Asklemmy

Every 5 years. For next year, I want to buy a custom Android (GrapheneOS - Motorola, or Degogled Android/Ubuntu Touch - Volla, or Fairphone with /e/ os), I will see.

When my old one dies. Currently only on my 2nd smartphone.

Had my last smartphone, Honor 20, for 6 years, it didn't get any safety updates for the last 3.. Bought a refurbished iPhone 2 years ago, I will either use that until the safety updates stop or until I ragequit myself out of the modern society. Whichever happens sooner, following the ID laws and all.

But my main phone is a dumb Nokia I found from the trash. I don't see it breaking and they do sell aftermarket batteries still, so no issues. Can call mom and so on.

I've had my current phone for about 5 years and am thinking of getting a new one this fall.

Still using my OP8T (kebab) from 2020. 6 years strong with LineageOS.

I'll wait till I leave the USA to swap to a new phone, just one more year...

About every 5 years. Also weird to hear that about Apple fans. Everyone I know with an iPhone uses it until they can’t anymore or it stops getting updates. Maybe we Europeans use our phones longer or something.

I use them until they're literally too broken to be worth fighting with anymore. Only then do I buy another one.

About every 4 years.

i strategically bought a cheap s20 for ~80$ to wait some time for the market to be better. ~6 months later i bought a waay better phone, for a good price&quality.
the s20 had a huge black spot of broken pixels.
i still use it (its in my packpack RN). decent for extra storage or even LLM(slm). but the screen is flickering so i need to get the screen replaced ..etc

When it dies or becomes obsolete (~5 years)

I think it's a tech fanboys rather than Apple fanboys that change it every year : one can observe the same modus operandi for Samsung.

Most Apple users will keep their device for a while, just as most android users. Those that change tend to value peer recognition above eveything else and having the latest gadget is a way to achieve that goal.

Once every 2 or 3 years back when I was buying the stinky cheap ones. My current Pixel, however, is approaching 5 years strong. No good reason to buy a new one at this point, maybe until the GrapheneOS Motorola comes out since I don't do anything computationally intensive on my phone.

Currently every 3 years for me. Normally it’s once the new models have enough added hardware features like better cameras, better microphones for video recording etc

It hasn’t been because my phone has been slow for many years because they’re at the point of being powerful even considering years of age.

I’ve only met one person who upgrades each year simply because a new phone is released yet myself and many others have iPhones.

I buy a new one when my current one is having so many problems it's hard to ignore. I didn't get a smartphone till 2020. Before then it was cheap pay-as-you-go phones. That phone was a moto g power and I had it till last year when it was getting to be too slow and the screen shattered when dropping it on my way out of work. I got a pixel 10 since my phone plan gave a massive discount on it.

every 5 years, which imo is even too often. the reason is usually a combo of os slowdown/battery life/lack of storage which really is a little ridiculous. f capitalism!

About 5 years. I don't care much about the canera. I went from a note 20 Ultra to getting a red magic 11 pro late last year. It has pretty bad cameras but everything else is awesome and the battery will probably be what will eventually make me upgrade again. Just seeing how long it will last and how hard a time it will be to get a hold of a replacement battery. I know how to repair and work on phones and electronics, so doing repairs and getting to the battery isn't much of a challenge for myself, but getting batteries that aren't utter trash is a lot harder.

Until it is entirely unusable. My last phone I had for years after it stopped being supported, it would hardly charge, the screen was totally shattered, and I was still using it up until it bricked itself. I'll probably see if I can convert my current GOS phone into a Linux phone after GOS stops supporting it, for security reasons to use a supported OS, but I want to minimise my contribution to e-waste.

Four years. I'll typically buy a new phone, but an older model. I've still managed to always have a headphone jack!

I kept my last phone maybe 5 years. I replaced it because my bank's app no longer supported the old Android version and the mfg no longer provided updates.

I replaced it with a !LineageOS@lemmy.ml device because I decided not getting updates was a deal breaker.

My good friend gets a new phone as part of their plan every 4 years, so they give me their old phone and I give my old phone to my partner. Haven't bought a phone in over 12 years, but I guess you could say I change phones every 4 years.

Until the security updates stop coming out from the manufacturer

Longtime Apple fanboy here, I bought an SE in 2014, upgraded to the XS in 2018, and the 16 pro in 2024, so once every ~5 years or so. Couldn’t imagine buying a new phone more frequently than that.

I recieved my first phone in 2003 and as far as I can remember, I have owned 8 phones from 2003 to 2026.

