Upgrading Your Phone Every Three Years Most people upgrade their phones every two to three years. By then, the battery starts to become bothersome and Android phones stop receiving updates. It's also usually enough time for tech companies to introduce some new features you might want on your next phone.
Average lifespan of a smartphone: A smartphone has an average life span of 2.58 years. According to reports, iPhones last 4-10 years, while Samsung phones last 3-6 years. Many factors affect a smartphone's lifespan, including the condition of the screen, the hardware, and the battery's health.
If you've bought a new top-tier smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, you're getting a total of four years of major OS updates. Although, some manufacturers only offer two or three years of updates, which means your phone's software might be outdated sooner than you'd like.
You might not notice immediately if your phone is out of date. The most obvious sign you're on old software might be when you look for new apps to download. Many apps will simply be incompatible due to the software and hardware limitations on your phone and you won't be able to install them.
However, you might start noticing a decline at around the three-year mark. It's usually at this point that your hardware becomes outdated, with no new operating system updates from developers. When this happens, you'll see that your phone struggles to install new applications.
Upgrading your phone every three years is appropriate for most people, but it might not be for you. For instance, a modern flagship phone is already future-proof enough to last you longer than five years—assuming that you don't care about having the latest software updates and can replace the battery later on.
In 2015, research found that the average smartphone lasts almost five years (4.7, to be exact), but we all know that in reality the battery slows down, the screen cracks, the accessories disappear. So, if you are determined to keep your cellphone going for four years or beyond, read on.
Your Phone's Purchase Box
Your phone's box is the first place you should look. A lot of manufacturers indicate the manufacturing date of each mobile phone on its box. Most of them attach a white sticker to the back of the box. On the sticker, you may find a few words, symbols, or barcodes.
The answer for Android is a little murkier with so many manufacturers, but the consensus seems to be no.
Cell phones hold information ranging from our emails to various accounts, passwords, and other personal information, making it essential that old phones and the information they contain are properly destroyed before they're disposed.
Your phone could be vulnerable to attacks
Basically, cyber-criminals will look for security flaws they can use to break into Android, letting them install malware, or spy on or take control of people's phones. Phone companies regularly patch up such holes with updates.
Even if you think your phone is working perfectly, it may be time for a new device if it's been 2 or 3 years since your last switch. Over that amount of time, phones have changed enough that you'll notice significant differences in things like screen size, display resolution and camera quality.
iPhone vs Android: how long can you use your phone before it's unsupported and unsafe? When it comes to the lifespan of a phone, Apple has always been the clear winner. And by lifespan, I'm talking about software and security updates.
Older phones used less power. Even though they had smaller batteries, their power consumption was so low that they could last for days. Modern smartphones have a lot of components that are very power-hungry, especially the screen, CPU, and wireless radios.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has been hailed as the device with the longest average battery life of 13 hours and 7 minutes - a device providing unrivalled power in an age where connectivity is everything.
How often you should get a new phone depends on your priorities. If you have the money and like to keep up-to-date, you might want to buy a new phone every two years. If you are more frugal, every five years should do it.
An Old Phone Battery
As with everything, phones get old, and as the years go by, your battery won't be as good as it once was. After about two or three years (depending on the model of the phone), your battery will no longer be able to achieve its original maximum capacity, which can lead to your battery draining fast.
Older Hardware Tends To Run Hot. Older hardware, especially processors, can often overheat the phone due to various factors. As the phone ages, the thermal paste can wear off, leaving the processor susceptible to inefficient cooling, as explained above.
Having an older phone also makes it more likely to get hot. Older hardware is likely to have wear and tear on components of your phone, such as the thermal paste of your processor. If the thermal paste is worn off, it will cause your phone to get hot quicker.
If you're in the market for a new model, you can expect a larger, sharper display that's easier to read; better performance; and perhaps for the first time, a battery you can lean on for a full day before needing a recharge. (Phones rated very good or better for battery life in our Ratings should deliver that.)
Tap General > About > Serial Number. The fourth character in your serial number will tell you the year your iPhone was manufactured.
Both iPhone and Android provide solutions for people with different needs. If you already own Apple products like the Mac, iPad, or Apple TV, getting an iPhone is an easy choice. If flexibility or apps are important, go for an Android. Different categories matter more for certain people.
Lorraine Thomas, founder of the Parent Coaching Academy, says: “We see children being given phones at earlier and earlier ages. It's a major cause of stress in most families. “Mobiles bring many challenges, and seven is too young to give a child a phone unless you have a very specific reason to do so.
In general, upgrading to the newest model would cost you: An extra $25 a month, the typical price for financing or leasing a phone; or. $199, the typical price for subsidizing a phone with a contract; or. $650 or more to buy your phone outright.