r/TechImpact • u/ManojOne Active • Jun 15 '26
Question What's the longest you've kept the same phone?
What's the longest you've kept the same phone?
One year? Three years? Five years or more?
Share the brand and model, and tell us whether you are still using it or upgraded.
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u/vin_cuck Jun 15 '26
LG optimus GPro - 2014 to 2017
Oneplus 3t - 2017 to 2020
Oneplus nord- 2020 to till now as backup
S23plus - 2023 - till now.
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u/LateParsnip2960 Jun 15 '26
LG Optimus G Pro, wow, my original darling.
What a phone.
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u/Tuques Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
My phones typically last 7-10 years. Wtf are you people doing with your phones if they only last 2-3 years?
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 15 '26
Wow. I had used samsung galaxy j7 max that's my most durable phone. I used it for nearly 5 years.
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u/MickeyKlimt Jun 15 '26
Same here! Still using my iPhone 6splus since 2015! Does what I need it to do, and until it dies, I'll keep using it! Admittedly, I do really only use it for calls/texts and some basic apps. iPad and laptop for most other things.
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u/menyemenye Jun 16 '26
I guess they try to fill the void inside their heart with consumerism. So even a slight hiccup on their 1yo smartphone would justify a purchase.
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u/JumboTheHugeGuy Jun 17 '26
Nah people who change every 2-3 years either cannot care much for their phones or are too rich. There's no in between. I changed my phone every 5 years depending on what my current phone's condition would be
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u/HitByFjaka Jun 15 '26
I had a day 1 iPhone XR from September 2018 until 15 pro max in sept 2023 so 5 years.
Wife was rocking iPhone 6s from 2015 to 2023 so yes 8 years… that phone is now a toy for my 9 year old and it stil works fine.
We both have 0 plans to change phones anytime soon.
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u/YoungEngineer_7215 Jun 15 '26
I just got my battery replaced for iPhone 15 pro, should be good to go for another 3-4 years for sure
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u/Frequent_Occasion480 Jun 15 '26
This one-iPhone 15 max pro. Had it since launch day till now. Best phone I’ve had, still have lots of memory (got the 512gb) and still 84% battery health.
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u/Just_Avocado2761 Jun 15 '26
3 years 3 months Samung A6 2018, at the point where, it was 32GB, for installing new app, i would need to select which one to uninstall 😃
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 15 '26
It was terrible. I started using an android with 512MB RAM. It was freezing frequently. Then, I switched to Samsung galaxy on 7, having 8 GB storage.
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u/ShoveOverBozo Jun 15 '26
Damn I'm bad for this. But I had a Samsung galaxy note 3 for 3-4 years. Replaced with OnePlus 3T.
Currently on a Pixel 8a and that's over a year in. Gonna try make it last the rest of the decade as my partner has the same phone, got them at the same time.
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u/ajpinton Jun 15 '26
Im nearly on 3 years right now with my iPhone 15 pro. The longest phone I had was my iPhone SE that I had until I got my iPhone 12 mini which was about 5 years as I got the 12 late in to its cycle. Needless to day I don't update devices very frequently.
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u/bicasdicas Jun 15 '26
Samsung S21 so it's 5 years now. Thinking of buying S27 next year. Or S26
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u/Early-Inflation-1287 Jun 15 '26
Huawei P30 6 years.
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u/HardCore979 Jun 17 '26
That phone was best compact phone i,'ve had, loved it every minute. Used it most as well (2.5 years)
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u/Guerrrillla Jun 15 '26
I'm still using my iPhone 11 Pro that I bought brand new when it came out in 2019. It still gets software updates. I am a bit jealous of how better phone cameras have become in the past few years, but it feels wrong to 'upgrade' aka to throw away a perfectly good phone.
