Note 4 Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

power5

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2013
265
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

My phones are replaced when the contract expires with ATT. Until that is no longer a thing, I will keep phones for 2 years. I use my Note3 a lot every day, but I do not care to root or do anything too custom. I do have a launcher to get rid of TW though. I have used the pen less and less but still find it useful for some things. Tablet has taken on the drawing duties.
 

HankSpank

Member
Sep 17, 2014
10
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

I picked up an old Android of mine recently. It was scary how ****-poor it is now compared to the competition. I don't think I could ever go more than 2 years anymore.
 

whyst

Active member
Aug 25, 2010
42
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

Sold note 2 on ebay, $150. Paid $200 plus $100 Walmart gift card, thus, made out +$50 plus 18mo of use.
 

monsieurms

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2011
1,539
59
48
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

Wow. I am sure there are more like this though.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk Pro

Less and less. As tech matures, the urge to spend lots of money for no reason and set up a new device, etc, declines. ;)
 

ffejjj

Well-known member
May 14, 2012
3,553
32
48
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

A 2 year phone was never realistic lol

Posted via Android Central App
 

Foxpaw

Active member
Jul 10, 2010
41
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

I'm still using my Galaxy S3, which will turn 2 next month. No hardware problems at all, everything still works fine. I'm definitely upgrading, primarily because I'm tired of how ****ty Sprint's network is in my area, but also because I want to move to a more stock Android experience. Just waiting to see what the new Nexus looks like before I decide between it and the new Moto X.

I could easily see this phone going strong for at least another year though.
 

ffejjj

Well-known member
May 14, 2012
3,553
32
48
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

I can never get which way your coming from with your posts. Adding something useful with a statement, or mocking. Oh well!

Lol. I can't explain them all. The heading of this thread caught my eye and I realized I hate waiting in general. I want every new flagship phone.

Posted via Android Central App
 

21stNow

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2013
730
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

My mother still uses my Vibrant (for voice only) that I purchased in September 2010. It had a short break between me using it daily and my mother using it daily. I'm still using my Galaxy S3 (June 2012), Note 2 (Oct 2012), Galaxy Nexus (Nov 2011), HTC One X (May 2012) on a daily basis, though with limited use as none of those are my main devices.

My original Note didn't make it quite to the two-year mark due to something in the phone running down the battery (I tried a new battery with no improvement). My Nexus S stopped functioning well once I put Ice Cream Sandwich on it, so I stopped using that one at the one year mark. There's many other phones that I could tell you about, but it would take too long. I haven't had a digitizer fail on me yet and have never had any other screen issues.
 

Patrick Leonardo

New member
Sep 19, 2014
2
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

Huh?

I'm using an EVO 3D, rooted, as my 'phone'. Works fine, 3.5 years old. Screen is in good condition, works perfectly. The USB jack is a little worn. Nothing wrong with the 1/8 headphone jack. It doesn't have the capacity for a lot of apps (running them simultaneously in ice cream sandwich with the lower powered processor) but what I use it for, works fine.

I argue that people upgrading expensive handheld computers as often as they do is a cultural phenomenon, not a function of usability of devices. :-$
 

Patrick Leonardo

New member
Sep 19, 2014
2
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

Lol. I can't explain them all. The heading of this thread caught my eye and I realized I hate waiting in general. I want every new flagship phone.

Posted via Android Central App

I'm waiting for the Nexus 6, or whatever it will be called, as well. I got my wife the Nexus 5 for Christmas and it is just a fantastic phone. Runs like butter on the Ting network. Battery life isn't the best, but for her moderate use, no problem. Qi charging on a Panasonic charger works well too.
I tell my friends still in the Apple 'ecosystem' that the older versions of Android did have some runtime issues (the degree of which varied with the device) but with 4.2+, the O.S. gives a similar experience in fluidity to iOS or Windows mobile, as well as superior memory management.
 

anon8380037

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2013
5,171
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

Huh?

I'm using an EVO 3D, rooted, as my 'phone'. Works fine, 3.5 years old. Screen is in good condition, works perfectly. The USB jack is a little worn. Nothing wrong with the 1/8 headphone jack. It doesn't have the capacity for a lot of apps (running them simultaneously in ice cream sandwich with the lower powered processor) but what I use it for, works fine.