I owned 4 phones from the ages of 14 to 19 From 20 to 30 I owned 3 phones. In my 30s I have so far only owned 1 phone. On average that means I have replaced my phones every 2.8 years.

Three of my phones were used phones I either bought from friends or got for cheap at phone stores because they had been display models.

My first phone was a nokia 3510i and I replaced it with a Sony Ericsson phone around 2005 because I wanted a camera phone and it was no longer cool to own one of the old school Nokia phones.

My next one was a bronze colored Sony Ericsson dumbphone and I think I got it in 2007. It fell into a river. We managed to save it, but it was never the same. I forget if I got it new or if this was a display model.

The one I got after that one was a purple phone, similarish to the bronze one. We are still in dumbphone land and I'm pretty sure it was 2008. I think it was one of my friends' old phones and I bought it from her because she felt sorry for me that my "river phone" was acting up.

The one after this one was in 2011 when I got my first smartphone. Xperia Ray, I think it was called. It lasted me 4 years and then fell out of my pocket when I ran across the road and it died a horrific death on asphalt.

I got myself a used dumbphone in order to stay in contact with people, but it genuinely sucked. It had been a display model at a store and it was dirt cheap and barely worked. This phone only lasted me some months before my temper could no longer handle it being so shit at everything. I don't even remember, what it looked like.

I finally bit the bullet and splurged on a smartphone. My first Andriod. I think it was called something-something "Edge". Broke easily. Couldn't handle shit. Definitely the weakest phone I ever had, productionwise. Somehow, it lasted me 7 years. Maybe out of stubbornness because I fucking hate spending money and if something has cost me more than a thousand in my country's currency, it better survive, bitch. One day, it simply just went black after two years of barely working.

The one I have now is also an Andriod. Got in 2022 and it was apparently a dated model when I bought it, but to me it was insanely futuristic compared to my other phones. The best thing about it is that I have dropped this bitch on nearly every type of hard surface you can think of, and it's barely got a scratch. I don't buy phone cases for my phones because I hate phone cases. I think this might be the best phone I have had since my Nokia 3510i. This thing takes every hit life gives it and it doesn't even flinch. The battery is still pretty good as well. I hope it will last me until 2032 at the earliest.

Every phone I buy for the rest of my life will only be replaced when I have no choice. I hate spending money and I increasingly hate modern phones.

My next phone will more than likely be a Fairphone.

at the moment i use iphones have for several years. I buy a new phone when the old one isn't supported or when it is going so slow that it's borderline painful to use it. it ususally is no longer supported by that time .

I only buy crappy ones, so usually every 2-3 years, but this Samsung a06 is making me think I should buy a new phone after only 1 year because it's pretty bad!

5 years for the last one, hopefully much longer with this one.

Last one was an iPhone 13, but the battery was shot. I wanted to get out of bit techs grasp, so I gave that phone away and bought a Fairphone 6 and put e/os on it.

I’ve had my iPhone 11 for 7 years. I have no strong desire for a new one either. I just need to replace the battery on this one and it should be good a for a few more years.

About every 4-5 years, depending on how the old one is lasting. Typically, it’s battery life that frustrates me enough to go shopping. I have an iPhone 17 now, and this will most likely be my last apple. Prices are beyond justification

4-5 years with a battery replacement at year 2-3 for a refresh. Now I'm trying to hold out for the new Motorola/graphene os phone

As long as possible.

Either it dies, or the battery does and there's no longer replacements available; or, the manufacturer stops updating it and a there's no support for a third party OS.

Every other day! I just can't help myself! A new model is released and the hype machine starts up; updates are released to downgrade performance on older models--I just wag my tail non-stop! It's so exciting! Those flashy lights and colours! Ooooo! This money belongs in their wallets and everyone's going to get a hold them! And I tell myself pathetic lies: oh, the battery can't be replaced... if only it had screws... it's way too hard to heart up glue and put a new battery in. Besides--all my friends are going into debt too! Plus those new features: it can make phone calls and text! Look! E-mail access too!

I use a phone till it stops working. Usually get 3-4 years out of it. I usually will buy a refurbished "flagship" phone from the previous year or two. I like a big screen and lots of memory. I'm currently using a pixel 9pro xl. It's fine. I like the idea of using graphene, but haven't yet summoned the energy to do it.

I'm still using my Galaxy Note 9 from 2018

I'm on my 18th phone in 29 years.

I worked in app development for half that time, so there was a strong incentive to be on the latest if there were any new innovations to support.