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

[ab2c4]

Different people different reasons. Some simply wear them out quickly. I’ve got one friend whose screen is scratched all up in the first month every time. Dents, camera problems etc…

Than there’s the status crowd who simply like having ‘the new thing’.

The ‘switchers’ which swear switch carriers every few years just to get the switch deals.

The ‘I need a bigger/smaller phone’ crowd. I’ve fallen into this crowd several times.

And then honesty there’s those that simply can afford it and more power to them.

Oh and the YOU DONT UNDERSTAND I NEED A PERFECT BATTERY people who I swear check their battery health EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I'm definitely one of the "I need a bigger/smaller phone" people.

 

[Omega Mac]

I buy my phones outright too. I am allergic to debt. Recently retired my refurb 11 for a new 17. Looked at refurbs again, and was not impressed by the value vs. performance. First brand new Apple device I've ever bought. With the recent chip vulnerabilities looks like my timing was good.

Yea, I thought I was imagining it too but refurbs have become very expensive as well.

Even with the Apple €uro price points, you can still get a something new iPhone from Apple like the 17e now, that makes the refurbs look a bit less appealing, especially if you are not chasing a very specific tech spec.

 

[ftaok]

And how is that possible? The very first iPhone didn’t go on sale until June 29 2007. If you bought the very first iPhone the day it went on sale, you have been using the iPhone 18 years 11 months.

The Motorola ROKR was introduced back in late 2025.

 

[awintersdaybyth]

The Motorola ROKR was introduced back in late 2025.

Well, firstly that's not an iPhone and secondly that's not over 20 years ago 😉

On topic, I am still using an iPhone 13 mini as I just don't get on with phones with a screen larger than 6.1". I briefly tried the Air but found I couldn't really comfortably use it one handed. I also tried a 15Pro which did last me a lot longer as I could just about one hand it, but with the Pro the added weight was a bit of a barrier.

When the mini dies I will probably go back to a refurbed 15Pro

 

[Fallforward]

We are keeping them for years, given the average is over 2.5 and trending towards 3 years. Everyone in my family fits that description.

To the extent folks do replace their iphones, the primary reason supposedly is the battery which starts to decline after 500 cycles. But for us it's been significant feature upgrades like cellular like LTE and 5G and (because we hike in remote areas) satellite. Camera improvements were also a factor, especially when night mode came out. Vaguely remember upgrading once for better compatibility for international travel, as well. These days such reasons are less frequent.

 

[stealthytolkien]

Because purchases that matter e.g. houses, college degrees are getting out of reach for most hard-working people. Gadgets are instantly gratifying.

 

[infomofo]

Speaking for the tiny-handed vocal minority clutching my iPhone 13 mini. We are.

 

[Black_Mage]

The Motorola ROKR was introduced back in late 2025.

What does that have to do with my post?

 

[MicroLab]

15 pro max here and will count on it for a long time. On 2nd battery. Always nice when the battery gets replaced.

 

[ElPaso]

You mean eyefoan

You made my day lol -- OK, from now on: Eyefoan!! 😂

 

[ElPaso]

Because purchases that matter e.g. houses, college degrees are getting out of reach for most hard-working people. Gadgets are instantly gratifying.

Interesting thought -- but I can see why this would be true.

 

[MacInTO]

I will use a phone until it can't be used effectively any longer. I currently have an iPhone 13 mini, Xiaomi 17 and Galaxy S9. I had an iPhone 6s until last year when I sold it. The Galaxy is on its third battery battery now but it's mostly unusable because many apps do not work. The 13 mini is my backup now because Apple changed some of the dual SIM behaviour and doesn't work properly for me. It's on its second battery. The Xiaomi 17 is two month old and is amazing. I only need to charge the battery every three days or so because the battery capacity is 6300 mAh.

 

[ElPaso]

What does that have to do with my post?

The Motorola ROKR e1 was introduced in Sept. 2005 at an Apple event in San Francisco. It was the first phone to integrate Apple's iTunes. So, if he had an E1, his 20-year claim (although a stretch) may be valid? lol . . .

