How long will/should a quality phone like the S4 last? What's your update cycle?

[jensigner]

Call me old-school but I have always liked the idea of using my home electronics for many years (my Pioneer CD player and Yamaha Amplifier are in perfect shape and are vintage 1988 or 25 years old). Today, particularly for portable electronics, it seems that time-to-obsolesence is ~ 5 years.
So what do you think? Assuming normal wear and tear (say using the recharger once a day), how many years typically will say a well-built phone like the S4 "last" before some physical problems occur (connectors like USB charger or headphone jack) or other failure mechanisms? (battery dies, electronics fails)? How many years should it last before significant problems? 3 years? 6 years? 10 years?
How often do you (or plan to) buy a new phone? every OTHER new product cycle?

 

[smooth4lyfe]

It should last forever as long as you take care of it really.
The good thing about the S4 is that with its removable battery, it can be replaced after the battery starts to get near its life end of about 5000 cycles

I'm definitely getting the S5 though whenever it comes out

 

[edgefever]

It should last forever as long as you take care of it really.
The good thing about the S4 is that with its removable battery, it can be replaced after the battery starts to get near its life end of about 5000 cycles

I'm definitely getting the S5 though whenever it comes out

Any release date on that yet?


Sent from my SCH-I535

 

[bgesullo]

I have a bad upgrade cycle, I change devices every few months but that is just part of my nature and my business. If I could, I could make my phone last 2-3 years. I always make sure my device is clean, and try to make sure I don't drop it as much as possible.

Sent from my HTCONE using Android Central Forums

 

[archer75]

I'm allowed an upgrade every 18 months so it just needs to last me that long. However I would hope to get at least 5 years out of a device.

 

[roberts68]

i upgrade my phone every 1.5-2 years. went from the palm treo years ago to the blackberry, more recently had the s2 and just got the s4.
i keep all the original boxes/packaging, so when i upgrade, i can resell the old one.
i keep cases on the phone and try not to drop it (but it happens).
i just sold my S2's for $200 (which paid for the S4 down payment with tmobile), so basically i am just paying the $20/mo for the phone now, just like their old plans used to be.

but, in reponse to your question, the s2 with tmobile had just gotten the jelly bean software upgrade.
at that point, i was EXTREMELY happy and was contemplating not changing phones at all, and could have went at least another 2 years with it.

so i do think the removable batteries/sd slot has some value in the long term longevity of these galaxy phones.

 

[effreyj]

Verizon is extending their upgrade cycle from 20 months to 2 years, so that's how long I need the device to last. My Droid Bionic has just hit the 20 month mark and the headphone jack no longer works, which is a killer for me since I like to use my phone as my primary mp3 player and podcast listener. I don't mind replacing the battery, which is why I chose the GS4 over the HTC One.

 

[maryjane2300]

Any release date on that yet?


Sent from my SCH-I535

Seriously......

Sent from my ATT Galaxy S4

 

[smooth4lyfe]

Any release date on that yet?


Sent from my SCH-I535

No not yet, Probably by next year though

 

[roberts68]

Verizon is extending their upgrade cycle from 20 months to 2 years, so that's how long I need the device to last. My Droid Bionic has just hit the 20 month mark and the headphone jack no longer works, which is a killer for me since I like to use my phone as my primary mp3 player and podcast listener. I don't mind replacing the battery, which is why I chose the GS4 over the HTC One.

Try the Arriva Leo blue tooth headset, love mine.

Sent from my amazing Samsung Galaxy S4... there is none better!

 

[FeFiFoJessica]

I'll upgrade whenever Sprint tells me I'm eligible for an upgrade lol. It just so happened I was eligible for upgrade around the same time the S4 got "unveiled"

 

[bgesullo]

Don't you just love that feel

Sent from my HTC One using the Android Central forum app.

 

[OceanView]

I think the life cycle will start to get a bit longer as improvements in the smartphone industry will start to slow a bit.
Besides some new software apps and faster processing, what else could they include in the next phone?
I just don't see anything major in the next few years and thus no real need to upgrade at every opportunity.
The good thing with the Samsung phones is that if your battery goes bad, you can always get another one.

 

[BillyMichael92]

I agree with most posts here. The main problem with phones is the battery deteriorating over time. This was main reason for buying this phone.

The fact that if my battery ever does go bad I can replace it easily is a major plus point

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jensigner]

.. My Droid Bionic has just hit the 20 month mark and the headphone jack no longer works, which is a killer for me .. I don't mind replacing the battery, which is why I chose the GS4 over the HTC One.

Thanks for that info; that is the sort of think i'm curious about .. and a headphone jack failure would definitely be a deal breaker for me (or a noisy jack). The comment above by OceanView is so true; i guess the real challenge now that we appear to be reaching "superphone-saturation" is for phone designers to really come up with something discontinuous design-wise AND USEFUL that no one has thought of so far. I'll bet the very best people to help with that are folks that are NOT tech-savy but might just say "it would be REALLY cool if you could do <this> with a smartphone".

 

[badMojo69]

6 Months! I upgrade every 6 months. Can't stand old tech....My kids love me.

 

[RG129]

I've been bad and have been upgrading yearly (or less) for the past several years.

I think that with tech getting faster and apps getting more and more complicated, I think current smartphones start to feel stale within 18-24 months, depending on how heavy a user you are. I lean more towards being a power user so I always appreciate snappy performance and cutting edge features, but I have many friends who still chug along with their 3 year old smartphones, and don't seem to be complaining much.

 

[chuckh0308]

I keep most of my electronics for many years too, as long as they still work for my needs/wants. My cell phones are a different story though...I usually keep them for about two years. Not because they are broken though or anything. I think the devices themselves (most of them) can last for many years. I have only had one cell phone in 20 years that didn't make it the two years without hardware failure (iPhone 3G), but the rest probably could have made it way beyond two years...maybe even 10-15 years or more based on their condition after two years. Just take care of it.

 

[Sam Cheong]

I would want my phones to last atleast 2-3 years. Beyond that I know the batteries will start depleating real fast. Yes ofcourse our phone has a removable battery so good job Samsung.

Ideally I change my phones every 18 months (early upgrades) so that's what I aim.

 

[jason42090]

i have a bad habit of switching phone too much every couple months, but i think i'll have the s4 for a long time. go check out those folks on the hd2 forums... they're still going strong. that phone will never die.