I argue that people upgrading expensive handheld computers as often as they do is a cultural phenomenon, not a function of usability of devices. :-$

I'm waiting for the Nexus 6, or whatever it will be called, as well. I got my wife the Nexus 5 for Christmas and it is just a fantastic phone. Runs like butter on the Ting network. Battery life isn't the best, but for her moderate use, no problem. Qi charging on a Panasonic charger works well too.
I tell my friends still in the Apple 'ecosystem' that the older versions of Android did have some runtime issues (the degree of which varied with the device) but with 4.2+, the O.S. gives a similar experience in fluidity to iOS or Windows mobile, as well as superior memory management.
Welcome to Android Central. :)
Your not really an android noobie then.
Thanks for the phone info. 3.5 years running huh.

I was wondering if the early digitisers were not as robust as later models.
Then maybe the later models were built down to a cost and the technology is there for screens and digitisers etc to last ten years but no manufacturer wants that, and no purchaser will pay twice as much for better materials, when the phone itself will be old tech within 6 months to a year.
 

L0n3N1nja

Well-known member
Jan 11, 2014
3,629
4
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

I have a note 2 nearly 2 years of age still works great, my old s3 was given to my sister and now my mom, it still works fine.

Technology advances insanely fast but a phone can easily make it 2 years if cared for.

Posted via Android Central App
 

Litlprince2

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2013
50
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

Who has had a recent generation smartphone (2010/2011+) in heavy use for 2 years without hardware issues?

Will anyone buying before this Christmas NOT change again before Christmas 2015?

I imagine very few. Current format touch screen devices *must be* limited in lifespan, and new design philosophies will change our wants long term anyway.

Ergonomics and modular phones will make inroads.

The days of 4+ year old phones are long gone.

So 2 questions really:

Does current hardware, specifically digitizers and screens, last?

Have current smartphones reached a peak, and we will all want something different in the very near future?


**edited.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk Pro

What are you going on about.....

-My S3 works fine.. No hardware issues...

-Everyone wants the next best thing... Its simply the cost that keeps us from upgrading.. Thats doesnt mean there is anything wrong our current device. These phones are built to last a lot longer then 2 years on contract.

-Modulars will happen but wont be widely accepted.. No time soon.

-The days of the 4+ year old phones is now... Well not right now but we are actually getting closer. Take a look at how PCs have progressed. In the beginning bigger and better parts were developed nearly daily and so a yearly upgrade or so was nearly mandatory. Currently faster processors and parts are still being made but they are not needed. A basic computer with budget parts can fulfill all the computing needs of a average user.. We will reach that with phones as well. The hardware will be able to keep up and head in whatever direction android does.

-Current Hardware will last. Only poor build quality or QC will allow you to receive a soon be dead device.

-Im no engineer but im sure even more greatness can be shoved into a tiny rectangle. Or perhaps its time we start thinking outside the rectangle.
 

monsieurms

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2011
1,539
59
48
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

Not showing any problems at all with my S4...I see no reason why I would dump it, except I want the Note 4's bigger screen size. That's motivation.

It has idly occurred to me that, after getting the Note 4, I may have only one more quick upgrade left, probably to Note 6, say. I would keep the 4 as a backup. Then, barring any revolutionary roll-out by a phone mfg. of something New and Impressive, I might just keep the Note 6, or whatever, until it shows problems or doesn't work. I don't throw my laptop away every year. I don't throw my desktop away every year. Why should I keep throwing my phone away if the tech is current and it works? They aren't phones, they're computers.

We'll see if my upgrade-itis is kept in check. I've failed before! ;) Hypocrisy thy name is me! I admit it. :-! Still, it does seem to be reaching a point where the phones now do everything I want and they do it well. The impulse to keep upgrading is waning fast. It begins to look like more of a chore than a benefit--it is annoying to set your phone with all the right tweaks and right accessories and then to have to do it all over again. There has to be some reason to do that and go through that process again, even ignoring the cost.

Maybe if Samsung comes out with Note 7 with 256gb of internal memory for an extra $5 and a battery that lasts a month..... :) But I am fast reaching the point where upgrades will be based on whether I really need it rather than some automatic schedule that came into being because of phone contract length.
 
Last edited:

anon8380037

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2013
5,171
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

I don't think the current touchscreen input only format, single un-upgradeable body is going to last very long, or Android for that matter.
Another 2 or 3 model cycles maybe, and I would be happy with that.