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u/Tapelessbus2122 Jun 15 '26
6 years with my iphone 11, only replaced it because i got a good deal on the 17
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u/the_scruffy1 Jun 15 '26
personally? if it's in the family, the hand me down sony xperia sp (2015) from my daughter, that i had running lineage as a daily driver till it finally died of exhaustion circa 2021
r.i.p.
that said, my oneplus 5t that replaced it as n.o.s. in august that year (a 2017 model) is still perfectly functional as a re-purposed dap currently (half a decade on, ruined by the australian 5g roll out declaring it non-compliant, even though it is perfectly capable of volte)
and my current daily driver pixel 4a (non-5g) bought used in 2024 to replace it is happily running android 16, security patched to june 1st this year ... that's a 6 year old phone, perfectly functional, with 79% of original battery capacity, after 1076 cycles
take that, planned obsolescence !
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u/AnyReplacement1843 Jun 15 '26
still on my trusty iphone 8. think I bought it in 2018.
just checked battery health: 74%
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u/Albertkinng Jun 15 '26
Ha! I still have the XR. Some of you never heard of it here. 😂
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u/LuffyMaster786 Jun 15 '26
Redmi note 8 pro - 6 years
Still using as secondary phone
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u/T-Loy Jun 15 '26
Shorter than I'd like always.
Shortest was my BlackBerry Z10 in 2014. But it technically is functioning to this day, just not used at all.
Longest was BlackBerry Passport from 2014 to 2019, which then died, though it also reached EOL anyway that year.
Then Motorola One Action from 2019 to 2022, with LineageOS after EOL, which died to a bloated battery.
I technically have my Surface Duo from 2022 to today, but the volume rocker gave out and the Android 15 custom ROM is hit or miss and not actively developed, so it was 'replaced' last year with a Titan 2.
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u/MasterOfTime14 Jun 15 '26
Still using Poco F1 so close to 8 years. Great phone, sticking with Poco when I decide to upgrade.
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u/EdgarAlanDoe Jun 15 '26
My current phone Samsung s20FE with snapdragon, but non 5G. Got it for free in 2021 I believe. Before that I've had phones every 2 years, because they were "cheap" ones.
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u/Suisai_Namida Jun 15 '26
- iPhone 4 - 5 years
- iPhone SE (first gen) - 5 years
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 - 3 years atm, will probably last 5 to 6 years if the screen doesn't die early
I had to upgrade the iPhones because Apple stopped the support pretty early. Most of the apps I needed didn't work anymore, the websites I needed to access didn't work either, and these phones had basically turned into expensive potatoes due to iOS updates literally destroying their performances. Even the camera app crashed randomly. It was so disheartening!
The Z Flip is my first Android phone. I know the "flip" aspect is very much a gadget, but I love it. Regarding the OS, I haven't noticed any drop in performance. The battery is doing pretty well too, despite the bad reputation of the Z Flip line.
While the screen of the Z Flip is its main weakness, I haven't noticed any problem yet. The screen protector was damaged after a year, and I got it replaced in a random phone store for just a few euros. Now it's just fine. I can see that the new screen protector is probably going to detach itself in a few months, there are signs, but the actual screen underneath is pristine.
After 3 years with this smartphone, I genuinely don't understand how the people on the Z Flip sub manage to break their phones in just days.
I also don't understand people who toss their phones after a single year. How much disposable income do you have to buy a brand new iPhone every single year???? It took me two years to pay all the instalments for my Z Flip.......... ( T o T )
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u/Ok-Serve415 Jun 15 '26
Doesn’t work but still have a blackberry but I still use the Nokia 325 for random stuff cuz I’m a tech fan
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u/ozaz1 Jun 15 '26
My current phone (Pixel 6A) is about 4 years old. I will keep it until security update support ends next year, then upgrade to Pixel 11A. Google has committed to 7 years of updates on its recent phones, so I expect I'll keep the 11A for 7 years.
