Four reasons you don't need to replace your smartphone every year

Smartphones have made significant progress in the past decade, and even if you're using a two-year-old model, it's still sufficient for most people. If you bought a new phone last year, this year is still a long way from the prime time to replace your phone.

Unless you have a lot of money or your current phone is broken and cannot be repaired, there is not much reason to buy a new phone.

Here are five reasons why you don't need to replace your smartphone every year.

The first reason: Today’s smartphones can only be upgraded in a differentiated way

In the early days of the smartphone era, we saw major feature upgrades year after year, with larger and higher-resolution screens, camera improvements, noticeable speed increases, and more.

Although the current new smartphones still bring some functional upgrades, the changes are not very obvious in actual use. Mobile phone manufacturers have always claimed to have improved camera functions, but the final photos taken do not look much different.

Additionally, wireless technologies like 5G and Wi-Fi 6 work well with smartphones, and speed tests may show performance differences, but in real-world scenarios like watching videos, the changes are less noticeable.

Today's smartphones are updated very quickly and there is not much differentiation, so there is no need to upgrade.

Reason 2: Smartphone batteries can last at least two years

It's no secret that lithium-ion batteries used in smartphones age over time, but that doesn't mean you have to replace your phone every year.

In most cases, a smartphone battery will remain in optimal condition for at least two years, and of course you can continue to use the same device by replacing the battery.

Reason 3: Smartphones may get software updates for years

The period for providing software updates for Android smartphones has also been extended recently, with popular brands such as Samsung, OPPO, and OnePlus providing three to five years of software support.

When it comes to software updates, no company can match Apple. Each new iPhone receives operating system updates for many years after its release. Although Apple does not give an exact number of years, in most cases it is about five to six years.

A typical example is that the iPhone 6S was released in 2015 with the original system being iOS 9. Six years later, the iPhone 6S also supports software version updates to iOS 15. By 2022, the model will enter its seventh year of support.

Reason 4: You won’t notice a performance change

Although the amount of RAM and storage installed in smartphones is increasing, unless you are a multitasker or gaming enthusiast, you will not notice any change in performance due to the difference between 8GB and 12GB of RAM.

Smartphone processors also improve year by year in terms of efficiency and speed, but in real-world use, the performance difference is imperceptible.

If you bought a high-end smartphone last year, you already have a good processor and can be expected to keep using it for three years or more.

The editor has used his previous iPhone 6 Plus for six years and it is still running smoothly. He only changed to iPhone 12 because the memory was too small.

Conclusion

Smartphones are a luxury, not a necessity. No matter what smartphone you buy, manufacturers will promote the various highlights of the new product, making us feel that the phones we are using are outdated. In fact, today's smartphones have almost all the functions they should have, and those fancy highlights are not worth changing phones for.

It is said that there will be no changes in the iPhone 13 to be released in September this year. If you want to know the leaked news about iPhone 13, you can read my previous article.

If you have already bought an iPhone 12, you don’t have to consider upgrading to an iPhone 13. I think the iPhone 12 can be used for at least five years or even longer. What do you think?