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Other Why Aren't we Keeping our iPhones for Years?

ElPaso

ElPaso

macrumors regular
Original poster
I'm preaching to myself I guess, but with the high quality of iPhones both in physical build and OS, I'm curious why we move on to a new iPhone after only a year or two of use? With a couple of my old devices, I replaced them after only a year or so of use - the iPhone SE (1st gen) and the 13. But on the other hand, I kept my iPhone 8 Plus for four years, and I was extremely happy with it from day one all the way to the end of its 48 month tenure. I figure I could have squeezed another couple of years out of it, but the thought of a shiny new device (the 13) was too much to take lol. At the end of the 8 Plus' time with me, it seemed just as capable and fast as when I first got it.

With my iPhone 8 Plus experience under my belt, I've decided to keep my 16e, which I've had for only 3-1/2 months, for 5 years. Or at least try for 5 years. Since I'm retired and have limited income, it seems the smart thing to do - especially with the high quality of iDevices I've experienced, and specifically my experience with the 8 Plus.

Who else wants to keep their iPhones for a looooooong time?
 
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ElPaso said:
I'm preaching to myself I guess, but with the high quality of iPhones both in physical build and OS, I'm curious why we move on to a new iPhone after only a year or two of use? With a couple of my old devices, I replaced them after only a year or so of use - the iPhone SE (1st gen) and the 13. But on the other hand, I kept my iPhone 8 Plus for four years, and I was extremely happy with it from day one all the way to the end of its 48 month tenure. I figure I could have squeezed another couple of years out of it, but the thought of a shiny new device (the 13) was too much to take lol. At the end of the 8 Plus' time with me, it seemed just as capable and fast as when I first got it.

With my iPhone 8 Plus experience under my belt, I've decided to keep my 16e, which I've had for only 3-1/2 months, for 5 years. Or at least try for 5 years. Since I'm retired and have limited income, it seems the smart thing to do - especially with the high quality of iDevices I've experienced, and specifically my experience with the 8 Plus.

Who else wants to keep their iPhones for a looooooong time?
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I usually keep them for years. Nothing like a paid off device anything.
 
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I usually keep my iPhones for a long time, with a few exceptions:

Original, 2007 to 2011, 4 years (the touch response broke on the display)

4s, 2011 to 2013. 2 years (I loved this design, always my favorite, but I gave my daughter my 4s as a her first phone)

5s, 2013 to 2015, 2 years (I gave the 5s to my wife after she broke her iPhone)

6s Plus, 2015 to 2017. 1.5 years ( I hated the large size and rounded edges of the phone, I replaced it as soon as the 128GB SE1 launched in March of 2017, the 6s plus was only iPhone I owned that I hated, also the only one that I sold)

SE1, 2017 to 2022, 5 years (still use it sometimes. I love the size and weight of it)

13 Mini, 2022 to ?, 4 years (I will probably use it until I break it or something stops working on it that I need)
 
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Since 1996 we've been on a telco's 2Y telco plan. So for the past 3 decades its been that way.

I tried delaying my phone by a year by going from iPhone 13 Pro Max to iPhone 16 Pro Max and it felt wrong.

This time around I'm thinking of delaying to iPhone 19 Pro Max.
 
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Huh?

2026-06-28 15.25.46.jpg2026-06-28 15.26.01.jpg2026-06-28 15.26.11.jpg

Did you say something about not keeping phones for more than two years?

My current primary iPhone is the 11 Pro Max, purchased February 2021. Not sure I line up with your assessment.
 
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Starfia said:
Guess so!

My current iPhone is an iPhone 12 mini from 2020, and I'm still using my first-generation iPhone SE from 2015.
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Nice! My very first iPhone was the first SE. Do you see anything in modern iPhones that you miss by keeping your SE and 12 mini? I remember that the SE's camera was very, very good for the price of the phone.
 
Simple answer for me. It is simply too boring to keep a phone for more than a few years. I know that is an unpopular opinion, but it is the one that I hold. I see a phone as something transitional, temporary, and ultimately to be swapped out eventually. I sold my original Iphone 6 years ago. I sold my Samsung A53 when I upgraded to the Iphone 13, and then 2 years later, traded that one in for my current Iphone 16e.

I will likely be buying my 17e tomorrow and trading in my 16e.
 
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ClaraStahlbaum said:
Simple answer for me. It is simply too boring to keep a phone for more than a few years. I know that is an unpopular opinion . . . .
Click to expand...
Actually not. I think the way you do it, changing phones relatively frequently, is the popular opinion. For the most part, it's been mine . . .
 
The only thing that makes me want to move on from my 13 mini is just that they don’t seem to continue paying attention to how new iOS versions will look and perform on my particular screen size (and specs).

To me it’s really sad that Apple doesn’t because this is where software is supposed to shine.

All that said, I have nothing to move onto anyways since they only make huge phones now.

The only purchase on the horizon is a battery replacement.