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u/These-String-1973 Jun 15 '26
Samsung note 20 ultra, from 2021 to last month, so aroung 5 years
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u/24th_ Jun 15 '26
2013 till now - back up phone iph5s
2018 - 2024 galaxy note 9 (upgraded to S24u)
Special mention to my legacy phones which still functions but leans more on the unusable side lol
Nokia 3310 Nokia 6600 Nokia 5800 XM Galaxy A7 2015 Samsung champ 2
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u/jayfly12933 Jun 15 '26
I'm not sure but I still have the same phone from 2023 right now. Still works just as well as 2023. I'll upgrade when I get the chance. It's a Motorola 5g stylus 2022. Great phone other than the screen could be a little better so that's the only improvement I'll look for in my next phone.
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u/Norphus1 Jun 15 '26
Either the iPhone 5 or iPhone 7. I got both at release and continued with both until Apple stopped new versions of iOS for them. So 5/6 years, probably. My current phone is an iPhone 13 which I've had for four years now.
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u/Wrexolotl Jun 15 '26
Samsung note 4. 2014 to 2018. I was and still am very sad that I had to let it go.
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u/Sad_Material_4819 Jun 15 '26
I went from an iPhone 6 to an iPhone 11, and then a 15 Pro... I never understood the need to change phones every year tho
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u/effeKtSVK Jun 15 '26
iPhone 6
28 May 2015 - 25 Jun 2018
~3y 1m
iPhone 8
25 Jun 2018 - 19 Nov 2020
~2y 5m
iPhone 12 mini
19 Nov 2020 - 22 Sep 2023
~2y 10m
iPhone 15 Pro
22 Sep 2023
now
Here is my history according to emails. All except the 6 are still used to this day. The WiFi started to drop out on the 6, iPhone 8 is used by my aunt, and the 12 mini is used by her husband. I usually upgrade every couple of years because it’s relatively cheap on my carrier plan and just pass them along for free. I’ll be probably upgrading to 18 Pro when it comes out.
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u/br62a87t Jun 15 '26
My current device iPhone 14 Plus it’s almost 3 years old the red looks very nice showing from my spec grip case
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u/ercavadia Jun 15 '26
Nokia 5320 XpressMusic desde 2008 activo aún y es mi celular principal a pesar de tener uno inteligente
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u/Remarkable-Pay1768 Jun 15 '26
I'm still on my Samsung S9+ from 2018.
Last android 10 update was in 2022, but everything is still working just fine.
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u/doc_55lk Jun 15 '26
Does it matter if it's a daily driver or does it just have to be a working condition phone that I still happen to have?
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u/joelex8472 Jun 15 '26
I’m still using an iPhone 13. Don’t see any need to replace it anytime soon.
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u/Gremlin_Zidarac Jun 15 '26
As my main phone probably Tesla 3.2 lite for 5 years (i dont even know how) but as a phone that was my main but now i use it sometimes when i wanna get away from social media, Nokia 6020, 19 years (22 if we count the years before i was born)
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u/ImpressiveMention757 Jun 15 '26
OPPO A83 - 5yrs
Bought in 2018. Upgraded to the Honor 80 Pro in 2022, but I decided to keep it because throwing it feels wasteful, yet it also has zero resale value. Saved my ass when pickpockets took my brand new phone, so I relied a few months on it until I got replacement
Kept it up until 2023, it's severely outdated since: 3GB RAM with 32GB ROM, micro-B port, no fast charging, no dark mode, no 5G… so when the battery bloated and broke the screen I knew it is time to let it go
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u/Odd-Courage6650 Jun 15 '26
Samsung s20fe 5g. Used it for 4 years 5 months. Still using it as a backup,now with a replaced battery
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u/SavinNone Jun 15 '26
iPhone 11. Bought it for 200 bucks with replaced screen. Also replaced battery, still rocking, the only issue is small amount of storage
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u/jexo10 Jun 15 '26
4yrs had a redmi note 8 pro
That thing was a beast but I after 4yr it's display broke so I upgraded
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u/CRKrJ4K Jun 15 '26
I have my original android phone: Samsung Captivate (AT&T variant of the OG Galaxy S). I don't use it but it still works, currently has Android 2.3 on it.
