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My last two phones
iPhone 4s: 4.5yrs
iPhone 7: 4 years and running, although on last legs. Hopefully will last 2021.

[car_guy1998]

I've been using phones for the last 6 years and here is the list of my phones, which I've used till now:

Nexus 5(2014-2015)- Bought in mid-2014 and used it for 1 year and then upgraded to iPhone 6 by handing this over to mom, who used it till 2018 and then upgraded to iPhone X

iPhone 6(2015-2018)- My first iPhone, which made me stick to the iOS platform and was bought in mid-2015 and used for 2.5 years until its screen got broken

iPhone SE(1st gen)(2018-2019)- My second iPhone, bought in 2018 and used it for 1.5 years and then upgraded to iPhone XS and handed this over to my grandfather

iPhone XS(2019-till now)- My third and present iPhone, which I've been using since October 2019 and I don't see myself upgrading to a new iPhone for at least 1 year or if any miracle happens, will be upgrading to 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max in few months if I have intentions to purchase here in India or will upgrade to 13 if I move abroad by this year-mid or end

I've been loyal to iPhones since then and I don't see myself purchasing an Android phone for now.

[Oxy]

Had a Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 for 2.5 years before I upgraded to a flagship in October 2018 (LG G7+). Turned out to be a bad decision as the thing had a puny battery and used to heat up even during a 5-10 minutes long phone call, so upgraded again to an Oppo Reno 10x Zoom in June 2019.

This one is thankfully going strong till date except that the battery has started draining much more quickly than what I would like to see. Am planning to keep it atleast till 5G becomes mainstream (read another 1-2 years). Hopefully it will last till then fingers and toes crossed!!

[vb-saan]

Just noticed that I am on the only one (so far) who voted for the first option – every year
Here in Singapore normally the Telecom contracts are for two years with an option to go for a new handset (at a discounted price depending on the plan) at the 21st month. Since we have all the services (phone, TV and Broadband) with the same provider, a nominated key line can go for a new phone after 12 months. With trade-in of the current handset, the new one normally comes in at a nominal cost.

[The21st]

As long as it serves the purpose
Time period is 3 years for almost all the smartphones I used except the time when the switch to smartphone happened from Nokia and the Samsung phones at that time were not that great
Usually after 3 years either the phone will lag or the battery life would be terrible and changing the battery will not be worth it.

At present my Huawei nova 3i completed 2 years and is going on except for the poor 3000 mAh battery

[StarrySky]

I generally tend to keep my phones for long.

2001 to 2005: Nokia 3310

2005 to 2011: Nokia N-Gage. Used this phone till the buttons on the keypad fell off. And then some more.

2011 to 2012: Another Nokia, E61(?)

2012 to 2015: Samsung Galaxy Note

2015 to 2017: Sony Xperia something. Was fed up with the phone within 2 years.

2017 till date: Nokia 6

[Akshay6988]

I've had very bad luck with electronic items, if you can call it that. Something happens to them either battery issues, or hardware related, they just stop working. I've been changing my phones almost every 12-18 months. I've previously used Nokia, Asus Zenfone, Redmi note 6, 7 all had issues came out regarding either charging or battery
So I am very hesitant to plonk my money on a flagship device (oneplus, pixel and such).
Current phone Redmi Note 8 pro is with me for 14 months now. Let's hope it works well for another year

[Thatautoguy46]

