Note phones have a 3 year lifespan, concerned with Note 8

[MikeS1971]

My father is still using my old Note 2 purchased at launch. Original battery as well. The most intense thing he does with it is play solitaire. But it still works great and the charge lasts all day.

 

[eshropshire]

There's not even circumstantial evidence to suggest they might have. This whole thing is just unfounded.

Maybe the OP is correct. I bet the G4 bootloop problem was based on a kill switch that was triggered early by mistake. Must be because they put the same kill switch in the V10. Now we have two conspiracies. Time for more paranoia.

Or maybe, I know this is kinda of crazy - some phones age differently and break down earlier. Maybe even a bad part gets through inspection and makes it into a phone. Maybe someone gets a little water damage and it slowley corrodes something in the phone. Maybe someone drops their phone several times and eventually something breaks. No... nothing like this I am sure all of the breakdowns on Note 4's were planned by Samsung. Wait...mine is still working great. They missed mine I guess they will break it with the August or September update. I am doomed!!!

 

[Paradroid01]

One thing we all could learn from this - and the OP of this thread is completely right - don't count on a phone for more than 2 years! Manufacturers, carriers, people's brainwashed minds claim a phone to be old, obsolete after this period of time, ready to break. Imho this is done by purpose, for economic reasons. But who am I?

 

[chanchan05]

One thing we all could learn from this - and the OP of this thread is completely right - don't count on a phone for more than 2 years! Manufacturers, carriers, people's brainwashed minds claim a phone to be old, obsolete after this period of time, ready to break. Imho this is done by purpose, for economic reasons. But who am I?

Yes you can, but don't expect a phone to not break after two years of constant use. Even cars can break in two years.

And as I already said, I have older devices still chugging away fine at home serving as the Netflix remote for the Chromecast or being used for some games.

 

[Paradroid01]

Yes you can, but don't expect a phone to not break after two years of constant use. Even cars can break in two years.

And as I already said, I have older devices still chugging away fine at home serving as the Netflix remote for the Chromecast or being used for some games.

Admit it, you don't really use them anymore. You have already upgraded, right?

 

[chanchan05]

Admit it, you don't really use them anymore. You have already upgraded, right?

I'm not. My mom uses the S3 everyday. I am using a 3 year old Tab 4 though. And yes I have an S7 Edge. It was free as a loyalty reward from my carrier (I'm not in the US). It'd be stupid not to use it. I mean would you stick to your old phone if you have a new flagship lying around at home?

I used a Note 2 for 4 years before using the S7E. My mom took my Note 2 because she didn't want to spend for a new one. Worked for her well until it got wet. So she got the other S3 that was lying around.

My only beef with this S7E is that there's no S Pen. That's probably the only reason why I'm trying to save up for a new Note.

 

[Paradroid01]

I'm not. My mom uses the S3 everyday. I am using a 3 year old Tab 4 though. And yes I have an S7 Edge. It was free as a loyalty reward from my carrier (I'm not in the US). It'd be stupid not to use it. I mean would you stick to your old phone if you have a new flagship lying around at home?

I used a Note 2 for 4 years before using the S7E. My mom took my Note 2 because she didn't want to spend for a new one. Worked for her well until it got wet. So she got the other S3 that was lying around.

My only beef with this S7E is that there's no S Pen. That's probably the only reason why I'm trying to save up for a new Note.

Yes, quite annoying that there's still no real alternative if you want a phone with a good stylus.

 

[Dark Pixels ll]

One thing we all could learn from this - and the OP of this thread is completely right - don't count on a phone for more than 2 years! Manufacturers, carriers, people's brainwashed minds claim a phone to be old, obsolete after this period of time, ready to break. Imho this is done by purpose, for economic reasons. But who am I?

But the one thing no one can do is take away your choice. It's not brainwashing. People CHOOSE to get new phones. Let's take some personal responsibility here.

I can't blame Samsung or LG for my need to have a new phone every year lol.

 

[natehoy]

Did you get a July update? That one's the killer.

I'm on a Note 4 with AT&T. I have never blocked a security update nor do I ever intend to, and I'm currently on the August patch (installed a few days ago).