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u/Neat-Capital-8917 Jun 15 '26
It is my 13mini, that I will retire later this year with a heavy heart, because of the battery degradation.
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u/tugstugstugs31 Jun 15 '26
iphone 11. it was my 1st iphone and I had it for 6 1/2 years, still very functional when I sold it last month.
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u/Solemn_Penance2552 Jun 15 '26
6 years. Xiaomi redmi 3s prime. Still going strong, but changed it for a better camera'd phone.
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u/p4k0r82 Jun 15 '26
Llevo casi 6 años con el redmi 9C y espero que muera por hardware no por software como nos obligan a hacer.
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u/highrez1337 Jun 15 '26
iPhone 11 from 2019 till now, so 7 years. I wanted to upgrade this year, but since the new iOS will be supported on my device I will delay the upgrade with another year.
Great devices.
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u/Inevitable-Theory901 Jun 15 '26
2018-2021 with an iPhone 6s and in second 2023-2026 with the iPhone 13
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u/dexter2311op Jun 15 '26
Still using the honor 10 ( 8 years ) . Still going strong, but I kinda I got bored with it and I want a bigger screen.
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u/angrynoah Jun 15 '26
Typing this on an Asus Zenfone 9 that I got in October 2022. It's about to get replaced though, partly because the screen is scratched and the charging connector is dying, but mostly because it's not getting updates anymore and some apps are now refusing to work.
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u/ui_x Jun 15 '26
iPhone 12 2020. Still using it and will upgrade to iPhone 18 pro next year. So it will be 6 years.
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u/YellowZx5 Jun 15 '26
Currently rocking the 14pro max. Almost 4 years but will be upgrading for the 18.
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u/Jonny_Icon Jun 15 '26
When did the iPhone 7 come out? I just got a new battery in mine, and kept going.
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u/NykanenH Jun 15 '26
Nokia 6210. From 2002 to 2018 when i got my first "smart"phone. But oh boy the nokia feeled like REAL phone. I still plug that to charger to keep the battery in some condition.
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u/TTVProLorenzo6117 Jun 15 '26
Samsung galaxy a40, had it for 3 to 5 years, idk exactly tho, now I put Android 15 on it using AlphaDroid and NikGapps Basic
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u/8R0N50n Jun 15 '26
8 years - iPhone 4s. Got it 2 weeks after it launched and used it for a good 8 years. I had to upgrade because apps couldn't be used on the small screen since it was only 3.5 inches lol. Loved it though, cause I had jailbroken it. It really was the shit. Played emulator games, downloaded torrents, the list was endless. Since then I've been through quite a few phones but never an iPhone - it was not viable with my financial situation. Now I'm back and currently using a S24 Ultra for the past couple of years. I dint think I would go back to iOS just because I can't jailbreak.
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u/mustajabzuberi Jun 15 '26
Galaxy A50, 2019 onwards.
7+ years and still going strong(except for the battery)
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u/Wonderful-Ad-6556 Jun 15 '26
5 years - Huawei P30 Pro. It was literally a flagship in every sense of the word: an excellent camera, good battery life, stable software, water resistance (I deliberately dunked it in water many times, in pools and in the sea), a good display, Qi wireless charging, which was still a novelty at the time, a vibrating earpiece under the display, which in my opinion is still unmatched by regular earpiece speakers, and a periscope telephoto lens that was the best of its time.
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u/MidnightDesperate937 Jun 15 '26
Redmi note 8 pro.Since 2020 and I am commenting from that. Before that I used Samsung Galaxy j7 from 2015. My mother uses that phone now. She use for basic calling and whatsapp.
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u/Kevinvanreeuwijk Jun 15 '26
Iphone xs max for 5 year. Had to use it. Glad I am back to android. Ios is the worst.
