Are you one of the few people who buys a new smartphone only when it’s malfunctioning or can’t be fixed?

[Anonymous]

Around half of the people in Singapore change their smartphones every two years because they wanna show they can afford the latest smartphones or simply because of new upgrades that their old phones don’t have at all (which is true when it comes to IPhone). Very few people change their smartphones only when it can’t be repaired at all. I have been using this IPhone 7 Plus for 2 years and I don’t plan on buying a new one unless it’s spoil and can’t be repaired at all. Maybe another 3 years later I will buy refurbished ones on Apple website but I’m not the only one eyeing refurbished phones, mostly it sold out very fast. People everywhere love discounts especially electronics which is as good as new. Who wouldn’t want a refurbished smartphone at a steal? Next time after my phone malfunction I will check refurbished phones on Apple website if they don’t have I have no choice but to pay full price for the model I wanna get (I don’t like paying full price for items with no discounts).

Updates:

[Liam_Hayden]

I only replace when it needs it. I have no interest in conspicuous consumption/impressing people I don't know.

[BCA6010]

Yes. I find people who get a new phone every year and not out of necessity to be pretentious idiots.

[aWes0MeNeSs]

Yes I am. I am not a fan of change at all and my philosophy is very much "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". If I'm used to something, I'd rather stick with that than upgrade just for the sake of upgrading (plus I really couldn't care less about what other people think of my belongings). I hate getting used to a new phone and having to transfer everything over (which I do myself and will no longer allow the people at the phone stores to do since they almost always wind up screwing everything up and deleting a bunch of shit in the process).

I'm honestly the same way with my car, my house, and my other belongings. Why trade in my 11-year-old car that still runs great, that I'm used to, has all of the features I want and is perfect for me, for a brand new model "just because"? Not to mention I haven't been impressed with any of the newer cars and don't have a need for ridiculous features such as WiFi (which I think is a horrible idea for a car). Actually, the newer generations of my specific model of car are not nearly as nice as the one mine is from; much more cramped, weird design, and butt ugly to boot!

Also, why upgrade my older, sturdy appliances in my house that were made to last and be repaired for years, to some cheaply made trendy stainless steel "smart" garbage, that is only made to last for a few years and was made to be disposable? No thanks. I also don't want to update the "dated" decor, as I prefer the dated look and all of the materials are of high quality and made to last, unlike a lot of the stuff made today, like crappy particle board cabinets and woodwork, crap carpet that looks awful in a couple of years even with good care, etc.

When I still rode horses as well, most of my tack (equipment) was older than me, but again, of much higher quality and really meant to last. No, it was not "trendy" in the show ring, but it was solidly made, did the job (even better than all of the new flavor-of-the-month overhyped stuff), and cost MUCH less than the popular and trendy options made of inferior materials that were all about the big name brand and had a reputation for falling apart rather quickly.

Yet another thing that never changes with the trends is my personal style. If I want to wear my hair in a vaguely '80s style, I absolutely will. If I want to wear older style clothes I like, I absolutely will (though to be honest, my main concern with clothing is comfort rather than fashion). I may like a couple of new trends as they come along, but they have to happen to match my personal taste, not the other way around.

I guess I will never understand keeping up with trends, and/or sacrificing quality for the sake of being "in"! It makes absolutely no sense to me.

Sorry I got off topic, but I can relate in more ways than just the phone thing when it comes to not upgrading/changing just because something new comes along! Sometimes I feel like one of the only ones!

[Xoxocutekitty]

When I was younger, I would get the "upgrade" simply because if you're in the habit of spending a high monthly payment, you figure you might as well get something "worth" your money. Anyhow, once you lose your phone or you crack the screen a few times, its easy to "fall from grace" and you see how that cycle eats up a ton of money and a slightly better camera doesn't really change much about your lifestyle.

On the other side of the spectrum, I have found that getting a good camera and front facing camera really did affect my self esteem for the positive. In a social media world, whether you want to admit it or not, how well you can make your life seem to be, it does affect how your peers, acquaintances, and like friends of friends perceive you. I get that social media shouldn't dictate your self esteem completely, but it is nice to know that you're just as capable as playing with camera angles and light filters that you COULD be "pretty", and that you just value your time differently. If the only lens you have of yourself is ugly, it's easy to fall into the self esteem spiral.

[ryoru]

I buy every 2 years usually on one of those monthly online sale. Usually an older release but a new phone as it is $100-200 cheaper.

Xiaomi user for past 10 years. Used their import and export versions, no complaints there.

I'll disinfect my old phone, my brother will do a thorough reformatting and root the phone.
My mom will then be using my older phone. She use it for calls only, so don't need a smartphone really...

I won't buy a refurbished phone as who knows what the previous user has touched or surfed when handling the phone.