My Note 4 is just fine so far, and there are zero signs of widespread failures in the Note 4 section of this site which I am still active in.

mmc_read_failed is a sign that the memory is failing. Static memory cannot be written to unlimited times, so it is very possible that the entire line is reaching the design limits of the memory Samsung used in the phones, and the intense write that is done during a security patch is causing them to die in batches.

 

[natehoy]

Most of these are filed by lawyers hoping the corporation will pay them to go away.

The lawyers don't care whether they win or get a settlement. They will take the entirety of the punitive portion of the finding or most of the settlement themselves as their "service fee" and then distribute the remainder in the form of discount coupons or some other small token to the actual plaintiffs, assuming those who signed on to the class action get anything at all but a "thanks for my new Learjet!" letter.

 

[Aquila]

Imho this is done by purpose, for economic reasons. But who am I?

Yet, as has been established multiple times in this thread ... the thing you're stating as your humble opinion, is an accusation meant to be inflammatory and slanderous, is completely unfounded. That makes it malicious.

So as for the second question? Who you are, within the context of this thread, is a member who is so far unwilling to recognize, entertain or engage with cogent arguments made against your preconception and who is intentionally and maliciously spreading misinformation into this community.

 

[flyingkytez]

Anyone is going to be able to pull a few devices from memory that lasted longer than others. There's exceptions to everything. But as fast as tech is moving, it simply leaves hardware outdated. I have a Galaxy Note 10.1 (the original) that I still use almost daily and love it. But every other one of my phones had a timeframe where they simply started to fail. It happens with or without an update designed to kill it.

I still think there's planned obsolescence. If a phone was working fine everyday and then starts to become extremely sluggish after an update, then it's obvious. Some people would literally keep the phone for YEARS especially if it's working for them spec wise. Samsung can see these users still hanging on, they knew it's smart to cut them loose just in time when the Note 8 launched.

BTW I have a SAMSUNG Series 7 Chronos 15.6 inch laptop from 2013. I kept Windows updates off and the computer runs like it did when it came out the box (had to factory reset after Windows forced an update on me, turned it off ever since). Maybe battery life dropped a small amount but it works fine. If anything, the computer should fail sooner than a smartphone which runs on solid state memory VS mechanical hard drive, and much more complicated parts such as spinning fans. I honestly don't plan to upgrade my laptop for many many many years, it works perfectly fine and there is absolutely no reason to upgrade unless I want newer tech. Same goes for a smartphone.

 

[flyingkytez]

I'm on a Note 4 with AT&T. I have never blocked a security update nor do I ever intend to, and I'm currently on the August patch (installed a few days ago).

My Note 4 is just fine so far, and there are zero signs of widespread failures in the Note 4 section of this site which I am still active in.

mmc_read_failed is a sign that the memory is failing. Static memory cannot be written to unlimited times, so it is very possible that the entire line is reaching the design limits of the memory Samsung used in the phones, and the intense write that is done during a security patch is causing them to die in batches.

They force updates on you (unless you hack, mod, or root it beforehand). Whether hardware issue or software issue, this is unfair and that is the real problem.

 

[Aquila]

I still think there's planned obsolescence. If a phone was working fine everyday and then starts to become extremely sluggish after an update, then it's obvious. Some people would literally keep the phone for YEARS especially if it's working for them spec wise. Samsung can see these users still hanging on, they knew it's smart to cut them loose just in time when the Note 8 launched.

BTW I have a SAMSUNG Series 7 Chronos 15.6 inch laptop from 2013. I kept Windows updates off and the computer runs like it did when it came out the box (had to factory reset after Windows forced an update on me, turned it off ever since). Maybe battery life dropped a small amount but it works fine. If anything, the computer should fail sooner than a smartphone which runs on solid state memory VS mechanical hard drive, and much more complicated parts such as spinning fans. I honestly don't plan to upgrade my laptop for many many many years, it works perfectly fine and there is absolutely no reason to upgrade unless I want newer tech. Same goes for a smartphone.

A few things...

