Which new upcoming phone to get for longevity?

[Android Central Question]

I am loooong overdue for new phone. I want to get the latest and greatest and looking ahead it seems the next few releases are S9, Nokia, Sony. Is S9 the clear winner? I am looking to use my next phone for a long time (my current is Motorola Razr Maxx).

 

[hallux]

The S9 will have, at best, 2 years of monthly patching and OS-level updates (thinking security here), the others are probably similar. Google's Pixel phones will still go 6+ months beyond that as the most recent devices are getting a full 3 years of updates from when they first went on sale.

I consider security patching part of longevity, the current Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be your best option in that regard.

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[shaselai]

I see... I looked at the tech specs it seems S9 has better hardware than pixel 2 and more RAM. Also, has Pixel 2's screen problem been completely fixed? I think it was on the XL models right?

And I think GS has slightly better resale value as well right? At least i still see S6/7s selling for few hundred in some stores..

 

[Rukbat]

I don't know about thew XL, but I have a Pixel 2 and no screen problems.

And it gets updates for 3 years, so it's good for at least 4. As for RAM, they both have 4GB. (And, try as I might, I can't get Android to bog down due to lack of RAM on this thing.)

(I only didn't get the XL because I'm tired of huge phones.)

 

[shaselai]

I thought G9 has 6GB? or is it international only? I know there are two versions...

 

[hallux]

I suggest you read this article before fixating too much on the amount of memory in a particular device - https://www.androidcentral.com/ram-what-it-how-its-used-and-why-you-shouldnt-care

Just because a device has an SOC that's one generation newer does not automatically make it better for one more year than a device with the current SOC