Most people upgrade their phones every two to three years.
How Long Does an iPhone Last? If you look after your iPhone, you can expect it to last for quite a while. As a rule of thumb, you can expect your phone to last anywhere between four and seven years.
How Long Do Phones Last? According to Statista research, the average lifespan of smartphones is 2.58 years. This represents a 0.06-year decrease from 2022 and a 0.17-year decrease from 2021.
Ring the changes: Average adult has 19 phones over a lifetime... and we lose our device almost once a year, researchers say.
Some devices can even last upwards of five years if treated gently. However, you might start noticing a decline at around the three-year mark. It's usually at this point that your hardware becomes outdated, with no new operating system updates from developers.
However when it comes to iPhones, you can expect between three to five years (maybe more) with proper care.
In 2015, research found that the average smartphone lasts almost five years (4.7, to be exact), but we all know that in reality the battery slows down, the screen cracks, the accessories disappear. So, if you are determined to keep your cellphone going for four years or beyond, read on.
You may have experienced losing your phone in the past. This irritating occurrence is not uncommon. A study revealed that 70 million smartphones are lost each year, and a mere 7% are recovered. Are you the type of person who easily misplaces their device?
Airport security, buses and subways, airplanes, taxis–all these areas are prime spots to lose your phone. The worst location to have your phone go missing is the swimming pool, which has a 50% to 75% chance of recovery–but your sopping-wet phone, even if retrieved, has less than a 5% chance of ever working again.
“We all drop our phones occasionally, but if your device is experiencing internal damage that goes beyond a cracked phone screen, you may be due for an upgrade,” says Moore-Crispin. Signs of internal damage can include a touchscreen that doesn't work properly, random phone reboots, or a screen with blacked-out pixels.
When it comes to the lifespan of a phone, Apple has always been the clear winner. And by lifespan, I'm talking about software and security updates.
Samsung currently leads the Android smartphone market in software updates, surpassing even Google. Since the S22 generation, Samsung has provided four years of major updates and two years of additional support for its high-end devices and folding phones, including the S23, S22, S21, and their respective models.
Your iPhone Probably Looks the Same
And since Apple introduces newer models every year, there is hardly any major physical change in the shape and design of an iPhone. It might make sense to buy a new iPhone if you have a three or four-year-old model, but you won't see any significant changes if it's just a year old.
In January 2023 Apple updated iOS 12 with a security update to address serious security flaws. However, we do not expect these phones to be supported for much longer. Once iOS 17 launches in late 2023 we anticipate that Apple will stop supporting iOS 12, only maintaining support for iOS 17, iOS 16 and iOS 15.
If you're using an iPhone 11, we recommend upgrading to an iPhone 14 (or even an iPhone 13). In the last three or so years, Apple has made enough changes to features including battery life, performance, screen quality, cameras and durability to merit buying a new iPhone.
WHAT IS NOMOPHOBIA? Nomophobia represents the irrational fear of being without a mobile phone. The term was coined in 2009 in the UK and comes from the anglicism "nomophobia" ("no-mobile-phone-phobia").
If your phone is stolen, you should try to get it back in the safest way possible. However, your first priority should be to secure your identity. Remotely lock and erase your phone, and monitor your bank and online accounts for signs of fraud.
Google provides an app and website called Find My Device, which lets you seek out your missing Android, secure it, and erase all data. Samsung devices have an additional feature called Find My Mobile, which allows you to track down your lost device.
The odds you'll ever see your lost cellphone again are 50-50, according to a study by security firm Symantec. That's the company behind the Norton antivirus software. Symantec purposely lost smartphones in public areas to see if the finders would return them to their owners.
Many kids are ready for a phone by age 13, but this decision really boils down to your child's maturity and the phone's necessity. We'll walk you through some important considerations, the range of cell phones and smartwatches designed for kids, and some tips for controlling screen time.
What is the ideal age for a first phone? Your children could be ready for a smartphone or similar device anywhere from 10 to 14, or during middle school. A sixth-grader (typically 10 to 11 years old) could be a good start for considering a phone or a wearable.
A smartphone that is made for longevity can be a real thing. Too bad that's not how most of them are designed.