Is it necessary to upgrade annually?

[W1nterFr0st]

I mean, like on a year to year basis? I ask because so many people do and I have had my same phone for nearly 3 years now and see no reason to upgrade other than getting a few small perks (better camera, longer battery life, smoother processor, ect).

What are your thoughts on frequency of upgrades?

 

[psionandy]

If its working for you.... and there's no reason to upgrade, then why upgrade?

 

[Techbot8]

If you have all your needs met on the phone you have now, then I think it would be silly to throw away money. Just because so many others do get a new phone each year (most of the time they have the money or they are teenagers) doesn't mean you have to

 

[lvt]

Longer battery life is a valid reason to upgrade. I can pass the camera or CPU but battery life is critical when you are permanently connected to a 3g or 4g network.

 

[Jfalls63]

If your battery is removable it may be time to replace it after 3 years. Other than that if the phone suits your needs, keep it.

 

[Hadron]

Upgrade when you have a good reason to do so. Otherwise as long as it's working for you, don't worry.

Upgrading just to have the newest toy is not only a waste of money but, more importantly, a waste of finite resources.

 

[sunnydaytime]

I thinks it's based one what app or software you have, some are need to be upgraded, some are not.

 

[mikedt]

I've upgraded my phones about every year, but on the other hand I've only upgraded my laptops every 6 or 7 years, and I'm not subject to two year contracts. Data loss has never been a problem for me, because I think know what I'm doing and have always done my homework carefully before buying. ...like can I really afford this, do I really need it, is it going to improve my life, is a new phone going to bring me wealth and fortune?

My father changes his car every year, and gets a new one, but on the other hand he keeps phones going for as long as absolutely possible. I've only had old second-hand banger cars, and usually driven them into the ground.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

If you're really into it and can afford it upgrade when the specs change. But practically speaking there is no real reason to upgrade every year.

 

[electricpete]

It's a personal decision.
Primarily it's a matter of cost vs convenience. (cost for new phone vs many conveniences of new phone mentioned above).
One other aspect is security. An older phone likely isn't getting updates and may not be as secure.

 

[The_Chief]

I trade up phones about every year to stay on the bleeding edge of technology. I wear my phones out using them to their maximum capabilities, so more powerful devices = getting more done faster and easier. I've had phones for two years, and it seems like they start getting eccentric and "senile" at about 18 months. The last few months on a 2-year cycle were horrible for me... so changing up every year takes that strain off. I set aside a little bit of money each payday and when I'm ready for a new phone, the money is there to choose whatever works best for me. That's why I do it

 

[Stuntman]

I kept my last phone for almost 3 and a half years. I upgraded because it was having issues and required frequent rebooting. The phone before that had a bad battery after a year and a half. The one before that just plained sucked, so I upgraded after 7 months. Upgrade when you need a new phone.

 

[dan330]

no.. not necessary.

based on your needs.. wants.. and finances.
do as you please.

I personally .. think it strange that many want to upgrade every year!
I am still on my Note3... and happy

about the smart watches.. are people going to upgrade? what about the $1400 apple watches? and the coming soon $1700 Tag watches?

 

[The_Chief]

As far as a smartwatch goes, I have the Huawei watch and consider it the end-all of watches. The only thing I can think of to add to it is a speaker/camera feature that I can use to video chat with people right from the wrist. But again: do I really NEED that? No. Most of the watch's capabilities are software-based, and most updates will be software driven... so I'm pretty much sitting pretty on the smartwatch front as long as software updates keep coming to keep it current.

 

[Slug]

What are your thoughts on frequency of upgrades?

I upgrade when I feel the need. It's my device and my plan, I'm paying for them, therefore it's my decision. Nobody else's opinion matters.

 

[AZgl1500]

Guess I will sit on the sidelines.

I personally don't feel a need for anything that hangs on my wrist...
so, to echo the previous post, you are the "only one" that determines a "need to upgrade".

If what you have does what you want, then why waste money throwing it away and buying a new one?

None of my phones are "new" current model stuff. but, at one time, they were all Flagship phones and as such, they all still do an excellent job.... Every one of them.

____________________________________
Verizon: 2 ea. Galaxy S5, Note 4, HTC One M9, VZW MiFi

 

[AndroidGreaterThaniOS]

If you like to upgrade and can afford it, go for it. Is it really worth it? Not really! It's really that simple.

Not everything in life needs to be logical or make sense. Well some just can afford it and don't care, and others have different priorities. For me, if the phone is working and all the apps I need can be installed and work like they're supposed to, I'd never upgrade unless I get a great deal on a phone (without a contract of course).

 

[aysiu]

I upgrade every two years. That's worked for me.

 

[Slug]

If you like to upgrade and can afford it, go for it. Is it really worth it? Not really! It's really that simple.

It may be so for you, but that doesn't mean your logic works for others.

 

[AndroidGreaterThaniOS]

It may be so for you, but that doesn't mean your logic works for others.

I already said not everything in life needs to be logical, did you finish reading my post? Not everyone thinks like me, I already know that. But it is really that simple, is it worth upgrading every year? Not really. I went from a Droid razr to a galaxy S4 a few years ago (again just because I felt like it, everything was working fine on the old phone). Now I finally upgraded to a Nexus 6p, my S4 still works perfectly fine.

I know it isn't worth the upgrade, but I did it anyway. That's the point I was trying to make.