[speedfreak01]

Last few phones which I can remember. I usually keep shuffling between android and IOS as and when I see a good phone in the market.

2015 - 2016 : iPhone 6

2016 - 2017 : iPhone 6s

2017 - 2018 : Asus ( dont remember the model, costed around 55k )

2018 - 2019 - Samsung Galaxy Note 9 ( broke the front screen, still have it as a reminder to use my phone with precaution always, new screen costs 20K so didnt see any point of changing the screen )

2019 August till date : iPhone XR 128gb ( plan to use this phone for 3 years atleast )

And for my further mobile purchases as well. No more frequent changing of phones every year. 3 years is the minimum I told to myself while purchasing my last phone

[Funny]

For me there is no set time period. I like to keep using my phone as long as it runs fine and has the required features to stay relevant in current times. Also I am a Android fan so I stick to VFM android smartphones.

Anyway here are few of my past upgrades:
2013-2015: Sony Xperia SP (Loved this one for the LED bar)
2015 - 2017: Asus Zenphone 2 (Was a decent phone but became slow/outdated by 2017 end)
2018 - Till date: OnePlus 5T (Current favorite. Going strong, no plans to upgrade anytime soon)

Edit: Can we add something like "Till the phone becomes slow/outdated/brick" as an option to the poll

[SoumenD]

On my 9th phone in last 18 years out of which lost 3, 1 died, gave away 3 & sold 1. But since 2013 I have been keeping my phones for 3 years each (galaxy s3mini followed by OnePlus X). 2018 Nov switched to Nokia 6.1plus which gave up in 2 years and since then have been using a refurbished iPhone 6s(it’s actually my brother’s) which is just a stopgap arrangement till I find my next.

My usage doesn’t warrant a flagship, so I stick to budget phones (sub20k). Second most important thing is compact dimensions. But sadly all phones these days are huge in size specially in 20-25k range, so it’s getting tough to find a new one

[GTO]

Like I do with cars (related thread), I buy the flagship model / variant, and then keep it for long. My current Samsung S9 is 2 years & 7 months old. I'll probably keep it for another year simply because I love its size (today's phones are too big), its quick enough, the camera is good and it looks nice. Am a sucker for vanity & there is really no difference in phone design (it's the cover that counts).

When smartphones were fresh on the scene, they were like 800cc cars. They felt underpowered & you'd outgrow them soon. But current phones have more than enough power for the everyday user. I use my phone just for calls & occasionally, some apps (need-based like Swiggy, Uber etc.). I hate surfing or typing on my phone. https://web.whatsapp.com/ is always open on my computer.

I bought a 10-grand phone for an office line and must say, the entry-level phones sure have improved! Except for the display quality & camera, it is as fast & snappy as any premium phone.

[pnredkar]

Voted for 5 or more.

My phones so far:
Sony Ericsson k700i - 2004 to 2009 (5 years; in working condition when replaced)
HTC Touch Viva - 2009 to 2014 (5 years; battery replaced once, second time phone replaced)
Iphone 5s - 2014 to 2017 (almost 4 years, replaced due to battery issues)
Iphone 8 - 2017 to ??? (more than 3 years and running)

Would like to keep this one as long as it lasts, but the working life of phones seems to be reducing with each passing generation.

[gulerianeeraj]

Oh my god I never realised what’s the time limit I’m abiding to for upgrading my phone unless I saw it here. So after giving it a thought and realising that reasons for me upgrading a phone are typically Indian.
a. Phone Breaks.
b. Phone damages and go beyond economical repairs.
c. SW compatibility issues due to age of the device.
d. Battery issues (Yes my IPhone 4S lasted for 4 and Half year without any issue of battery viz a viz had to change my 6S within One and a Half year due to poor battery backup)
e. Uncontrollable Itch whenever I see a new Device launch (Though this itch has only pushed me twice to make a buy. Rest of the times I have been pretty rationale)

[any23]

I will be very frank here,
I am a phone freak too and can't resist the itch to visit a store every now and then. But, now I have learnt to not to buy whatever you like(being more monetary disciplined now). I just ignore now a days the electronics shop when I go for shopping

Earlier days (2012-2014) I used to upgrade yearly, later the frequency shifted to every alternate year (2014-2017) - reason being that our company gives some perks to buy a new phone every two years.

Now, I am a - use it till it's dead kind of guy - reason being 1) matured technology 2)Ridiculously hiked prices of flagship phones 3) Value for money.

Still I voted for 3 years - the only whole and sole reason here is that one must be up-to date with security updates at least, if it's a iPhone they can be very much used for 4-5 years if handled carefully (and if apple don't push a update just to slow down old model ) and android phones must be updated every 3 years considering the security update release.

Timeline -
2012 - Nokia N8
2013 - Samsung Tab
2014 - Samsung Note2
2016 - iPhone 6
2018 - iPhone SE

[MotoBlip]

My previous smartphone was my first, a Samsung S7, bought solely for it's compact dimension(I'm a sucker for small phones). My current phone is a OP 8 Pro, bought a few months back and there's a pretty crazy story behind this switch.