 

[MicroLab]

In fact, people are opening up their drawers and blowing their dust of their old "retro" iPhones: Back to simpler times when "it just worked". No unnecessary features, no social media, no AI. Why keep spending thousands of dollars on a new phone every years, when we already have enough phones home for a life. This also helps reduce e-waste.

The 5 is the best looking device Apple has ever made.

 

[MacInTO]

...

I would add older V8s to the list. They last forever! I have a 2002 and 2004 Audi both with V8s and they just work. I've got over 200k km (~130k miles) on the odometer and they will go for much longer. Another one that I owned was sold (still drivable) when I had over 350k km on the odometer.

 

[Totally Bored]

My iPhone 11 is 7 years old and still works great.

I'm not replacing it until its not supported wich is supposed to be in 2027 -2028 ?

 

[MacInTO]

The Motorola ROKR e1 was introduced in Sept. 2005 at an Apple event in San Francisco. It was the first phone to integrate Apple's iTunes. So, if he had an E1, his 20-year claim (although a stretch) may be valid? lol . . .

The cellular probably would not work in the US because the old networks have been replaced. I've got a Palm Treo 650 that still works to this day - in Canada. It probably would not work in the US.

 

[SURFHI808]

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?

To many updates. 26.5.2 almost 6.5GB. I HAVE iPhone 11/ I refuse to buy another Apple 🍎 product/ I have iPad Air 2 years old. With the updates it eats up all your storage. I am over Apple 🍎. Lost all interest in ever purchasing another product. Time for a cheap phone.More importantly how much wasted apple devices end up in landfills? They don’t offer enough trade in value. 50- 5.00, I only have one app that I cannot live without. Time to prioritize.

 

[stealthytolkien]

Interesting thought -- but I can see why this would be true.

Kind of this: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8GSrLdX/

Is what I was trying to express.

 

[ElPaso]

The cellular probably would not work in the US because the old networks have been replaced. I've got a Palm Treo 650 that still works to this day - in Canada. It probably would not work in the US.

Palm Treo? Nice!! Glad it still works. I was a Blackberry nut back in the day - Palm and Rim Blackberry were waaaaaay ahead of their time! 🙂

 

[Anonymous Freak]

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?

Who says we aren't?

I went from iPhone X to iPhone 13 Pro… And I still have the 13 Pro. I haven't seen any good reason to upgrade.

 

[ElPaso]

The 5 is the best looking device Apple has ever made.

I actually agree with this -- My first Eyefoan was the SE 1, which utilized the 5's form factor. It looked so cool I didn't even mind the tiny screen lol

 

[diggy33]

I thought same with an iPhone 8, until I realised after way too long to check if the port was dirty, a close look into the port with one of those handy children's microscopes with LED light than you can place on what you want to look at, the dept of field wasn't perfect but enough to see it was filthy and jammed full of stuff.

Cleaned it out and all was good, port worked perfectly once again.

The device continues to remain in service, aided by one DIY battery change, which is not a recommended experience, if you get stuff on the adhesive strips after they go snap! 😅

Oh yes, I've cleaned the port and tried different cables, and still no joy.

 

[neutrino17]

For various reasons I usually update after 2 to 3 years. I like photography and I’m impressed with the improvements in the camera. The other big reason to upgrade is that I want to pass the older iPhone on to my wife so I’d rather she get a newer iPhone. Not really a reason to upgrade but after upgrading I find a number of other improvements such as screen quality, build quality, better WiFi connection, speaker quality. I find the battery is really getting good lately. This time I switched from a 14 Pro to a 17 Pro Max. I’m retired and find the larger screen easier to read, nicer to view photos on. I’ve heard the same from several of my older friends.

 

[ResolutionNZ]

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?

The only times I've upgraded is because the old phone 1) lacked sufficient storage, because it was my first smartphone and I didn't understand how much room modern apps took; 2) lacked sufficient battery capacity - because I needed to use a managed-always-on VPN which tipped things over the edge of usability with a brand new battery.

I've since learnt to 1) buy the device that meets your needs and not worry about false economies and 2) buy second hand rather than brand new to avoid the massive depreciation on new devices. iPhones are now so good that running a model that is three generations older than the newest one is fine. At this point I won't be upgrading until there's something genuinely worthwhile and affordable to replace a 13 mini.