🤷‍♂️
 
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ElPaso said:
Actually not. I think the way you do it, changing phones relatively frequently, is the popular opinion. For the most part, it's been mine . . .
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I had my Iphone 6 for many years though. I had the 6 all the way until the Iphone 14 was released. I switched to a Samsung A53 in 2022, used that for a year and then got my 13 since I didn't like how Android operated.

I think in terms of the future, I will be upgrading once per year. My goal is to have the 17e until around the same time next year and maybe trade in for the 18e or regular Iphone 18 next year.
 
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ClaraStahlbaum said:
I think in terms of the future, I will be upgrading once per year. My goal is to have the 17e until around the same time next year and maybe trade in for the 18e or regular Iphone 18 next year.
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That sounds like a good plan. I'm talking about keeping my 16e for 5 years - but on the other hand I'm a guitar player, and it seems like I change guitars as frequently as I change shoes lol -
 
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ElPaso said:
That sounds like a good plan. I'm talking about keeping my 16e for 5 years - but on the other hand I'm a guitar player, and it seems like I change guitars as frequently as I change shoes lol -
Click to expand...
Looking back at older Android phones, the first Samsung phones for example feel nostalgic to me despite me never having used them at that time. I can understand why some people would keep older phones, but when it comes to newer phones like anything after the Iphone 6, I don't have any kind of nostalgia or attachment to it, so it is really easy for me to trade in and move on.
 
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We? I bought the 8+ in November of the same year it was released. I was happy with it and had no desire to buy a newer iPhone. I wanted to wait until the iPhone has a truly all-screen option. Then Apple announced quietly that the 8+ wasn't going to get the next version of iOS. I like my 15 Pro Max, but I wasn't excited to buy it.

I still hold out hope that Apple will figure out how to make an iPhone with a screen with no notch or island. I also hope that Apple starts supporting their iPhone for 7 years even if older iPhones don't get all the features of a new version of iOS.

Last thought on this thread is it's irresponsible to keep a device that's no longer getting software updates.
 
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Black_Mage said:
We? I bought the 8+ in November of the same year it was released. I was happy with it and had no desire to buy a newer iPhone. I wanted to wait until the iPhone has a truly all-screen option. Then Apple announced quietly that the 8+ wasn't going to get the next version of iOS. I like my 15 Pro Max, but I wasn't excited to buy it. I still hold out hope that Apple will figure out how to make an iPhone with a screen with no notch or island. I also hope that Apple starts supporting their iPhone for 7 years even if older iPhones don't get all the features of a new version of iOS.
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Iphones haven't truly felt exciting for me in a long time. When they FINALLY kill off the dynamic island and have a punch hole camera, edge to edge displays...then you'll see me excited.
 
ElPaso said:
I'm preaching to myself I guess, but with the high quality of iPhones both in physical build and OS, I'm curious why we move on to a new iPhone after only a year or two of use?
Click to expand...
It isn't quite a fair comparison, but, from an old-school Motorola, to a Motorola razr, I think only those two phones in about 8 years. Tough phones. When iPhones were finally available no-contract for all carriers, I got a 3GS. Also a tough phone. Phones got a bit more fragile after that. Kept the 3GS until the 6S, kept that for years, then an SE3 which I still have. I don't particularly like the larger form factor of the new phones, so, I'm not sure what I'm going to do from here.

So, I do keep phones a long time. The main thing I have missed is that the cameras haven't been the best at any given time, but, I have had several other cameras at times for my more quality photo requirements. People are paying a lot to get a quality camera in a tiny phone package and then upgrade because of damage or just FOMO. Or boredom. The cameras are amazing by historical standards-- think what Ansel Adams had to lug around. But, I would rather have something I'm not so worried about in my hand. And the phone part is still a phone.
 
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My phone upgrades tend to revolve around battery condition, which usually becomes a problem every three years or so. I always think I should replace the battery, but the trade-in deals are such that a new phone isn't much more than a battery replacement, so I give into the FOMO and get a new toy.
 
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I can’t keep mine for years. I’m going to try with my 17 pro max. My co-worker keeps hers for a long time. She’s still on a 12 pro max. She just raises her eyebrows when she sees me with a new iPhone.
 
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I went from an iPhone 6 to an 8 Plus, but then kept that until I got my 14, which I intended to keep until next year's iPhones came out. I don't know whether I'll be in a position to afford an upgrade by then, as much as I'd want to. If I can't, it's no big deal. My 14 is still in fine form, it just needs a new battery.

iPhones are well built, they last for years.
 
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BSDnostalgia said:
. . . I don't particularly like the larger form factor of the new phones, so, I'm not sure what I'm going to do from here . . .
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Hear hear! I don't really mind that all of the screens are large these days, but if Apple offered an iPhone that was the size of the 5 or the original SE, I think that would be my choice. I have my MBN and an Android tablet available for large screen projects, so why should my phone be so large?
 
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