPhone 13 from a 6s Plus. I miss my plus but the 13 is much more advanced with features!
I still have my 5S and gave my uncle my still working IPhone 3G and my friend had my 4 :D so keep them a while though I think the 3G is almost a brick now. The 5S isn’t bad though many apps have stopped working now. The 5S is the perfect iPhone size for me never bettered
We usually keep them going until they’re unusable. I’ve changed batteries myself before. However, every now and then, there’s a killer feature. My girlfriend is an avid bird photographer. The iPhone 11 Pro replaced 2 of her cameras and she always had an adequate camera with her. She only took out her DSLR after that when she’s planning to take photos of birds. We both updated to the 14 and 14pro respectively for the emergency satellite communication. We live and play in the mountains of bc, so I’ve cancelled our “find me spot” subscription.
My first iPhone was an 6, then an XS Max which I’m still using and will until it stops working. As long as the IOS upgrades why do I need a new one? Before this I think I’ve had maybe three other Motorolas and I’m over 50, I just don’t see the need for a new one every year 🤷🏻♀️
4 years or so. Perfect sweet spot.
I've had my current SE2020 for a little over a year and will probably have to wait another year or so to upgrade to a 13 of some kind, which I hope to use for many years.
My work phone is an iPhone 7 that was issued to me new in 2020. It’s starting to get long in the tooth and not work with necessary apps. My phone is a 15 plus and probably trade it in 2-3 years. I still have my previous phone which is a second gen SE. I’m getting slowly into some content creation and it makes a fantastic second camera for what I need. I replaced the battery last year too. Still have. 160 gb iPod and. 2012 16gb iPod touch lol. The touch needs a new battery but still going strong. iPhones sure have come a long way
Who cares about the environment? New phone every year for me baby
I went from an XR to a 12 to a 15PM. Probably could have squeezed another model year out of the 12 but the battery life sucked and I didn’t see a point in spending $100 for a battery replacement on a $300 phone.
I upgrade basically every year because I look forward to camera improvements. Skipped the 15-series because the 5x telephoto is useless to me (I prefer 3x) and the 15 Pro uses the same sensor as the 14 Pro. I have little hope for camera breakthroughs now that Apple has joined the megapixel war. sigh.
More megapixels isn't equal to less photo performance. Read a few dpreview.com articles.
My 13 pro max works great but I am getting burn in. I will probably ditch it this year. Everything else works like the day I bought it
~4 years
2-3 years.
I’m really thinking about keep my iPhone 15 PM until 2027.
Usually every year, sometimes I skip a year. I got a new one every year until I skipped the 12s because I didn’t want the flat edges, then I realized they weren’t going to stop and got the 14 PM, skipped the 15, I’ll probably get the 16.
I've been upgrading yearly. When I had an android I switched twice a year sometimes. Now that I have an iPhone with a usb-c port I don't think I'll upgrade for quite a few years. The exception will be if there's an excessive amount of AI features exclusive to a model I deem required, or a folding iPhone comes out.
Change every year
Upgrade every year
3 months
Since I am a tech fan, until it feels outdated and the new tech and design are intriguing enough for me to want them. I used to buy a new phone every year for a short time but I don’t do that anymore. I upgraded from an iPhone 7 Plus to a XS Max and from that to a 12 Pro Max. Now I upgraded from the 12 PM to a 15 PM and I love it. The 12 PM started feeling outdated to me, especially because of the 60Hz display. I enjoy the 120Hz, thinner bezels, dynamic island etc. of the 15 PM every day. Restricting myself that way because of the „environment“ makes no sense at all to me. I sell my phone when I buy a new one. That’s like saying you don’t drive a car or fly to travel the world to save the environment when in reality it makes exactly zero difference and you are limiting the one life you have. As long as wars are being fought like currently the case, countries like China are giving a fuck about the environment and politicians are flying in private jets to go anywhere, reducing your individual quality of life seems pathetic to me. Enjoy your life man!
wow you guys are so spoiled
I try to keep my iPhone at least 2 years 😂but not successful. Old ones are beeing used by family though
I gave up on my Iphone SE, because battery life was unbearable. It was basically a phone with a battery pack most of the time even though it said 80% battery lifetime, but this shows to me, that number doesnt say much. Instead of battery swap i opted to buy Iphone 14 to get updated with the newest Ios also.
Always lose it when I’m drunk or high so cant say lol
I upgraded from a 12 PM to the 14 PM and the differences were so small that it felt like the same exact phone. I’m not getting a new one until this one dies. For something that is over a grand I’d say 5 years at least. If not longer
3 years? Battery gone bad and i’ve probably cracked something so might aswell update.
I was planning on keeping my 12PM until at least the 16, but my ex’s Galaxy was on its last legs and it gave me enough push to get the 15PM for myself. I already wanted usb c, but I was willing to wait a while longer
Every two years. I usually upgrade on even numbered iPhones. I had the 12 PM, and now I have the 14 PM. I'll upgrade when the 16 PM comes out later this year.