When to upgrade your cell phone

[razz]

Several of us are concerned about our "best before date" of our iPhones. Alan has been very helpful with his thoughts. I didn't know what would replace my 6S Plus so went looking at the size and features of the different phones. I don't like the small phones as I find typing on them a real pain. I did replace the battery already as it was showing signs that needed to be done.
This website https://grow.acorns.com/when-to-replace-your-iphone/ with info from May/21 is quite helpful as well so sharing.

I will wait until the next version is released and then probably buy an unlocked iPhone 12, looking for any special sales that might apply then as suggested in the article.

[iris lilies]

Useful, thanks.

If I have a cell phone it needs fit inside my billfold. I don’t do any serious work on it, I use it for:

1) GPS guidance when out driving, and I turn on the voice narration so I don’t have to interact much with the (ridiculous) tiny screen

2) occasional voice communication, mainly in emergencies

3) texting of 3 part authentication code for web accessible accounts

[ToomuchStuff]

What about Android phones? My first phone, a candy bar phone, was upgraded because 2G service was dropping and I couldn't make calls from my house. I bought a newer 4G, flip phone, to upgrade mine, when my boss passed and I found I needed a smart phone. The flip phone was given to a sibling to give to their M-I-L, who now needs a basic phone. In the old days, service changes was what ran the need to upgrade. I don't have enough experience with Android, to know how long the OS is good for and am wondering if the OS will be the deciding factor, rather then now, when 4G goes away?

[Alan]

In the old days, service changes was what ran the need to upgrade. I don't have enough experience with Android, to know how long the OS is good for and am wondering if the OS will be the deciding factor, rather then now, when 4G goes away?
4G/LTE should be around for a while yet, service providers are just now shutting down 3G networks. Android generally provides OS updates for 4 years as opposed to Apple's 5.

[frugal-one]

Useful, thanks.

If I have a cell phone it needs to be to fit inside my billfold. I don’t do any serious work on it, I use it for:

1) GPS guidance when out driving, and I turn on the voice narration so I don’t have to interact much with the (ridiculous) tiny screen

2) occasional voice communication, mainly in emergencies

3) texting of 3 part authentication code for web accessible accounts

The same needs here that is why I have a TracFone that is a smartphone. The cost is less than $150/year. We also have a stand alone GPS system that is updated regularly for the car (probably could use phone but standalone is easier both in sound and visual) and I use my iPad for authorization codes. We have in-house WIFI for streaming. I will bite the bullet for a new phone when I am forced to do so. Otherwise, our needs are met now.

[iris lilies]

The same needs here that is why I have a TracFone that is a smartphone. The cost is less than $150/year. We also have a stand alone GPS system that is updated regularly for the car (probably could use phone but standalone is easier both in sound and visual) and I use my iPad for authorization codes. We have in-house WIFI for streaming. I will bite the bullet for a new phone when I am forced to do so. Otherwise, our needs are met now.

I came very close to getting a standalone GPS system, and then sometime around that decision time we ended up getting smart phones. And since we have four vehicles, well two that I drive often and the third one I drive now and then, a standalone system would be impractical for our household anyway.

I like the GPS system on the phone, but I will confess using it only as a back up system. I still sit down at home before I go to a new place and Map out a route, either mentally or actually, how I’m going to get there. I get lost every time I drive someplace. Every. Damn. Time.

[bae]

I mostly use my phone as a camera, so I only upgrade when the cameras have improved significantly enough to encourage me to bother. This generally means I can skip 1-2 generations of phone releases.

[Yppej]

My phone will not work come February. I may tackle getting a new one in September.

[ToomuchStuff]

Thanks all for the help. Alan that is what I needed to know.
I will miss the $45 a year phone service, but this has/is becoming a needed business tool. Some of doing the business is much easier on the laptop, others are designed on the phone.

[Tradd]

Razz, I have an iPhone 8 Plus I’ve had for at least 5 years. I had a 6 Plus before that. Great size. I made sure to get the biggest memory available for photos and electronic dive logs. I’ve had no issues with it at all.

I could probably go for another year at least.

[Alan]

Razz, I have an iPhone 8 Plus I’ve had for at least 5 years. The 8 Plus was released not quite 4 years ago so the Apple policy of supporting their phones for at least 5 years should give you till at least the end of next year.

[jp1]

I've got an 11 that I purchased two years ago this coming november. It is showing no signs of aging, still has 95% battery capacity after 264 charging cycles and will hopefully last a good while longer. My previous phone had been a 6. I had replaced the battery in it when Apple was doing so for $29 so although it was five years old it was still fully functional at the time, but I wanted the significantly better camera that the 11 has since taking pictures is something I do on a regular basis.

My work phone is an 8 that is two years old. I mainly use it as a phone since I don't have a landline work # and in that capacity it will likely continue to be fully functional indefinitely. Since I do occasionally send email with it I expect that the IT department will deem it a security risk at some point and I will be assigned a newer model.

A few weeks ago we got together with some friends of ours, an 80 year old couple. At one point one of them pulled out his phone and I was stunned. It was either a 3G or a 4. He only uses it to call people and occasionally send texts so he doesn't care that it's no longer supported.

[Tradd]

The 8 Plus was released not quite 4 years ago so the Apple policy of supporting their phones for at least 5 years should give you till at least the end of next year.

Thanks!

[Klunick]

I keep my phone until it dies. Always had Samsung Androids. Right now I have a S8. No idea what number they are up to now as it's been a while since I had to upgrade. When I do, I always go for the oldest version they are still offering because I don't need the "latest and greatest " features.

[happystuff]

DH and I finally got off tracfone and onto a plan requiring new phones. Got the least expensive (just around $100 each) for Motorola Moto G's. They are huge! LOL. Won't fit into any of my usual small bags! Great for reading books off of, but my next phone will definitely be somewhat smaller in size.

[razz]

Finally visited the hearing aid clinic and got Bluetooth set up to link my hearing aids and my cell phone. I have no idea why the set up wasn't completed when I actually received the new hearing aids in late 2019. I had a Bluetooth phone connection via the car set up by the Toyota dealer. I had asked the hearing aid specialist if everything possible was set up in 2019 so that I didn't need to return and he assured me it was all done. Nothing was ever said about the Bluetooth link option. I blindly assumed that he knew what he was talking about and that a Bluetooth link was not possible. Covid shutdowns limited further visits with the hearing aid clinic and the aids were generally working well otherwise.

When I recently grumbled to family about wanting Bluetooth for my hearing aid/cellphone so that I could ditch the landline, DsonIL assured me that it could be done but nothing worked when he tried. The hearing aid office staff got it linked once a glitch in the aid was resolved. From now on, I will assume that hearing aid specialists are not terribly knowledgeable so I need to research all possible options first.

Finally, I can get rid of the landline once the current contract expires in early 2022. That will save enough in one year to buy my new iPhone.