Why I’m asking; I’ve owned three smartphones in my life. All of them made by Sony. And, unbelievably, all of them suddenly developed what seemed to be hardware issues close to their 2-year mark. Right before I had to renew my cellphone contract.
Now, this is anecdotal. I know that smartphones are used very intensively, and it’s very hard to build something that can withstand daily use, a drop or twenty, and hundreds of charging cycles, especially at a competitive price.
However, I’m a paranoid fuck, I’m wondering… how long do/did your smartphones last for? Which brand were they? If all I’m looking for is something that can browse the web and take some pictures, what would you recommend me to last me a bit longer?
My first smart phone was an LG (I’ve forgotten the model) and it crapped out about a month before my 2-year contract expired. My second smart phone was a Samsung Galaxy S4 which is still in use by my younger son. It is almost 4 years old. I now have the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, which has been in use about 10 months and is doing just fine.
My experience with the Samsung Galaxy phones has been great. If you don’t want to spend a lot, you can probably get an S4,5 or 6 pretty cheap, now that the S7 is out. They also take great pictures. My S6 takes noticeably better pics than my S4 did, and my S4’s pics weren’t bad at all.
Since I’ve been using the combo of Otterbox Commuter cases and replacing the awful Otterbox plastic film screen protectors with cheap Chinese hard glass screen protectors (about $ 3 each via ebay) they have lasted the life of the contract (2 years) before being replaced by newer models. The protection makes a huge difference in useful lifespan. At the end of 2 years they look almost new when taken out of the beat up cases.
[ul]
[li]iPhone 3G: Used it for 3 years before getting the 4S. My wife used it for almost 2 more years before she got a 5.[/li][li]iPhone 4S: Used for 3 years before I got a 6 Plus. It still worked, but probably could’ve used a battery replacement[/li][li]iPhone 6 Plus: Replaced with a 6S Plus after 1 year, handing it down to my son, whose almost 4yo 4S had a malfunctioning SIM slot[/li][li]Wife’s iPhone 5 is still working after almost 3 years, but we may replace it with the new SE, since she’s not a big fan of the large-screen phones, and it has a much better camera[/li][li]Daughter’s 5S needed a battery replacement after less than 2 years (~$50), but she is an extremely heavy user[/li][/ul]
My first smartphone was a T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, which I believe was manufactured by HTC, purchased in early 2010, to replace a 3-year old not-so-smart phone that had been purchased something like a day before the original iPhone was announced. While this one was in the process of being shipped, the iPhone 4 was announced. I seem to have a knack for getting these kinds of things right before they become obsolete.
That said, the phone served me well for three years, without any significant problems other than never getting its Android operating system upgraded beyond version 1.9, thus becoming more and more limited on the apps available for it.
In early 2013, I was able to get a Samsung Galaxy S3 through my job (which happened to be a week before the S4 was announced), and the old MyTouch went into the closet, only to be brought back out again several months later after I got laid off and had to return the S3.
While the MyTouch was still usable after coming out of retirement, I was more acutely aware of its limitations due to having used a much better phone. It seemed a lot slower than I had remembered it, the battery was old so it was running out of juice a lot faster than before, and developed a habit of rebooting itself all the time.
So when I got a new job, I treated myself to a new Samsung Galaxy Avant, which at the time was a pretty new mid-range model for about $200 (similar processing power to an S4, with Android 4.4, but weaker display, camera, and speaker). It’s been over a year and a half, and they don’t make these anymore, but it’s been holding up pretty well so far, and I don’t feel any need to replace it any time soon.
I’ve never had any problems whatsoever with all the iPhones I’ve owned (an original iPhone, a 3GS, a 4s, and a 6). I use them until I feel the need to upgrade - generally every 2-4 years.
My iPhone 5 is approaching four years and other than a shortened battery life, it still works and looks like new, probably due to the Otterbox Commuter it’s been in for most of those years. I have no particular need to update it, so I’ll probably replace the battery for less than the cost of two months’ payments on a new phone and keep using it until it has some sort of horrible complete failure.
I bought an Otterbox Defender for my new Moto x pure. They didn’t offer the Commuter case for that phone.
