Vodafone Finds Brits Keep Mobile Phones for 4 Years Instead of 2

Smartphone CEOs dumbfounded when no one wants to buy their $1999 xPhone 25 Pro Max XXL Z-Flip 4d-folding hextuple AI 8k camera with Bionic 10Ghz chip including real neurons

Not surprising. I used to update every 2 years but my last couple have had a 3 or 4 year gap.

As it should be really. These can be very expensive devices that only make sense if you get a decent life out of them.

I could understand upgrading so frequently at the advent of mainstream smartphones, where two years of progress actually did represent a significant user experience improvement - but the intergenerational improvements for most people's day-to-day use have been marginal for quite some time now.

Once you've got web browsers and website-equivalent mobile apps performing well, software keyboards which keep up with your typing, high-definition video playback working without dropped frames, graphics processing sufficient to render whatever your game of choice is for the train journey to work, batteries which last a day of moderate to intense use, and screen resolutions so high that you can't differentiate the pixels even by pressing your eyeball to the glass - that covers most people's media consumption for the form factor, and there's not much else to offer after that.

Unless you're doing very specialist stuff, phone tech peaked a while back for the average user who's only going to do some web browsing, social media, listen to some tunes or watchbsome funny videos. All the little incremental changes aren't groundbreaking for that use case.

Until foldables are both reliable and cheaper, phones have stagnated in terms of visably appealing features.

Not surprising when flagship devices have more than doubled in price in over the last decade.

That and the fact that many modern devices feel like compromised devices with purposeful downgrades despite the huge cost increase.

I only replace mine because the batteries are crapping out. Usually it's 3-4 years.

What do you mean "instead of"? I always heard it was a three year product lifecycle anyway, which is already annoyingly often.

i use electronics until they're unusable. my last phone lasted 6 years, my laptop lasted 11 years. i don't have a tv or anything else.

I've had my tablet for 9 years, and I'd have had my phone for 4 years now had it not become faulty.

Devices have reached a point that they just don't need upgrading often, unless you're using them for video games or something cutting edge.

And of course, they're super expensive now too, and we're living in the worst cost of living crisis of our generation, struggling to pay for food. Of course we're not going to waste money replacing something that works fine 🤦‍♀️

I kept my old Sony Xperia right up until I could feel a bulge on the back of it, lol.

Devices are prohibitively expensive these days. The marginal gains from improved tech is also not used to benefit the end user. Devices are not working for the one that pays for it. If only they would release a flagship device with unlocked boot loader, open drivers and a pledge to support it for 10 years. I would buy that. Otherwise I see no need to upgrade.

That is going to be a problem for apple, better make the next iPhone’s battery be unreplaceable and self destruct after 2 years.

Not surprising. For most people smartphone reached a point where replacing every two years is pointless. My phone is also 4 years this year, still holds his battery and works flawlessly.

Yeah I mean the processing power and general hardware just got to a point where nobody really needs more. In fact my 4 year old phone has the same amount of RAM and similar processor to my new one lol. Unless you're cutting edge 3D gaming it's not needed to have anything more.

I upgraded only because of battery life, higher Hz screen, newer android version, and to get a wide angle lens. Now I have those even its like...what next? Camera quality is all I ever need, screen Hz is perfect. I'm not sure what will make me upgrade next time but if I replace battery down the line and use a third party OS then maybe it'll go even longer!

I’ve started to upgrade when iOS updates stop. As the cost of devices goes up, I just keep them longer so the cost per year is about the same.

I don’t see any reason in 2023 to replace my iPhone 12

I will buy a new phone when my phone actually dies, broken screens and old batteries can be replaced. And iOS gets updates for like forever.

Well the networks will try to tie people in for 36/48 months so... they kind of asked for it.

Going on 6.

Jokes on them, last phone I bought from them was in 1999. Still have it somewhere. Haven't used it since 2000 or so of course.

I've had my moto x4 for 8 years and it's still kicking strong. If it ever dies, I'm getting another.

Had mine since October 2017. Huawei Honor 9. Getting a bit shit now, random power offs below 25%, slow as balls, the usual.

A lot of that is likely just web bloat and inevitable battery death.

So what are the better mid-range phones these days? I'd rather have as little non-uninstallable crapware as possible.

Still rocking my iphone X! Upgrade may be in order this September as the battery lasts about an hour and the screen is cracked, but damn good run.

I generally upgrade every 4 years too these days, at least the last few times and for the next upgrade. Let's see if I can remember my whole phone list.

• Motorola M301
• Ericcson 628 or 688 I don't remember which (or whatever the modified name was on one2one back then)
• Nokia 8100/8146 (you know, the ACTUAL matrix phone)
• Gifted Nokia 3110 or 3210 (8100 broke down)
• Nokia 6100/6126
• Sony Ericson T68i
• Sony Z1010 (my first phone with a camera, spoiler alert, it was terrible)
• iPhone 3GS
• Samsung Galaxy S2
• Samsung Galaxy S4
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
• Samsung Galaxy S20+ (current)

Wonder if I missed any that were that forgettable?

Generally an upgrade outside of 4 years was because there was a feature I particularly wanted or needed. On early phones this was quite often (think SMS support, WAP, EFR, GPRS). But then contracts were generally for 1 year so it didn't matter too much. Later phones it's been 3G/4G/5G/Wifi calling etc that generally drove upgrades.

Those damn Brits, how dare they?! Buy more, more often!

I bought a new phone after having the old one for 3 years and as a treat to myself. It was an S22 Ultra. I regret buying it as the improvements are very minor compared to my old phone, and definitely not worth the massive hike in cost.

The camera is better but tbh, I barely notice it as its mostly a few photos for memories. I'm not printing them on canvas or anything so no point really having such high quality photos. Will definitely hold onto this one for as long as i can

As everyone says, not surprising, and also it's been predicted for years that the upgrade cycle for phones would become similar to that for laptops as the market matured.

ive only upgraded from my 2014 shit phone in 2021, and i plan to do the same with this one for as long as i can

i used to buy a new one every 2 years or so,but after switching to pixel 6 and graphene os, I think I will replace it once it's no longer supported.

Meanwhile, here I am with a Galaxy S8 from 2017, doing just fine. Only bad thing is some stuff burned into the screen from overuse of some apps in the past coughs reddit coughs.

You'll have to prise my 4a 5G out of my cold dead hands...

4 years? How cute.

I bought a second hand pixel 6a a couple weeks ago, my previous phone was the OnePlus 3, lasted me 5 years and at the time of purchase it was already a two years old second hand, bought them for basically the same price, 200€.

The 2 years life span had a ridiculous affect on the 2nd market that, now will never be the same.

my XR is still going strong. unless the quality starts decreasing dramatically, I see no reason to upgrade just yet

I just use my budget xiaomi with custom rom wich i bought back in 2019. What i miss the most is maybe nfc so i might change it next year.