In the current spectrum, how much should one spend to get the best value? I know everyone has a different taste and budget. But analysing the current trend of smartphone culture could give a bit of insight into spending wisely.

  • BigTrout75@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Divide the total cost by how many years of OS updates are given by the manufacturer.

    • jetA
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      11 months ago

      This, plus make sure it’s hardware security updates too, and not just OS updates. Some disenguious vendors like to confuse the two terms in their favor. I.e. fair phone.

    • rekabis@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      You’re an Apple fanboy too, eh?

      That’s the metric I’ve been using for the last decade-plus, and it’s kept me locked to Apple for that very reason. When you can get 6-7 years of completely new OS upgrades, and another 2-3 years of security updates after that, Apple is a no-brainer choice to make.

      • nonprofitparrot@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        The new Google and Samsung phones have been promised 7 years of updates, including major Android versions and features drops!

        • rekabis@lemmy.ca
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          11 months ago

          Mm-hm. And Apple has been doing this since the very early days.

          Let’s see how these abandonware-loving companies pull this off, first. My work phone was promised three years of updates, and it’s still waiting for Android 12. Which came out in 2021. I doubt that it, much less Android 13 and 14, will ever end up on the device from a bog-standard update.

          • weew@lemmy.ca
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            11 months ago

            Actually apple doesn’t provide any guarantee. They’ve historically supported their devices for a while, but if they choose to cut their support short, it’s entirely within their rights.

      • DevilOfDoom@lemmy.one
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        11 months ago

        No phone that I used in the last 10 years survived longer than 3 years so why would i care about 6-7 years of OS upgrades?

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Have you tried an iPhone? With a case? Admittedly I don’t have experience with other brands but iPhones have always just worked, reliably, for my family of four, and have held up for years

          They’ve usually lasted except for this last round where my teens had our old iPhone X’s: 3-4 years with adults, perfect. However the kids kept taking their cases off and dropping the phones. I don’t know why they were so careless this time around, but I can’t fault the phones. If they were trying to get early replacements, they only succeeded in carrying around phones with broken screens

          Anyhow, good phones are sturdier than ever and can last with even the most moderate of care

        • rekabis@lemmy.ca
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          11 months ago

          I was using an iPhone X until just a few weeks ago, and my father is still using my old iPhone 6.

          The iPhone 6 I got in 2014. That was just over 9 years ago. And my X lasted for over 6 years… and will be replacing my dad’s 6.

          iPhones can last a hell of a lot longer than any Android device for the same care taken of them.

          • ManosTheHandsOfFate@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            I’ve been an Android user since the beginning, started with the G1. But I’m starting to think about Apple. I have no other Apple products but I just don’t care about phone tech any more. I want a long lasting phone that launches apps, texts, and makes phone calls.

            • rekabis@lemmy.ca
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              11 months ago

              As much as I would love to welcome you with open arms, be aware that each platform has highly opinionated ways of doing things. If you are a long-term Android user who is just looking for a “simpler” experience… yes, iOS is indeed a more user-friendly design and has less friction between its different parts, but it does so in much different ways that will present you with an initial learning curve that might be too much of a slog for you.

              Just… get an iCloud tier that satisfies your storage needs. Even if you have no other Apple devices to sync to. Trust me, it’s literally an insurance package in case your phone gets lost, critically damaged, or stolen, and is stupidly simple to use as a recovery source. I quite literally cannot count how often I see people who have lost a crapton of personal photos and data because they were willing to get a $1k+ phone, but couldn’t stump up the 99¢/mo for that iCloud storage.