I don't think the percentage of unfailing phones is high enough either, though yes of course we only hear the bad stories here.

Some may think I don't like depending on devices whose sole input method relies on a sheet of glass sensing my finger. That would be correct.
Maybe I should be put out to pasture.
 

Litlprince2

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2013
50
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

I don't think the current touchscreen input only format, single un-upgradeable body is going to last very long, or Android for that matter.
Another 2 or 3 model cycles maybe, and I would be happy with that.

I don't think the percentage of unfailing phones is high enough either, though yes of course we only hear the bad stories here.

Some may think I don't like depending on devices whose sole input method relies on a sheet of glass sensing my finger. That would be correct.
Maybe I should be put out to pasture.

I... have no idea where your getting this stuff from...

-Touch screens are here to stay.. At Least for a long long time .... Voice control, and or gesture inputs are making way but its still mostly touch and will stay that way for quite a while.

-The un-upgradable body is here to stay as well. Atleast for the majority. Till they make one that is of similar size and construction as current devices its a no go..

-How can you think Android is not gonna last?

-Please inform us of your statistics on failing devices...
- also what do you consider a failing device?

-I think you need a blackberry. Because keyboards and directional buttons are pretty much done for and not coming back..

---- Next time please give some reasoning to your speculations... It really sounds like your just making things up on the spot.
 

anon8380037

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2013
5,171
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

I... have no idea where your getting this stuff from...

-Touch screens are here to stay.. At Least for a long long time .... Voice control, and or gesture inputs are making way but its still mostly touch and will stay that way for quite a while.

-The un-upgradable body is here to stay as well. Atleast for the majority. Till they make one that is of similar size and construction as current devices its a no go..

-How can you think Android is not gonna last?

-Please inform us of your statistics on failing devices...
- also what do you consider a failing device?

-I think you need a blackberry. Because keyboards and directional buttons are pretty much done for and not coming back..

---- Next time please give some reasoning to your speculations... It really sounds like your just making things up on the spot.

Read my first words : I don't think .... (yes you could joke about that the other way!)

What statistics did I quote?

This is a friendly debate about the future of phones.

I do like more input options, like keyboards. Finger to glass only? Forever?
I personally don't think so. Remember touch typing. People never needed to look at the keys.
Partially sighted people will have to announce to everyone what they are writing using voice to text.
Lose screen control and you can lose everything.
It's just a fad. It's an ergonomic nightmare, but we're stuck with it for a while until the cycle changes. Read through the last few months of Ask a Question. Not everyone wants to use Google+ and save to the cloud. Which is someone else's servers.

I'm not making things up on the spot. I am 55 and have seen different technologies. Phones are not my favourite technology, but we have to embrace them now.
We don't all have to like the way the big oems are stuck with one format. It's all marketing, and it will eventually change.
Having a single input that can and does fail is putting all your eggs in one basket. Nobody conducted years of research and decided these devices were the best solution. They just evolved in one happenstance direction because of digitisers. My previous phones were resistive screen Sony-Ericsson's at 3 inches I think.
Anyway this was only part of my original question.
 
Last edited:

zedorda

Well-known member
Mar 16, 2011
2,594
178
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

I don't think the current touchscreen input only format, single un-upgradeable body is going to last very long, or Android for that matter.
Another 2 or 3 model cycles maybe, and I would be happy with that.

I don't think the percentage of unfailing phones is high enough either, though yes of course we only hear the bad stories here.

Some may think I don't like depending on devices whose sole input method relies on a sheet of glass sensing my finger. That would be correct.
Maybe I should be put out to pasture.

Well thank god what you think is no where near reality.

Can I get an Amen?

FYI you can use a keyboard and mouse on any phone so the touch screen in not the only input method.
 

anon8380037

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2013
5,171
0
0
Visit site
Re: Is a 2 year old phone realistic now?

Well thank god what you think is no where near reality.

Can I get an Amen?

FYI you can use a keyboard and mouse on any phone so the touch screen in not the only input method.

I'm sorry you feel threatened by one persons dream of future technology, but need religious support to convince yourself.
I finally realised why people walk to work with heavy coats, backpacks or bulging extended pockets. They need keyboards and mice, of course!