Fairphone promises 8 years (maybe up to 10) of support for its new Fairphone 5. Google has brought Android’s longevity into the mainstream with the new Pixel 8 series, which will be supported for 7 years, including both software updates and availability spare parts.
But this raises the question: Does anyone really use their phone for that long? While it’s difficult to predict whether there will be any Pixel 8 users left in 2030, we can focus on the here and now. So let’s change the question to this: How old is your current phone?
We know that some of you have phones that you love and keep with you for many years. We also know that others update every year, and of course, there are those that fall somewhere in between.
Ok, maybe some of you answered “1 year” because you just bought a new phone after using your old unit for several years. How old was your previous phone?
Technology is strange: old gadgets age faster than new ones. So a 3-year-old phone bought in 2020 is worse now than a 3-year-old phone bought now will be in 2026. In part this is due to longer support programs being adopted by more and more manufacturers (and the move of Google can push the like Samsung and even Apple to extend the support time period).
And also because the hardware has reached a “good enough” stage. The Snapdragon 870 has remained relevant for years, and we suspect the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 will follow in its footsteps. 5G, 100+ megapixel cameras, periscopes, 100+ watt charging, etc. they all made waves when they hit the market, but if you already have a phone with these features, why upgrade?
So, we’ve talked about the past and present, now let’s look at the future: How long do you plan on keeping your current phone?
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