Thought about getting the glass screen protector. But wouldn’t that be more likely to scratch the phone’s glass screen? glass on glass had me concerned that the shock from dropping the phone would crack both pieces of glass. So I’m using the Otterbox plastic screen they provided. At least for now.
I’m relieved the case doesn’t interfere with my touch screen and switches.
How in the world is a piece of perfectly flat, very thin glass stuck to another flat glass surface with a very thin layer of adhesive between them going to “scratch” the underlying glass? Plastic films are awful compared to hard glass protectors and hard glass protectors are very cheap on ebay.
BlackBerry Storm, I had from November 2009 to June 2010, the screen stopped working. It was my least favorite.
Samsung Galaxy S, I had from June 2010 until October 2014. My favorite smart phone. After four years the charging port stopped working, and I thought it was time for a new one. Only had to replace the battery once. When I brought it to the store, the Verizon employee remarked “oh wow, a first generation smartphone…I haven’t seen one of these in years”.
Moto X. October 2014 to November 2015. It was the bamboo model, and the glass separated from the wood. Replaced under the warranty, even though it was just over one year. Doesn’t seem to hold a charge as long as the Galaxy, and you can’t remove the battery. Also, a bit too large to fit in my pocket. Other than the battery, its been good.
Moto X. November 2015-current. Non wood version. No real complaints. Same issues as bamboo version (minus the screen separating).
Also, never had a screen protector or case (other than the wooden phone, the back seemed to pick up dirt and oils from tabletops easily). Never had any noticeable scratches or anything.
Samsung Blackjack II. Battery would need to be replaced, but the phone itself still works. I keep it to maintain some old text exchanges.
iPhone 3gs. Still works; I use it as a glorified iPod.
iPhone 4. Still works; passed it off to my FWB.
iPhone 5. Went haywire right at two years of use. First, the display became lo-res, then it stopped charging. Oh, and the power button stopped working, as well.
iPhone 6s. Lasted less than six months. Ate lightning cables every few weeks, then stopped charging altogether. The screen became blotchy, the home button stopped working… And to think this is the first phone where I used one of the heavy-duty Otterboxes.
Generic ZTE Android. Just got this a month ago to fill in until I can get to at&t to use my insurance on the iPhone 6s. It’s flaky, but I’m not too concerned about its lifespan.
Overall, I am a bit soured on Apple ever since the lightning cable debuted. The 30-pin devices at least never had charging problems, and I never had a 30-pin cable die.
I’ve owned many smartphones, both Samsung and Apple varieties. Right about the two year point I’ll notice enough battery inefficiency to make me eager to upgrade. Never had a phone fail.
I had a Galaxy S2 for a few years (until the 4s were out, at least) and it worked fine when I retired it. I went into a LG G2 that I own now which is well behind the tech curve (think they’re up to the G4) but was a big enough jump from the S2 that it all felt new to me. My phone stays in my pocket or on my desk 90% of the time so I never have the battered, broken phone thing going on. I don’t care about it not being the newest since they all Twitter, get the weather and work the GPS the same way.
In another year or so I might replace this one depending on what’s cheap. I just buy my phone outright and spend under $200 since it’s not the latest model. Think I bought the LG G2 for $170 back in March 2015.
I’ve only ever had iPhones. I usually keep them two or three years before I decide to upgrade. I’ve got several in my desk drawer that would probably work if I charged them up.
My first smartphone (HTC Desire CDMA) lasted longer than the carrier: nearly 2 years.
My second phone (Motorola Droid 4) lasted 4 years before I retired it, and it still works just fine. Just not as my phone. (Makes a nice Wi-Fi portable terminal for command-line stuff on the various Linux machines around the house, since it has a great slider keyboard.) I retired it simply because Android apps are becoming larger and bloatier over time, so the software loadout I had on it was running slower and slower on its fairly old processor and limited RAM.
My current phone (Google Nexus 6P) is only a couple of months old.
I’ve never had any smartphone mysteriously conk out just before contract renewal time. Indeed, I’ve never had a phone conk out at all. Frankly, I don’t even pay attention to the idea of contract renewal, and I don’t avail myself of the carrier’s uninteresting assortment of phones.
I’ve always gotten good protective cases for my phones, and the Nexus also has one of the tempered glass screen protectors mentioned upthread. We’ll see how it goes.