1) We already established the first paragraph is wrong. Example, most of the people here who have Note 4's are not having any issues. Why? Simplest answer: because there is no conspiracy to sabotage all the Note 4's in order to get them to buy Note 8's. Because that conspiracy theory is ridiculous. Given that this has been established, multiple times... it's unclear why the thing keeps being repeated.
2) Why are you not accepting Windows updates? Is that all updates or just not installing Windows 10? Because most of those updates are updating security vulnerabilities...
3) Why do you perceive a correlation between software updates and devices slowing down? That's pretty close to the exact opposite of how things actually work.
4) I think I've mentioned this before, but it might really help if you bought some quality kit. Samsung is not the beacon of software - far from it, they're one of the worst at software. I believe if you were buying quality devices (from a software AND hardware standpoint, not just based on some of the specs) that you'd have a better overall experience and spend less time thinking that the kit makers are sabotaging your gear so you can buy more from them.
5) If they really were doing that, and you knew it, why would you ever buy anything from them?

 

[Almeuit]

Example, most of the people here who have Note 4's are not having any issues.

I almost forgot my friend on Sprint has a Note 4. He still won't upgrade. I tell him he needs to but he refuses to lol. He knows I am just a phone nut so my nagging is just because I want him with something newer.

He just uses it and replaces batteries if need be. It even has a crack. My OCD .. Just .. UGH. All in all though he has installed Sprint updates and still uses it to this day.

 

[flyingkytez]

Yes you can, but don't expect a phone to not break after two years of constant use. Even cars can break in two years.

And as I already said, I have older devices still chugging away fine at home serving as the Netflix remote for the Chromecast or being used for some games.

Unless you have a Honda/Toyota, cars break down (ahem, American and German cars). At least with a car you can change the batteries and do repairs. Smartphones get thrown in the trash too soon.

Question, do you have a computer that's 2 years or older? Do you buy a new computer every 2 years or sooner? And why exactly do you need to buy new computers? Usually the computer starts to crap out mainly due to viruses and unnecessary Windows updates, but other than that, computers can last over 10 years. There comes a point where your computer should be "good enough" (unless you are a hardcore gamer). Just like smartphones. But how will manufactures profit if nobody is buying phones anymore because their phones are "good enough"? Planned obsolescence is the answer. You have to think like a business man, and this is what they would do to profit. It's a for-profit industry, don't care about the environment and reusing old devices. Same things are happening with iPhones because people are keeping them for longer than expected, at least with the iPhone they don't force the update.

 

[Almeuit]

Unless you have a Honda/Toyota, cars break down (ahem, American and German cars). At least with a car you can change the batteries and do repairs. Smartphones get thrown in the trash too soon.

Question, do you have a computer that's 2 years or older? Do you buy a new computer every 2 years or sooner? And why exactly do you need to buy new computers? Usually the computer starts to crap out mainly due to viruses and unnecessary Windows updates, but other than that, computers can last over 10 years. There comes a point where your computer should be "good enough" (unless you are a hardcore gamer). Just like smartphones. But how will manufactures profit if nobody is buying phones anymore because their phones are "good enough"? Planned obsolescence is the answer.

My last PC I had for 4 years. I only replaced because I wanted to upgrade it but definitely could have ran it for a few more years (even for my gaming habits).

This is with Windows Updates installed on the regular.

 

[Aquila]

Usually the computer starts to crap out mainly due to viruses and unnecessary Windows updates, but other than that, computers can last over 10 years.

Completely untrue. The main reasons for computers to "crap out" are not viruses and it is not Windows updates.

 

[JohnMcL7]

My Note 4 is fully up to date but it's received no 'killer' update, it's a bit sluggish at times on Marshmallow which isn't unusual for a big OS update particularly as I haven't factory reset it for a long time.

Having a Windows PC online (or any OS) without updates is a very bad idea and puts the system at high risk, my PCs are all fully up to date with their patches and even the oldest one from around 2011 has no performance issues at all.

 

[Jona005]

Completely untrue. The main reasons for computers to "crap out" are not viruses and it is not Windows updates.

in my experience, three things have been the reason - power supply, hard drive, or RAM. All which were replaced.