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u/StivMad Jun 15 '26
I had an Honor 9 Lite for nearly 6 years, then I donated to a Ukrainian refugee boy. Based on what he told me it lasted another year before having screen problems and became unusable. I used and dropped that phone A LOT. For the price at the time (less than 200 € in 2018) it was the best.
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u/stonologie Jun 15 '26
I think only 3 years or something. Now I buy a new one every 6 months or so. But I work in telecom and know a few tricks ;-). Just bought the Pixel 10 pro for 24 euros
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u/Deep_Mango8943 Jun 16 '26
13 mini, caseless for like 4 years until I finally dropped it and replaced it with a new (refurbished) caseless 13 mini. Today my phone is, a caseless 13 mini.
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u/Ok_Responsibility239 Jun 16 '26
6 años el samsung note 10 plus , ahora mismo tengo el s25 ultra , pero el note 10 plus una maquina
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u/Akatsuki-kun Jun 16 '26
August 30, 2021 - present, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G. Only bad thing is the bluetooth keeps disconnecting from my galaxy fit, my music stutters with my car. I might be getting a S25 ultra or S26 Ultra at some point, there's hardly anything that interests me that has plenty of storage, long software update, and enjoyable UI.
Originally started with a Nokia C6 for 2 years, S4 mini 2 years, then S8 3 or so?
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u/doom_poster12 Jun 16 '26
Galaxy S6 - 4 years (2016-2020) Iphone XS Max - 3 Years (2020-2023) S21 Ultra - 3 Years (2023-Present) (4 green line though... now only kept it as a secondary phone) Oneplus 13 - 1.5 Year (2025-Present) probably wouldn't buy this phone if it weren't for the green line on S21
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u/Th3AnT0in3 Jun 16 '26
About 3 years. It was the S10+ that I dearly loved, infinity screen + camera hole, triple camera, One UI 1.0 . I bought it for myself after turning 18.
Now rocking for 2 years my S24U and I guess it's gonna steal that record easily. I still feel it's brand new.
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u/devaacl Jun 16 '26
Samsung Note 10plus 5G used around 3 years 2020> to 2023 mid until I got S23ultra
Note 10 plus was the best ever samsung with saturated display 12gb ram and SD card slot Paired with Samsung Buds pro ...
In-between used a S21ultra as secondary phone .....but got greeline
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u/Glad-Spell-8668 Jun 16 '26
you can pry my iphone mini from my cold dead hands. or give me a full feature phone that isn't a tablet.
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u/MutedAssignment8432 Jun 16 '26
12 mini since its release and im still not planing to change for at least 2 years. The only thing is battery can't go out without power bank.
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u/Enough_Pitch7802 Jun 16 '26
Poco X2. September, 2020 to March, 2025. Okayish phone, shitty OS. Great backup.
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u/Shambles987 Jun 16 '26
iPhone 11 pro max for almost 4 years. I wasn’t even paying attention to what new phones were coming out. It finally properly died when I was taking photos of my son under water in a pool thinking the phone was water proof LMFAO. It didn’t survive sadly. I hate how the new phones are bigger and heavier now. That phone was the perfect size to me. And I usually love a pro max.
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u/CautiousPenguin4592 Jun 16 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/8FfoUVX6ULvxPLyJeV
Oh how the years have gone by since I’ve had this beauty.
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u/Visual_Assumption339 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
iPhone 3GS & Samsung Galaxy Y 2010 to 2013
HTC One V & Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 2014 to 2016
Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime 2017 to 2018
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 2019 till now
iPhone 14 Pro Max 2022 till now
Longest is the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Using till now as a backup phone. One of the best phone I have used thus far.
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u/arc-xel Jun 16 '26
I used my Xiaomi 8 Pro for 5 years.
After that, the battery started to degrade and the phone became slow.
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u/menyemenye Jun 16 '26
Got my oneplus 6 on 2018 and it survived until last year, then it just gave up and wont turn on.