The longest a smartphone been in my family is 5years before battery life ends, or when SG stopped supporting 2G (yes, mom was using the Xiaomi 2G phone couple years ago)🤣🤣

I suppose moving forward, if the phone lifespan is still good, will pass it to relatives in Indonesia- like how I passed my 7year old laptops/notebooks to younger relatives in Indonesia who use them for typing practice and learn to use Microsoft programs

[Aethereal]

I am. I never spent much time on my phone in the past. I've had my Samsung J7 Prime since January 2017 and it still looks new (but irritates me with low data warnings). Before that, I was using a Nokia N95. I don't care about showing off phones, or spending over $1000 on an iphone. That could buy 2 PS5s, or a cheap gaming PC. My current phone works. And if it died, I still wouldn't get the latest Samsung (I don't like Apple). I have many other uses for the money than wasting it in order to show off to people who aren't important to me.

[Anonymous]

I only replace phone when current dies or too expensive to fix.
I see no point in chasing fashion brands, never had iPhone or Samsung...
I just have builders smartphones, as they waterproof and unbreakable, not like fashion brands, they only recently started adding those features...
About hardware my phone is good enough for what I need to use it, have all modern connections and great resolution, almost forgot battery life can be up to 4 days with constant use...
all that for 30% of fashion brand price and I get more questions asked about my phone, then any iPhone user...
Don't get me wrong I can afford to buy new iPhone or Samsung every time, but why should I waste my money on it?

[Saville_Row]

One of those here. I'm married to Samsung since the age of 13 but of course, I only change them when there's not enough battery (and a loose mini USB port), gets constantly stuck and without space no matter what. I just replaced my old one this September after 5 years. That's my average for changing phones.

And I'm loving the new version.

[WhiteSteve]

Couldn’t care less about my phone as long as it functions. So yeah, I usually keep them until I can’t charge them/turn them on anymore, haha. I don’t even have a functioning main camera right now, lmao, just the shittier “selfie” camera on the screen side works, since before the summer😂

[Gafgorkion]

I definitely do not upgrade my phone very often. In fact, I just replaced my 5 year old phone a few weeks ago only because the battery wasn't holding a charge for more than 2-3 hours anymore. If it wasn't for the battery being unable to hold a charge anymore, I wouldn't have replaced the phone. (It is also a phone that does not have a replaceable battery so I had to replace the whole phone.)

[SincerelyAnon]

I am an avid saver & green conscious. & I just hate buying things that won’t last or will be considered old tech in a year.
The way tech advances it’s a waste of money in my opinion to upgrade phones every time a new one comes out if nothings wrong with my old one. I upgrade when I’m forced to. & I refuse to go broke over a phone.
I find it ridiculous.
Then again I’m also the type of person that loves to disconnect from my phone. If I could down grade to an old school phone I would.

[sheikalana]

I still use an iPhone 7plus that I bought 4 years ago. The phone is still working fine, last year my rear camera stopped working and I fixed it I was considering buying a new phone at that time but the price that they were charging to fix the camera was so cheap that I opted to keep the same phone. Next week I'm gonna buy the new iPhone 12 pro and I'll keep te 7plus one in case I need another phone.

[oddwaffle]

Technically I buy brand new one when the current only begins to lag due to battery degrading. Roughly 2-3 years since the manufacturing date.

I tend to op for mid-range ones that are last-gen than the current gen. They tend to be cheaper but their batteries aren't as good because they have been around for a while.

Don't buy refurbished phones. Some of them still use the old battery. That thing tend to loose their power over a couple years.

[OfDeath]

Pretty much I wait until my phone is completely obsolete and the new phone I get is never an iPhone or a Samsung.
In fact, I'm currently thinking of breaking that rule (my phone is still good) and getting the new mid priced Nokia which has better 5g capabilities than the iPhone 12.

[BeMuse]

I only replace my phone when the applications I need to use for day to day life no longer support my device/operating system version. So not very often.

[supercutebutt]

Work pays for mine. So if they give me a new one then I get a new one. I had a goofy flip phone for a while but then they gave me a smart phone earlier this year. I am a very modern person now. :)

[Smoke-n-Growls]

I use my phones until they no longer function. I also only buy phones at most near the $500 price point.

I don't see a point in buying expensive new phones every few years when there's nothing really more useful that can come of it.

[Dinklex3]

I buy a new phone every year or every two years.
I just like shiny new things and get bored of my stuff.

[Alyssa11]

I buy a new one about every two years... I just enjoy the upgrade to be honest.

[MrCommodore]

Yeah I only change phone once it starts to have issues, I don't care about whether people see its an older version.

[GlitterFairy16]

Yess... My phone has a massive crack in the screen and i mean massive but im too cheap to get it fixed. It's probably been like that for over 2 years now.

[douride2]

My old Samsung is still working fine. I don't see the point of getting a new one when this one isn't giving me any troubles.