Started using Mobile phone since 2015
Vivo Y20T which was bought in China by my Dad during his trip for 23K. That phone was well ahead of time. Great camera which was ahead of time, crazy front camera, slimmest phone in world in the back then. It stopped working in 2017. Showed it in various Vivo stores, no use. Because nobody can handle Chinese specific tech other than them.
So used Lava Iris some series, just 5K but bang for the buck. Used for few months.
Then bought a preworshipped S8 for 30K in 2018. Felt that was out of my league after owning it. Gave that to my dad and took his S7 Edge which was a really great phone. The camera, Edge display, AOD, everything was really amazing. Used that for an year until the battery gave up. Don't know why, the same Note 7 series was reported with battery issues (Even exploded in few cases) so got rid of that .
Bought a used Vivo V9 for 13K in November, 2018. Worth the money. Slimmest phone during 2018, has good camera, after Oneplus first phone with Notch in Android. It is running good but lags a lot due to heavy usage and loads of photos. Looked at many phones for a good update right from Redmi to IPhone. The oomph factor for the price paid is not there now. Just looking at the Redmi Note 10 pro. Seems value for money. Now I want crazy camera with good batter life which doesn't hang. The craze for smartphones with gimmicks and high specs started fading. At the end of the, I just need a phone to surf, click photos,videos and good battery backup . A Mid ranger can do that now. So I think, spending money on a Mid ranger is good enough for me.
And, I'll change only when it hangs or I get great value for money deals and not as per age.

[r.joshi]

Voted 5 years or more. Even though I love tech but I see no reason in upgrading phone unless there is valid reason for it. I prefer buying overpriced iPhones over other phones because they really last long and do not deteriorate over time whether it comes to software upgrades or the hardware.
Can't believe Apple gave software upgrades to a 2013 iPhone 5s for almost 7 years and with every software upgrade it only became better.

Before 2013 - Beaten up Nokia phone which were discarded by parents.

2011 - 2013 - Samsung Galaxy S2 - Never really liked it.

2013 - 2017 - iPhone 5s - Still being used as an everyday phone in family once any of loses/breaks their phone.

2017 - 2018 - iPhone 7 Plus - Lost it - some thief snatched it while I was on a call.

2018 - Now - iPhone X - Still works and looks like a brand new phone after so much abuse. I've used this phone everywhere - beaches, bathroom, rivers, rain etc.

Now - Future - iPhone 12 Pro - Got a new iPhone as gift yesterday. I won't mind upgrading and ditching iPhone X for it.

[aansh singhania]

I used my previous phone, a OnePlus two for almost 6 years and recently changed it during lockdown because the battery and heating issues were making it unbearable to use. I got myself a Motorola g8 power lite, and I have decided not to spend more than 15k on a phone since there are only 4 generic apps that I use the whole day and they work fine on these devices. I am hoping to hold on to this one for 5 years.

[Eshan Joshi]

My current phone is a hand me down Oneplus 3.

It is gonna turn 5 this year.

My father used it for two years before passing it down to me. I have been using it ever since.

The advantage of owning a Oneplus is that they keep on giving regular software updates. Due to this your phone never really fells old. So I would keep mine for a few more years.

[akhil_007]

My friends make fun of me as I never upgrade phones unless it's broken/damaged beyond usage. :-)

And,I never buy phones >25k
And, I research like crazy before I buy a phone
And, I ensure my phone never hangs

All this because of a bad experience of buying and using Nokia N73. Spent a bomb to buy this phone and the phone used to hang like crazy. Best hardware but worst software. Even nokia service center folks put up their hands in helplessness.

So far, in 12 years, on my 3rd phone.
1st phone- accidentally drenched in rain. Repair costlier than new phone(same model)
2nd phone- screen cracked and water ingress due riding in rain. Repair cost same as new phone (same model)
3rd phone- currently using since 1 year. Wish to use it till 2025 atleast

[condor]

Nothing specific in terms of duration. Yes, model fatigue is natural. But I try to use my phones till it can go on. I have typically used the phones for 4 years or more before changing.

[Jeroen]

I never upgrade unless absolutely necessary. Which in case of phone usually means the phone won’t support newer features, won’t be able to upgrade, or the battery has been replaced multiple times.

So I went from iPhone 6 (bought in 2013 or thereabouts) to iPhone 12 Pro last month.

Can’t tell the difference other than much better battery life and I can take iOS IP-adres again.

Jeroen

[TrackDay]

My phone is upgraded usually around every 3 years. I replace phones mainly because the updates or supports are no longer there. Another reason is the battery going bad.