I took my S7 to the pool one day, for photography and stuff and though the phone was IP rated, it got water damaged and stopped working for a while. After it dried out, the headphone jack, the fingerprint reader and one of volume buttons stopped working and that's when I decided to switch. It still works well and I use it only as backup.
Lesson learnt and I'm never taking a phone close to a water source despite it's IP rating.

[one-77]

With the current pricing of iPhones I think I’ll use mine for minimum 3+ years. Apple provides updates for 5-6 years, so a battery change at two-three years means you’re iphone gets to run practically like the latest one till it falls apart.

- My first phone was a Sony Ericsson K 750i in 2007 - used it for 3.5 years
- End 2010 to early - end 2012 Sony Xperia X10 mini- first android phone - 3 years
- end 2012 to early 2015 - Sony Xperia P - 2.5 years
- early 2015 to mid 2016 - HTC One M8 - developed a screen problem at 1.5 years
- mid 2016 to mid 2019 - iPhone 6s 3 years (still going strong as the occasional beater)
- mid 2019 to present - iPhone 11 Pro (planning place in end-2022 or later

[raghukodali]

My first phone back on 2002 (I guess) was Samsung R220. I still love that phone. Used it for 4 years.

Then changed multiple phones (don't even remember) till I got a blackberry from office in 2009. Used it for 4 years.

Moved to the the iPhone ecosystem in 2014 I guess and stuck to the iPhones from that time. Just got my iPhone12Mini and I am sure I am going to use it for 4 years. I just love the form factor of iPhone12mini.

[Thermodynamics]

I keep it as much as possible without major lapse in utility and I upgrade only when there is some major shift in technology such as CDMA, Resistive touchscreen, Android, Capacitive touch, 3G, 4G etc.,

On an average I have changed every 3 years.

In our R&D department we do life cycle assessment and the typical life of a mobile phone is 18-24 months depending on country. Most smartphones are designed to last 2-3 years. Although hardware can last longer, software support/upgrades vanish. Unfortunately all these phones are not properly disposed and they most often end up in landfills.

[charanreddy]

Voted every 2 years, but that's because my phones are on company budget. If it was for my personal use and my personal money then may be 3 year on average as phones are getting very powerful.

Here's my complete list.

1. Motorola feature phone (don't remember the exact model) - 2005 - 2006.
2. Nokia 1108 - Most rugged phone of them all. Survived multiple drops from my second floor hostel room on to a hard cement floor below. 2006 - 2008.
3. Nokia Music express - 5611 - First phone I bought off my salary - 2008 - 2009. Passed it on to my brother who was just out of college.
4. HTC Touch - Windows based, pretty advanced for its time with 2.8 resistive touch screen and a stylus. Loved this to bits. 2009 - 2012.
5. HP Palm Pixi - Bought from eBay US. Super cheap with both touch and type. Super durable as well. Really loved this phone's form factor and ease of use. 2012 -2014
6. iPhone 4S - First company phone. Small 3.5 inch touch screen meant it was not used as much for videos. 2014 - 2016.
7. Lenovo K3 Note : Personal phone, built to price, not durable at all. 2015 - 2017.
8. iPhone 6S - Second company phone. 4.7 Inch touch screen meant it was a lot more usable. First phone where i felt the processor power was almost on par with low end PCs. 2016 - 2018.
9. One Plus 5 T. - Brilliant phone, great build quality. One of my most favorite phones till date. Can stand up to any multi lakh rupees flagships. the 6 inch touch screen was brilliant for watching content. 2018 - 2020
10. iPhone 11 - One of the best iPhones yet. The big screen size means I am hooked up on this phone. Also got myself an apple iWatch series 6, so not breaking out of the apple ecosystem anytime soon. 2020 - Current.

[lancia_fanboy]

I am of the belief that phone is a tool, nothing more, nothing less, so I tend to view phone similar to that as of an overcomplicated hammer.

In that sense, till that hammer is useable and can drive the nail in (i.e Camera, Whatsapp, Calls, Spotify, Tracking runs and 1 game) I'm fine.

In a more practical sense, I often tend to break or lose my phone in an average timeline of 3 - 4 years. Once lost, my choice is simply to ask a close, more Tech-Savvy friend which 10-15K phone to buy and then go from there.

[Tucker48]

Smartphones are becoming better with each passing year. I have never followed a particular brand as I look for hardware capabilities and form factor. Currently I'm using x2 pro with 12gb ram and sd855+. I used my last phone for approximately 3.5 yrs and that was Nubia z11 with 6gb ram and sd820. I might use my current phone for 4 yrs depending upon the use case of 5g as my phone does not have 5g.

[2000rpm]

These are my last two purchases

• 18th June 2015 - OP1
• 21st October 2016 - OP3

I am still using my OP3! There is just no need to buy a new phone, except for Camera.

I will mostly buy the OP9 Pro with Hasselblad camera module. While I would love to have the Note for the stylus, the pricing of the phone, just doesnt make sense!

I have escaped so many fads of the smartphone industry in the meanwhile, like

• Notches
• Extremely curved displays

In my current purchase, I cant wrap around my head the fact that, phones these days come without a headphone jack and without chargers. #Applesucks