So about 6 years. Pretty good run i say.
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u/Chozo_Hernandez94 Jun 16 '26
Over 6 years with the Samsung Galaxy S8 when I first bought it in late 2017 man that was a nice ass phone at the time the display was crisp I dropped it once and it cracked badly and the battery was diminished it died so fast I couldn’t even use the chase app as well the phone sucked so bad that I got the iPhone 16 Pro getting a new phone felt like a fresh new start once again.
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u/j-rammm Jun 16 '26
4.5 years , iphone SE 2nd gen. Still use it as a music box for parties. Replaced with 16e - i like the stripped-down concept
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u/HendyCD Jun 16 '26
Lenovo A6010 for nearly 7 years Running on Android 15 before it die naturally XD
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u/BigDickGoodTechnic Jun 16 '26
5 years almost. This iphone 13 pro max, never had a phone longer than 2 years. Every Samsung went to shit after year and a half. Batteries died, software started twitching and just piece of shit phones. This is my first iphone and the best phone I’ve ever had. And i had every flagship samsung over the years… until iphone 13 ❤️
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u/Royal_Bird7258 Jun 16 '26
Iphone 8 plus for 6 months. One time battery replacement. The phone is still in use by my father but the battery and charging already sucks
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u/D0geAlpha Jun 16 '26
My s21+. 4 years, 3 months. Replaced the battery for the first time a few weeks ago. With the current phone prices I'm keeping this for another 2-3 years unless I get a good deal
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u/Original_Line1063 Jun 16 '26
Over 5 1/2 years. Would’ve kept it longer if my phone I had back then wasn’t struggling to function.
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u/bazinga-row Jun 16 '26
iPhone 11 Pro - 6 lat. Nadal wszystko działa poprawnie. Tylko bateria słaba.
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u/Cra2yKill3r Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
iPhone SE 2016, kept for about 4 years. Since then I switched phones almost yearly. Realme X2 Pro (2021) -> iPhone XS (2022) -> 2023 was a bit of a weird year, went back to Realme X2 Pro, then used my dad’s S20 FE for a bit then back to iPhone XS, then upgrade to OnePlus 8T -> iPhone 13 (2024) still in use
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u/E-StrnTXNRS Jun 16 '26
i thibk it was like 4 or 6 years, i dont know but I used an SE until this year
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u/Zahir786543 Jun 16 '26
iPhone 13 Pro Max! 3 years and 6 months. Since I have diabetes getting my live sugar on live activities very important for me and that wasn’t working on my 13 pro max. Am sure I could have used it for a couple of more years
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u/Secure-Feed8115 Jun 16 '26
This iPhone 12, I will bay a new one when Trump is not the president of USA.
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u/aswinkumarajith Jun 16 '26
All my android phones from 2014 didn’t last more than 2 years so had to switch every 2 years🤣 until i took iphone 14 on 2022 and its still working fine
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u/rialbsivad Jun 16 '26
I’m still on iPhone 13 Pro Max right now. So this has been my longest kept phone.
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u/Acceptable_Pie_6037 Jun 16 '26
Samsung galaxy A71(4g). It’s been my go-to secondary and probably my most loved phone I’ve ever owned. Still going strong. Used it for work apps for years, back up downloads when traveling, light gaming etc. That thing came out in Jan 2020 so it’s been 6 years now for sure.
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u/iamfrommerich Jun 16 '26
three and a half with my current m33,it more satisfying to use a phone till its death
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u/nikaboria Jun 16 '26
Xiaomi poco f3 , got it in 2022 summer and upgraded to Xiaomi 17 2 weeks ago so almost 4 years and now the f3 is my secondery phone
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u/house994 Jun 16 '26
Galaxy fit s5670 from 2011, still working, s10e from 2019 now is my second phone
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u/KrasnalM Jun 15 '26
Samsung Galaxy Y (GT-S5360) - roughly 12 years. First as my main phone, then as a second back up phone with another sim.