GoKawiilPaul Jones / Android Authority
My primary phone was a seven-year-old HUAWEI P30 Pro not too long ago. It still sits on my office side table, and even though I’ve since upgraded to a more modern Samsung device, I look over at it once in a while and remember the good ol’ days. Although its battery is slowly giving out and it’s stuck on Android 10, it’s probably the best smartphone I’ve ever used, and it demonstrates that older Android devices can well outlast their projected life spans.
That’s something that more consumers are now seemingly cottoning on to. With RAM and other component prices spiking in recent years, inflation remaining a problem that affects disposable income, and smartphone pricing floors rising, it’s now incredibly difficult to upgrade. And, given the marginal gains of modern phones over their direct predecessors, upgrading just doesn’t seem worth it.
At least this is my opinion. So, what do readers think?
In a recent poll, we asked you how long you’re likely to hang onto a smartphone. With 2,270 votes counted, here are the results.
Andy Walker / Android Authority
Just 4% of readers upgrade their devices annually, which means that if they own a Galaxy S26 Ultra this year, they’ll get the Galaxy S27 Ultra in 2027. Is this sustainable? Probably not. Is it what enthusiasts would do? Absolutely.
In comparison, more than three times as many voters upgrade on a two-year basis. This option accrued 13.6% of the overall vote, while a further 16% prefer a three-year upgrade cycle.
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
This means that the remaining two-thirds (65.9%) of respondents go “four years or longer” between smartphone upgrades, which highlights several prevailing industry trends.
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