Stick with your early adopter lifestyle or settle in for half a decade?
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It’s no secret these days that phones are expensive. You might be excited about devices like the Galaxy S22 series finally hitting store shelves, but these days, it’s going to cost you a pretty penny. Not all of us need to upgrade every year — or even every three years — but declining software updates often push us to finally take the plunge.
Not that Android manufacturers aren’t getting better about software updates, of course. Samsung recently announced its most recent high-end flagship products would now receive four Android version upgrades along with five whole years of security patches, making its phones some of the longest-lasting on the market today. Google promised five years of support for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, but only for monthly security upgrades — it’ll get left behind after Android 15.
That said, not everything is peachy in the world of software updates. Google recently drew some controversy for dropping support for the Pixel 3 after just three years. While the company did fulfill its launch era promises, customer expectations have changed since 2018. It’s still a capable, usable phone in 2022, but with its final patch now in the rearview mirror, users will have to start planning out a replacement sometime soon.
If devices from three years ago are still more than usable these days — assuming companies continue to support them — it poses an interesting thought experiment. A recent poll from earlier this year showed that many of our readers are willing to hold onto a phone for four or five years at a time. So, hypothetically, let’s say your current phone was guaranteed updates forever, eventually transitioning from full-blown Android upgrades to consistent security patches. How long would you be willing to stick with your device before you finally shell out a cool $1,000 (or more) for a replacement?
If updates were guaranteed forever, how long would you keep the same phone?
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